O Radiant Dawn

So...I woke up and thought...I have something I am supposed to be doing today...What could it be?  That was at 7am and it came to me in a flash!...We needed to be at the VA Clinic to serve sandwiches and coffee to the Veterans at 9am!!!!  You have never seen a woman jump out of bed so fast!  Not only did I need to get five children dressed and out the door (along with a crazy woman!!), but I needed to find food to take for the sandwiches.  

Thankfully, I like to have a fully stocked pantry and a freezer full as well (and that we are blessed to be able to do this).  I had the fixings for tuna sandwiches and we were gone by 8:30am...except for one stubborn child who was left at home...name removed to avoid embarrassment...but I will say that he was old enough to take care of himself.

We even had time to read our Bible devotion and Jesse tree ornament (the stories were the same)...to remember the Visitation and the actual birth of John the Baptist.  I thought the story in our devotional was interesting...the writer mentioned that we should follow Elizabeth's example...instead of focusing on the outward events in our lives, we should look from within and how the Spirit works in us....guiding us to the ways of God.  And...Whoever said the Bible was always serious has never looked closely at these kinds of stories.  I would love to have been there when Elizabeth insisted on naming the baby John...followed by the disbelief of the family.  Then to have the mute Zechariah come in, with tablet in hand, insisting that the baby WOULD be called John.  The story is too amazing to make up such as this!   

We then placed a key in the nativity scene.  We were asked:  "Provide the stable with a key to keep out thieves. Exclude from your heart every sinful thought, and every rash judgment.  Dear Jesus, close my heart to all that hurts You.  Amen."

Then we arrived to make sandwiches and serve these along with coffee and donuts that were provided.  We were so glad to see some of the regular men who come to the clinic.  We had thought we would only stay long enough to make the sandwiches but these Veterans are so dear to us and we just had to stay and serve them.  About an hour into the service, one of the men walked up to me (I was helping with the sugar and cream station) and he bent over the counter.  I asked if he was OK and he said he just stood up too fast and he would be fine.  AND THEN...he fainted...he slipped right down the side of the counter and I caught him about halfway down!  This was quite a feat as I had a baby strapped to my front!  LOL!  It turned out he was a diabetic with elevated sugar level.  He was taken to the back and seemed better but I am not sure...so say a little prayer for him tonight.

The clinic was not very busy so we were able to leave by noon.  We then went to the "zoo"...AKA as the crazy mayhem of Christmas shoppers to find shirts for the boys and last minute food supplies.  We finished quickly.  While getting everyone back into the car, I noticed the back tire was very low.  So, I had to make an extra stop at the tire store.  It was busy and my car was full of food that might spoil so I had them air the tire up and scheduled for them to fix the tire tomorrow morning.  

We got home much later then planned, so we had time to put groceries away and start dinner.  After our meal, we had a little down time so I cut all of the backing for all the quilts.  I do not really consider myself a quilter (although I have made a few), so I am not  sure how an experienced quilter designs quilts.  These memorial quilts are very free style designs and we have only drawn them on a small scale.  I decided that cutting the backing for the quilts would allow us the opportunity to re-create the paper design in the right dimensions.  With that said, we set up the backing for the first quilt on the table and gathered around to pray for the family of the individual.  We asked God to bless the family and give them comfort during these difficult times.  We asked God to guide us in making this quilt a special memorial.  Then we began placing the material we chose on the backing.  We then lightly penciled the design on to the backing so we would know the shape to cut out the material (allowing excess for the stitching).  We still need a few pieces of material to finish the design, so we could not sew the top together.  

This was our first attempt to complete a top for one of the quilts.  We hope to have more time tomorrow.  However, this will be our routine for each quilt made...first pray and ask for guidance in choosing the right message to honor the individual child or adult we are creating the quilt to remember.  We hope that in doing this we can create something special for the families.  

We ended the evening with the antiphon prayer:

"Come, and shine on those seated in darkness, and in the shadow of death.  Dawn, splendor of eternal light, and sun of justice, come, and shine on those seated in darkness, and in the shadow of death.

"Just as the natural sun gives light and life to all upon whom its rays fall, so Christ, the Rising Dawn, dispels darkness and brings eternal life and light."

Recommended Readings: Malachi 4:2-6.

The dawn...it reminds me of the star that guided the wise men....surely seen by many in the night sky but only followed by these three men.  Do we choose to see the Radiant Light of the Dawn and follow Him or just look at Him in passing?  The book of choice for tonight was This is the Star by Joyce Dunbar.  Even though it is about the night the star shown over Bethlehem  I thought it was fitting to show how the star is the first indicator of a yet brighter light for the world to vanquish the darkness.  

We found a Christmas card from my Mom in the mail today...we will not spend the first days of Christmas with her as we usually go there for New Year's Day instead....may she be blessed with joy throughout the joy...we look forward to seeing her in a week!  Also, we received a card from our dear friends the Bittners...it is so good to see the pictures of the boys grown up...I wish we could just gather up our friends in a big hug for Christmas!

Needless to say...I did not get to clean my room today so I guess the journey of Mary and Joseph will need to wait a day.  They will get to the manger in time...somehow!  

O Key of David

Let the baking begin...and the candy making!  We finally have everything we need to get started and the boys are having fun in the kitchen.  They especially love the clean up process in between recipes!

I managed to get the boys to sit down and have our Bible devotions before we got started.

The Bible passages are starting to converge to the one story of Jesus... a sure sign that Christmas is almost here!  The Gospel of Luke was our main focus for both the Mass readings of the day and the Jesse Tree ornament.  We read about the angel coming to Mary to announce Jesus becoming incarnate in her womb (Luke 1:26-38).  I had the boys think about the experience...Mary was being told the impossible...and yet it was true that she would be the Mother of God with a simple yes.  Then I had them imagine what that would mean for them.  Could they think of an impossible mission that God would send a message asking them to do?  I told them that God does ask of us to do things in our lives...we must be prepared for that calling.

I placed the shepherd in our nativity scene today...this also was an opportunity for the children to add our extra animals to the scene.  We are asked to imitate their watchfulness; stress in your speech and thoughts the idea that Christmas is important because Jesus will be born again in you. "Jesus, teach us to love Thee above all things.  Amen."




Then the boys were racing into the kitchen to make:

Fool-proof Fudge

Chocolate Carnutty Bars

Snowballs

We started with some of the easier ones...hoping that we could have an easy time on our first day of making Christmas goodies.  We always make enough for ourselves and for the nuns (we visit the monastery on Christmas morning...more on that later!).  We had a HUGE mess but they had fun and it was all cleaned up...just in time to make dinner!

After dinner, we prayed the antiphon for the day:

"Come, and bring forth the captive from his prison.  O Key of David, and Scepter of the House of Israel, who opens and no man shuts, who shuts and no man opens; Come and bring forth the captive from his prison, he who sits in darkness and in the shadow of death.

"The key is the emblem of authority and power. Christ is the Key of the House of David who opens to us the full meaning of the scriptural prophecies, and reopens for all mankind the gate of Heaven.

Recommended Readings: Isaiah 22: 22-25."

I thought about the key that opens our hearts to the true king...the King of Kings.  This made me think of a wonderful book about a man who had to find a key to open his heart to love again...he found it in a little boy who dared to show him love...just as Jesus shares Love with us.  The book is called The Christmas Miracle of Jonathon Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski.  I love this book of transformation of a man's soul over the "Advent" season.

We have decided to not read the Jesus of Nazareth book until we are close to Epiphany (January 6) as the rest of the book focuses on this aspect of the infancy years.  This allowed us more time for discussion of the day and it worked well.

Also, we have worked very hard to design 27 unique quilts for our Christmas project.  We are so excited to be able to show the unique gift each of these people brought to this world!  We look forward to beginning the process in making these quilts a reality.  Our plan is to show what we learned along the way about each of them throughout the Christmas season.

Sean and Edward finally got there room clean in order to bring Joseph and Mary into their room.  I think that means I need to clean my room next!  Oh my!  Hopefully, that will not take to long because tomorrow I make one more trip to the store for last minute food for Christmas dinner.  I also need to buy white dress shirts for these boys!  They keep growing on me...and surprise me when I am not looking!  LOL!  I am just glad I realized it before the weekend.

O Root of Jesse

So we had a bad start to the morning....I am not sure why but the boys were all in a snippy mood bickering over little things.  I had to break this cycle quick or it was going to be a bad day...not the ideal for this Advent season...or any season for that matter!  I tried to send everyone to their rooms to clean in hopes that having Mary and Joseph in their room today would help motivate them.  NOPE!!!!  They seemed to be asking for a fight...so I needed to do something drastic!

I decided to make them walk a mile.  We have a nice wrap around porch and we once measured it off and found out that 25 times around the house is a mile.  So that is what I had them do...but the catch was...nobody could move unless they were all holding hands!  They had to work together...all four of them holding on to each other moving together WITHOUT FIGHTING!!!!  They had to work as a team.  It took about five times around the house for them to get settled down...every time they fussed, I made them stop and talk it out before they could move again.

Thankfully...by God's grace...the boys not only made it around the house a mile...but also managed to like it...the younger riding on the backs of the older ones to finish up the final laps.  They were calmer and nicer and ready to start the day.

Since they were already outside, I decided to have our Bible devotion outside this morning.  It is a nice crisp day...not too humid and just the right temp to be comfortable.  We read from the Gospel of Luke about Zechariah and Elizabeth finding out about John through the message of an angel (1:5-25).  Once again, the story is fresh and new in spite of the fact that we think we know it so well.

Zechariah, a righteous man...speaking to an angel before the altar in the Temple...doubts God's will.  But we have to look at him...an old man...his wife barren...it is not surprising to think that it might not be possible.  Is Zechariah punished for his disbelief?  YES!!!!  He is made "speechless and unable to talk until the day these things take place because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time."  So...here we have this righteous man who still makes a mistake and must be punished.

Just as a righteous man like Zechariah can make a mistake, so can we err in our judgment.  Imagine if we were struck mute every time this happened...the world would be a quieter place!  LOL!  But maybe we would be a little wiser also.  It makes me think back to Psalm 42..."Be still and know that I am God."  In Zechariah's time as a mute, he likely spent the time listening to God's will.  When we are reminded of our sinfulness, do we sit back in silence and listen to God's plans?

So fitting that our nativity scene had lambs added to it, and we are asked: "Strive to bring little lambs, meek and patient, to the nativity. Do not murmur or complain.  Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like Thine.  Amen."  With a humble and meek heart, we turn to God for guidance.  In His wisdom we choose the path that brings us to Him.


The Jesse Tree Ornament also reminds of the humility it takes to follow God's will.  The lily symbolizes life and Resurrection, which is our hope for the future.  This we find as we read the story of the incarnation in a new light....God's humble servant, Mary, says yes (Luke 1:26-38).


Later in the evening we prayed the antiphon for the day:

"Come to deliver us, and tarry not.  Root of Jesse, who stands for an ensign of the people, before whom kings shall keep silence and unto whom the Gentiles shall make supplication: Come to deliver us, and tarry not.



"The flower which springs up from the root of Jesse is another figure of Christ. Isaiah prophesied that the Savior would be born from the root of Jesse, that He would sit upon the throne of David, and in Christ this prophecy is fulfilled.

Recommended Readings: Isaiah 11:1-12."

This brought to mind one of my favorite books to read during this time of year, Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl Buck.  I think this story fits because it shows the importance of respecting authority.  When we look back at the line of David...it is when God's Chosen People respect their authority and follow God's plan that they are blessed.  This starts at the top...from the leader down to the lowliest servant...we all have to look at God as our authority.  God is the ultimate authority figure....however, he has placed under authority here on earth as well.  By being respectful to this authority, we show that we have respect for God's authority.

I won't get into a big discussion about earthly authority today, but I think we can at least all agree that our parents and our pastors are obviously authorities here on earth.  And, even Paul discussed the need to be obedient to government authority (i.e. Hebrews 13:17).  With that said, I am glad that we have the guidance of our Church leaders to teach us about theological issues.  As we read Jesus of Nazareth, I am able to learn so much more about the details of the life of Jesus found in the Gospels.  Tonight, we learned the wise men.  Once again, I think I will save this information as we get closer to the feast day related in this part of the Bible.


One Christmas card came from one of our dear friends from the Young Eagles program...We are so blessed to know this kind couple who teaches our children about flying airplanes.  May Rick and Linda be blessed this holiday along with their precious family!

Today was a struggle...I spent most of the day putting out fires...I hope the boys can get a good night's rest and wake up in a better mood.  It really makes it difficult when we struggle like this for prolonged periods.  I have learned that the best option is to pull back and not do so much, but in this case we might need to add some activity to our day.  The boys must be getting restless from all of our inactivity.  I thought we would be baking by now but do to a situation in our house I have not been able to do that...hopefully you will be reading about our pre-Christmas baking tomorrow!

O Lord and Ruler

I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to be able to wake up late and enjoy the day in leisure.  We are such a busy family most of the time, so it is nice to sit back and relax.  However, idle hands and minds is not good either so the Advent season seems to be keeping us active spiritually!

This morning we began our day with the nativity scene.  Edward placed gifts at the manger symbolizing the ways we can give to the poor during this season.  "Come, Jesus, to accept our gifts and to take possession of our hearts.  Amen."

Brendan (still upset about his lack of a nativity figure and anxious to participate) grabbed the Jess Tree ornament to place on our tree.  We are now into the New Testament portion of our salvation history.  The symbol of a shell represents the baptisms performed by John the Baptist to prepare the way of the Lord.  I am happy for these themes to be repeated throughout the season to ensure we are getting the message.

We also read from the Gospel of Matthew about the reaction of Joseph to the news of Mary's pregnancy (1:18-25).  Every time I read this passage, I feel so close to Joseph.  I do not know why...obviously I am not a male who would be in this position.  However, he is called a righteous man....Imagine the most upright man you know in your life and magnify those character traits by 100...that was St. Joseph.  He had lived his life according to the Scripture...he was blessed with the betrothal to a wonderful girl...he had everything going right...and now she comes to him and says she is going to have a baby!  This must have been devastating!  He could have taken on a "Why me?" attitude, but he just buckled down and came up with a plan of action.  Thankfully, the angel saved him from his misery!  Thankfully, he accepted the will of God and took care of Mary and was a faithful husband and foster father for Jesus.

You know...I take it back...I think I do understand the connection to St Joseph...any woman would want to be close to Joseph...he is the AWESOME man we all look for in a husband.  The best example for all the guys out there who are wondering who they should look to know how to be a good husband and father.  What a wonderful example for all the foster fathers in the world.  AND, thankfully, I have the joy of having a wonderful husband who tries so hard to be a godly man.  I am truly blessed.

Henry moved Joseph and Mary further on their journey around our house.  He cleaned his room thoroughly and placed the pair along with the donkey in his window sill.  He was very proud to be able to bring them into his room.  He set them up as if Joseph was dragging the donkey...a little early to be tired...they still have SIX more days of travels!

We began our closer look at those lost in the Connecticut shootings.  Such wonderful children and adults!  So much joy in their lives and so loved and ability to love...it was a blessing to read about all of these precious people!  We took notes about each one and began designing quilts today.  We are really taking this seriously and praying over each decision so it will take a while to get through each one.  I had thought we would be able to go to the store for material this weekend but we might wait and go next week...planning is half the battle...so better to be prepared before trying to go buy material any way.  I think this was good for the boys...they feel a connection to the children as if they knew them.

We then ended our day with the O antiphon for the day.  Again we gain this from a website that is so helpful:


"Come and redeem us with outstretched arm.  O Lord and Ruler of the House of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the flame of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: Come and redeem us with outstretched arm.


"The tablets of stone are a picture of the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai. They may be used to represent the whole of God's law, the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible, the Torah), or the entire Old Testament.

Recommended Readings: Micheas 5:1-9"

Edward colored our ornament with the Ten Commandments and placed it on the tree.  Any of the books designed to explain salvation history (i.e. One Wintry Night) would be great to read tonight.  However, we chose to read Let The Whole Earth Sing Praise (Tomie de Paola) because it helped us to remember the blessing of God's creation and the glory of His presence through all time.  This book could be read at any time of the year but it seems to fit well with the Advent theme as well.  Next year I will have another book to share on this day...Let The Whole Earth Sing Praise...I just ordered it today and we will read it sometime during the Christmas season but I loved this book from the start and knew how it would fit into our Advent reading...if only I had found it earlier in the season!

We read from Jesus of Nazareth but i am going to hold off writing about this passage because I want to save it for a few weeks to share with you.  We read about the Presentation of the Lord and this will be more helpful when this feast day comes on February 2nd (40 days after the birth of Jesus as is the Jewish custom).

We received one card today from my brother and his family...May God bless them with joy during this season.

Setting Up the Tree and 'O' So Much More

We started the day with the reading of the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. (This is now becoming quite familiar with the boys as we have heard about it from various venues over the last few days.)  We talked about the lineage of David and the generations between Abraham and Jesus...42 generations!  The boys thought this was cool because they had been introduced to Douglas Adams books (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) thanks to Michael and Amanda.  In this book, the ultimate answer to life is 42!  It might sound odd but you do have to wonder if this is more than just a 'coincidence.'


After much ado...and cleaning too!...we have now got our Christmas tree in place.  The lights are built into the branches so I do not need to make sure they are lit...we will not plug in the tree until after Christmas Eve Mass (as is our custom).  We will slowly add ornaments (each of us places two ornaments on the tree each day) until it is completely filled with ornaments by the time the tree is lit.  It is so much better than the frenzy to get everything up as quickly as possible.  Maybe I just do not have the energy that I once had, but I would rather take it slow then be exhausted (even a little irritated) by the time it is done.  Besides, by placing the ornaments on slowly each day, we can enjoy the ornament and why it was the one chosen from day to day.  The anticipation builds over the next nine days.

In the midst of the cleaning and moving furniture around, Henry turns to me and says, "Is someone coming to our house?"  It was at that moment that I fully understood why Christmas is for children.  They are the ones who keep the joy of the season alive.  Because it was at that moment when I was actually starting to wonder why we were so involved in these Advent traditions if we were not going to gain from the experience...it was at THAT MOMENT when Edward looks at Henry baffled by the question and says, "YES!!!  Jesus is coming to our home!!!!"  It was a moment that I could sit back and see the message of Advent come alive..."THE LORD IS NEAR!!"...and be thankful for the innocent child to bring it all to mind for us again!  Even in a home that is dedicated to this Advent message, we need to be reminded.

We did get the tree assembled (we use a fake due to allergies...no one wants to feel like they are dying during the holidays!) with all the branches spread out to our liking.  It took most of the afternoon to make it look nice.  You can see why this process needs to take several days in our house!

Brendan was a little disappointed when he went to look in the cabinet that holds our nativity scene figures (found on sale after Christmas a few years ago...large cubbies that are numbered doors which hold most of the figures).  He was supposed to place the donkey (represents bodily strength used in the service of others) in the scene but we had to tell him that the donkey was already on the journey with Joseph and Mary.  We will need to let him make their move into the next room tomorrow.  We still prayed, "Jesus, accept my service of love; I offer it for those who do not love Thee.  Amen."

AND...the puzzle...WOW!!!!  It sure went fast after the boys got the outer edges together...they finished it today!  I will now need to find another puzzle.  I think I have one stashed away somewhere but where did I put it?

Today also begins a special tradition in our house....this intro found on a website says it best:

"December 17 marks the beginning of the O Antiphons, the seven jewels of our liturgy, dating back to the fourth century, one for each day until Christmas Eve. These antiphons address Christ with seven magnificent Messianic titles, based on the Old Testament prophecies and types of Christ."

We use this prayer for our evening family time. We pray:


"Come, and teach us the way of prudence.  O Wisdom, who came from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from end to end and ordering all things mightily and sweetly, Come, and teach us the way of prudence.

"The all-seeing eye represents the all-knowing and ever-present God. During the late Renaissance, the eye was pictured in a triangle with rays of light to represent the infinite holiness of the Trinity. The lamp is a symbol of wisdom (Matthew 25).

Recommended Readings: Proverbs 8:1-12"

The boys will take turns creating ornaments reflecting the image of the day and place them on our tree.  We will now also place our Jesse Tree ornaments on our tree (I will try to remember this for next year and put our tree up a little earlier so it can hold these ornaments from the beginning of Advent....or maybe we will try the bare branch in the tree stand until Christmas Eve...as I said...always rethinking to make the message fresh and alive for us!)

I also made sure the boys knew what prudence means.  According to the Catholic dictionary online, prudence is one of the cardinal virtues that means: "right reason applied to practice."  In other words, being able to choose the right path.  After discussing the definition, I found a good story to showcase this virtue.  We read The Christmas Candle (Richard Paul Evans)...it is a great book to show that in making choices we can be distracted by the ways of this world.  I like this book for two reasons...it teaches about prudence...furthermore, it teaches the lesson in a multi-layered style...creating an opportunity  to 'peel the layers' away like an onion...allowing for even the adults to wonder about what is happening.  Since, we only read this book once a year it is easy to get caught up in the story time and time again.

This is really the first time for me to discuss our Advent books on the blog.  Books are such an important part of our day that I do not think about it being something to discuss.  However, the Advent books are very special to us.  We try to read these simple stories to bring to light a virtue that we can evaluate in our lives.

Tonight we also read The Legend of the Christmas Tree.  It is a little bit contrived and not exactly up to the normal standard of books I like for teaching a lesson.  However, it does teach about the progression of the tree in relation to Christmas.  Maybe one day I will write my own story to help teach this lesson.  Normally, this book would have been read on Gaudete Sunday because that is the day we set up our tree...obviously we did not get to the tree yesterday, so we did not read the book either.

There are several books that I did not mention that we read earlier in the season.  Here is a list with a brief description:

• St Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend by Julie Stiegemeyer- read on December 6th to tell about St. Nicholas and at least bring some meaning to the secular version f this great saint.
• The Donkey's Dream by Barbara Helen Berger- read on December 8th to discuss the various names given to honor Mary.  Also use this book for January 1st on the Feast of Mary, Mother of God.
• One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell Graham- read to help emphasize the Jesse Tree ornaments.  We are not using this book this year because our focus has been on having the boys see the use of the Bible in hand.  It is easy to use these books and forget that their original form is in Scripture.  I still think this is a good way to learn and all nicely wrapped up into a story about a little boy who stays with an old woman right before Christmas.  It is a keeper in case we are ever in a situation where we are travelling during the holidays.

I still have books on my list to review because there are so many to choose during this season.  When I am choosing a book, it is important for me to find ones that have a lesson with a meaningful story.  You will see this more as we continue our book list throughout the season.  I really like the story to have an extended story line that takes place over a long period of time...to show that there is a transformation in the person that leads them to a better understanding of God.  After all, that is what we hope to see in our own Advent journey.  I would love to hear about any books that you have enjoyed reading that fit this genre.  I try to buy at least one new book each year.

Oh...and one big no-no for me and Christmas books...no talking animals or stories where ANYTHING other than Jesus is the main figure of the nativity scene!  An example of what NOT to read (it just leads to confusion) is Room for a Little One It sounds like a good title and even as you read it seems OK...until the baby lamb (I think it is...some baby animal) takes the center stage instead of Jesus in the end!  Not my idea of a good book to teach about the real meaning of Christmas.  I am sure there are books out there that have talking animals that are fine...I just tend to stay away from them.

We did place a new Jesse Tree ornament on the tree also.  This time the symbol was the wall of Jerusalem.  The walls were to create a safe area for the worship of the Lord in the Temple.  The prophet Nehemiah cries out in prayer for protection of their faith.  (Nehemiah 1:8-9)

Once again we ended our day with Jesus of Nazareth...learning that the shepherds came in haste to the manger...out of curiosity?  in joy?  We to must ask ourselves why we make haste today...are we doing it out of concern for God or just to pique our curiosity?  Whatever the initial reason for our interest, just as the shepherds came to the manger scene, we should look for the joy of the occasion as a witness to the sign of God's love and praise God!

A special blessing for family and friends who sent Christmas cards that arrived in the mail today!  We are so blessed by your letters describing your own blessings.  Michael's sister, Karen and brother, Pat...they had such newsy letters!  Also, a Christmas card filled with thanksgiving from the women's shelter we helped...I loved seeing all the joy in the messages of each family we helped!  May God continue to bless each of them into the New Year...especially hoping they will all find a renewal of their faith in Jesus!

AND...our Christmas gift to others is starting to unfold.  I was on the phone with Amanda this evening and I told her the boys' plan to help the families in Connecticut.  She said..."Mom, they each had such special gifts that are being shared...why don't we make memorial quilts for each one of the children?"  Wow...a big project but I think we might be able to make it happen.  Then I talked with my Mom and she volunteered to purchase some of the material for the quilts also.  Anyone want to help us?  We will try to make 26 nine-patch quilts (throw size) by the end of January.  Our hope is to gather enough information from the news reports to make these personal for each of those lost.  We hope to purchase material by the end of the week, so we can start cutting out squares over the weekend.

Gaudete Sunday

Also known a the Third Sunday of Advent!  Gaudete refers to the message of today's readings...REJOICE!!!

After this last Friday, it may seem like there is not a lot to rejoice in this world where children are gunned down in a place they should feel safe.  I don't know about you, but I cannot get this event out of my head.  There are many reasons why this feels so close to me...as a mother...a teacher...raising a child with Asperger's Syndrome...homeschooling...and just a caring human being!  All of these various roles converge into one as I look at the details of this story.  And it is not just a story that we can read about and ignore.

I have such a sense of emotion about the situation at hand that I almost feel like I am right there in Connecticut grasping for straws to explain why this kind of thing has to happen!

Did the times of the prophets and Apostles have it any easier?  Did they have reason to rejoice more than we do?  Times have not changed so much from 2000 years ago and yet we are told to REJOICE!  It is easy to ask, "Why are we rejoicing?"

We rejoice because Jesus is our Messiah!  HE will free us from the sins of this world!  So, in spite of the horrors that we have in this world...from Connecticut...to the ends of the world...and sometimes within our own homes...we can look in hope of our Savior setting us free from such as this!

In the first reading at Mass:  "Be glad and exult with all your heart...the King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst...Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged" (Zep 3:14-18)  Hearing these words does bring comfort...such splendid timing that only God could provide.

And then, as if in prayer with all of us in our sorrow, the second reading brings hope from Paul's writings:


Brothers and sisters:
Rejoice in the Lord always.
I shall say it again: rejoice!
Your kindness should be known to all.
The Lord is near.
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians  4:4-7)

And then, as if to move us forward...past our own short failings, we read from the Gospel of Luke to continue the story of John the Baptist from last week...the crowds are coming to John in hopes that HE is the Messiah...asking the question we often ask ourselves:  "What should we do?"  What is the next step in being better at answering our call from God?  John patiently answers their cry for help with simple answers. (Luke 3:10-18)

We can also look to our own position in life and ask ourselves, "What should we do?"  AND...then as our wise priest told us today..."Be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)  Listen for God's call in our lives through a close relationship with God in prayer.

The boys and I actually had some time to think about the Gospel this morning before Mass.  After closing their eyes and hearing the reading, I asked them what they thought John the Baptist would say to them if they were the ones asking the question, "What should we do?"  The boys gave answers like, "Obey my parents." and "Be nice to others."  However, they also said that they thought they should try to help those in Connecticut.  I was happy to hear that they wanted to share  God's peace with those so far away.  This idea continued after Mass as we were heading home, I asked what they wanted to do for Christmas this year.  They all agreed that they wanted to help send blessings to the families who were affected.  I am not sure where this will lead but I think we now have our focus for the remainder of Advent and into the Christmas season.  We will see how this unfolds.

At this time, each of the boys is writing a letter to send to the elementary school in Connecticut.  They are also talking a bout sending a donation for a memorial.  Of course, we continue to pray as well.  I am also going to talk to Michael and Amanda about what they think we can do so it is truly a family project.

Zaira was pleased to be able to add the ox to the nativity scene today...Lead the ox to the crib. Obey cheerfully without making excuses and without asking "Why?"..."I will obey for love of You, Jesus. Amen."

Oh...this is an interesting 'coincidence' for the day!...we were so focused on the families in Connecticut.  As stated above, we cannot forge the message of the Messiah...Just as we recall that the "Lord is near!"...we must also recall that God weeps with us...Our Jesse Tree ornament today was an image of tears falling in sorrow.  The story was from the prophet Jeremiah...In this case, the Lord weeps when the Chosen People return to worship false gods. (Jeremiah 8:21-22)

In last night's blog, I hinted at a big job for today...unfortunately it did not happen.  I was a little disappointed (and the boys were A LOT!) but it is not the end of the world.  We were supposed to set up our tree today...just the tree...the ornaments will be added a little at a time through the remainder of Advent.  HOWEVER, the house needed a little rearranging in order for this to happen.  The boys were a little too wound up to get that part of the task done so I had to hold back...not try to do it on my own and not expect perfection (my main goal for this Advent season in hopes that it will carry through into the New Year!) in my BIG PLAN!

SIDENOTE:  Not that I go around talking about my confessions all the time...but today we had a guest priest come to our little church to hear confessions.  I was blessed to be able to slip into the confessional without little ones knocking on the door...yes this has happened!...AND, after hearing my confession, the priest gave me the wise advice to relax and recall that my actions and more importantly my REactions to life's mishaps are being observed by my children.  He told me it is better to not expect so much and think about how I want my children to grow up into adults who can handle stress well.  It was like a little tap on the cheek from God to remind me of my desire to control my temper and avoid pride in my planning.  Thank you, Jesus!  I will probably need that 2x4 before I truly learn this lesson...but I am going to try harder!

SO...we will try again tomorrow to begin the decorating.  We did begin our Holy Family's journey tonight.  This is when we place Mary and Joseph in the first room furthest from the nativity set...they begin their journey around our house before arriving on Christmas Eve in the stable.  We try to clean each room before the Holy Family enters...each night they enter a different CLEAN room in the hopes that the entire house will have a deep cleaning before Christmas.

Also, I cannot help but confess a little bit of regret in our day.  I was going to avoid mentioning this but as I thought about it throughout the typing of the post, I feel like I need to make a confession.  Today, we went to a Christmas party...full blown...secular event that I WISH I could wipe from our memory...not a bad event but as I told the boys as we were driving away...it is so against all that we believe that I will never go back again.  A party that happens every year for the children of an organization (name intentionally left out!).  I try every year to see the good of this event and it really comes down to this...we must choose ways to solidify the message of Christmas in our children...if we do not do this we only confuse them.  I made a bad choice...I knew it was a bad choice and I placed my children in a secular atmosphere that I knew to avoid!  I hate that because I knew better.  I thought I would share so you do not think I have all this figured out...it is not always easy to turn away from the things of this world...and it is not always easy to explain it to children once you have place images in their minds.  AND, I had to do a lot of explaining on the way home today!

We ended the evening with Jesus of Nazareth...tonight the focus was on the shepherds (Luke 2:8-20).  These are a few thoughts we reflected on:

• The shepherds would have been the closest in physical location to the manger.
• They were the closest in respect to life's position...poor and simple lives.
• The shepherd's were watchful (just as we learned in Habakkuk last night!)..as we should be in receiving God's call.
• The shepherds remind us of the lineage of David who was in fact a shepherd before his anointing.
• And, this leads to our understanding of Jesus being our Good Shepherd.

Then Ratzinger writes about the message from the angels.  We just heard from a friend not to long ago that the Bible never mentions that the angels sang to the shepherds...in this account from Luke it does indeed read, the angels "praised God saying, Glory to God in the highest..."  However, throughout Christianity it is believed that "the speech of angels is actually song," according to Ratzinger.  This makes sense in this case especially as they are rejoicing at the birth of Jesus...no better way to pronounce one's joy!  The often disputed (in translation) message continued: "...and on earth peace to men of good pleasure!"  This translation is chosen as correct by Ratzinger because it references to the baptism of Jesus when the voice from heaven says, "You are my beloved Son; with whom I am well pleased! (Luke 3:22)"  The man whom He is well pleased is Jesus in both accounts.

Again all of these reflections are very interesting and really have us looking at the details of the text to have a better understanding of the event which than (hopefully!) bring us closer to Jesus.  So much to REJOICE in the day!  Another early night to bed for the boys.  What's not to rejoice about that happening?...LOL!

Sleeping In

So funny...the last thing the older boys asked me last night before going to bed, "Mom, can we sleep in tomorrow morning?"  Of course, I told them we could...and they took full advantage of the situation...the slept in until after 9am.  Instead of taking advantage of the quiet...I slept in too!  This is a very rare treat in our house.

We then began another school day for Edward as we are all determined to have him finish his quarter also.  We took it slow but with a determined, focused pace...it was so wonderful to finally get to the last test and really be done with all the work for our second quarter..and more importantly...our Christmas break!

We also continued our Advent devotions.  Sean added fire to our nativity scene.  Just as we must respect fire for what it brings to our home, we should behave with grateful respect towards your parents and relatives.  Also, be grateful to God for the love He has shown us in becoming man.  So we ask, "Jesus, how can I return Your love; how can I show my gratitude to You?"

Our Bible reading came from Matthew...and once again Jesus tells that Elijah has come in the man of John the Baptist but no one will accept him as the prophet who would lead to the Messiah.  Only the Apostles seem to understand the message (Matthew 17:9-13).  Once, again we could say..."How could they miss this...it is so obvious!" but truth be told we often miss the message in our own lives. Do we recognize the signs given to us?

The Jesse Tree led us to an often forgotten prophet, Habakkuk.  He takes on the symbol of watchtower because he vowed to stand in watch for the message from God after the Israelites complain about the violence and wickedness of their enemy (2: 1).  Again, I cannot help but look at our own lives as we tend to wait for answers to prayers.  How often are our prayers answered but we do not like the message?  The Israelites were waiting for their promised anointed one.  We learn in our Bible readings from the last few days that the Messiah is present in their midst with all the signs pointing to Jesus, but know one likes the answer!  Do we pass up Jesus trying to match Him up with our own expectations?

When we were reading Jesus of Nazareth, we learned many interesting details.  Looking at the verse from Luke 2:6-7, we learn that there was no room in the inn for Mary and Joseph.  This seems to be the case for Jesus as we look ahead in the story and see that Jesus had no place to lay his head (John 1:11; Matthew 8:20).  Ratzinger point out that this is not because of the wrath of man but because we understand that Jesus is "outside of the realm of what is important and powerful in worldly terms."  This is true as Christians as well...we must rid our desires of this world in order to go on the right path to God.

Mary wrapping her child in swaddling (bandages) is a sign of his future as well...as Jesus will one day be wrapped in bandages at his death.  This image of a baby destined to die from birth for humanity.  This 'first-born" would be consecrated to the will of God...leading Him on a path to be the first among man to enter into a new creation...we would become his brethren through baptism.

All the children went to bed extra early tonight...only Henry and Zaira made it to 8pm!  WOW...sleeping in and then going to bed early!  I hope they are not going to be sick to start out our break!  Henry and Zaira worked on the puzzle a little longer and then went to sleep also.  Maybe everyone is anticipating the work we have for tomorrow!  I cannot wait to share.

Special blessings go out to DeDe and Don as we found their card in the mail today, we were so blessed to have such good friends...we miss you all so much!