I posted this earlier this week but here's the promised repost for this evening...
Let us pray...
Good Lord, it's the last day of 2011...
Only a few hours left in this old year which seemed so new oh, not-so-long ago...
Where has the old year gone, Lord? And how did it go?
And how did I go with you, make my way with you, Lord, these past twelve months?
I remember the times we walked and talked together, side by side, you and I...
And I remember the times when I forgot, somehow, that you were right there by my side, and the times I tried to pretend that you weren't there, always within arm's reach...
I remember the times when you took delight in my words and my work and I remember the times I ignored and forgot you - but still you loved me
and in your mercy, you forgave me...
Nothing I've done, Lord, merits what you've given me: all your love is grace, an unearned gift from your heart to mine...
In return I offer so little and I have so little to offer...
But there comes now a new year, Lord, and with it my prayer to live a life more worthy of all you so freely give me...
In this new year, Lord, make strong my resolve to be faithful, make deep my trust in your presence and make sure my hope in your promise, for without your help I will fail...
Lord, you offer me only what is true and pure, good and just, strong and graced...
In this new year, help me recognize what is false, cheap and sham... Help me to settle for nothing less than what comes from your heart and hand...
Nourish me, Lord: give me a hunger for what is genuine, a thirst for what is holy, a wisdom for discerning your gifts...
It's the last day of the old year, Lord...
Shake from my heart what has no place there and wake my heart to the gift of your grace and the dawn of a new beginning...
"The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time."
~ Abraham Lincoln
Since the healthiest way to live is to live one day at a time, Lincoln offers us good advice.
And it's something worth keeping in our minds and hearts as we look toward a new year stretching ahead of us.
Remember: 2012 is only going to come to us one day at a time...
Or, as Jesus put it:
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they?
Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?
Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin.
But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them.
If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?
So do not worry and say, 'What are we to eat?' or 'What are we to drink?' or 'What are we to wear?'
All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.
Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.
This icon by Aidan Hart is titled, The Mother of God and Savior. Notice that although Jesus is imaged as as a child, his muscularity and strength are beyond his years. At the same time, Mary is rendered as great, indeed "large enough" to be the Mother of God. A similar shift in proportion is at work in the familiar Pieta where the figure of Mary is much larger than the Christ she holds in her lap. (Click on the image above for a larger version.)
January 1 is the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God on the liturgical calendar. On the civil calendar it is New Year's Day. It is also the World Day of Peace and the 2012 edition of the pope's annual message for this occasion can be found here. Benedict's message is titled, Education Young People in Justice and Peace.
The Message is addressed especially to parents, families and all those involved in the area of education and formation, as well as to leaders in the various spheres of religious, social, political, economic and cultural life and in the media.
The scriptures for this day are, I believe, the shortest lections of the whole liturgical year. You can find them here.
I've been in Hyannis for a few days, heading home on Friday morning. Tonight I had dinner at my favorite restaurant on the Cape: Embargo.
Above's an image of the great salad I ordered. The photo doesn't do it justice so a description is definitely in order.
The salad comes served in the "bowl" of half a roasted acorn squash, cooked to warm perfection. In the bowl is an arrangement of arugula, carmelized onions, sliced apple, craisins, walnuts and goat cheese - all drizzled in a cider dressing. Amazing!
Just the perfect beginning for dinner on a chilled December evening: kudos to Embargo and their head chef, Justin Hamilton!
I'm a fan of John Rutter's music and I'm pleased to share with you here his setting of the blessing in the first scripture from this weekend's celebration of the Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God.
You'll find the scriptures for this day linked in an earlier post.
This comes a little early but I thought you might want to pass it on to others before New Year's eve and day.
As we approach the end of the calendar year, I offer you this prayer with the hope that these words might help all of us walk gracefully into 2012.
I'll post this again on New Year's Eve but perhaps some readers might be able to share this with others before then.
Let us pray...
Good Lord, it's the last day of 2011...
Only a few hours left in this old year which seemed so new oh, not-so-long ago...
Where has the old year gone, Lord? And how did it go?
And how did I go with you, make my way with you, Lord, these past twelve months?
I remember the times we walked and talked together, side by side, you and I...
And I remember the times when I forgot, somehow, that you were right there by my side, and the times I tried to pretend that you weren't there, always within arm's reach...
I remember the times when you took delight in my words and my work and I remember the times I ignored and forgot you - but still you loved me
and in your mercy, you forgave me...
Nothing I've done, Lord, merits what you've given me: all your love is grace, an unearned gift from your heart to mine...
In return I offer so little and I have so little to offer...
But there comes now a new year, Lord, and with it my prayer to live a life more worthy of all you so freely give me...
In this new year, Lord, make strong my resolve to be faithful, make deep my trust in your presence and make sure my hope in your promise, for without your help I will fail...
Lord, you offer me only what is true and pure, good and just, strong and graced...
In this new year, help me recognize what is false, cheap and sham... Help me to settle for nothing less than what comes from your heart and hand...
Nourish me, Lord: give me a hunger for what is genuine, a thirst for what is holy, a wisdom for discerning your gifts...
It's the last day of the old year, Lord...
Shake from my heart what has no place there and wake my heart to the gift of your grace and the dawn of a new beginning...
It's not my intention to comment on this page on the several difficulties I'm having with the translation in the new Roman Missal. Still, there are places in the new book that I'm finding increasingly difficult to use. Consider, for instance, this text which is to be included in the Eucharistic Prayer for Masses for the Dead (for example, at funerals):
Remember your servant N.,
whom you have called
from this world to yourself.
Grant that he/she who was united with your son in a death like his,
may also be one with him in his Resurrection.
In a death like his... I don't have the expertise or facility with Latin to compare this translation to the Latin text. I do, however, have the capacity to know what most people think of when they hear someone speak of "a death like" Christ's. Can that be anything but crucifixion?
Would the following not faithfully communicate what's intended, without any confusion:
Grant that he/she who was united with your son in his death
may also be one with him in his Resurrection.
In fact, that's what I prayed at a funeral I celebrated on Tuesday of this week.
I speak the words of the canon in a way that I hope invites the assembly into the prayer being offered. But if they are listening carefully and praying with me, what are they to make of the text above? After using the previous translation for over 38 years, Ive been as careful as possible in these first 5 weeks in being faithful to the new texts. But moments like this in funeral liturgy give me pause. That I consciously made a change in the text leads me to wonder what changes other priests are making and where that will lead us.
Some of the new texts that I expected to be most problematic for me have, rather, been easily incorporated into my prayer and its vocabulary but I continue to discover texts that may obscure or confuse both the prayer and us who offer it.
I'd be especially interested in hearing response to this from readers who are priests and may or may not be experiencing similar difficulties.
I wish I could tell you that at least one of his twelve topics is something I don't need to work on in the coming year but then I'd have to add lying to the list.
Chances are you'll find yourself in Martin's dozen... Take a look and bring this to the table when you're considering making some New Year's resolutions.
This coming weekend finds us celebrating the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. It's also World Peace Day (but the Mass for Peace may not be celebrated on this day) and of course it's the first day of the new civil year which is what will be on most folks' minds.
You'll find the scriptures for this day and commentary on them right here. If you're shepherding children to church this weekend, here are some hints for helping them prepare to hear the Lord's Word.
The scriptures for this Sunday are relatively brief. The first text, from the Book of Numbers, is a blessing of God's people which seems eminently appropriate for the first day of a new year. The gospel, from Luke, tells of the shepherds spreading the message of the news of the Lord's birth and contains that beautiful verse, "And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart." The middle text, from Galatians, includes this verse so appropriate for the (Christmas) season and the day's feast, "When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law."
RIGHT NOW would be a fine time to make a New Year's Resolution to prepare for Mass each week by taking time to read and pray over the scriptures for the coming Sunday.
NOW is the time to resolve and NOW is the time to click on the links above and begin to keep that resolution!
For many, that's a fairly personal question. In most cases, it's asked with a particular certainty that the response will be in the joyful affirmative. I'm not sure if a real answer, a true answer, is expected or desired.
Then there's the matter of the phrasing, "your Christmas..." Just what is my Christmas or your Christmas? Is Christmas something that's belongs to us? that we own or possess? Or is it truly more something that we hope to enter into, to celebrate, to participate in? There's something about the notion of "my" Christmas or "your" Christmas that's limiting, possessive of something that should be free for all.
All of this on the heels of several weeks of answering the question, "How was your Thanksgiving?"
And of course there are those for whom the holidays are a difficult emotional time and who can't wait for Christmas to be fading in rear view mirror.
I'm also struck by the reality that this question, "How was your Christmas?" is asked of believers by non-believers, or at least by those for whom Christmas has little if any faith connection. One doesn't have to be a wise woman or man to see that Christmas is celebrated by those who practice no faith as it is by those who struggle to live their faith day in and day out.
Isn't it amazing that folks who otherwise celebrate none of the Christian mysteries choose to prepare for this day, its social festivities and all the spending and gift-giving as much if not more than those who celebrate December 25th as a holy day on the calendar and in the annual cycle of the mystery of Christ in our lives and in our world?
Priests are routinely asked, "How was your Christmas? I know this is your busy time!" Truth be told, Lent and Holy Week make Advent and Christmas look like a piece of (fruit) cake! Christmas this year in my parish was preceded by four funerals in the fourth week of Advent. That was a busy time - and it had nothing to do with Christmas.
I hope I'm not sounding like the Grinch here. Just raising some questions that cross my mind each year as people ask over and over again, "How was your Christmas?"
My Christmas is still going on: for twelve days, at least, until Epiphany (January 8 this year) and, for the purist in me, until the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord which this year is celebrated on Monday, January 9.
Many sights and sounds over the weekend were wonderful - not the least of which were the bursting-at-the seams crowds at our liturgies. It's a joy, a real joy for me when all the folks come home!
But my favorite moment?
We've a custom at all the Christmas liturgies in my parish of singing Silent Night before the prayer after Communion. It's simple, it's beautiful and even folks who haven't opened their mouths through the whole Mass sometimes join in singing this carol.
As I told the people after singing Silent Night, "How good it is for us to be in prayer together. How important is the presence of each one of us for all the others and how important is the presence of us all for each individual."
At the risk of offering a subjective point of view, our Christmas liturgies were prayerful, beautiful and reverent in spite of the crowded conditions. The music was soul-lifting and the preaching solid. (A visiting priest proclaimed and preached on the long form of Matthew's gospel, the genealogy of Jesus, in masterful fashion. One of the strongest Christmas homilies I've ever heard!) Aside from the fact that many had to stand for the whole time, I can't think of anyone leaving one of those Masses without having had a good experience of praise and prayer, word and sacrament. Unfortunately, that will not be enough to bring some of those folks back again until Easter...
Still, Silent Night will echo in my memory and in my heart for at least the 12 days of Christmas and maybe longer...
New Year's Eve comes this week
and it's time to make some resolutions...
No one knows better than you, Lord,
how poorly I’ve done
in keeping resolutions I’ve made in the past
at New Year’s and on Ash Wednesdays
and all those other times
when I resolved to do this or that,
or to stop doing such and such
and then just a few days later…
You know how that usually goes, Lord,
so this morning I offer,
I want to place, the new year
all in your hands...
I offer you this new year, Lord,
trusting that you plan on adding
another year to my life…
I offer you my heart for this year ahead
and pray that you soften my heart where it's stony,
smooth its rough edges
and heal its brokenness --
for my sake and for those who will count on my heart
and its love in the new year...
I offer you my mind in this new year, Lord,
and pray that you help me sort through
my doubts, my questions and my confusion,
that you hone my mind with your truth,
that you expand my thinking where it narrows
and open me to learn what I need to know...
I offer you my body in this year ahead, Lord:
help me respect and care for the flesh and bone
that give form to my soul:
get me out of bed, off the couch and up from the chair
and move, shake, walk and strengthen
me and my mortal frame
for the work you give me to do…
I offer you my time in 2012, Lord:
teach me not to waste this precious gift:
fill my days with energy
and the will to live by your word
and work for your glory;
fill my nights with deep and restful sleep
and prepare me for what you would make of my life
in the next twelve months...
I offer you my imagination in the new year, Lord:
make my thoughts pure, my dreams sweet,
my intentions just, my ideas honest, my plans firm,
my goals sure and my hopes rooted in your promises…
In the new year, Lord,
I offer you those you’ve entrusted to my care:
any who look to me and lean on me
for support and care and hope:
make me faithful to those who depend on me
but not so strong, Lord,
that I fail to depend and lean on others
who offer me support and strength…
I offer you my bounty in the year ahead, Lord:
help me know the difference
between what I desire and what I truly need;
teach me to share what I have,
especially when I have more than I need;
teach me to see others’ needs before my own
and to care for them before I care for myself…
I offer you, Lord, the challenges of the year ahead:
give me the wisdom and strength I'll need
to confront and work through them...
And I offer you the burdens and sorrows
the new year will bring:
give me strength to carry them
and consolation to help me bear with them...
I offer you the joys of the new year, Lord:
let me not miss one of them,
let me delight in each of them
and let me share them with others...
I offer you the year ahead, Lord,
with its months as 12 new chapters
in the book of my life:
help me see the story of your love
in the days of each month;
show me the clues to resolve the mysteries
that confuse and baffle me;
let me see how these new chapters
follow from what has been
and lead to what is yet to come;
be the Author of these 12 chapters, Lord,
and let your words and your story
shape the person you created me to be…
I offer you the new year, Lord,
and pray that I will come to its end
in your peace
and in the embrace of your arms…
Amen.
(Click here for an archive of Monday Morning Offerings)
Whatever your political take on this movement,
it’s likely that the verb OCCUPY is a word you’ll remember
from the news reports of 2011.
OCCUPY:
to take possession of;
to take up space or time;
to claim;
to reside in
I wonder if this word might not help us this day
towards a deeper understanding of Christmas...
If we take away all the red and green and the glitter…
If we take away the mistletoe and the merriment…
If we take away too much food and too much drink…
If we take away time spent on endless shopping
and worrying about wrapping everything we bought…
If we take away all the work of what we like to call holidays --
with what would we be left?
We’d be left with God’s desire to occupy the world around us.
We’d be left with God’s desire
to take possession, once more, of all creation, to claim it as his own -
to occupy it: to live within us and among us.
We’d be left with God’s desire to occupy each of us.
If we took away all the holiday hoopla,
we’d be left with the Spirit of God
claiming Mary of Nazareth as spouse
and occupying her whole being, body and soul,
with the power of divine love.
We’d be left with the Word of God occupying human nature,
taking flesh in time and space, in Mary’s womb,
and claiming her as his home.
We’d be left with Mary and Joseph, alone in the city,
occupying a barn because there was no room for them at the inn.
We’d be left with Jesus,
occupying our humanity, claiming us as his own in his divinity,
taking up residence among us: one like us in all things but sin.
If we take away all the decorations and distractions of Christmas,
we are left with God, occupying the world:
intent on taking possession of each of us,
and pitching his tent in our hearts.
God’s occupation of our world began some 2,000 years ago
and no authority on earth has succeeded in ending it.
It’s that very occupation we celebrate this day, this Christmas.
And it’s God’s desire to occupy the hearts of 100% of his people:
no exceptions, no exclusions.
In the birth of Jesus God claims each one of us as his own,
as his beloved,
and seeks to occupy our time and space, our nights and days,
our hearts, our minds, our bodies,
our imaginations, our desires and our hopes.
And most of all, the Lord wants to occupy those places within us
where we might least welcome him:
the places where we are selfish, wounded, ashamed, fearful,
anxious, and empty.
The Lord wants to take possession of whatever keeps any of us
from his love, his mercy, his peace, his embrace.
And no one sees more clearly than does the Lord
what already pre-occupies us, what restrains us,
holds us back and keeps us down,
what prevents us from being, from becoming the persons
he created and called us to be, from before all time.
Will we welcome, this day, the Lord who came to occupy our lives?
Will we invite the Lord to claim our hearts?
Will we yield to Jesus time and space in our day-to-day lives,
and especially that one hour of time and place on Sunday mornings?
Will we honor that place in our hearts
where Jesus has already pitched his tent and lives within us?
Jesus, who occupied Mary’s womb and the manger in Bethlehem,
claimed also for himself our place on the Cross,
taking possession even of our sins
that we might be free to live in his peace.
This day, he will claim our hearts again
when we receive him in the sacrament of this altar,
in the Bread and Cup of the Eucharist.
As a newborn child claims our attention and affection,
let’s pray that the Christ child will occupy our lives
and claim all of us as his beloved on this holy Christmas day.
Occupy Wall Street;
Occupy Boston;
Occupy Concord;
Occupy Holy Family Parish;
Occupy each of us, Lord Jesus and make your home with us.
Long before there was any question about the political correctness of wishing others a “Merry Christmas,” the pastor of the parish of my youth (Monsignor John Cusack, St. Richard Parish in Danvers, MA) took the occasion every year of telling us why he preferred to wish everyone a “Happy Christmas.” He’d point out that we never wish anyone a “Merry Easter” and would question whether this adjective for Christmas, dating back to the 17th century, was the best one for us to use today. The first printed Christmas card (1843) wished recipients a “Merry Christmas” but at the end of A Visit From St. Nicholas (‘Twas the night before…), Clement Moore wishes his readers a “Happy Christmas.” The history, then, is mixed. “Merry” seems rather light and even “Happy” might fail to bear the weight of this day’s wishes. What kind of Christmas do we hope and pray our family and friends will have?
My prayer is that you will have a Joyful Christmas: a Christmas rooted in the serenity that deep faith provides, strong enough to survive the disappointments and sorrows life delivers to our doorstep and exuberant enough to celebrate life’s happiest times. May the birthday of Christ touch you with deep joy...
I pray, too, that you will have a Peaceful Christmas: the peace the world so clearly is unable to give itself; the peace that broken hearts long for; the peace that is ours to share with one another in forgiveness, kindness and charity. May the birthday of Christ sow seeds of peace in your heart...
Finally, I pray that you have a Hopeful Christmas. So much in the world around us encroaches on our capacity to hope: a spirit abroad that seems intent on draining the beauty and poetry from our lives while our ever burgeoning knowledge robs us of awe and reverence before the mystery of life, of love and of God. May the birthday of Christ renew hope in your heart...
I wish you a Joyful, Peaceful, Hopeful Christmas and should your Christmas be Merry and Happy, too – all the better! Please pray the same for me.
I've made just a few changes in the prayer I wrote for Thanksgiving to make it appropriate for those who grieve at Christmas time. Please share this with others who might find it helpful.
Dear God,
There is an empty chair near the tree,
an ache in our hearts
and tears on our faces.
We may try to shield one another
from the grief we bear
but we cannot hide it from you.
We pray for (names)
whose presence we miss so much
in these days of peace and joy.
Open our hearts and minds
to the healing, the warmth,
the light of your presence.
We pray, Lord, and we trust
that those we miss
have found the place you prepared for them,
their home within your heart.
Open our hearts, Lord,
to joyful memories of love shared
with those who have gone before us.
Help us tell the stories
that make the past present
and bring us close again
to those we miss.
Teach us to lean on you, Lord,
and on each other,
for the strength we need
to walk through these difficult days.
Be with us as we cry and sing our our way
through Christmas cards and carols;
help us find and open the present you bring:
the gift of your peace
in the birth of the child we call Christ.
And give us quiet moments
with you, with our thoughts,
with our memories and prayers.
Be with us, Lord,
and hold us in your arms
even as you hold those
who have gone before us.
Help us to trust that one day
we shall be with those we love
when your mercy gathers us together
in the joy of the life you promise us.
This is the Christmas you have made, Lord,
the only one we'll have this year:
help us to rejoice in it
and in the blessings of your peace.
Especially in this season when so many feel blue amid the glitter of the the red and green, these words are beautiful. Perhaps this passage from A Child In Winter will help move you to prayer in these busy days...
Christ never goes away, never forgets, all day long , however you are, whoever you are, whatever you are doing.
His whole heart is concentrated on you.
He watches you with the eye of a mother watching an only child. He sees not the surface things, not the imperfections inevitable to human frailty, but the truly lovable in you, your dependence on him, your need of him.
Does a mother love her child less because it fallen and bruised herself? No, indeed; only (if that is possible) more!
What then must we do?
Listen. Be silent.
Let Christ speak to you.
Forget yourself, do not be self-centered, let him tell you how he loves you, show you what he is like, prove to you that he is real.
Silence in your soul means a gentle attention to Christ, it means turning away from self to him, it means looking at him, listening to him.
God speaks silently.
God speaks in your heart; if your heart is noisy, chattering, you will not hear.
Every ordinary thing in your life is a word of God's love: your home, your work, the clothes you wear, the air you breathe, the food you eat, the friends you delight in, the flowers under your feet are all the courtesy of God's heart flung down on you! All these things say one thing only: "See how I love you."
God asks only one thing, that you will let God tell you this, directly, simply; that you will treat God as someone real, not as someone who does not really exist.
This is the third in a series of posts in which I'm sharing some of my notes and reflections from my retreat, November 27-December 3, at Eastern Point Retreat House in Gloucester, MA. (The photo above shows the Blessed Sacrament chapel at Eastern Point Retreat House.)
I probably should have known better than to start a series of post just a couple of weeks before Christmas! Though I've not posted on my retreat for a while, I do want to continue to share it with you. You can find the first two posts on my sidebar where you'll see the photo above.
My retreat centered on the presence of the Lord and particularly the presence I experienced in the chapel, praying before the Eucharist in the tabernacle. It won't surprise you to know that I believe the Lord is present in the Bread of the Eucharist: as we offer, share and receive it at the altar and as we venerate it in the reserved Sacrament of the tabernacle. What was new for me, or refreshed during my retreat week, was the strength and depth of the Lord's presence as I experienced it. I found myself both surrounded and filled, supported and comforted by the presence of God. This was not something euphoric or exhilarating. It was, in fact, stable and strong, providing a deep consolation.
Such an experience is a gift from God. In my 64 years I've certainly experienced the peace of God's presence but never before in the way I did this time on retreat. No, I don't think God has waited over six decades to offer this to me. So I can't help but wonder: how many other times was God waiting to offer me this peace but I missed the moment because I was too busy: too busy to slow down, to sit down, to stop, even to pause and lift my heart, my face to God's presence? How often was I so tied up in myself and my feelings, so entwined in my fears and self-doubt that I had ceased to expect or believe that such a gift would ever come my way? In what ways have I thought that only other folks would ever have such an experience of God? How long had it been since I had allowed myself the time, the place, the slowed pace at which I was sensitive to God's presence, touch and grace?
From almost the very beginning of my retreat I was aware that God was doing the work, that I only needed to sit back and soak in the presence of the One who had broken through my resistance and drawn me to this week, the place, this peace. Somewhere in my heart I realized how often in my spiritual life I work too hard at it. And of course, there are times when I pay it hardly any attention at all. Both extremes are dead ends. I'm reminded of a prayer composed by Edwina Gately that I posted a week or so ago:
Be silent.
Be still.
Wait before your God.
Say nothing.
Ask nothing.
Be still.
Let your God look upon you.
That is all.
God knows.
God understands.
God loves you with an enormous love.
God only wants to look upon you with love.
Quiet.
Still.
Be.
Let your God love you.
Consider who does the work in that prayer... The one who prays needs only to sit still, in the silence, to just be... While God looks upon, knows, understands and loves the one who prays...
To have this experience is to be consoled in the peace and presence of God...
John Hudson, the blogging Sherborn Pastor (on my blogroll), has a great post up for anyone who's concerned that Christmas isn't going to be perfect this year.
And yes, that would be all of us!
If the holidays loom darker than brighter with fears that things won't be just right, then spend a few minutes on John's page and his reflection on an Imperfect Holiday.
Walk away from worship at the altar of a perfect holiday.
Instead get ready for an imperfect holiday.
I preached this homily a couple years ago in Advent, on these scriptures:Isaiah 7:10-14; Romans 1:1-7; and Matthew 1:18-24. Because Joseph sometimes get short shrift in the Christmas story, I thought I'd post this reflection again...
Well, how many people in the last week or so have asked you,
“Are you ready for Christmas?”
In other words:
“Is your shopping done? your gifts wrapped? your cards mailed?
your cookies baked and your tree trimmed?”
2,000 years ago, when Christ was about to be born,
only a few individuals had any notion at all
of what was about to happen.
So I doubt that many people were asking St. Joseph
"Hey, Joe! Got your tree up yet?"
Although it’s altogether possible that Mary might have asked,
“Joseph… are you ready for this?”
Today’s gospel tell us that at least at one point,
Joseph was not ready for this.
Rather, he was ready to quietly break off his betrothal to Mary
- until he received a message from God,
through an angel, in a dream.
And the message was this: “Be not afraid…”
Be not afraid – of what?
Of taking Mary into his home as his wife? Yes, that.
Of caring for a child he knew he had not sired? Yes, that too.
But most of all, the angel in the dream was telling Joseph,
“Be not afraid of how the mystery of God
is weaving itself into your life,
into your relationship with Mary,
and into your whole future.
“Be not afraid, Joseph, of how the mystery of God
will touch your life, shape your life, turn your life around
and stand it on its head!"
None of us is asked to face what Joseph faced.
But all of us, like Joseph, face times in our lives
when God has allowed things to happen,
or has allowed things to fail to happen,
that would intimately touch, shape and turn our lives around
in ways we never dreamed would happen.
And sometimes in ways we wish had never happened.
And in all of this the word to us
is precisely the angel’s word to Joseph in his dream:
“Be not afraid because in everything, and in all things, God Is With You: EMMANUEL.”
As it was for Joseph in his days,
so it is for us every Christmas.
Being “ready” for Christmas has little to do with
presents to buy and wrap, or trees to decorate,
or cards to write, or baking to do…
Being “ready” for Christmas
means renewing our faith and more than our faith, our trust,
in all the ways the mystery of God’s presence
is weaving itself into our lives:
touching and shaping and turning our lives around
in ways we may never have imagined.
And most of all, being “ready” for Christmas
means trusting that God is with us, Emmanuel,
in everything and in all things.
(Here’s the Joseph figure from my mother’s nativity scene which enjoyed a year-round place on her hutch and a year-round presence on the book shelf next to my recliner.
Take a moment, as you get “ready for Christmas,”
and ponder Joseph’s presence in your nativity
at home or here at Holy Family.
Imagine his doubts, his anticipation his anger…
his regrets, his concern for Mary, his fears…
his wonder, his confusion, his awe, …
Imagine him handing his troubles over to God
and trusting, putting his fears aside…
And imagine how Joseph might be a patron saint for us
as we get “ready” for Christmas…
The Child born in Bethlehem is still weaving his way into our lives.
The name Bethlehem means “House of Bread.”
And even this morning the Lord weaves the mystery of his presence
into our prayer at his table
and makes of our place of prayer the House of God’s Bread.
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, God with us,
and weave the mystery of your presence,
the mystery of your love,
into our lives…
MS, a parishioner and FB friend, tipped me to a song that's new to me. But I might be the only person on earth who hasn't heard it: no tunes from The Band on my iPod - until now!
It's a little early for posting Christmas music but you might not be on this page when Christmas Must Be Tonight will be more appropriate.
More than twenty-one centuries ago, the Holy Land was ruled by the Seleucids (Syrian-Greeks), who sought to forcefully Hellenize the people of Israel. Against all odds, a small band of faithful Jews defeated one of the mightiest armies on earth, drove the Greeks from the land, reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and rededicated it to the service of G-d.When they sought to light the Temple's menorah, they found only a single cruse of olive oil that had escaped contamination by the Greeks; miraculously, the one-day supply burned for eight days, until new oil could be prepared under conditions of ritual purity.
To commemorate and publicize these miracles, the sages instituted the festival of Chanukah. At the heart of the festival is the nightly menorah lighting: a single flame on the first night, two on the second evening, and so on till the eighth night of Chanukah, when all eight lights are kindled. On Chanukah we also recite Hallel and the Al HaNissim prayer to offer praise and thanksgiving to G-d for "delivering the strong into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few... the wicked into the hands of the righteous."
And there's more information here - including an explanation of the dreidelwhich will help you understand and enjoy the video below.
There are many renditions of The Dreidel Song on the internet, many of doubtful musical quality and some of questionable humor. But this upbeat setting by Kenny Ellis sets a great festive mood!
Every Monday you'll find a Morning Offering prayer under the rising sun and a fresh cup of coffee. Stop by and pray with us! (Click on the coffee cup above to find an archive of previous Monday Morning Offerings)
Word for the Weekend
Click on the bible above to find the scrIipture readings and commentary on them for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time - February 5
Catholics Come Home
The only thing I have to do in this life is get to heaven and take as many people with me as I can. -Tom Flatley
Help for Haiti
Reach out to the people of Haiti with health care, education and community development through the St. Boniface Haiti Foundation.
