{"id":1504,"date":"2019-12-17T07:40:23","date_gmt":"2019-12-17T11:40:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nikossteves.com\/?p=1504"},"modified":"2019-12-17T09:13:56","modified_gmt":"2019-12-17T13:13:56","slug":"175-thinking-christmastime-not-just-christmas-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nikossteves.com\/?p=1504","title":{"rendered":"175- Thinking Christmastime&#8230; Not Just Christmas Day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/12429032\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/backward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/87A93A\/stats-code\/season15new175\/\" allowfullscreen=\"\" width=\"100%\" height=\"90\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just going through the motions of Christmas? Do the words to\nXmas songs get lost in all the restless thoughts competing for your attention?\nHow do they compare to the Real Meaning of Christmas?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Included in this Christmastime podcast are thoughts from time past are worth considering. <br\/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">-From Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a minister who gave his life in a Concentration Camp just a few weeks before the war was over and words from the \u201cBlue Letter\u201d, December 25, 1992, Apparition Christmas thoughts from December 25, 1992 with observations by editor\/publisher, Frances Reck.<br\/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br\/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dietrich Bonhoeffer:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cNo priest, no\ntheologian stood at the manger of Bethlehem. \u00a0And yet all Christian theology has its origin\nin the wonder of all wonders: that God became human. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Holy theology arises\nfrom knees bent before the mystery of the divine child in the stable. Without\nthe holy night there is no theology.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u00a0\u2018God revealed in flesh,\u2019 the God-human Jesus\nChrist- That is the holy mystery that theology came into being to protect and\npreserve. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>How can we fail to\nunderstand when we think that theology is to solve the mystery of God, to drag\nit down to the flat, ordinary wisdom of human experience and reason! <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Its sole office is to\npreserve the miracle as miracle, to comprehend, defend, and glorify God\u2019s\nmystery precisely as mystery.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nikossteves.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/330px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-1987-074-16_Dietrich_Bonhoeffer.jpg\" alt=\"Black and White photo of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (photo from Wikipedia page)\" class=\"wp-image-1509\" width=\"243\" height=\"386\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nikossteves.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/330px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-1987-074-16_Dietrich_Bonhoeffer.jpg 330w, https:\/\/nikossteves.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/330px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-1987-074-16_Dietrich_Bonhoeffer-189x300.jpg 189w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 243px) 85vw, 243px\" \/><figcaption>Dietrich Bonhoeffer (photo from Wikipedia page)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dietrich_Bonhoeffer\">For More about Dietrich Bonhoeffer via Wikipedia<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:56px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Apparition of the Virgin Mary at Medjugorje on December\n25, 1992 as reported in \u2018The Blue Letter\u2019 with editorial by Frances Reck:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cDear Children, Today\nI wish to place you all under my mantle to protect you from every satanic\nattack. Today is the day of Peace, but throughout the whole world there is much\nlack of peace. Therefore, I call you to build up a new world of Peace together\nwith me, by means of prayer.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Without you, I cannot\ndo that, and, therefore, I call all of you with my motherly love, and God will\ndo the rest. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Therefore, open yourselves\nto God\u2019s plans and purposes for you to be able to cooperate with Him for peace\nand for good. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>And do not forget that\nyour life does not belong to you, but is a gift with which you must bring joy\nto others and lead them to Eternal Life. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>May the tenderness of\nmy little Jesus always accompany you. Thank you for having responded to my\ncall.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Francis Reck adds- <em>\u201cOur\nLady\u2019s message this month confirms the greatest of God\u2019s Commandments: Love\nGod, and love your neighbor as yourself. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>She tells us to: <strong>\u2018bring joy to others and lead them to\nEternal Life.\u2019<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>She reminds us that\nour purpose for being on earth is to love God, love our neighbor and gain\nEternal Life in heaven.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Our Lady\u2019s words are\nfilled with wisdom and the love of God.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nikossteves.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Blue-Letter.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of front page of December 1992 edition of 'Blue Letter'\" class=\"wp-image-1513\" width=\"373\" height=\"497\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nikossteves.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Blue-Letter.jpg 480w, https:\/\/nikossteves.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Blue-Letter-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 373px) 85vw, 373px\" \/><figcaption>December 1992 edition of &#8216;Blue Letter&#8217;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:43px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I value feedback through the comments section here<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">OR- Better via email at <a href=\"mailto:NikosSteves@gmail.com\">NikosSteves@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Constant Procession tells of key apparitions of the Virgin Mary since she\npassed on from the world and how she serves humanity through Christianity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The origin of these podcasts began with my book <em>Constant Procession.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(An e-book copy of the book can be found here on the website.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Constant Procession; the podcast; is published here every Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;ve read the entire book from cover to cover (Installments 93-110)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/nikossteves.com\/?p=516\">To listen from Installment\n93<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:24px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Just going through the motions of Christmas? Do the words to Xmas songs get lost in all the restless thoughts competing for your attention? How do they compare to the Real Meaning of Christmas? Included in this Christmastime podcast are thoughts from time past are worth considering. -From Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a minister who gave his &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/nikossteves.com\/?p=1504\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;175- Thinking Christmastime&#8230; Not Just Christmas Day&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nikossteves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nikossteves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nikossteves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nikossteves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nikossteves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1504"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nikossteves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1504\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nikossteves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nikossteves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nikossteves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}