SUNDAY, 8:30 a.m.

Catholic TV Presents

CATHOLICTV With Christmas on the way, the shows The Coming of Our God, Part 1, at 8:30 a.m., and Wait and See: The Spiritual Journey of Advent, at 9 a.m., follow the reminder in St. Mark 1:3, “Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight his paths.”

MONDAY, various

Remember Pearl Harbor

HISTORY At 8 a.m., Tora, Tora, Tora: The Real Story of Pearl Harbor; at 10 a.m., Conspiracy? FDR and Pearl Harbor; at 11 a.m., The Other Tragedy at Pearl Harbor; and at noon, Pacific: The Lost Evidence: Pearl Harbor. The shows re-air at 2, 4, 5, and 6 p.m., respectively. Advisory: TV-PG.

TUESDAY, various

The Immaculate Conception

EWTN Feast day programming includes Meditations on the Immaculate Conception at 3 and 9:30 a.m.; Pope Benedict XVI’s Homage to the Immaculate, live at 10 a.m. (re-air, 11 p.m.); and Solemn Mass of the Immaculate Conception from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington live at noon.

WEDNESDAY, 9 p.m.

Jerusalem:

Center of the World

PBS This 2008 documentary cites the Bible, the Quran and Jewish texts, interviews scholars, and views more than 300 pieces of artwork in order to trace the history of the Holy City and explore its Christian, Jewish and Muslim holy sites.

FRIDAY, 4 p.m., 11 p.m.

Explorer: Last Christians of Bethlehem

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL This 2007 documentary centers on the Church of the Nativity and depicts difficulties that Islamic militants and Israeli forces in the West Bank cause Palestinian Christians in the birthplace of Jesus. Advisory: TV-PG.

FRIDAY, 10 p.m.

A Renaissance Christmas

PBS In this 2008 special, a Chicago group, the Music of the Baroque Chorus and Brass Ensemble, performs chant, brass numbers and medieval, Renaissance and early Baroque choral pieces, including Christmas carols in their original style.

SATURDAY, various

Christmas Movies

VARIOUS NETWORKS On ABC FAMILY at 9 a.m., Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey; on TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES at noon, A Christmas Carol (1938); on NBC at 8 p.m., It’s a Wonderful Life; and on CBS at 8 p.m., Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (re-air from last week).

SATURDAY, noon, live

Cathedrals Across America: Solemn Mass of Our Lady of Guadalupe

EWTN Archbishop Jose Gomez of San Antonio will celebrate Mass in the Cathedral of San Fernando. Re-airs 6:30 p.m.

Dan Engler writes from
Santa Barbara, California.