Pondering Piety

Alas! I am still ruminating on the homily about the Holy Family that I heard on their feast day. It has made it difficult for me to reflect on anything else, hence, I failed to post a reflection on the Baptism of the Lord.  I wondered what the parishioners of the unfortunate parish where I heard that homily would be listening to for the homily of the Lord's baptism.   Would they be convicted of what they truly are? Sinners in need of cleansing?  Would they be made to believe the consequences of impenitence:  death and eternal separation from God? Would the astounding story of Christ’s adult manifestation penetrate their hearts with wonder and deep gratitude as they learned of His taking upon His shoulders our sin and bearing them off as the Lamb of God.  Or would they be affirmed in seeing only what they want to see in their faith and nothing more.   But there is so much more. 

Arise! Shine, for your light has come, the glory of the LORD has dawned upon you.

In our own time we live in a tedious era.  An era where every sign and every type that prefigures the salvation that comes to us in Christ is so self-consciously chained to the temporal, we become myopic in our spiritual vision.   We diminish our pious devotion to the treasures that have been given to us through the Law, the Prophets, through the faith of our early Church Fathers and thus we untether our faith from the Sacred Tradition that orders us to grow in virtue. Mists of error become deep doubts, and those doubts begins to rule all of our thoughts.  We become cynical to the idea of growing in virtue. More and more we fall into spiritual complacency and presumption.  We cannot comprehend the reality of Scriptural symbolism; we chalk them up to exaggerations and manipulations, yet it is we who are manipulated away from the saving power that our baptism has given us.

Give to the LORD, you sons of God, give to the LORD glory and might; Give to the LORD the glory due his name.  Bow down before the LORD’s holy splendor!  The voice of the LORD is over the waters;  the God of glory thunders,  the LORD, over the mighty waters.  The voice of the LORD is power;  the voice of the LORD is splendor.  Psalm 29:1-4

And this is why a homily disputing the perfection and piety of the Holy Family is such a problem.  Because through their piety Mary and Joseph were free to discern and respond to the Lord.  Through their piety they humbly did not dismiss what they did not understand but instead pondered and prayed.  Through their piety the Son manifested Himself in shining glory for all generations to be guided by, and you and I are called to that same glory. Through our piety we become malleable souls for the Lord to recreate us in the splendor our baptism has destined us for.  To reject that is to reject your baptism, and your salvation.

So let us look to the Scriptures with  eyes of wonder and with hearts full of hope., cast off the blinding banality of self-serving spirituality.  Let us with pondering hearts see the signs and receive the true life that Christ is pouring out upon us, and let us bring it to those who are dwelling in darkness.  For our cultural darkness is growing, but His light is brighter still. 

Today let us do honor to Christ’s baptism and celebrate this feast in holiness. Be cleansed entirely and continue to be cleansed. Nothing gives such pleasure to God as the conversion and salvation of men, for whom his every word and every revelation exist. He wants you to become a living force for all mankind, lights shining in the world. You are to be radiant lights as you stand beside Christ, the great light, bathed in the glory of him who is the light of heaven. You are to enjoy more and more the pure and dazzling light of the Trinity, as now you have received — though not in its fullness — a ray of its splendor, proceeding from the one God, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen. 
From a Sermon by Saint Gregory of Nazianzus, bishop
The baptism of Christ

Come and Worship Christ the Newborn King

Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.

This past November an Episcopalian priest was expressing his hesitation to celebrate the feast of Christ the King in an Omaha World Herald feature called “From the Pulpit”.  This priest felt that king was too much of a political term with too great a connection with oppression and exclusion.  To his mind this title obscured Christ more than it revealed Him.  He had alternative titles that he thought more relevant and worthy of a feast day; one being ( I kid you not) “Christ the Includer”.  Yes indeed, I can  feel the banality of that title suck the passion out of every deep yearning of my soul.  In one fell phrase this man reduced the great Christian narrative of the return of the King to restore His good creation to a platitude of inclusiveness. What small hopes we have, our hearts desire is to be part of the crowd. 

Angels from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight o’er all the earth;
Ye who sang creation’s story
Now proclaim Messiah’s birth.

Don’t let your desires be reduced to platitudes, don’t let your hopes be tethered to worldly ideals.  Read the Infancy Narratives! Read of how God subverts the worldly narrative of Pax Romana under Caesar Augustus by sending the true King, who comes in quiet obscurity, without an army of men – but with a “multitude of heavenly hosts” .  Remember that throughout all history great worldly political leaders come and go, but the representative of the true King, the successor of Peter, is still here in the flesh.  And know that this King is not a distant impersonal King, he is the King who came to rescue me – ME -- Daydreamer and nobody that I am, and He is, in fact, what all my hopes and dreams are ultimately directed to!  And He came for you in the same way!  Ask Him to show you, trust that He will.

Shepherds, in the field abiding,
Watching o’er your flocks by night,
God with us is now residing;
Yonder shines the infant light

If that sermon was not disappointing enough last Sunday in a Catholic Church I sat through a homily that turned the virtue of piety completely upside down.  It was the feast of the Holy Family, and the priest told us over and over again that the Holy Family were “neither perfect nor pious”.  I guess if he would have defined pious as empty outward religious actions (which apparently is one of the definitions of the word) I may have cut him some slack, but this priest made no effort to clarify what he meant by pious and, based on the rest of his homily, I was left with the definite impression that this was an “I’m okay, your okay -- all you have to do is connect with your spiritual core and you will hear God – but you don’t need to wear your religion on your sleeve” homily.  If that is what he meant, according to him, the Holy Family were individualists trusting in themselves to get through difficult situations, owing no gratitude or honor to God or others.. Where does that leave you and me?  Trapped in isolated individualism, egoism and pathetic self-consciousness.  How can we be saved from that?

Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.

Again, read the Infancy Narratives.  Read of Mary’s humble fiat, and her beautiful  Magnificat.   Read of her firm faith and trust in God’s goodness.  Read and ponder Joseph’s righteousness, and through that righteousness, his discerning response to the angel's messages.  If you go by the actual Scriptures, they were indeed a pious family through whom the Kingdom of heaven emerged, even in our imperfect and debased world.  And in humble piety we too can receive Christ in our homes, in our families, in our hearts, in a personal and abiding way. And we too can let God’s kingdom overtake even the most hellish situations here in this world. Don’t let an unimaginative culture steal your piety away.

Sages, leave your contemplations,
Brighter visions beam afar;
Seek the great Desire of nations;
Ye have seen His natal star.

Both of these men diminished a title or a virtue, based on a darkened, and rather hopeless vision of humanity.  In doing so they obscure our deepest desires, allowing them to remain misdirected at worldly things.  Truley these clergymen have no real hope in God’s power to undo what our sin has wrought and restore all creation.  If you had heard (or read) these sermons you would have noticed that, despite words that seemed consoling and caring, Christ was not a personal savior that you can know and be known by.  He was simple an inspirational, motivational figure -- you know, an Includer, but most certainly not some religious freak.  Don’t let Him be diminished in that way.  Let Him show you His power.  Let Him be you Savior. Let Him be your great desire.

Saints, before the altar bending,
Watching long in hope and fear;
Suddenly the Lord, descending,
In His temple shall appear.

It is surely a sign of a latent cultural despair that we would settle for “Christ the Includer" to be our savior (from what – unpopularity?) or that we would so blithely diminish the beauty of Immaculate Mary and the righteousness of the pious Saint Joseph. I know that when we compare ourselves to them we we fall short, but that should be a reason to rejoice, because they show us that Christ our King has done for them He has come to do for us! Do not fear true repentance, do not give in to the temptation to reduce the Divine Word to banal and distant platitudes. Yield to Him, and give Him your fiat.

Sinners, wrung with true repentance,
Doomed for guilt to endless pains,
Justice now revokes the sentence,
Mercy calls you; break your chains.

The wonder of the Infancy Narratives are that God intervened in our dark world in such a personal and intimate way.  This is astonishing precisely because He is God, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Don’t allow the world to reduce His titles, let them stir up wonder and awe. To be included is nice, but doesn't your heart desire something more wondrous? Christ has come for you to be more than just passively included, in fact, you are pursued and romanced by our Lord and King.  He is powerful enough to vanquish the sin and debasement of our souls that would separate us from Him.  We should pray for a strengthening of the virtue of piety, and for wonder and awe, so that we will direct all of our distorted, distracted desires to the One Desire who is the source of all good things. 

Though an Infant now we view Him,
He shall fill His Father’s throne,
Gather all the nations to Him;
Every knee shall then bow down:

I want my every thought impregnated with His Gospel so that every sense that I have is alert to His coming and my heart is in awe that my God comes so very near to a 'nobody' like me.  I don’t want platitudes, I don’t want an impersonal spiritual inner presence, I want my King, my Savior, my Lord. Let my soul magnify Him.

All creation, join in praising
God, the Father, Spirit, Son,
Evermore your voices raising
To th’eternal Three in One.

Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.

Merry Christmas and blessed 2014!

Heidi

Subheadings are the lyrics of the hymn Angels From the Realms of Glory
Downhere, a Christian rock band has a wonderful version of this hymn.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph Teach Me

 A Reflection on Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23 

By: Larry T 

According to non-canonical sources Joseph was born in Bethlehem in 90 B.C. and is thought to have died in 18 A.D. Biblical scholars generally fix the year of Jesus’ birth at 6 or 7 B.C. So Joseph could have been eighty something when Jesus was born. By all accounts Joseph, a descendant of King David, was a righteous and compassionate man, a devout observer of Mosaic Law, and known to be a man of profound faith. 

Jewish maidens were considered marriageable at the age of twelve years and six months, though the actual age of the bride varied with circumstances. By most accounts Mary was fourteen at the time of her betrothal to Joseph. By mutual consent and understanding between the spouses, Mary was to be a virgin, so her pregnancy would have astonished and shocked Joseph. Since the mystery of the Incarnation hadn’t yet been revealed to him, Mary’s condition presented him with a dreadful decision. On one hand she was clearly guilty of adultery, and if he exposed her scandalous pregnancy she would have been stoned to death. On the other hand stoning was a slow torturous death; he couldn’t bear the thought of it, so he decided to divorce her quietly. But, the Lord had other plans for him.

²⁰ Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord  appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.
²¹ She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,  because he will save his people from their sins.”- Mt 1:20-21 N.A.B

Joseph’s fidelity to God was sorely tested by this dream. He could have easily ignored it and continued with his plan to divorce Mary quietly, but, with Abram-like faith in God, Joseph took her into his home.

Herod’s fury at the deception of the magi put Joseph’s trust and devotion to God to yet another test.

¹³ When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.”
¹⁴ Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt.
 – Mt 2:13, 14 N.A.B.

And just as Abram before him heeded God’s call to leave his home in Haran and travel to the land of Canaan (Gen 12:4-6 N.A.B.), Joseph heeded God’s command to flee with Mary and the infant Jesus to safety in Egypt.

¹⁵ He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” - Mt 2:15 N.A.B.

The Lord had yet more directions for his obedient servant.

¹⁹ When Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt
²⁰ and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.”
²¹ He rose, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.
²² But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go back there. And because he had been warned in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee.
²³ He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He shall be called a Nazorean.” – Mt 2:19-23 N.A.B.

Mary was most likely born in Jerusalem, though some theologians insist on Bethlehem or Sephoris (about three miles north of Bethlehem). She was the daughter of Joachim and Anne. Joachim belonged to the royal family of David, and Anne was a descendant of the priestly family of Aaron. It’s for this reason that Jesus is said to have come from both a royal and priestly family.  

The childless Joachim and Anne had prayed long and hard for the gift a child, and when Mary came they presented her to the Lord in the Temple. Our Church celebrates the Presentation as a revelation of Mary’s total dedication to God’s service and obedience to His will. Some early Church Fathers wrote that Mary was three years old at the time of the Presentation and that she remained in the Temple to be educated with other children. There she also made a vow of virginity and enjoyed ecstatic visions and daily visits of the holy angels.  

Why would she consent to marry Joseph when she had made a vow of virginity? Mary must have had implicit trust in the Divine guidance that she had received, and therefore was certain that her vow would be kept even in her married state.  

Her “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.” shouldn’t be a surprise considering her background.

³⁴ But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?”
³⁵ And the angel said to her in reply, “The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.
³⁶ And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
³⁷ for nothing will be impossible for God.”
³⁸ Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. – Lk 1:34-38 N.A.B.

Her virgin pregnancy was another matter. How could she explain it to Joseph? The penalty for adultery was stoning, so her life was in imminent danger. She wouldn’t be able to conceal her condition for long. If Joseph didn’t report it, her neighbors and relatives were certain to do so.  

How much trust in God did it take to sustain her through the trials of the birth of Jesus, the desperate flight to Egypt, and return to Nazareth? Can we even begin to comprehend the devotion to God it must have taken for Mary to stand at the foot of the cross, watching in silence and horror, as her son suffered the most punishing death the Romans could devise.  

The Holy Family faced untold hardships on their hasty flight to the safety of Egypt. But their combined faith and trust in God enabled them to prevail over danger and overcome unimaginable difficulties. We also know that they didn’t have much money because on the eighth day following the birth of Jesus, when Joseph and Mary went up to the Temple to present him to the Lord, their sacrificial offering was a pair of birds. This suggests that they couldn’t afford to buy an animal for the sacrifice, a sign that they were poor (Lv 12:6 N.A.B.). 

On this Sunday as we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we might ask ourselves what they have to teach us. Is there a greater example of faith and trust in God for us to imitate? Do we need a better illustration of how trust in the Lord can give us the strength to overcome hardship and persevere in the face of adversity? Who can deny that God’s Holy Family was comprised of a man, a woman, and a child?

"HUMBLE JOSEPH"

"HUMBLE JOSEPH"

(a reflection on Matthew 1:18-24, 4^th Advent A)

by: Deacon Paul Rooney

 "When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus."

Joseph’s response to God can lead us in many, many directions, but today I would like to focus on just two points.  The context, of course, is Joseph’s humble submission of his will to God’s will in all things, which is what one would expect of someone called "righteous."

There is a Dominican mystic from the 14^th century that is often quoted, because his words capture so well our own participation in this process of submitting to God's will.  His name is Meister Eckhart, and he asks the questions that we all ought to consider.  First he asks: “What good is it to me for the Creator to give birth to his Son if I do not also give birth to him in my time and my culture?”  Both Mary’s “Yes” (that brought Christ to the world), and Joseph's "Yes" (that gave a perfect example of unconditional trust in God)—those two events are not just “memory events” (such as recalling that Babe Ruth or Michael Jordan set records to remember).  Instead, they ought to lead us to ponder how to imitate them: how can I bring Christ to the daily world that I live in and participate in?  Do I reflect Christ in what I say and do?

A second question that Meister Eckhart asks: “What good is it to me if this eternal birth of the divine Son . . . does not take place within myself?”  When God comes to dwell within us at our Baptism, we are empowered to live the Christ-life, one oriented to loving God and Neighbor.  Do I see that orientation in my own heart, or am I still oriented to selfishness?  Do I humbly submit to all of the teachings of the Church, or do I pick and choose?

In summary: like Joseph and Mary, have I truly given an unqualified “Yes” to Jesus in my own life?  Is the submission of my will to God unconditional?

St. Joseph, patron of family life, pray for us!

+ + +

 

Rejoice!

Joy!  That is the message this Sunday.  We light the pink candle, and we look to our joyous celebration of Christ’s birth as well as to His second coming, which we wait for amidst the groaning labor pains of all creation. Even in suffering our joy is at hand. 

This is why I love Enya’s version of O Come, O come Emmanuel.  It has that soft mournful tone of a world that is subjected to futility, a world that longs for redemption.  And echoing in the background, as if from somewhere outside of time you hear: Rejoice! Gaudete!

And we need to know that our rejoicing is not a glib refusal to accept the harsh realities of our day, but an enduring hope that we can indeed reject the concerns of the flesh, which lead to death, and receive the Spirit of God, which is not enslaved by fear:  "For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, 'Abba, Father!'" Romans 8:15

We received this through Christ who came with power and strength as a baby, born into a family.  Who came and touched individuals, those who yearned for redemption.  Do you yearn?  Every candle we light during Advent should increase our yearning. Pray for that, and you will begin to perceive the joy that is always present in His Kingdom.

The desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will rejoice and bloom. They will bloom with abundant flowers,and rejoice with joyful song. The glory of Lebanon will be given to them, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD,the splendor of our God.Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak, say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing. Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return and enter Zion singing, crowned with everlasting joy; they will meet with joy and gladness, sorrow and mourning will flee.

Isaiah 31: 1-6A; 10

Advent blessings to all!
Heidi

I decided to add a video of my daughter singing in the Wayne State Madrigal choir's Celtic Advent Carol...I apologize for the late start and the shaky camera work (I was holding an infant).

Prepare the Way of the Lord!

Reflections for Sunday, December 8 --  The Second Sunday of Advent

By: Judy Morss

For those of you who keep the tradition of the Advent Wreath, we light the second candle today. Candles one, two and four are purple in color. The first candle which we lit last Sunday is called the prophet's candle and it symbolizes hope. We think of Isaiah, the Prophet, who foresaw the coming of our Messiah.  The second candle is known as the Bethlehem candle and it symbolizes faith and preparation as we prepare for the coming of Jesus. The third candle is pink/rose in color and is lit on Gaudete Sunday. The priest wears rose colored vestments; my priest laughingly tells us that he is "pretty in pink." This candle is called the shepherd's candle and symbolizes the joy that was proclaimed by the angels when Jesus was born. The fourth candle is called the angel's candle and symbolizes peace and love when Jesus came to earth.  Some churches and families add a fifth candle, a white candle.  This candle is lit on Christmas Eve and is known as Christ's candle.  The Advent Wreath can be a wonderful symbol of our Advent journey as we move closer and closer to the beautiful gift from God, the birth of our Savior.

Today's gospel is taken from Mathew 3:1-12

John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea
and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said:
A voice of one crying out in the desert,
Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist.
His food was locusts and wild honey. At that time Jerusalem, all Judea,
and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him
and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.
When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism,
he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves,
‘We have Abraham as our father.’
For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit
will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I am baptizing you with water, for repentance,
but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand.
He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Advent indeed is a time of waiting, of hope and of preparation. Just as John the Baptist, we are crying out in the desert. We are looking and longing for something. Often we don't know what we are looking for; we just know that we have a hole that cries out to be filled. The Baptist reminds us that we need to prepare for the coming of the Kingdom of God -- Christ himself. We should be focused on "making straight His paths." We often wander about in the darkness or in dim light, not sure where we are going or what we have as our objective. It is so easy to get involved in the preparation of Christmas and lose sight of the wonder that is before us. In order to straighten my path, I need to ask God for forgiveness and hope. If I focus on the holiday instead of the Holy Day, then I wait for Christ in vain. When I spend more quiet time with Him, I begin to see in the birth of Jesus what He really means in my life and what He gives me. Through His love, my life can bloom and flourish. I can indeed make a straight path for Him to enter directly into my heart. May the season of Advent draw you closer and closer to our Savior and as you light another candle each week, may your straight path become brighter and brighter.

With peace and love,
Judy

Keep Christ in Christmas: Trusting in your Awkward Fiats

"I’m participating in the KEEP CHRIST in CHRISTMAS Blog Link-Up 2013

sponsored by the Catholic Bloggers Network.

Be sure to visit as many links as possible,

listed at the bottom of this post.

Trusting in Your Awkward Fiats

“Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain,to the house of the God of Jacob,

that he may instruct us in his ways,

and we may walk in his paths.”

It is Advent!  What is your plan for you and your family?  What sort of prayers will you say? What gifts of charity will you prepare for the Christ child?  How will you awaken wonder and awe for the first coming of Christ in yourself and your family? How will this Advent make His voice more recognizable to you and your children, so that you are prepared for His second coming in glory, so that you can alert others? What part of the secular celebrations will you take part in, what will you let go of?

Are you overwhelmed yet?

Last year a popular blogger asked her readers to share epic Advent failures.  I have had a few of those myself. What I have discovered is that, when I persevere in family prayer, even my epic Advent failures have produced fruit, though I did not know it at the time.

One year, in addition to the traditional prayers and hymns around our Advent wreath, I wrapped an empty box for Baby Jesus that the children were to fill with little slips of paper describing their hidden acts of kindness and charity.  They were gifts for Baby Jesus.  Within in a week it was tattered and torn, shoved to the back of a shelf. I presumed it was already forgotten in the flurry of activities. Epic Advent Fail!

But on Christmas Day I opened it and to my surprise, it was full of little slips of paper, mostly written by my Junior High aged children.  I had forgotten to "promote" or "hype' that activity, but the children knew it was there.  They did not need me to make it exciting and fun, they needed me to open the door to Him.  How did I open the door?  Through our family prayers and Scripture readings.

In fact, a few years later that Christmas was bought up. That activity had placed a seed in one particular child's heart that has begun to grow; it is still remembered.  The gifts he received that year are completely forgotten, the gift of awakening to Christ's coming was still in his heart.  Let me remind you, that activity was one I considered and Epic Advent Fail!

In reality, it was not the activity so much as it was the family prayer time that kept Christ in Christmas. The activity was fruitful only through the relationship that was present by finding Christ in His Word and in His Church.

Celebrating Advent with unsorted socks all around us.

Don't worry how your prayer time looks, just do it!  Ours does not resemble anything one might describe as pious (think more of a three ring circus). Many nights our Advent prayers feel distracted and poorly done – what with the fire hazard and little children who are fighting over whose turn it is to blow out the candles and the older, sulky children who have piles of homework to do -- there are often a lot of side bars during our prayer time (which may or may not include a parent who has lost all patience and finds him or herself screeching at the children in a not so peace-on-earth way). And, all too often I feel our Advent prayer time is hastily done; the holiday activities make for later evenings and children must be put to bed. Mom and Dad need to have a little time to chill, maybe even with a glass of wine (We do! We really, really do!).

Who could possibly be getting anything out of it!!  Don't quit, muddle through!

See, I am doing something new!
Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

muddling through

In the wilderness I make a way,
in the wasteland, rivers. Isaiah 43:19
   
It takes a firm hope that our time spent in praying the Scriptures with the children -- a sort of  fumbling and awkward fiat our family gives, will be enough. We see through the glass darkly, it is difficult to recognize His movements in our efforts to bring Christ into our Christmas preparations. Give Him your fiat anyway, read from your Bible and light the candles, sing O Come, O Come Emmanuel.  Open the door and prepare the way for Christ!  He is coming!

Peace and Grace to all, Heidi



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Life Unabridged: Celebrating the Fullness of the Advent and Christmas Season
Homeschooling With Joy Keeping Christ in Christmas
Mrs Domestic Bliss Gingerbread Nativity
The Chic Traveller Keeping Christ in Christmas
California to Korea Keeping Christ in Christmas
Dominique's Desk Keeping Christ in Christmas
Our ABC Life: An Advent Update
Journey Living: Anno Domini
The Road to Rome: Advent Prayer and Reflection Resources
Life of Fortunate Chances: Keeping Christ in Christmas
Quidquid Est, Est!: Reblog: Advent Posts