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JesuiticalDecember 15, 2023
A Christian pilgrim lights a candle Dec. 17, 2016, in the grotto of the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, West Bank. Amid the ongoing Israel-Gaza war, Christmas in Bethlehem and the Holy Land in 2023 will be one of solemnity, prayer and fasting, the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem said. (OSV News photo/Debbie Hill)

This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley interview Stephanie Saldaña, the author of What We Remember Will Be Saved: A Story of Refugees and The Things They Carry. Stephanie lives with her family in Bethlehem, where the economy has long relied on tourism around Christmas time as Christian pilgrims flock to the site of Jesus’ birth. But as one might imagine with the war raging in Gaza, Advent in Bethlehem looks different this year. Stephanie helps the “Jesuitical” team to enter into that reality.

They discuss:

  • Stephanie’s experience on and after Oct. 7
  • The challenges Bethlehem residents are facing during the war and how that’s impacted Advent celebrations
  • Stephanie’s spirituality and the importance of hope amid these difficult times

In a funeral-focused Signs of the Times, Ashley and Zac get into Pope Francis’ recent announcement that he won’t be buried at the Vatican as well as recent Vatican guidelines about scattering ashes. They also talk about the recent lawsuit brought by a group of nuns against gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson. Plus, Zac shares his quibbles with this year’s liturgical calendar. 

Links from the show:

What’s on tap? 

Arak

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