Tassel of the Cloak

Shiloh is a site of two major battles, over two thousand years apart, both of which evoke a sense of tragedy and optimism.  Shiloh in Israel was the site of the first temple or Tabernacle.  When the Israelites moved back into Canaan, reconquering the land they once inhabited, they established the dwelling place for the Ark of the Covenant at the town of Shiloh.  In the year 1024BC, the Philistines engaged Israel in battle near Shiloh.  When the Israelites lost four thousand men on the first day of battle, they decided on the second day to bring the Ark of the Covenant itself with them into the actual fighting, hoping that would reverse their fortune.  It did not. The Philistines overran the Israelite army, stole the Ark, and plundered Shiloh.

John Wayne, born Marion Morrison, died a Catholic.  His grandson is a priest.  Wayne received the Presidential Medal of Freedom because, as President Carter said, he "reflected the best of our national character." Maureen O'Hara, testifying before Congress, spoke of him, "John Wayne is the United States of America. He is what they believe it to be. He is what they hope it will be. And he is what they hope it will always be."  Another actor remarked, "John Wayne was what every young boy wants to be like, and what every old man wishes he had been."  Wayne's biographer, Scott Eyman, wrote of him, "bold, defiant, ambitious, heedless of consequences, occasionally mistaken, primarily alone—larger than life."

The staircase is the featured part of a house during the holidays.  Children run down the stairs with anticipation Christmas morning and in the days after to see their gifts.  Adults walk down with satisfaction to have their coffee and see their family members.  A stairwell leads us down to the splendor.

"In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled" (Luke 2:1).  The palace of the Roman Emperors was on the Palatine Hill—the centermost of the seven hills of Rome.  One can imagine the page taking the scroll with the decree from Augustus' desk and running down the broad staircase of the palace to the city below and to the world.

Mary, is the "Queen of Peace," as we say in the Litany of Loreto, and yet we hear she was "greatly troubled" when the angel greeted her (Luke 1:29).  Perhaps Mary was concerned because she believed her union with God was secure and the mere mention of it by the angel might mean otherwise.  Or something else.

In Sandro Botticelli's Annunciation (1489, Uffizi, Florence), Mary is stunningly beautiful—more beautiful than the Greek goddess in Botticelli's more famous piece, The Birth of Venus. I picture this scene occurring after the initial greeting and Mary's disturbance.  The angel apologizes for his greeting, saying, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found great favor with God" (Luke 1:30).  Mary, still calm, does not require his apology and explanation, for her trust in God is deep.  She is confident of her love and union with God she needs no assurance that she is favorable in his sight.  Mary is the one in authority in this scene.

Not all families are holy and many people experience anger and impatience dealing with children, parents, siblings, in-laws, and so forth.  It can be worth praying about anger on this feast of the Holy Family.  "Be angry, but do not sin," says Saint Paul, "do not let the sun go down on your anger" (Ephesians 4:26). 

There is legitimate room for anger and reaction when we encounter injustice and evil.  But we have to be on our guard to not let that anger fester overnight and slip into sin.

Spiritual writer Jacques Philippe writes this about the deadly sin:

God's anger is always directed against what is bad for us. He is not angry for himself but to protect people against themselves. But let's not imagine our own anger is always 'holy anger.' Often we become angry under the pretext of defending something essential when we are only acting out of self-love or to protect our own interests.