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.