Groups will be able to go inside the quake-damaged Christ Church Cathedral this Christmas – and there will be a massive surprise waiting inside for them. Visitors will be greeted by a 10m steel City Mission Christmas tree which has been placed inside the cathedral for the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ event. Bookings will be Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Christmas’
How was your Christmas?
Thursday, February 8th, 2024
In a December reflection, I mentioned of my plan to ignore the rush of Christmas. I was going to sit in the stable in silence and prayer with the holy child. It was going to be a personal retreat. But it didn’t happen. There were too many wise men and women, too many shepherds. The Read more
The humanity of Jesus
Thursday, December 7th, 2023
This month, we celebrate the sacred birth in an animal shelter. Why such a lowly place? Our views about status miss the message, and we must wrap this birth in splendour – angel song, an unusual star, three kings coming to bow before the child. The wrapping continues until Jesus is lost under layers of Read more
I love Christmas time
Thursday, December 8th, 2022
Setting up the Christmas tree that’s been stored away for 12 months in the top of the wardrobe makes me think, where has the year gone? I actually feel as if I’m back in July somewhere. Putting up the decorations triggers memories of Christmas’ that were either tough or wonderful, and final relief comes when Read more
52 Weird Christmas Gifts
Thursday, December 8th, 2022Everything from costumes for guinea pigs to charcuterie gingerbread houses to kitty litter Christmas ornaments. Here are some of the strangest gift ideas available this year that are sure to please the nutters in your life. Read more
Are celebrating Christingle?
Monday, December 5th, 2022Christingles are usually held from the end of November through to February (Advent to Candlemas), with Christmas Eve being a particularly popular time for services. During the service, each person takes a Christingle and the candles are all lit to create a warm, magical glow symbolising the light of Christ and bringing hope to people Read more
EU draft guidelines pulled after Vatican complains Christmas ‘canceled’
Thursday, December 2nd, 2021
The European Commission (EU) has retracted its draft guidelines for internal communications, which propose substituting the “Christmas period” with “holiday period”. An outcry by conservatives and the Vatican led the U-turn on the policy, which termed the document an attempt to “cancel” Europe’s Christian roots. The EU Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, said the draft Read more
In search of the immortal soul in a modern world
Monday, April 12th, 2021
Immortality has become the great question mark. The answer used to be provided at Easter, with the Christian climax in death by crucifixion, followed by resurrection. The Jesus story wrestled with death not being merely death. Today, however, the sacred meaning of Easter is little more than a dusty relic. For the secular modern age, Read more
What the hell kind of Christmas is this?
Thursday, December 10th, 2020
Christmas time 1973 I was a newly-arrived seminarian in Japan. It was my first-ever Christmas away from home. The “economic miracle” of the country’s post-war recovery was in full swing. Before the end of the decade, a best-selling book would tout Japan as Number One. However, the miracle was not yet complete, even in the Read more
Christmas provides reason for hope during pandemic
Thursday, December 10th, 2020
Pope Francis says the Christmas season provides a reason for hope during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. During his Sunday blessing this week, Francis commented that the Vatican’s Christmas tree – itself a symbolic reason for hope – went up last week in St. Peter’s Square. Work is also underway to build the life-size Nativity scene Read more