You know the one, the door-slamming landlord who turned away Joseph and Mary before they became the Holy Family.

Any other role is better that that one.

Even wearing the scratchy sheep costume is better or being the rope pull on the flying angel—anything but the mean innkeeper of Bethlehem.

This failure to give a bed to a tired pregnant teenager has had far-reaching consequences.

Imagine how different Christmas would be if the couple had not been left out in the cold.

In one small action of thoughtfulness, we would have been spared all those plastic light-up outdoor Nativity scenes.

If only we could do it all over again.

The Latin American tradition las posadas gives participants a chance to be better than the original host.

For several nights before Christmas, groups accompanying children dressed as Joseph and a pregnant Mary travel from door to door looking for lodging.

The procession can feature lanterns, singing, a donkey and a whole lot of adorable kids dressed in biblical costumes.

On these nine nights, the holy couple is welcomed inside, and festive foods like tamales and atole are served.

The community gathers and ritually rewrites the Scriptures, this time welcoming the strangers in from the cold.

If Jesus and Mary had been regular guests at the inn, their room would have been reserved, their names would have been known and the story would be different.

But it was their first time at this inn, and they didn't know you had to show up early.

They didn't know a lot of things.

How could they?

That is what being a stranger means: Not being known is part of it, but not knowing is the rest.

But even if posadas are not part of your tradition, this Christmas we can all do better than the innkeeper who shut the door.

Many of us will be gathering with family and friends for Christmas Mass.

And, as usual, we will be a mixed group made up of those who get to Mass regularly and those who do not.

Our experience of Christmas Mass is going to be different depending on our place in the mix.

For the regular Mass-goers, it will seem homey and routine, and a nod of recognition is going to be enough.

But the Catholics who go to church only on Christmas and Easter will carry with them the reasons they usually do not make it to Mass.

So they are going to need more than a nod. Continue reading

He plants himself behind a makeshift altar, light-blue stole draped over his peacoat, and asks the people milling about to "gather 'round."

Some settle into folding chairs; others stand. A regular known as "Mama Kelley" passes out sheets with the service printed on it.

Then, a man with a plastic bag stuffed with belongings interrupts.

"Sir," the man says, "could you spare some change?"

"Not tonight," the Rev. Mr. Harris replies gently, "but afterwards we have coffee and sandwiches … "

The "Church Beyond Walls," now marking its first anniversary, is designed to draw some of the neediest residents who might not otherwise feel welcome at an indoor church.

Some come for the service; others for the free coffee, snacks, sandwiches and bins of donated hats and gloves.

But while the free food is, no doubt, a draw, its organizers say, it's not the purpose.

"What I don't want this to be is a charity," the Rev. Mr. Harris said. "I want this to be a community." Continue reading.

Source: Providence Journal

Image: Providence Journal

Muslims make up just 1.1 per cent of the 4.5 million people in Ireland, but their ranks are swelling due to immigration, births and, in some cases, conversion.

The 2011 census recorded 49,204 Muslims, nearly a quarter of them school-aged children, but the number is projected to reach 125,000 by 2030.

The first Muslims in Ireland began arriving in the 1950s, most to study medicine. The stream of students continued for decades and some stayed, forged careers, married, and had children.

"When we talk about wider Irish society, there is not that much preoccupation within public discourse with the Muslim presence in Ireland," Oliver Scharbrodt, a professor at University College Cork and an expert on Ireland's Muslim population told The Atlantic.

He suggested this might be because the early immigrants integrated relatively easily.

"The articulation of a religious identity in the public arena is not seen to be that problematic," Scharbrodt said. "In Ireland, religion and politics have always been connected together."

In a 2012 European Commission survey on discrimination, 79 per cent of Irish respondents described discrimination based on religion or beliefs as "rare" or "non-existent" in Ireland. Meanwhile, 66 per cent of French respondents described religious discrimination in their country as "widespread".

"[In France], if you have a beard like this you would never find a job," said Riadh Mahmoudi, a 35-year-old Algerian immigrant, gesturing to his chin. "My wife, for example, wears the full niqab. If she wears the niqab [in France], she would be in trouble. She would be fined. You don't see these things happen here."

Other Muslims said they like the numerous single-sex schools offered by the Catholic-dominated education system, and said that school officials typically accommodate the needs of Muslim students, including dietary restrictions and uniform modifications.

Source:

The Atlantic

Image: Muslim Population