Two great posts.

Adventus has two brilliant posts. A snippet of the first:

NPR reported this morning that Christians in Iraq were afraid to go to church, affirming my conviction that irony is one of the major forces of human history.

The word freedom is hurled about quite a bit when Iraq is discussed, but rare is the moment anyone stops to think what it means.

A snippet of the second:

I've never experienced this; but a friend has told me about it....

[H]e visited an Orthodox church on Christmas Eve; one probably in Turkey or Asia....

At midnight, someone comes from behind the screen, as the rituals of worship continue, and whispers to the nearest person. Who, in turn, whispers to those around him or her; and so the whisper spreads, in a wave, across the whole space, among all the people. Very quietly, very reverently, they say to each other: "Christ is born."

Christ is born. Christ is born. Christ is born.

And once again, the miracle occurs, and once again, the word is made flesh.....