By David F. Forte

But first, a note: Be sure not to miss tomorrow's 8 PM broadcast of EWTN's "The World Over." Fr. Gerald Murray, Robert Royal, and host Raymond Arroyo ("The Papal Posse") will be discussing the latest document released by the Vatican - Fiducia Supplicans - which has raised a firestorm of commentary in its claims that priests may perform blessings of "same-sex couples" (as long as such blessings don't give the impression of being the equivalent of marriage), while maintaining that it's impossible for the Church to bless "same-sex unions." This one will be a not-miss. And, as always, episodes of the show will be available on the EWTN YouTube channel shortly after first broadcast.

Now for Professor Forte's column...

"Put Christ back into Christmas," we are told, often from the pulpit. "Take time out to pray and meditate upon the Advent season. Don't be distracted by all the shopping advertisements." All well and good. But I would also argue the contrary. It's in the noise of the Christmas season that we find Christ. Mary and Joseph and the Magi sought not to escape from the commotion, the drama, and "noise" surrounding the great moment. They traveled into it.

Consider these scenarios.

She finally has the Christmas cards addressed. Darn! Not enough stamps, and the post office has run out of the religiously themed ones. Is her address list up-to-date? It took forever to compose the Christmas letter, trying not to leave out any important events and people. She still has to fold the letters, insert them into the envelopes, seal them, and take them to the post office. It's all such a rush.

When that happens, we should think of Mary. As I once heard Mother Teresa explain to her nuns, "What did Mary do, after she heard that she was to bear the Savior? Did she stay at home and meditate on the great mystery? No, when she heard that her elderly cousin Elizabeth was also with child, she immediately got up to go on a long journey - a very long journey to help her. To wash the pots and pans and do whatever needed to be done."

Our Christmas cards are messages of love to people that we perhaps have not seen in years. So when the rush of Christmas cards is upon us, we should think of Mary and offer a grateful prayer, for every card we send is a visit to Elizabeth.

It's three days before Christmas and the roads are packed. There's hardly a space available in the mall parking lot. Too late for an Amazon delivery, the husband fears. "Have I got the right gifts for the kids? Or am I spoiling them again? I still haven't bought the one for my youngest - that doll she asked for - and I almost forgot my wife!" His budget is stretched. He worried about his credit card statements come January. It's all such a rush.

When that happens, we should think of the Magi. If indeed, these "wise men" had come from Persia, it was a journey of over 1,000 miles over often inhospitable terrain, a daunting trip in that era. Uncertain of the kind of greeting that they would receive, especially by the Romans, they pressed on, transiting the Parthians, the Decapolis, crowded marketplaces, hostile stares. It wasn't an inexpensive journey even for them, and they too sought to bring just the right gifts for the child.

Our travels to the mall and the Christmas sales can be nerve-wracking. Frustrating, too, if that special gift is now out of stock. And then there is the wrapping, the shipping to distant friends and relatives. But at such moments we should remember the Magi, and meld our journey into theirs. We, too, look for the right gifts for the right persons, objects of our love.

It's Christmas Eve. The children and wife are asleep at last. But besides the electronic gifts, there are still toys to put together: the tricycle, and wagon. "Why are there so many bolts and screws to this thing? I'm so tired that I can hardly read the directions, and they are so confusing anyway." In just a few hours, the children will wake him and his wife as they burst into t...