What's happening...

On this 20th day of December, as the daylight contracts, I am...

> Thinking about what I will say in my homily this weekend. I should have prepared it Wednesday, but I had other things intervene, including a meeting I mistakenly thought was Thursday...

> Thinking of Hannukah, which starts this weekend, and wishing more Christians knew about this event in our salvation history: the defeat of the forces of oppressive secularization almost 2,200 years ago, and the rededication of the Temple of the Lord by the Maccabees. The key ideas of Hannukah are light and liberty; which reminds us of the great gifts Judaism has given the world--which reminds me of something I thought about last night, in the chapel. Supposing the athiests are right, and there is no God, how does one explain the power and beauty and truth that comes to us first through Judaism, then through Christianity?

> Not planning to join in the neo-heathen celebration of the "Winter Solstice" which has, in recent years, so delighted the chai-tea, NPR, Sunday New York Times crowd because then they can be rid, finally, of that embarrassing Child, you-know-who...

> Instead, I'll be putting up my Christmas Tree, hopefully starting to decorate it on Monday...

> Trying to figure out if I have a cold or not. You know how you feel right before a cold really hits? Kind of "off," with maybe a bit of a scratchy throat and a headache? That's how I've felt for two days, along with being really tired at times.

> Thinking about when I'm going to schedule a rehearsal for the servers for Midnight Mass; once again, our dear Sister--you know who you are!--came through for me and lined up six--count 'em!--servers, all stout fellows. The running joke anymore is whether I'll show up, since I have a habit of getting sick at Christmastime, and here we may go again! (Two years ago I didn't even make it to Midnight Mass, I was so sick.)

> Feeling pretty good that Christmas falls mid-week this year, giving me more time to do various things (like prepare a Christmas homily and decorate the Christmas Tree)...

> Wondering if I should start taking pictures of meals the way Father Z does; if so, I'd have pictures of the meal I prepared (yes, really!) last night, for the priests from the neighboring parish: we had some nice scallops, which I sauteed in olive oil and butter, with some garlic, some linguine, and a nice red sauce a la Paul Newman called "Sockarooni." I'd never cooked scallops before, these turned out nicely, although I think I should have cooked them a slight bit more; also I think they would have been better with some kind of oil and vinegar dressing than with red sauce. For dessert, we ate some rum cake a parishioner made for the parochial vicar and me--oh heavens is that good!

> Noticing my coffee cup is empty, and another cup is in the pot, beckoning to me from the kitchen...