Thank God Advent Isn't Over Yet!

Rachel at Testosterhome has written a beautiful reflection of Advent, relating it to her pregnancy. I wanted to comment on it because it brought into sharp focus my own failings as I struggle to keep my voice down and show my children how much I love them amidst the distractions and temptations that entice me.

So many times I make plans for how I am going to show God that I love Him, if only He would....(name your favor). " If You can send us enough money to be (more than) comfortable, I will build a beautiful church and a retreat center where your faithful can gather and worship You the way Your Church asks us to." "If only You would send a buyer for our house and find us a new house closer to my husband's work, I would go to Mass daily." My "if onlys" are numerous. But God in His infinite wisdom and mercy has seen fit not to grant me these and other prayers.

He knows best. I am at this moment a wife and mother. I have my little built-in congregation of six children, and they look to me for their daily wants and needs. Too often I push them away because I "don't have time" to listen to Margaret read her first sentence to me, to watch Andrew do a daring somersault, or help Annie get a paper towel down so she can wipe up the spill I asked her to wipe. I am too busy washing dishes (because I did not do them last night when the kids were in bed), doing loads of laundry (because I haven't done any for the last 5 days and it is an emergency NOW), or stuffing things into closets as a Realtor walks up the drive (because I have too much STUFF and no place to put it). What was I doing when I should have been doing these things daily? Was I sitting with my children reading to them or teaching them how to make cookies or how to water the African Violets without wetting the leaves? Was I cultivating the virtues in myself or in them, the dear children whose lives and souls are in my hands?

I am ashamed to admit that the answer is NO (at least not consistently). I am not ready for our Lord to come. I am not even ready for the buyer of this house, whoever that may be, to come. I am not ready for any of the gifts that I so fervently ask my Lord to give me. I am not even ready for the wonderful gifts He has already given me. I am like an ungrateful child who demands a new toy, only to neglect it and demand another, newer one.

Dear Lord, forgive me, Your ungrateful child. I know that You are always ready to take me back into Your loving arms and cover me with the graces I need to follow where You lead me. You give me everything I need and more. Help me to see Your gifts for what they are, and to be grateful for them. Help me to be aware that You are coming, and that You're already here in the little ones I am to bring to You. Give me the grace to see the path clearly and the courage to take it, one diaper at a time.

Christmas Meme

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? I like both at this time of year - but hot cocoa is more of a "winter" treat, and eggnog is only available from Thanksgiving through Christmas, so I usually serve that as a special treat during this time. One year some friends surprised me with coffee with eggnog instead of cream for my birthday (which is this month). YUM.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Saint Nicholas comes on Dec. 6th (the night before, actually). On Christmas day, the stockings are from St. Nick, the presents are from whichever extended family we're with. If we're with my folks, there is usually a gift from Baby Jesus in there too. All gifts are wrapped.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? I use purple and pink lights around the interior of the tree (which we plug in during Advent - and the kids put Advent ornaments that they make out of paper), and St. Nicholas or Baby Jesus put white or colored lights on the exterior (which we turn on during the Christmas season).

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No. We do a lot of kissing without it.

5. When do you put your decorations up? We put up our Nativity scene for Advent, and get a tree early so we can use it as our Advent tree too.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? That's a tough one. I love turkey and all the trimmings, but I also love the traditional Christmas tamales my In-Laws make in October and save in the freezer until Dec. 25. If I could only choose one dish, I might go with mashed potatoes with lots of butter and good gravy. Or leftover turkey sandwiches with cranberry-orange sauce. Or refried beans. Or...

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child: Visiting my cousins in Mexico City and Santa Claus REALLY coming to Nona's house and giving me a Raggedy Ann doll bigger than myself! I was amazed that Santa knew Spanish! Actually, I don't know if it amazed me more that he knew Spanish or that he didn't seem to know English.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don't remember. I think I just eased into the knowledge that St. Nicholas has many helpers and I eventually became one of his helpers for my younger siblings.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? When we stay home for Christmas Day, we open one gift after Midnight Mass (usually something useful for our trip tp see family, like new pajamas). When we visit my family, we open everything in the morning. When we visit my husband's family, we open presents after the reading of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" on Christmas Eve (Santa actually can be heard on the roof and seen running by the window) and then go to Mass in the morning. Presents from immediate family are exchanged on Epiphany.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? First, the kids help put on the purple & pink Advent lights. When they are in bed, St. Nicholas and Baby Jesus put white or colored lights on over those, but we only turn on the Advent lights until after Midnight Mass. During Advent, the kids make paper ornaments to put on the tree. When we leave for Midnight Mass, the angels must come and change all the paper ornaments for the colorful family ornaments we have collected through the years. Each of my 6 children receives a new ornament each year, and these are added also. So when we get back from Mass, the colored lights and ornaments are a beautiful surprise.

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? Love it, as long as we don't have to go anywhere.

12. Can you ice skate? Not really. I haven't tried since my body became a mother's body. Not sure how it would go.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? An engagement ring from my sweet husband!

14. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you? To prepare my heart for Christ's coming, as well as making great memories for my family that are rich with eternal truths.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? home made pumpkin pie with real whipped cream, rum balls that my Mom makes, and my Mother-In-Law's bizcochitos.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Watching the wonder in the children's eyes as they listen to "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" and hear Santa on the roof, and visiting with family.

17. What tops your tree? We have a beautiful glass tree-topper brought from Russia by my brother-in-Law.

18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? Giving. I love thinking of what the person might like. I usually follow their wish list if I have one, but if I see the perfect gift or can make something they'd like, I do that instead, especially if money is tight.

19. What is your favorite Christmas song? Lo, How a Rose; What Child is This?; Hark the Herald Angels Sing; I really love most of them...

20. Candy canes: One per child on St. Nicholas Day. We sometimes use the tiny ones to decorate gifts for others.

21. Favorite Christmas movie? A Charlie Brown Christmas, It's a Wonderful Life

22. What do you leave for Santa? Cookies and milk or eggnog if we have it.

Preparing the Way of the Lord (Advent Thoughts, part II)

Since God put us here on earth to know, to love and to serve Him, what can I do to get to know Him better? Here are some books that could be helpful as I ponder His loving face:

The Dawn of the Messiah

Perhaps the story of Christ's birth has become almost too familiar. We've heard the story so many times that it fails to shock us: the appearances of the angel, a virgin giving birth, a child placed in a manger, the arrival of shepherds and magi.

Today's reader, unfamiliar with the ancient Jewish world, misses the significance of many details in the Gospel accounts of the birth of the Messiah. This book bridges the gap, explaining the original context of every line and detail in the biblical stories. Sri not only helps readers understand an earlier and pivotal time and place, he also brings them to a deeper understanding of the great mystery of God's entry into the world as one of us.

The Essential Advent and Christmas Handbook

This reader-friendly companion provides everything Catholics need for a richer experience of the Advent and Christmas seasons. Whether readers wish to follow a traditional, contemporary, or family program of devotion and prayer for Advent and Christmas, this all-in-one resource will be a treasured guidebook.

The Essential Advent and Christmas Handbook covers a wide range of topics including:
Morning and evening prayer services
A short history of Advent
The preparatory nature of Advent
Traditional hymns and symbols of Christmas
Traditional Christmas practices
A Christmas novena
Daily Christmas meditations
Family meal prayers for the holiday season


The Magnificat Advent Companion 2006

Advent is the sacred season of anticipation and expectation in which we prepare for the coming of our blessed Savior. To live Advent is to live in an awareness of a Presence that changes our lives. The Magnificat Advent Companion is a rich spiritual guide that will accompany you daily through the 4 weeks of this holy season. It provides original daily reflections based on the Scriptures of the Mass for each day of Advent written by some of the finest Catholic writers in the world. In addition, it offers superb essays, devotions, prayers, and other liturgical and spiritual aids to guide and enrich the reader's experience of Advent. This invaluable booklet will bring you ever closer to the Infant King.


Advent and Christmas With the Saints

The Advent and Christmas season is a time of anticipation and preparation, celebration and joy. Beginning with the first day of Advent and continuing through the twelve days of Christmas, Advent and Christmas With the Saints guides readers to an experience of closeness with God. Words of devotion and excitement fill each page, from the pens of such luminaries as Francis of Assisi, Therese of Lisieux, and many, many others.

This book is arranged for use on every day of the Advent and Christmas seasons. Each day's reflection begins with a scriptural quotation, continues with a thought from the writings of that day's featured saint, and concludes with a prayer for the day. The daily passages of Advent and Christmas With the Saints offer profound and spiritually enriching food for the journey, drawing us closer to the joy of welcoming the Savior into our lives and cultivating a renewed appreciation of the Advent and Christmas seasons.

Approaching Christmas

In the rush before Christmas, it is easy to forget that the very preparations themselves—decorations, music, gifts and meals—are a wonderful opportunity to prepare for the Lord. This book will help the readers to discover, through lyrical prose and masterpiece art, the spiritual scope of the season’s festivities, and restore the wonder of Christmas to their hearts.



Advent, Christmas and Epiphany in the Domestic Church

This is an illustrated book full of wonderful activities for children and families to help them better understand and celebrate the Advent, Christmas and Epiphany seasons. This large size, spiral-bound volume is the perfect book to help families learn together and share the joys of this happy time of the liturgical year.

Filled with a variety of family activities, saints' celebrations and crafts, this book has something for everyone in the family. Family activities include making an Advent wreath, a Jesse Tree with all its symbols, cloth Nativity figures, words for singing 21 Advent and Christmas songs, recipes for special cakes and breads and more. Also included are stories of special saints for the season with activities and prayers. Finally, it offers numerous craft activities including cross stitching Christmas patterns, making gift boxes, table-top and Christmas tree angels, table runners, and many coloring pages.

A Letter From Jesus

I received this in an email from a friend, and thought it was worth thinking about. Please feel free to comment.

Dear Children,

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking

my name out of the season. Maybe you've forgotten that I wasn't actually

born during this time of the year and that it was some of your predecessors

who decided to celebrate my birthday on what was actually a time of pagan

festival. Although, I do appreciate being remembered anytime.

How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily

understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own.

I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate my birth, just

GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER. Now, having said that, let me go on.

If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn't allow a scene

depicting my birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen, and

put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all my followers

did that, there wouldn't be any need for such a scene on the town square

because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday

tree, instead of a Christmas tree. Your Christmas tree should be on your

wall all year long, it's called a Crucifix. It was I who made all trees.

You can, and may remember me any time you see any tree. Decorate a grape

vine if you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching explaining who

I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks were. If you have forgot

that one, look up John 15: 1 - 8.

If you want to give me a present in remembrance of my birth, here is my wish

list. Choose something from it.

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way my birthday is

being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home.

They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell me

all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them personally.

They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing George complaining about the wording on the cards his

staff sent out this year, why don't you write and tell him that you'll be

praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up with, "It will be

nice hearing from you again."

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford and they

don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of my birth, and why I

came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that

I love them.

5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.

6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own

life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don't

know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile -- it

could make the difference. Also, you might consider supporting the local

Hot-Line: they talk with people like that every day.

7. Instead of nit-picking about what the retailer in your town calls the

holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile

and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a "Merry

Christmas," that doesn't keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping

there on Sunday. If the store didn't make so much money on that day, they'd

close and let their employees spend the day at home with their families.

8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary, a priest,

a brother, or sister, one who takes my love and good news to those who have

never heard my name. You may already know someone like that.

9. Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town

who not only will have no "Christmas" tree, but neither will they have any

presents to give or receive. If you don't know them (and I suspect you

don't), buy some food and a few gifts and give them to Catholic Charities,

the Marines, the Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in me

and they will make the delivery for you.

10. Finally if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty

to me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do things in secret that you

wouldn't do in my presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one

of mine.

I LOVE YOU.

Love, Jesus

P.S Don't forget: I am God and can take care of myself. Just love me and

do what I have told you to do. I'll take care of all the rest. Check out the

list above and get to work -- time is short. I'll help you, but the ball is

now in your court; And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom

you love and remember.