Christmas is amazing. It is a homage to the singular, foundational event of Christianity, yet it is celebrated and promoted by people worldwide, regardless of faith.  In the United States, it is the only religious day that is also a federal holiday. Whether you go to midnight Mass, Christmas Eve service, or make a point to say “Happy holidays,” if you engage with the holiday season, you are acknowledging the birth of Christ. And regardless of what you believe in that respect, you cannot deny the central importance of the implications of that idea.

In 2005, the singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier released her fourth solo album, “Mercy Now.” The title song is a somber plea for mercy in our families, church, and nation. If you don’t know this song, you should stop reading and go find it on whichever music service you use and give it a listen. In the last line, Gauthier sings, “Every single one of us could use some mercy now.”

We live in an emotional time.  Our culture is increasingly shaped by those whose voices are the loudest and whose emotions are the strongest.  Loud voices and strong emotions are fine, but only if they are governed by reason and truth.

Immigration is a topic that triggers a strong emotional response for many people. Previously, Bishop Golka addressed “The Both/And of Immigration.”  In this issue he writes about the Church’s take on the common good. I’d like to share how Catholic Charities of Central Colorado works toward the common good and to dispel some myths about the work we do.

At the end of the new Ridley Scott biopic “Napoleon,” the director lists the total number of French soldiers killed under Napoleon’s command. As if the three hours of 19th-century warfare were not enough to remind you of the brutality of war, Scott drives it home as a last indictment of Napolean.  The numbers are sobering, but the disregard for human life seems to be his message. 

I was reading at a Starbucks on the northeast side of Colorado Springs one morning last month when a teenage couple walked into the cafe. The girl was pulling a large suitcase and was wearing a baggy beige Cabela’s sweatshirt with pictures of deer and oversized grey sweatpants. The boy was similarly unkempt, wearing jeans three sizes too big and a dark, zip-up hoodie with pictures of marijuana leaves down the sleeves. His black hat was pulled low across his forehead so that his eyes disappeared behind the bill. The girl ordered and they went onto the patio to smoke as they drank, leaving the suitcase inside.