I went to see The Nativity Story last night, opening night. As a recently baptized Christian, I will tell you that this was a most welcomed, meaningful and revolutionary movie for me. It centers around the mother of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.

A superbly crafted and thoughtfully directed movie, it deserves a high rating. It is an unprecedented tribute to a woman who has been relegated to backdrop scenes. Finally, Mary gets to have a movie about her spiritual journey. In my own life, Mary was in the far distant background, giving her fleeting thought if I came across a Nativity scene at Christmas or if I heard the Beatles song, “Let It Be”:

“When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be. And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be.”

It was made for a certain niche — the ~200 million or so Americans who consider themselves Christians. Two years ago, I was not in this niche, being “spiritual, but not religious.” Long story, short, it was Mary who pointed me to her Son, lead me on my own spiritual journey and caused a revolution in my heart, mind and soul.

Those who take the time to learn about her and her role do not, as I was mislead to believe, worship her. They simply respect and venerate her. Leading folks to her Son, as I learned, is her job. In this movie, her character is doing exactly that again for me and viewers who are called to see it.

Ever since she lead me home, Christmas has taken on such meaning as I never imagined. This year, I’ve started the season — called the Advent season — with a faith-based movie that allowed me to slide right into it in a beautiful, gentle and do I dare say, beatific way.

This movie experience is an exquisite gift for the heart and soul. Moreover, it is a feast for the eyes. I went past the inanimate objects of Nativity displays to a visually rich and “fleshed” out Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, shepherds, Magi and stable animals. The director of the movie, Catherine Hardwick, referred to a line in the script: “…the greatest of kings born in the most humble of places.”

“Power,” she says, “is not a physical power. It’s not riches, it’s not money, it’s not control of governments and nations. It’s a deeper power, spirituality.”

At the end of the movie, the audience burst out in spontaneous applause. For each of us, Christmas is not at all about holiday parties, frenzied shopping and the trappings and physical accouterments. Now, THAT’S revolutionary.

When this comes out in DVD, it will be a part of our yearly Christmas tradition, reminding us what it is all about.

“Merry Christ-mas!” I hope you will make it meaningfully merrier by giving yourself this movie experience of the life of Mary.

MK,
Also papaya helps a lot with the heartburn.

How far along are you now?

I have horrible round ligament pain. They increase with each pregnancy. Braxton Hicks come more in the third trimester. It is basically your belly tightening up.

But if I did, I wouldn’t call them “My black friends” or my “African American friends”. I’d just call them “my friends”.

Yep! Bingo!

“I didn’t say anything about Christianity
In fact, I do realize that there are other religious holidays that take place around the same time, that being Hanukkah and kwanzaa (though kwanzaa is not religious)
The thing is, people don’t get ticked at the fact that most employers still refer to the bonus as a “Christmas” bonus, so in protest why do they accept them?

“I have Easter vacation because I go to a Catholic school. Most people go to Cancun or other destinations that just say Christian behavior all over them. I had Spring Break when I was in high school that didn’t always coincide with Easter. In fact, my mom told me that my spring break this year, although correct me if im wrong, is at the beginning of March which doesnt at all coincide with Easter.”

I don’t know how it works where you’re from (I’m in Canada) but the Easter holiday does not coincide with spring break. Good Friday and the following Monday are holidays, even in public schools.
Our spring breaks are always in March.

“Why is it that only right-wing Christians are the only ones allowed to get sentimental towards this time of the year? Oh that’s right, you’re not! Last I checked but my paycheck didn’t have Jesus printed on the front of it .”

Again, when did I specify a religion in my original post? : )
However, unless you’re a Christian, Jewish or a pagan, there is no specific reason to celebrate around the Holiday season. No one said you couldn’t, but that will not warrant a government holiday, you get the holiday because of religious people’s rights whether you want to accept that or not.

“I’m not entirely sure how me having a much needed break from the semester causes me to a. have cake or b. eat it. Last I checked the pope didnt sanction my days off of school and work. My boss and my school did. I dont think jesus existed to make sure we’d get a few days off of school. if this is what christmas means to you, that’s messed up”

Your boss and your school are required to sanction time off at that time of year because of the religious rights of students and employees. Of course, some work places still require employees to attend work during that time but not schools and several other government run places.

The reason for me stating that you want your cake and eat it too is because, like many militant anti-religious people, you don’t want to see religion seen anywhere or spoken in public but you have no problem reaping in the benefits that it has given you, that being specified holidays, gifts and pay check bonuses

Braxton-hicks feel just like contractions. Actually, they ARE contraction. They’re just contractions that are useless, or at the very least, not useful. My actual labor pains are relatively mild, (up until transistion), but the braxton-hicks often had me bent over with tears in my eyes. Go figure. What you’re feeling sounds more like muscle spasms. I had those too. They’re nothing to worry about. Just another way for your body to torture you as you get closer to the big day. Do you guys have the heartburn from hell?

Every single complaint and grieveance is worth it tho. And soon forgotten after you are holding jr. Blame Eve. When I see her, I’m going to give her a piece of my mind!

MK

I had terrible braxton-hicks with my 5th and 6th. I usually hold off going to the hospital until I’m dilated 7 or 8, but with no. 5 I actually went in and got sent home. Talk about humiliating. But knowing how fast they come with each progressive child…well, you just can’t take any chances. Thank God the water broke with no. 6, cuz the braxton-hicks were often worse than the real contractions. A nurse told me that whenever I started having contractions that I should drink 8-16 ounces of liquid. If they stopped they were braxtons, if they didn’t it was probably real labor. Sure enough, it worked every time.

I’ll be praying for you – safe delivery and all – and if he is born on the 6th you’ll have to name him Nick(or Nicole if he’s a she.)

BTW- I don’t care if it was a black person, white person or golden retriever who said it, “don’t start none, won’t be none” was brilliant! (I don’t have any black friends by the way. Except you.
But if I did, I wouldn’t call them “My black friends” or my “African American friends”. I’d just call them “my friends”.

MK

ROFLOL, and you would know! Oh Mighty Expert of what? What we black people find degrading? James Brown coined the phrase before I did. So since you told me I will find the saying degrading, perhaps I should take it up with the Godfather of Soul. I don’t know, I grew up black, always lived around black, went to a Historically Black school; last time I checked quoting James Brown was not a huge offense to us.

BTW, I keep no friends in my repoitoire that use me as their token black friend to show others how politically correct they are so they can say “I have a black friend. See, I’m not prejudice!” That is racism.

As a matter of fact, my husband and I always have a running joke that when you are confronted by racism, and you call the person out, the very, very first thing that say is “I’m not racist! I have black friends!” A lot like : …many of my African American friends…

Anyway, I will go back to blowing you off.

No, I did’nt go into labor. I am kind of glad because I am not quite ready.

I was having false labor. The baby dropped (which in grand multi para happens more last minute that a few weeks before), and a few other “female” symptoms.

I am hoping the baby comes on Dec. 6 because not only is that the Feast of St. Nicholas, but it is my b’day…

Here is the link to the poem you liked, penned by Bob the Ape:
Bishop Bo Peep

I have Easter vacation because I go to a Catholic school. Most people go to Cancun or other destinations that just say Christian behavior all over them. I had Spring Break when I was in high school that didn’t always coincide with Easter. In fact, my mom told me that my spring break this year, although correct me if im wrong, is at the beginning of March which doesnt at all coincide with Easter.

Why is it that only right-wing Christians are the only ones allowed to get sentimental towards this time of the year? Oh that’s right, you’re not! Last I checked but my paycheck didn’t have Jesus printed on the front of it .

“Why aren’t you guys protesting to work when you’re only allowed the time off because of the religious rights of employees and employers?”

That question doesn’t even make any sense, so I won’t dignify it with a response.

I’m not entirely sure how me having a much needed break from the semester causes me to a. have cake or b. eat it. Last I checked the pope didnt sanction my days off of school and work. My boss and my school did. I dont think jesus existed to make sure we’d get a few days off of school. if this is what christmas means to you, that’s messed up

Well, if that’s the way you feel then do you also protest Christmas vacation, holiday bonus and Easter vacation?
Where are the protesters who rip-up their Christmas bonus? Why aren’t you guys protesting to work when you’re only allowed the time off because of the religious rights of employees and employers?
This is another case of wanting ones cake and eating it too

It’s a very, very fine line John. Setting up a permanent (moderately temporary) fixture on public land is different from preaching upon it. I think if someone sat with the nativity scene 24 hours a day and used it as a piece to their preaching, they’d probably get away with it. It’d be a really interesting case in court and I’d love to see it. To be honest, I’d think the city would lose. If left alone and set up as a fixture, I do think the city would win. The line has to be drawn, and I think the city of Chicago probably made the right choice.

I agree with you on oversimplification. My mom works with developing curriculum for some of the Catholic schools and she tells me that some of the Catholic schools just aren’t equipped to deal with learning disabilities, which is perfectly understandable as to why they would receive grant money for a Sylvan instructor. I think if the crucifixes have to be taken down, it’s a fair trade for a child’s enrichment. It seems a little ridiculous yes, I agree, but I think it’s better to be careful.

In terms of school vouchers it seems good in practice, let those children who aren’t receiving a good education at their public school transfer to a school that will give them a quality education. I personally believe there is a better way to solve this problem. Stop funding schools based on property taxes. The inequities in the public school system are tragic and horribly wrong. I went to LWay East where we had a swimming pool, astro turf on our football field, immaculately clean classrooms and facilities, great underpaid teachers, and overpaid administrators. Down the street from where I used to live in Chicago there were unclean bathrooms, teachers who could barely read themselves, and a small dilapidated playground. It’s wrong that children get an education based upon their parents’ wealth.

I think the Catholic school system does a lot to try to fix that inequity by offering scholarships and grants to poor children, but they simply cannot alleviate the unfortunate burden many of these children will face throughout their lifetime. If anyone needs a hand up in society. The thing is too, we end up surprised when children in these communities stay in these communities. We act as though they want to be there. These kids have had the worst of everything, poverty, hunger, surrounded by crime, and often times less than stellar parents. Then we get mad at them for not participating in a school that doesn’t invest in them.

So, I face the difficulty of looking like a real curmudgeon if I say no school voucher for you because it funds religion! If I believe in my heart of hearts that Bush and his cronies really cared about these children, I might be willing to look past the voucher entanglement issues. However, I see the voucher move as less of a concern for the children and more of a concern to overjoy a base of zealous Christians eager for money. If Bush really cared about this segment of the population, we certainly wouldn’t have seen the unreal images of Katrina and nor would we see Bush’s outrageous moves to further push the middle class into sections of poverty. Hmm.. it certainly doesnt have a hard and fast answer.

“As you can see this is just not a good idea. It’s too dangerous and it’s the same reason I disagree with school vouchers for parochial schools.”

Lauren,

I haven’t made up my mind on the issue of school vouchers. It seems to me there are good arguments on both sides of the issue, including the first one you made, which I cited above.

At one of the Catholic high schools (it’s now closed) where I used to teach, the school received a federal grant that allowed the school to hire a teacher from Sylvan Learning Centers to come into the school three days a week and offer individualized instruction to a handful of students.

Here’s the part that troubled me: as a condition of receiving the federal grant, the school was required to remove the Crucifix and all other religious iconography from the Sylvan teacher’s classroom.

As I said, I’m of two minds when it comes to school vouchers. Some issues are cut and dried, but I don’t think one is. On the contrary, I think both sides in this debate have a tendency to oversimplify it.

Lauren,

I’m not sure what you’re getting at here.

Certainly, Daley Plaza, as with all public land, is taxpayer-funded.

But if you’re going to use that fact to justify your claim that you are “against displays of ANY religion on government property”, it would seem that you would also have to call for the prohibition of, say, street preaching, or religious literature distribution (e. g., Jehovah’s Witnesses passing out copies of Watchtower) on public land as well.

The street preacher, the Jehovah’s Witness distributing Watchtower, and the citizens setting up a Nativity scene — after securing a disply permit — are all well within their constitutional rights to do their thing, if you will, on public land, just as anti-war activists, animal rights supporters, and political demonstrators are permitted to as well.

http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=121708

Mike

“While he is opposed to officially sponsored prayer in public schools, he says, schools should not bar religious organizations from using their facilities when they are available for political groups and student clubs. “I agree with President Clinton that our schools should not be religion-free zones,” he says.”

That’s exactly what precedent and the actual constitution should be… I hear people get all up in arms about the Supreme Court Case about the football team in Texas who was praying and were told to stop. That’s all that is mentioned when you hear it on the news.. They were told to stop because they were doing it over the school-funded loudspeaker, not because they were praying. As long as prayer is not school-sanctioned, there is nothing wrong with it. In fact, I think it’s awesome when you see schoolchildren praying at their lunchtables. You don’t see it too often, but you do see it. Weirdly enough in my young age, you’d sometimes catch me doing it . Are you familiar with the Lemon standards?

1. The government’s action must have a legitimate secular purpose;
2. The government’s action must not have the primary effect of either advancing or inhibiting religion;
3. The government’s action must not result in an “excessive entanglement” with religion.

I personalyl feel it’s a little unnecessary to have a nativity scene on public property ever, but that’s just me. You’re allowed to preach and hold your nativity scene on public property, you just can’t leave it there and expect the city to maintain and hold it. Especially because it now appears that the display is government-sanctioned. It’s the same if Hindu religion had some religious display setup and let’s say their holiday season lasts 6 months.. Where do you draw the line?

Some people see Separation as hostile to religion, which always seems to baffle me. The first lense I learned Separation in was through religion being protected from government. That’s why I dont agree with tax monies given to religious charities. Here’s my reasons:

1. Once the money is given to religious charities they are now under federal regulation. the reason private charities work so well is because honestly they aren’t under the government’s control
2. So let’s say St. Anthony’s (my old parish in Frankfort) receives 10 dollars from the collection and then 10 dollars from the government. If they didn’t get the 10 dollars before they would’ve spent it on the charity. But now since they got the 10 dollars, they’ll take the 10 dollars from the collection and spend it on let’s say new Bibles. The 10 dollars from the government now goes to the charity. This is obviously too fine of a line to be walking on
3. Disbursement. Who gets what? Should we give to every charity? Or only the Christian ones? How do you decide who is worthy and who is not?
4. Who polices these charities to make sure they are used explicity for charity-work and not for evangelizing?
5. If a charity is caught evangelizing with government money, what then? What recourse does the government have? How is the religious organization protected?

As you can see this is just not a good idea. It’s too dangerous and it’s the same reason I disagree with school vouchers for parochial schools.