The saints who were called to be early leaders of the Church are calling out to us! A second day in a row with a pope feast day! It really is interesting to hear about this early history. Today we celebrate the great St. Damasus. He was pope in the 4th century. He truly loved the Scriptures and wanted everyone to have a better understanding of the Word. He commissioned another great holy man, Jerome, to translate the entire Bible into the Latin language. All learned men studied in Latin at the time and it was a much needed translation in order to spread the message of Good News! It was a daunting feat for an entire committee of men...much less one man...to gather all 72 books of Scripture into one volume. I think this is a wonderful celebration for Advent as we should be looking for our own ways to spread the Good News!
As pope, St. Damasus worked hard to bring structure and unity to the faithful. He defended the rights of the Holy See and encouraged the practice of singing the Psalms in the churches both day and night. This would also include ending the Psalms with the Glory Be. He wanted to venerate the saints and show respect to all Christian dead by beautifying their places of burial. He was busy during his pontificate of 18 years (actually a long time for a pope back then!)!
We read from Matthew about the parable of the Lost Sheep. As I read this parable, I looked out at the boys (who are getting used to imagining themselves in these passages) and thought..."What would I do if one of these little ones was lost?" Of course, I would stop everything and search for them! I would first gather up the ones at home in a safe place and begin my search. I would not think twice about looking until he was found!
I asked the boys what they thought about the passage. Wouldn't it be hard to go out and be weary from the search? How would you feel about going in places that you could not imagine going? Would you take the time to go deep into the briers and the mud holes or into dark caves where wild animals might be located? Just as the shepherd would do these things without question, Jesus does the same by entering into the worst of sinful locations to pluck us from our sins. Why does he do this? It is made clear in verse 14...Because we are a part of His flock (His children through baptism) and he could not imagine losing us to the wild animals (sin and temptation) to perish.
This theme of the shepherd was also found in our Jesse Tree ornament. We also continued the story of referenced in 1 Samuel. We learn of Samuel seeking to find the person God wanted anointed. Of all of Jesse's sons, God chose the youngest...David....the one who was sent out in the fields to care for the sheep. He chose David over all the strong looking brothers...because God does not look at our outward traits but from within to find our strengths!
Today baby Zaira brought the fuel to keep the crib of Jesus warm. We are asked to "Give up our own will; obey our superiors cheerfully and promptly. Jesus, let us do Your will in all things. Amen."We had a productive day of school...Edward is convinced that long division is evil...LOL!...we will be glad for a break from that for a few weeks. The older two are going to be ready to take their quarter tests tomorrow.
We even got into town today to shop for food! I did not think we would make it. Not only did we do this first round of shopping (tomorrow we will complete the task) but we were blessed with two opportunities to bless others. One of our friends was in need of a sombrero and we had one stuck in the back of our closet. We gladly took it to her for a surprise. Also, right before leaving, our crisis pregnancy center sent out a list of office supplies needed...we looked through the list and bought some of these supplies to take to the center. The boys were happy to be a part of both 'gifting' opportunities.
We were supposed to come home and have a Roman meal to remember our saintly pope we learned about today. However, I was so tired after our shopping adventure, I decided hamburgers were a better choice (sometimes it is OK to take the easy way, right?). There was a special deal after 5pm at a drive-thru in town and we were just a little early so we needed something to do.
I was so glad for the opportunity to stop by the local Planned Parenthood to say a Rosary with the older boys (the younger ones had fallen asleep...how nice!). I love it when things work out for a better good...we happened to be at the clinic to pray right as the workers were leaving for the day. It was good for the boys and I to take the time to pray for each worker individually as they left the gated area. As the gate closed for the evening, we prayed that one day it would close for god and the evil of abortion would end. Then we picked up our dinner and headed home to enjoy a quiet evening.
In our reading of Jesus of Nazareth, we looked back at the prophecy of Isaiah (7:14). Looking at this message from the prophet as a historical message, we need to determine if it really is in reference to the birth of Jesus. Why would Isaiah give this message to King Ahaz over 700 years before the birth of the Messiah? Looking at the passage, it almost seems out of place. Isaiah is warning the king to not go into an allegiance with a pagan country and to trust in God to give them the protection they need. Isaiah is telling King Ahaz to have faith!
Imagine being told that to go into an allegiance with a pagan country can be avoided by waiting for a child to be born of a virgin...a child to be named Emmanuel! I am surprised the king did not throw the prophet out of his sight! It just does not seem to fit. Furthermore, it does not come true (looking historically) as a message designed for the king...there was no child born in his time to remedy their situation. In fact, the king DID go into allegiance with the pagan country and suffered because of his lack of faith in God's protection.
The Gospel of Matthew states that that promise would only be fulfilled in the birth of Jesus (Emmanuel...God is with us)...born of a virgin (Mary). So, why was King Ahaz given this message? To show the glory of God and remind the Chosen People that God had not forgotten His promise. A timeless message that could only be answered in God's timing for those who continued to trust in God's plan.
And, that is how I sent the boys to bed tonight! To ponder the amazing plan of God.
Sweet Brendan....we have been so into the reflections for Advent that our evening prayers have shifted from our norm. He came to me this evening and said, "Can't we say a Glory Be?" So he and I had a quiet little prayer time together and recited the best prayer to glorify God...now and forever!
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