In 1843, Sir Henry Cole, a civil servant in London, found himself too busy to sit down and write the customary Christmas greetings to his family and friends. So he asked the British painter John Callcott Horsley to design a card with an image and greeting to send instead. That first Christmas card has spawned an industry that produces more than 2 billion Christmas cards each year in America alone.

[The well-respected Northern Italian artist Lorenzo Lotto painted this engaging picture of the Birth of Jesus. Signed and dated in 1523 by the artist himself, this oil painting is on display at the Pinacoteca Nazionale in Siena, Italy. The small, interpretative details of this High Renais­sance Nativity scene set it apart from others and open a way to look at the birth of Jesus with the eyes of faith.]

Tucked away almost at the very end of the Old Testament is one of the shortest books of the Sacred Scripture. It is the prophetic book of Haggai. It consists of only two chapters. Yet, its importance far exceeds its brevity.

In an interview Nov. 28 with the Orthodox Christian Network, the Rev. Canon Andrew White, “the Vicar of Bagdad,” told how ISIS fighters threatened four Iraqi Christian children, each under 15-years-old

Marketing experts have discovered that consumers quickly read a headline before delving into the advertisement of a product. The headline has to capture their attention. If not, the readers go no further. Based on the results of their research, experts have found that we instinctively respond to certain words used in advertising.

In 1843, Sir Henry Cole, a civil servant in London, found himself too busy to sit down and write the customary Christmas greetings to his family and friends. So he asked the British painter John Callcott Horsley to design a card with an image and greeting to send instead. That first Christmas card has spawned an industry that produces more than 2 billion Christmas cards each year in America alone.

On September 21, 2014, 1,600 people gathered outside Oklahoma’s Civic Center Music Hall to protest the satanic ritual of a Black Mass that the city officials had permitted. Inside, forty-two people attended the blasphemy.

From 1988 until 1998, CBS aired the highly successful sitcom Murphy Brown. This cutting-edge comedy featured Candice Bergen as a tough-talking investigative journalist and news anchor. In 1992, the show’s main character decided to have a child out of wedlock. Then Vice President Dan Quayle remarked that “It doesn’t help matters when prime time TV has Murphy Brown, a character who supposedly epitomizes today’s intelligent, highly paid professional woman, mocking the importance of fathers by bearing a child alone and calling it just another lifestyle choice.”

Fifty years ago, on January 13, 1964, Columbia Records released The Times They Are a-Changin?, one of Bob Dylan?s most famous songs. Because the lyrics captured the spirit of social and political upheaval of the day, the song instantly became the protest song of the 1960s.

The jihadists’ video of the savage beheading of American freelance journalist James Foley on Aug. 19 has lifted the heavy pall of silence surrounding the brutalities of our day. With increasing horror, there is now being brought to light the systematic elimination of Christians taking place from North Africa to Syria and Iraq. In parts of the world where Christianity predates the rise of the Muslim faith by centuries, at least one million Christians have either been killed or have fled because of persecution.

ONE of the ancient world’s most important cities was Megiddo, dating from at least the 5th century B. C. Its location on a hill overlooking the Valley of Jezreel in modern day Israel gave it strategic importance in history. In former days, it controlled the passage between two military and trade routes. One connected Egypt to the lands of modern day Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria. The other connected Jerusalem to modern day Lebanon that opened the way by sea, in ancient times, to Italy and Spain. Throughout history, battles were fought and blood shed for control of Megiddo. In fact, the New Testament speaks of Megiddo as the place of the final battle at the end of the world (Rev 16:16). The name “Armageddon” simply means Har Megiddo or the hill of Megiddo. Today, ancient Megiddo is a peaceful archaeological site.

POPE Francis’ recent trip to the Holy Land, with visits to sites both in Palestine and Israel, precipitated extraordinary security preparations. By all standards, the security was even greater than the precautions surrounding the visit of President Obama. Certainly, this was not unexpected in a territory marked by violence and terrorism. But, this did not deter the Pope from traveling in an open popemobile. A great symbolic gesture of trust and respect for the inherent goodness of all people! Nor did the security measures inhibit the pope from departing from his planned itinerary.

In recent times, there have been two very dramatic examples of a distorted understanding of tolerance. The first is the media's response to a statement by Pope Francis. On his July 29, 2013 flight back to Rome from World Youth Day in Brazil, the Holy Father answered questions from 21 journalists for almost an hour and a half. His response to their questioning about a gay lobby within the Vatican has become a modern day proverb. He is reported to have said, "Who am I to judge." Some have been repeating the pope's words as an approbation of the gay lifestyle and same-sex marriage. They have misread the Holy Father's authentic tolerance of individuals as a general absolution of all homosexual behavior. Pope Francis prefaced his remark "Who am I to judge,' by saying, "lf they accept the Lord and have goodwill." T

TODAY, every country embraces within its borders people of diverse religions, races, history and cultures. As a result, each individual needs to honor the personal freedom of others to hold to their own beliefs and convictions. Without tolerance of others, no peace is possible. Since 1995, the United Nations has designated Nov. 16. as “The International Day for Tolerance.” The day is a reminder for people everywhere to respect the rights and beliefs of others. In its 1995 Declaration of Principles of Tolerance, the United Nations defined tolerance as the “respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of our world’s cultures, forms of expression and ways of being human.” At first sight, this definition sounds noble. However, it actually enshrines a deeply flawed understanding of what tolerance is. The key word in the declaration’s definition is the word “acceptance.” Tolerance, as so defined, requires that we accept the convictions of others as true as our own. However, a right understanding of tolerance does not mean this at all.

THIS Holy Thursday, Pope Francis once again departed from what Catholics have become accustomed to in the rite of the washing of the feet. As he did last year, the pope washed the feet of men and women, Catholics and non-Catholics. During his celebration of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at the Santa Maria della Provvidenza Center in Rome (a home for the elderly and the disabled, also known as the Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi), the pope knelt before 12 persons with disabilities and washed their feet. Among them were an Ethiopian woman, a 16-year-old boy from Cape Verde paralyzed in a diving accident last year and a Muslim from Libya.

Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Giovanni Bellini, Caravaggio, Rubens. The list could go on and on, enumerating all of the world’s most famous artists who have painted the image of Madonna and Child. But, what makes these works of art so famous, so moving, so inspiring? It is this: they capture something of a mother’s love. And, in each, we discern something of the tender love of our own mother, and, if we are so blessed, the love of our grandmother and even great-grandmother. This past Sunday, we expressed in a special way the love we have for our mothers, those with us as well as those called home to God.

In this depiction of the Resurrection of Jesus, the covering of his tomb has been ripped open and tossed aside. The tomb is empty. The grave is no longer the end. “Death is swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Cor 15:54-55).

As a young boy, Jesus learned to pray as a faithful member of God’s people. In the morning, before work, before meals, in the evening and at night, Jesus would sanctify each day with prayers taken from the psalms. This was the bread that nourished his spiritual life. In praying these inspired songs, Jesus had ready at hand the language to praise and glorify the Father. He also had a primer in which to read and understand his own life and mission. No one can understand Jesus today without looking to the psalms.

ON Jan. 8, 1964, just seven weeks after the assassination of President Kennedy, President Johnson gave his State of the Union address. He boldly announced, "This administration today, here and now, declares unconditional war on poverty in America. Our aim is not only to relieve the symptoms of poverty, but to cure it and, above all, to prevent it." A noble trumpet call to arms to battle against the raging inequity devastating so many Americans.

THE United States national debt stands at a staggering $16.4 trillion. It is estimated to rise in the next four years to $22 trillion. The number is so overwhelming that it is hard to grasp. But one fact is clear. The U.S. government has been on the greatest spending spree in our history, with no hope of stopping on the horizon. But the government’s lack of restraint is not simply a problem. It is a symptom of something much wider in the American culture. We are becoming a nation of individuals who do not curb our desires.