Greeting, loyal minions. In an (edited and revised) edition of last year’s Christmas post, your Maximum Leader once again finds himself taking a break from real life to wish you all (such number of ye as there may be) a Merry Christmas.

So… How about 2016?

Ugh. What a hell of a year.

As your Maximum Leader has said before: our politics are boorish and crass; our culture is excessive, unrestrained, and frequently vile. We lost many artists and celebrities too young. We somehow elected a carnival barker to be our next president. Having said that about the United States, your Maximum Leader recognizes that we have it better than any other country out there.

Your Maximum Leader stated last Christmas that our civilization is a very tenuous thing. He is still thinking about our collective Western Civilization. Humanity’s true nature, a generally bad one at that, has to be concealed and shaped as best as possible actually, by a thin veneer of something else. Civility is that thin veneer that keeps humanity in any sort of shape. Your Maximum Leader hopes that 2017 is a year where good people around the west will start to stand up for civilization. He is not confident that it will happen. But hope springs eternal.

Of course, this time of year should not be spent dwelling on the unpleasantness in the world… We should try to elevate our thoughts and celebrate the possibility of humanity’s advancement. The Catholic Church’s liturgical calendar resets itself every year in Advent. One of the priests at your Maximum Leader’s parish suggested that like the church resetting the liturgical calendar each of us should try to reset our own personal quest towards living a life more in the image and likeness of Christ. Your Maximum Leader is sure that priests across the world, an ministers of every denomination, have preached the same message. Through our free will we have the potential for salvation. Your Maximum Leader wants to think this salvation is more than just spiritual salvation, but we can have societal salvation. We may not agree politically on items, but your Maximum Leader hopes that we in the United States (at least) can see the benefits our shared Anglo-Western-Judeo-Christian civilization and take steps to preserve it.

Oh… The silly things your Maximum Leader wishes for at Christmas…

Anyhoo…

Tis the season to read over the Gospel of Luke and perhaps contemplate its meaning. This year your Maximum Leader has been thinking a bit about Mary. Take this portion of Luke, Chapter 2:

8 And there were in the same country shepherds watching, and keeping the night watches over their flock.
9 And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them; and they feared with a great fear.
10 And the angel said to them: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people:
11 For, this day, is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God, and saying:
14 Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will.
15 And it came to pass, after the angels departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another: Let us go over to Bethlehem, and let us see this word that is come to pass, which the Lord hath shewed to us.
16 And they came with haste; and they found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.
17 And seeing, they understood of the word that had been spoken to them concerning this child.
18 And all that heard, wondered; and at those things that were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God, for all the things they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Your Maximum Leader has always been struck by verse 19. “Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart.”

There is not much in the Bible about Mary. The passages directly mentioning her are very few. But there is always a gem in there. Your Maximum Leader’s money is on Luke 2:19 as the greatest of these gems. What does it say about a young girl that she should experience all she had and was still able to take in what she had seen and heard and ponder its meaning? If you aren’t a Christian, still take a moment to think through all this. Your Maximum Leader speculates that most young girls of the first century AD who had just delivered a baby under less than ideal circumstances might not be reticent and ponder their situation with the grace or poise that he reads in this verse. Of course, if you a Christian, there is a lot more going on in that one line.

Your Maximum Leader would like more people to keep the words they hear or read about and ponder them in their hearts. A little more pondering and little less talking and shouting might do us all a bit of good in preserving civilization.

And now… El Greco…

In an interesting turn of events, my eldest has asked to go to the Basilica Shrine of Immaculate Conception for their big Christmas Vigil Mass tonight. So we will be heading up to DC for the biggest and showiest Mass that the Catholic Church has to offer up today. You may even watch this Mass on EWTN cable network tonight. Look for your Maximum Leader. He’ll be there. Somewhere…

Peace and goodwill to you all.

Carry on.