Christmas is near - a time for togetherness. Time for our beloved ones. For friends and good company. Your neighbor too... Time for unity and reunions. For reconciliation and peace. A time for some retrospective. Remember people that helped us become who we are. People that - wherever they are - will be in our hearts forever.
Which brings me to a song by fabulous musicians that disbanded long time ago.
Friends, follwers, guests - here's The Band… ;)
To serve Mankind.
For four years a scene could be seen in many cities around the world. A white table was set up in a large square.
The table was set with white paper plates, that were wrapped in white paper.
Passers-by were invited to write their answers to a single question on it.
"What is priceless?"
On many plates, only one word was written.
On others whole sentences, ideas and thoughts.
What was this all about?
The german artist Johannes Volkmann, the initiator of the project, put it this way:
"We were driven by the question of how we humans want to live together in this world."
To answer this, he embarked on this long journey.
With his "Project Priceless."
We all live in a world, where everything seems to have a price.
Even if only a few can pay it.
But there is still so much in this world, that remains priceless.
It is not available. Not even to the highest bidder.
But it can be dreamed of.
Spoken.
Written.
People in the Holy Land, in Bethlehem, joined in:
Their dreams? Make a guess...
Friendship, freedom and peace.
Definitely priceless in this word today.
True treasures, that can make us really rich and lucky and - "full filled"...
Children sometimes ask interesting questions. And we are well advised not to dismiss them as childish. Because deep in our heart there is still this child we once were - with questions we later considered clarified - or no longer dared to ask. For certain reasons.
So dare to ask.
Quaerere aude.
Lets take a look on what’s out there. The unknown. Look at it trough the eyes of a child. Let’s try.
Yes.
An example? When I look at the sky tonight on this special evening of the first sunday in advent, an old question comes into my mind: How far can we see? How far is the last star we can see with the naked, unaided eye? Well, this distant star is - Chi Aurigae. It is over 2000 light-years away. Which means - we see this star in a light, that was emitted 2000 years ago. And if there are residents in its system, they see our earth just as it was 2000 years ago.
We are sometimes scared about the vastness of space. Aren’t we? And - aren’t we scared, too, about the darkness in our world - and in the hearts of so many of our contemporaries? But there’s this special light. A light that began to shine 2000 years ago. A light - never extinguished. That will never happen. The light of Bethlehem - it still shines.
Thanks to Frank Hofmann
Once upon a time (The Visitors). Hommage a Frederic Remington…
All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination.
Earl Nightingale
Merry Christmas everybody!
Children sometimes ask interesting questions. And we are well advised not to dismiss them as childish. Because deep in our heart there is still this child we once were - with questions we later considered clarified - or no longer dared to ask. For certain reasons.
So dare to ask.
Quaerere aude.
Lets take a look on what’s out there. The unknown. Look at it trough the eyes of a child. Let’s try.
Yes.
An example? When I look at the sky tonight on this special evening of the first sunday in advent, an old question comes into my mind: How far can we see? How far is the last star we can see with the naked, unaided eye? Well, this distant star is - Chi Aurigae. It is over 2000 light-years away. Which means - we see this star in a light, that was emitted 2000 years ago. And if there are residents in its system, they see our earth just as it was 2000 years ago.
We are sometimes scared about the vastness of space. Aren’t we? And - aren’t we scared, too, about the darkness in our world - and in the hearts of so many of our contemporaries? But there’s this special light. A light that began to shine 2000 years ago. A light - never extinguished. That will never happen. The light of Bethlehem - it still shines.
Thanks to Frank Hofmann
Children sometimes ask interesting questions. And we are well advised not to dismiss them as childish. Because deep in our heart there is still this child we once were - with questions we later considered clarified - or no longer dared to ask. For certain reasons.
So dare to ask.
Quaerere aude.
Lets take a look on what’s out there. The unknown. Look at it trough the eyes of a child. Let’s try.
Yes.
An example? When I look at the sky tonight on this special evening of the first sunday in advent, an old question comes into my mind: How far can we see? How far is the last star we can see with the naked, unaided eye? Well, this distant star is - Chi Aurigae. It is over 2000 light-years away. Which means - we see this star in a light, that was emitted 2000 years ago. And if there are residents in its system, they see our earth just as it was 2000 years ago.
We are sometimes scared about the vastness of space. Aren’t we? And - aren’t we scared, too, about the darkness in our world - and in the hearts of so many of our contemporaries? But there’s this special light. A light that began to shine 2000 years ago. A light - never extinguished. That will never happen. The light of Bethlehem - it still shines.
Thanks to Frank Hofmann
Lucinda Franks
Bethlehem revisited (hommage a A.S.)
Bethlehem. Cradle of Christianity. The old byzantine Church. Surrounded by souvenir shops, malls and restaurants waiting for Christian tourists.
Who may find it a trifle difficult to visit the place where it all began.
The reason is - the Israeli West Bank barrier.
Tons and tons of concrete.
Lots and lots of slabs of cement adorned with barbed wire.
See it - feel it take control over your mind and body. And then - leave. Leave the checkpoint behind you.
And remember - others can’t.
Not that easy.
Don’t get me wrong. I’ve been a friend of Israel all my life. But what good is friendship if you are blind for the problems of your friend?
Or - well - his errors.
And - being a german i daresay - a wall is a mighty big one.
This one is a constrictor of Palestinian space, breath, body and soul and mind. And i am not only talking about muslims - but about our christian-palestine brothers and sisters over there.
How did the angels put it?
Glory to god in the highest. Peace to his people on earth with whom he is pleased.
That will be the day!
Angelus Silesius
Once upon a time in Bethlehem...
Jorge Mario Bergoglio a.k.a. Pope Francis
