Symbols of the Season: Decoding Man’s Desire for God

Black Friday marks the annual inauguration of the battle between soulless capitalism and the worst kind of self-righteous Christianity. Some Christians, trying to preserve the “true meaning” of Christmas manage to destroy almost everything lovable about the holiday season. On the other side of the spectrum sit those tyrants who look at Christmas and see only dollar signs and zeros. Are these the only two categories, though? Must we be recruited to fight in one militia or the other? Can we still authentically be with God in the middle of all the holiday cheer? This Advent, the students of the Dominican Province of St. Joseph are offering a weekly series of talks entitled “Symbols of the Season: Decoding Man’s Desire for God.” In Washington, D.C., the talks are every Sunday night at 7:30 P.M. at the Dominican House of Studies, 487 Michigan Ave NE. In Charlottesville, the talks are every Sunday morning at 10:30 A.M. at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, 401 Alderman Rd. Br. Raymund Snyder, O.P. opens up the series this Sunday, December 1, with a talk entitled “Season’s Greetings: Unpacking the Liturgy of Festive Cliché.” Br. Raymund explores the different kinds of cliché, from beloved to infuriating and everywhere in between, that we’ve come to associate with the build-up to Christmas. But maybe right in the midst of all this hubbub we can find a deeper truth about the Incarnation of God. Fliers with complete listings of the talk titles can be found here for Washington, and here for Charlottesville.