Each Advent my SFO Fraternity remembers the story of Francis at Greccio with a re-enactment of our own. In alternating song, story and movement of costumed actors and live animals, the Nativity story is retold along with the story of how the Baby Jesus miraculously appeared in a manger where Francis prayed in Greccio. Carols will be sung and many from the community will participate. It’s always a wonderful experience.
In a way this whole Greccio celebration at our Fraternity parallels Advent for me. Beforehand, there is much rushing around. Most of our Fraternity consists of senior citizens, so their ability to do “grunt work” like hauling chairs around, building the “stable” or carrying the big coffee urn full of hot cocoa is limited. Some are shut-ins and can’t even be there. That means that the work of getting children in and out of costumes, making cocoa, setting up chairs, and cleaning up afterward is left for the few of us who are young and able enough to do it.
In a similar way, most Christmas preparations tend to fall to the mom in the house. I know this is true in my family. It is my job to get the cards and stamps and pictures (though Big Daddy writes most of them); my job to do most of the present shopping; my job to do all the gift-wrapping, and so on.
Last night I left my Fraternity meeting feeling frustrated because the sign-up sheet representing 9 “needed” people to do tasks before and after the event, was more than half empty.
This morning I woke up feeling a little different about it.
This is not about who does what. It’s just about making it happen.
This is a precious moment in the life of a parish, to come together and be part of the scene as Jesus comes among us.
So, Before and After, I will do what is needed. During, I will lead the choir–and no matter how many or few of us there may be, “Joy to the World” will ring out joyfully. My gift to Baby Jesus at Greccio will be to serve with a happy heart–happy that I am young enough and able enough to haul chairs, make cocoa, and adjust angel wings.

After we did our daily How many days to Christmas countdown, Middle Sister was informing me that she learned in school that “no one really knows what day Jesus was born. Maybe it wasn’t the 25th. Maybe it was the 24th, or something.”
(Or maybe not even in the winter, but I wasn’t about to get into that with her at this point.)
She went on, “It would be really easy to find out, though. They should just check his tomb!”
Me: “He doesn’t HAVE a tomb anymore, since he rose from the dead, and then ascended to Heaven.”
Middle Sister: “OH YEAH!!!!!”

This morning Little Brother and I were on our way to the library. Out of the blue, he announced, “When I’m big I’m going to be an Altar Server!”
We chatted a bit about his plans to carry the candle while Big Brother carries the cross, and how he would ring the bells, and he told me that the third server could be Big Brother’s good friend.
Then I asked him what he wanted to be when he was even bigger. I asked, “Do you want to be like Father?”
He said, “No! I’m going to be JESUS!”

The Catholic Carnival is up!

Follow the link to read about such topics as churches closed on Christmas Day, why the Virgin Mary is the key to Vatican II, Saint Nicholas, Gaudete Sunday and much, MUCH more!

Normally I don’t write about politics in our nation or our Church, because that wasn’t the purpose of my blog. But this one touches my family right now, so here goes.

An editorial quoted at De Civitate Dei really hit home today. It is titled, “Catholic Church Must Seek Lost Sheep” and I encourage you to read the whole thing.

The premise here is that the Church must reach out to those many families who have stopped going to church. I am the first to agree that such outreach is sorely needed.

Just about four years ago my family changed parishes after transferring the Big Kids from one parochial school to the other. We believe it is our duty to support the parish that generously educates our children. We left that school and ultimately that parish because of some disturbing problems in the school that directly affected Middle Sister and all the other children in her class. We did not just “fade into the night” but had conferences with both the pastor and principal and explained our reasons for leaving. Never once were we told that we would be missed. Never once were we asked “What can we do to keep you here?”

We were not the first, nor the last, family to leave that school and parish. Not all of them found another parish to call their spiritual home. Many of them ultimately sent their children to public schools. Yet so many of them had been hardworking families who were willing to give their time, talents and energy to the school and parish. As more families jumped ship, the school failed and 18 months ago its doors were closed forever. It’s tragic, and it didn’t have to happen.

We are kidding ourselves if we think that things like this don’t happen everywhere, every day. We need people in our church who will “leave behind the 99 sheep to look for the one who was lost.” Everyone who leaves represents a loss to the community. And this outreach to the “lost” should not fall completely on the shoulders of the priests, but on a group of caring, committed people who are able to inspire and encourage others.

 

For some reason known only to computer geniuses, which I am not, I could not post 2 pictures in the same entry. So here’s the last illustration to my other post about the tree. 

…how heavy are your branches!
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
How droopy are your branches!
The ornaments are overweight
Where Little Brother decorates.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
How burdened are your branches!

Little Brother has continued the tradition of hanging as many ornaments as he can on one or two low branches of the tree. At one point, we had a “straw that broke the camel’s back” moment where the branch could no longer handle the load, and a number of ornaments slid right off! I think a few of them are still on the floor.

Big Daddy wanted to redecorate, but I like it this way. It’s part of the charm of a tree decorated by family members who enjoy inspecting ornaments, having a contest to see who can hang their special ornament in the highest spot, and scandalizing me by threatening to juggle with the breakable ones.

For the record, I am the only one in this house who is able to juggle, so that right is reserved for me and me alone. The rest of them can practice with tennis balls first–preferably outside the house.

 
 

Today’s homily (I was actually LISTENING!) centered around the story of a failing monastery whose abbot visited a holy hermit, only to learn that Jesus Christ was actually living in the monastery, disguising Himself as one of the monks so no one would find Him out. Once the monks learned this, it was only a short while before they began treating each other much more kindly, praying much more fervently, and really rejoicing in the truth that Christ has brought to the world–and the monastery began to attract new monks and inspire the laity.

I wonder what would happen if we ALL treated each other as if someone we met might actually be Christ in disguise. Certainly nothing but good could come out of that.

A priest from my diocese has a blog where he posts his Sunday homilies.

It’s a pretty cool idea. I particularly enjoy it since as a musician, sometimes I miss some parts of Mass due to my mind wandering about what’s going to be sung next, what key I have to remember to play it in, what the kids in the choir are doing right now and whether I should intervene before it gets too “out of hand,” and things like that–not to mention all the other stuff that everyone’s mind wanders about.

Just as we are encouraged to prepare ourselves for Mass, including reading & meditating on the readings of the day, so it can be wise for someone who is in a position to be distracted a bit during the homily to avail herself of this resource. It’s not the same homily I’d be hearing, but trust me–this priest has plenty of good points to think and pray about.

I encourage you to visit his blog and read the homily for tomorrow. The theme: “Rejoice in the Lord always!”

Otherwise known as CANDYLAND.

Little Brother is deep into his Candyland phase. Fourteen thousand times a day, he can be heard to shout, “Let’s play Candyland! You shovel up the cards…”

Having gone through the Candyland phase twice already, there was a big part of me that wanted to make sure Little Brother never played this game. Hey, it worked with Barney…but I can’t deprive him of everything.

Candyland is a tedious game, especially before 7 in the morning when you have not had adequate coffee yet, and you’re four spaces from the Candy Castle when suddenly you get the dreaded “Plumpy” card, so the game goes into its “second deck.” I am of the firm belief that all picture cards should be banned from the “second deck” and all subsequent decks.

I know Big Brother agrees with me, because just the other day, before we lost the Blue Guy, I played Candyland with all the kids. In the first 2 decks, Big Brother got “Mr. Mint.” In the last deck, he got “Plumpy.”

Perhaps the Big Kids could write to Milton Bradley Company and suggest this rule change. Parents everywhere would stand up and cheer.