O Morning Star

So tensions between Gaza and Israel are escalating with both sides firing rockets and missiles at each other.http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1228728263534&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Monday is Hanukkah, the feast of re-dedicating the Temple that was defiled by the Syrian king. Kids dress in costume and go around collecting sweets. The Scroll of Esther is read on that day. And the Jews bake lots of nice buns and cookies as treats ... that I love. If you want to know, go search "Hanukkah" on google or yahoo. Those of you enlisted with "Under the Figtree" get to read the explanation of the feast and its readings. And by the way, if anyone is no longer interested in "Under the Figtree", please inform me to remove you from the list as we have many other people waiting to join.

Today's antiphon is "O Morning Star"
O Morning Star,
splendour of light eternal and sun of righteousness:
Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

The antiphon can refer to Isaiah 9:2 and Numbers 24:17, reminding us that many of us have preferred the false light that leads nowhere: fictions of illusory hope. The true light is the Messiah but how many of us can withstand it's clarity and brightness, having lived in darkness for so long?

Another day closer to Christmas - another song for you: this time it's Josh Groban singing the classic "O Holy Night". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQWXfHzOKUU You might remember Josh making his TV debut in the Ally McBeal show (pretty lame plot just to create an occassion for him to sing). And I always thought he was Jewish, so it was pretty surprising that he would sing a Christmas carol. Did some research and voila - his father was Jewish but converted to Anglicanism. Anyway it's nice to hear a classic Christmas hymn than listen to all those commercial songs that has nothing to do with Christ or the Mass.