In
The Innocents Abroad, published in 1869, Mark Twain humorously narrates his travels thorough Europe and the Holy Land. He goes out of his way to praise the great hospitality that Catholic priests offered to any pilgrim traveling through 19th century Palestine. They readily welcomed all, whether they came “in rags or clad in purple.” Twain was pleasantly surprised by this, because, as he readily confesses, he had been “educated to enmity toward everything that is Catholic.” Enmity toward everything Catholic! Not a thing of the past.
In May 2008, Russia established
The Order of Parental Glory. This special recognition is awarded to parents who have seven or more children and provided for their physical, spiritual and moral development. When the seventh child is three years old, the entire family is invited to the Kremlin and honored for contributing to Russian society. Father Ioann Osyak Dean of Orthodox churches in Rostov-on-Don, and his wife, Nadezhda, were among the first to receive this award. They have 18 children. And four of their sons are priests. A fifth in the seminary!
The Berlin Museum houses two stone tablets found in the marketplace in the ancient Greek city of Priene (present day Western Turkey). The inscription on these tablets reads: “The birthday of the god Augustus was the beginning of the good tidings for the world that came by reason of him. From his birth, a new reckoning of time must begin.” The 19th century discovery of this inscription unlocks the political implications of Jesus’ humble birth in Bethlehem.