Perhaps you're familiar with the "heavy" metal group called Metallica.  One of the biggest bands of the Eighties and Nineties, Metallica pioneered the so-called "thrash" metal music that captivated millions of people in their time.  Incredibly fast guitar playing, pounding drums, and screaming and morbid lyrics ripple through their music.

    But it's immensely popular.  Why?  It captures the angst so many people feel, the sense of ennui and helplessness that runs through the hearts and lives of countless people around the planet, the feeling of lost control and empty future that dominate the thinking of so many human beings.

    Yet the irony of all this is that, according to a profile of James Hetfield, Metallica's lead guitarist, which I read recently, he, too, struggles to find some sense of permanency in his life and heart.  Though largely happy and immensely wealthy, Hetfield continues to search for his meaning.  He knows there's something more.

    Aren't we all?  Ask almost anyone whether he or she is happy and most of the time that person will respond positively.  Dig beneath the surface, however, and that person will acknowledge that, yes, things are good, but that more often than not, that person isn't sure why or what everything means.

    What does that say about us?

    Maybe there really is a God.

    Advent is upon us.