Snow Angel

Here we are again beginning to celebrate the Christmas season as the radio stations stop playing Christmas songs just as we start to sing them---and the retail stores are unpacking their Valentine stuff, sure to make their appearance next week! Well, it's a short "season" with a longer than usual Ordinary Time to follow before a late Lent and Easter. 2014 seems to be setting up as an unusual (liturgical) year.

Over the past 5 days we have had three liturgies: Christmas Eve, Christmas morning and this Sunday. At all three we had a very good homily and in all three the celebrant (diocesan priests) referenced Pope Francis strongly. After the second time I thought to myself, "These guys have bought into the message that this Pope is espousing." I also had a chance to read TIME magazine's Man of the Year article on him. Very fine. He certainly is winning people over--not on doctrine necessarily, but on his views on how we are to go through life. I believe the article quoted an 88% "approval rating" among U.S. Catholics. WOW!

Here's a recent New Yorker magazine cover:

Lately around the Mount I seem to be hanging out doorways trying to get winter photos. Our best photographer gave me some tips on how to photograph outdoor lights as I wanted to share our lit up magnolia bush and bell with you. Here they are:

This one is, obviously, in the dark.

The lights came on before dark so you can still see the surroundings here. Recognize it?

The third shot is another attempt to capture the beauty of the colors that often appear in the western sky at sunset. Just gorgeous some days.