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National Catholic Register

The Knight Before Christmas

In this N.C. Wyeth illustration from ‘The Boy’s King Arthur’ (1922), the Green Knight readies himself for combat with Sir Beaumains, horn raised beneath the thorn — “and there he blew three deadly notes.”

The Christmas story includes chivalry as well as shepherds, and knights in shining armor as well as wise men bearing gifts.

Why Nietzsche’s Ears Were Deaf to the Word of the Cross

Diego Velázquez, “Christ Crucified,” ca. 1632, Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain

Nietzsche sought strength in the will to power, but the cross proclaims a deeper wisdom he could not hear — a word that reveals the mystery of divine strength in weakness.

Why Tamales Belong on the Christmas Table

Aliaksandr Mazurenka
‘Tamales’

Long associated with family gatherings and shared labor, tamales continue to anchor Christmas celebrations across cultures.

Notre Dame Cathedral’s New Stained Glass Ignites a New Firestorm

Visitors preview artist Claire Tabouret’s future contemporary stained-glass windows for Notre Dame Cathedral at Galerie 10.2 of the Grand Palais in Paris on Dec. 8, 2025.

Critics say the emphasis on diversity and emotional expression risks translating a central mystery of the Church into the visual language of the present moment, weakening the symbolic coherence of a Gothic cathedral built around light, hierarchy and transcendence.