12/23/24

The Best Christmas Gift



Regular readers will remember from previous years this story of the best Christmas gift I ever gave - which became the best Christmas gift I ever received. And it's a story I love telling! 

The Best Christmas Gift

Michael would stop by about once a month just to talk, delighting me with his keen and critical eye on matters religious and political, all filtered through his Irish-born sense of humor. Our conversations were equal parts political debate, spiritual direction, and brotherly banter.


By nature he was, and by nurture he became, a self-sufficient man: longing, aching to know that he was loved by God - with whom he had a life-long sparring match. Unfortunately, his early church experience had offered little to convince him of God’s favor - and much to make him deeply doubt it.


Over a few years’ time Michael shared with me his personal oral history, recorded not on tape but in my heart. Especially sharp with detail were stories of his youth, his love affair with horses and the adventures of making his way in and around the world. I don’t know which I enjoyed more: his stories or the look in his eyes as he told them. His words told the tale while his eyes beckoned me into his soul, indeed a sacred place to visit.


One late October morning, complaining about the commercialism of Christmas items for sale alongside bags of Halloween candy, he segued to a remembrance of an early Christmas when his heart had been set on only one gift: a copy of Boy’s Cinema Annual. He’d made sure his parents knew what he was hoping for but among his presents under the tree on Christmas morning he didn't find the one gift he so dearly wanted. He was old enough to know the real identity of Santa Claus and he knew what he has asked for was something his parents could have easily afforded. Sadly, this wasn’t the first time a cherished hope of his had gone unfulfilled.


It’s painfully early in life that a child can learn to expect to be disappointed. Some of our earliest disappointments, as simple as they are, shape our souls and how we see things – even how we see God. My friend’s story touched my own soul-shaping memories right in that place where the heart’s hopes and hurts are collected and carefully guarded. 

Perhaps you know such a place in your own heart...

Well, it took me only a few hours online to locate (at a used-book shop in Australia) an issue of Boy’s Cinema Annual published in the era of my friend’s youth. I ordered it and was pleased with the condition in which it arrived. I remember wrapping it in red tissue paper and attaching a store-bought bow to top it off.


Michael stopped by in early December and we talked for about an hour. When he was ready to take his leave I produced the gift from my desk drawer. He was embarrassed not to have a present for me and I assured him that his wit and wisdom were more than generous gifts all year 'round. He opened the package very carefully, even tenderly,  and for several long minutes simply looked at the magazine until his tears began to fall upon it. Then he looked up and, as so many times before, his gaze invited me into his soul. He asked me if I knew how much this meant to him. Through my tears I told him yes, I thought I did.


I believe a wounded corner of Michael’s soul was healed in opening that present and I know a broken place in my heart was restored in giving it. Even if only for a moment - we both knew for sure that love finds a home in between our hopes and hurts, in that very place where God longs and aches to be with us, to heal us and to love us..


An old, used issue of Boy’s Cinema Annual turned out to be the best Christmas gift I ever gave -and the best Christmas gift I ever received.


  

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I will light candles!

This song combines two short poems by American author, philosopher, theologian and civil rights leader Howard Thurman. Thurman's words are set to music here by the Norwegian composer Kim Andre Arnesen and performed below by the Saint Olaf Choir who will be on tour in January and February 2025.  (If anyone is aware of the origin of the painting above, please let me know!)

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I will light candles this Christmas. 
    Candles of joy, despite all sadness.
    Candles of hope where despair keeps watch.
    Candles of courage where fear is ever present.
    Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days.
    Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens.
    Candles of love to inspire all of my living.
    Candles that will burn all year long. 
 
When the song of the angels is stilled
When the star in the sky is gone
When the kings and princes are home
When the shepherds are back with their flock
The work of Christmas begins:
    To find the lost
    To heal the broken
    To feed the hungry
    To release the prisoner
    To rebuild the nations
    To bring peace among others
    To make music in the heart

 

  

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A Carol for Christmas Eve Eve

 
Here's a fun song, a comical Christmas carol, 
   for Christmas Eve Eve!  

Christmas Eve Eve by Paul and Storm

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Today we sing the praises of December 23rd 
Although it’s not a holiday per se 
It’s just the day that is the day before the day 
Before the day that is the best day in the world 
 
The 24th is Christmas Eve, the 25th is Christmas 
And the 26th is Boxing Day 
   and marks the Feast of Stephen 
But the 23rd is mostly spent 
   just marking time until the Earth 
Rotates away around its axis once again 
 
Today we sing the praises of December 23rd 
Though no one else would seem to give a damn 
It’s just the day that is the day before the day 
Before the day that is the best day in the world 
 
Too late for office parties, 
   and you’re done with “Secret Santa” 
But too early to go driving off to 
   Grandma’s through the snow 
And metaphorically speaking,
   it’s the next-to-last minute 
So you still have one more shopping day to go 
 
Today we sing the praises of December 23rd ‘
Cause if we don’t, nobody ever will 
It’s just the day that is the day before the day 
Before the day that is the best day in the world
It’s just the day that is the day before the day 
Before the day that is the best day in the world
 

  

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12/22/24

Monday Morning Offering: 12/22

Coffee in the Morning by George Mendoza
 
Good morning, good God!

It’s almost that time, Lord,
when we give each other gifts
    - on your birthday!
Please forgive us
    for getting that mixed up every year
       - and again this year!

So, there's lots of wrapping going on:
    paper and foil, gift bags and boxes,
    tags and tape, ribbons and bows…

Seems that everyone’s wrapped up in wrapping
so what I offer you this morning, Lord,
    are all the things that wrap me up
       and definitely need unwrapping...

• I get wrapped up, Lord, in little things
while the big things go undone.
    Unwrap me, Lord, and keep me faithful
      to what deserves my first attention...

• I get wrapped up in things that waste my time
and time is one of my most precious possessions.
    Unwrap me, Lord, and make me a better steward
      of my days and nights, my work, my play and my rest…

• I get wrapped up in fantasies and fears
and leave untended the realities I just don't want to face.
    Unwrap me, Lord, and sharpen my vision
      of what’s real and what will help me truly grow…

• I get wrapped up in what I want and hope to get,
and in desire for what I can't or shouldn't have.
    Unwrap me, Lord, and give me a hunger
      for what truly nourishes and satisfies...

• I get wrapped up in having more, in having the most,
in having the biggest, the newest, the best.
    Unwrap me, Lord, and help me give and give away:
      help me simplify and learn to do with less...

• I get wrapped up in anger and hurt
that sap my energy for reaching out.
    Unwrap me, Lord, and free my heart
       to serve and be with others...

• And I often wrap myself up in - my self:
I get all wrapped up in me:
    in my wants and in my worries,
    in my disappointments and self-pity...

Unwrap me, Lord,
and let me see the blessings that are mine:
    your love, your word, your presence,
    your mercy and your strength...

Unwrap me, Lord,
so that others can know, share and enjoy my gifts...

Unwrap me, Lord, when I try to hide
    from you,
    from your love
    and from the love of those around me...

I have Christmas gifts for others, Lord,
    but it’s your birthday that's coming
so I offer you an unwrapped heart,
    laid bare for you to touch and heal
and mend and bless and wrap again
    - but this time in your word and will,
           your gospel and your grace...

Unwrap me, Lord,
    I need your help
        because I can't unwrap myself... 

Amen.


Image source

  

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A time to visit...


 Here's a link to my homily 

    for this last Sunday of Advent...

 

  

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12/21/24

Hope as Advent fades away...

 
 
For years now, in Advent, I've posted Reubem Alves' reflection on hope.  My prayer follows the Reubem text...


What is hope?
It is the presentiment that
    imagination is more real
       and reality is less real
          than it looks.

Hope is the hunch
that the overwhelming brutality of facts
that oppress and repress us
    is not the last word.

It is the suspicion that reality is more complex
    than the realists want us to believe -
that the frontiers of the possible
    are not determined by the limits of the actual -
and in a miraculous and unexplained way,
    life is opening up creative events
which will open the way
    to freedom and resurrection.

But the two – suffering and hope –
    must live from each other.
Suffering without hope
    produces resentment and despair.
But, hope without suffering
    creates illusions, naivete and drunkenness.

So let us plant dates -
even though we who plant them    
   will never eat them.*
 
We must live by the love 
   of what we will never see.
That is the secret discipline.

It is the refusal to let our creative act be dissolved
    by our need for immediate sense experience
and it is a struggled commitment
    to the future of our grandchildren.

Such disciplined hope
    is what has given prophets, revolutionaries and saints,
       the courage to die for the future they envisage.
They make their own bodies
    the seed of their highest hopes.

- Ruben Alves

*Date palms don't bear fruit for 7-10 years after planting!


Lord, I can be so easily weighed down
    by my struggles, my burdens, my pain,
    by the harsh realities of my daily life...

Sometimes, I fear I'll lose hope
    in you,
    in tomorrow, 
    in others,
    and in myself...
 
So I pray you'll help me trust,
help me hope
    that the peace I imagine,
    the peace I pray for,
    the peace I long for,
    the peace you promise
        is stronger and greater,
        deeper and wider,
        than any power or problem I face...
 
Let hope be my hunch, Lord:
    my hunch, my hope, that my future's not fixed
        by the scope of my present trials;
    my hunch, my hope,  that the troubles I face
        won't have the final word;
    my hunch, my hope that my sorrows and burdens 
        are truly a prelude to joy...
 
Give me hope 
    in the midst of my suffering, Lord:
        I know that's the path of your love,
        I know it's the way that leads me to you,
        I know it's the way that leads me to peace...

Help me see how my troubles prepare me today:
    for the peace your reign offers and brings,
    for the gift of your healing presence and mercy;
    and then, at last, for the harvest of hope
        my hunch proved right by your grace...
 
Amen.

There Is A Hope by Stuart Townend 

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So you think you know the Christmas story?


 Did you know:
- that the Magi appear in only one of the four gospels?
- that  in Matthew, Mark and John there are no shepherds or stable?
- that Joseph had four significant dreams regarding the birth and early life of Jesus?
- that both Matthew and Luke include a genealogy of Jesus - and that they're different?
- that neither Mark nor John make any mention at all of the birth of Jesus?
 
Did you know:
There are different readings for the Four Masses of Christmas celebrated at the Vigil, in the Night, at Dawn, and in the Day.  The Vigil Mass is celebrated in the late afternoon or early evening on Christmas Eve. The Mass in the Night was traditionally celebrated at midnight but in many places now (including the Vatican) it is celebrated around 10:00 p.m. (or earlier) on Christmas Eve.  The Mass at Dawn will be the first on the schedule on Christmas morning while later Masses will use the readings for Mass in the Day.  Note:  each parish will determine the application of these possibilities to the local schedule.

Did you know:
One way to prepare for celebrating Christmas is to take a look at how the four gospels present the birth, the origin of Christ.  This post collects and provides those texts for you, below.

 A little comparative study here may provide some surprises - and give you some good trivia questions for Christmas gatherings!

The gospel texts of the Christmas story follow here:

St. Luke by Peter Wilke
 
Luke
Chapter 2
In Chapter 1 Luke tells of the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist, the announcement of the birth of Jesus, and Mary's visit with Elizabeth when they were pregnant with Jesus and John. In Chapter 2 Luke provides the material for what most of us think of as the Christmas story - although Luke makes no mention of the Star and the Magi coming with their gifts.  In Chapter 3, Luke offers a genealogy of Jesus, just after the account of the beginning of Christ's public ministry as an adult.
1
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled.
2
This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
3
So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.
4
And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,
5
to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
6
While they were there, the time came for her to have her child,
7
and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8
Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock.
9
The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear.
10
The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
11
For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.
12
And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."
13
And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:
14
"Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."
15
When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us."
16
So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.
17
When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child.
18
All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds.
19
And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.
20
Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.
21
When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
22
When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord,
23
just as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,"
24
and to offer the sacrifice of "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons," in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
25
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the holy Spirit was upon him.
26
It had been revealed to him by the holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Messiah of the Lord.
27
He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
28
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
29
"Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word,
30
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
31
which you prepared in sight of all the peoples,
32
a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel."
33
The child's father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
34
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted
35
(and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
36
There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
37
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
38
And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.
39
When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
40
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

St. Matthew by Peter Wilke 
 
Matthew
Chapter 1
Matthew begins with the genealogy of Jesus and tells the story of his birth through the experience and four dreams of Joseph.  Matthew is our only source for the story of the Star, the Magi and their gifts.
18
Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the holy Spirit.
19
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly.
20
Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.
21
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
22
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
23
"Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means "God is with us."
24
When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.
25
He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus.
Chapter 2
1
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem,
2
saying, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage."
3
When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.
5
They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet:
6
'And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"
7
Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance.
8
He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage."
9
After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
10
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
11
and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.
13
When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him."
14
Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt.
15
He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, "Out of Egypt I called my son."
16
When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi.
17
Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet:
18
"A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled, since they were no more."
19
When Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt
20
and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead."
21
He rose, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.
22
But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go back there. And because he had been warned in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee.
23
He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazorean."

St. John by Peter Wilke
 
John
Although there is no Nativity narrative in John, his gospel does treat of the origin of the Word made flesh, in Chapter 1.
1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2
He was in the beginning with God.
3
All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be
4
through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race;
5
the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6
A man named John was sent from God.
7
He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.
8
He was not the light, but came to testify to the light.
9
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
10
He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him.
11
He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him.
12
But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name,
13
who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man's decision but of God.
14
And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth.

St. Mark by Peter Wilke
 
Mark
There is no Nativity narrative or reference in Mark's gospel. Chapter 1 begins with the preaching of John the Baptist and the baptism of Jesus at the beginning of his public ministry.
 
 

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Lightng the Fourth Candle on the Advent Wreath

At sundown today we begin to celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Advent which will end on Christmas Eve.

Last week we prayed for joy, this week we pray for perseverance...  If you have an Advent Wreath at home, pray for perseverance as you light the fourth candle each day.  If you don't have an Advent Wreath - light any candle and pray for perseverance.  If you have no candle, use the virtual candles above and pray for the grace of perseverance...

In the dark of night, Lord:
  
help me persevere...

In the dead of winter, Lord:
  
help me persevere...

In the heat of the day, Lord:
  
help me persevere...
 
In confused and troubling times, Lord:
    help me persevere...

When I just don't have a clue, Lord:
    help me persevere...

On the uphill side of life, Lord:   
    help me persevere...

When opinion outweighs truth, Lord:
    help me persevere...

In good times and in bad, Lord:
    help me persevere...

When the odds are all against me, Lord:
  
help me persevere...

When I feel I've been abandoned, Lord:
  
help me persevere...
 
When nothing seems to work, Lord:
    help me persevere...
 
When I'm overcome by grief, Lord:
    help me persevere...

When I just don't know the way, Lord:
  
help me persevere...
 
Until things settle down, Lord:
    help me persevere...

When I cannot find your face, Lord:
  
help me persevere...
 
When no one understands, Lord:
    help me persevere...
 
In sickness and in health, Lord:
    help me persevere...
 
When all the world seems crazy, Lord:
    help me persevere... 

When I can't find words for prayer, Lord:
  
help me persevere...
 
When I just can't hear your voice, Lord:
    help me persevere...

When the news gets worse each day, Lord:
  
help me persevere...

When my burdens seem too heavy, Lord:
  
help me persevere...

When I fear that you've forgotten me, Lord:
  
help me persevere...

When I suffer for your name, Lord:
  
help me persevere...

When I hunger for your truth, Lord:
  
help me persevere...

When I thirst for peace and joy, Lord:
  
help me persevere...

When I don't know where to turn, Lord:
  
help me persevere...

When I've just run out of hope, Lord:
  
help me persevere...

When I'm ready to give up, Lord:
  
help me persevere...

When my faith is wearing thin, Lord:
  
help me persevere...
 
When I'm searching for your wisdom, Lord:
    help me persevere... 

When one more step seems just much, Lord:
   help me persevere...
 
When I've forgotten why I persevere, Lord:
    help me persevere...

When I wish Christmas was all done, Lord:
  
help me persevere...

On my good days and my bad days, Lord:
     Lord, help me persevere...

Send your Holy Spirit, Lord:
    to strengthen my resolve,
    to give me new, firm purpose, 
    to deepen my fidelity,
    to point me towards the truth,
    to open wide my eyes,
    to shine upon my path, 
    to teach me how to trust,
    to help me hope again
    and to help me persevere, Lord,
    to help me persevere...
 
Protect us, Lord, while we're awake
    and watch over us while we sleep
that awake, we might keep watch with you
    and asleep, rest in your peace...
 
Amen. 
 
 Jesus My Strength by Paul Turner
 
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