It wasn’t too long after I became Catholic that my favorite Christmas song, White Christmas, by Bing Crosby, was replaced by the beautiful Christmas carol, O Holy Night. Accepting that I was a beloved son of God helped me understand the full meaning of the lyric, “’til He appears and the soul felt its worth.” I have often thought I should write about how this song touches my heart, and how I should frequently fall to my knees in praise. But, it seems the busyness of Christmas has always kept me from doing so.
Melinda and I went to Mass this morning for the fourth Sunday of Advent. As always, we picked up a bulletin and perused it once we got home. In today’s edition, our pastor, Fr. Craig Best, wrote a message to the parishioners, telling us that O Holy Night is his favorite Christmas carol, as well. After reading it, I thought how I could not express myself any better than he did. So, rather than creating my own Christmas message, I will simply share his. I don’t think he will mind.
Message from the Pastor
“Early in the lyrics of my favorite Christmas carol, O Holy Night, come the words:
‘Long lay the world in sin and error pining, Til He appears and the soul felt its worth.’
“I am deeply touched every time I hear this song and think of those lyrics, for what more could God have done to better demonstrate His love for us and our worth to Him than to enter our world the way He did, not to rule over us, but in order to serve, suffer, and die?
“I sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have lived back in those times and to have come upon the scene at that first Christmas. What would have gone through my mind and heart upon seeing the humble, homeless Holy Family, or if the infant Jesus had met me in the eyes? No matter how often we come to church or pray, how can we not be touched to really meditate on the Nativity!
“A few lines later, as the music swells, we hear:
‘Fall on your knees; O hear the Angel voices! O night divine, O night when Christ was born.’
“If we had been there two thousand years ago, and truly knew Who it was Mary held in her arms, surely we would have fallen on our knees.
“But, here’s the thing: the very same Person who came to us in that stable in Bethlehem is born on our altar in every single Mass. To believe this is a gift, but it is a gift God wants you to have.
“We are so blessed to be Catholic. Please never take this for granted.
“Christmas blessings to you and your families.
“Fr. Craig.”
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Merry Christmas, everyone! May your day be blessed, and may you rejoice in the birth of our Lord, Jesus. I pray your soul will always feel its worth.
(O Holy Night was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)
Two weekends ago, our church’s Nativity Riggers and Erectors local 14408 (our Knights of Columbus) set up the Christmas nativity scene in front of our church. It’s a beautiful arrangement complete with lambs, shepherds, and wisemen gathered around Mary and Joseph at the manger in the stable.
Last week, then, we received a call in the parish office from a lady in the neighborhood who had been out walking her dog and was drawn to check it out. She told our admin assistant, Debbie, “Your nativity scene is beautiful but you ought to know that someone stole baby Jesus!” Deb replied, “No, no, no, he’s not stolen” to which the caller responded, “But He’s not there in the manger.”
Being the good Catholic that she is, Debbie took this as an opportunity to evangelize and clarify that we celebrate Jesus’ birth on Christmas day, not before, and we’ll place him in the manger on Christmas day. Sensing some confusion on the caller’s part, Debbie went on to ask if she knew the song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, to which she said she did. Debbie continued to explain that the four week period before Christmas is what we call Advent, which is a period of anticipation and looking forward to Christ’s coming. Then, unlike most of the world which thinks Christmas is over as soon as the gifts are opened, we believe that Christmas has just begun, that the first day of Christmastide is Christmas day, and we celebrate our Lord’s birth for the next twelve days up until the Epiphany on January 6th.
The lady told Debbie that she didn’t know this was our belief and was grateful to her for taking the time to explain it. Then as a parting comment, the lady added, “Well, when I’m out walking my dog after Christmas and baby Jesus isn’t there, I’ll know someone stole him and I’ll let you know!”
Today is Christmas Eve as well as the fourth Sunday of Advent. May your anticipation reach a crescendo today so that you can rejoice tomorrow! And, if you happen to be in Lebanon, Ohio sometime in the next twelve days, stop by and see our beautiful nativity scene, complete with baby Jesus. And, if he’s not there, please let us know!
(Where’s Baby Jesus? was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)
This is the year our three married daughters spend Christmas with their in-laws. Our youngest daughter, Grace, who is unmarried, and who has traditionally came home for Christmas, informed us a couple weeks ago that she is scheduled to work both Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas and, thus, would be staying in Nashville for Christmas. Then, much to our surprise and delight, she told us last weekend that she would be off work Tuesday and Wednesday of this week and would be coming home Monday night!
Unfortunately, thinking I had no reason to do otherwise, I scheduled work related meetings for Tuesday and Wednesday that prevented me from spending any quality time with Grace while she was home. But, before she left early Wednesday afternoon, I decided to take a couple hours off and come home for lunch and spend at least a little time with her. On the drive home I prayed, “Lord, I am thankful that Grace could come home for a couple days, and I’m thankful for the little time I’ve been able to spend with her. I just wish we’d been able to have more quality “father/daughter” time together. Amen.”
Pulling into our driveway, I saw her car and remembered she had mentioned that her driver’s door window would not roll down. I thought the problem was perhaps simply a blown fuse. So, I unlocked her car and found the fuse box under the steering column. and, after getting down on the ground and contorting my body into an unnatural position, I determined that the fuse was not blown. I reinstalled the cover, and then began the process of reversing my motions to get up off the ground.
Well, at my age (and size), that’s no longer easy to do. I suppose I used the door arm rest to leverage myself up and, in doing so, I hit the door lock button. Without thinking, I shut the door and, of course, the keys were in the car. Grace’s spare key was in Nashville, Tennessee.
Having paid outrageously for a locksmith in the past, I turned to YouTube for advice on how to unlock a locked car door without a key. Obviously, there must be many Subaru Outback owners who have locked their keys in their cars because there were several videos to view. I learned all I needed were two tools: an inflatable pillow called an air jack, which, when deflated, can be inserted between the door post and the door, and then inflated by pumping a bulb by hand; and a long crooked rod with a hook on the end, and “presto”, the door is opened.
Obviously, Grace wasn’t going anywhere soon so I invited her to go to the hardware store with me and purchase the air jack. Forty minutes later we were back home. She inserted and inflated the pillow while I crafted a coat hanger with a hook to fit between the gap. The coat hanger was about six inches too short and too flexible. I found four one-foot long, one-eighth inch diameter rods that I had saved from somewhere (because you never know when you might need something like that), and I connected them with electrical tape. But, they were too stiff to make a hook on the end.
Grace’s keys had slid off the console onto the passenger’s seat and the buttons on the fob were facing upwards. Grace had the ingenious idea that we try to use the rod to push the unlock button on the fob. We relocated to the passenger side and reinserted and inflated the air jack. The rod reached the fob with about three inches remaining on the outside of the door – too little to hold onto and control the rod’s movement – but still enough to grab onto with a pair of pliers. After another thirty minutes of maneuvering, getting just the right kinks in the rod, and taking turns, I was able to land the end of the rod on the fob’s unlock button and apply enough downward pressure to release the lock! Hallelujah! Amen!
Grace had a five hour drive ahead of her so she hurried and packed her things into her car. After hugs and goodbyes, she headed home and I headed back to the office. On the way in, I thought about the grace I’d just received, about how I’d spent an unexpected extra two and a half hours with my daughter, working together solving a problem, each of us gaining some experience and, best of all, some valuable “father/daughter” time together. I had prayed for that time, and God delivered, not in a way that I could have expected, but He delivered none the less.
“Heavenly Father, thank You for answering prayers in unexpected ways. Thank You for this opportunity for Grace and I to work together, for the time to talk and enjoy each other’s company. And, thank You for the grace to know of Your presence in the moment. Amen.”
(Unexpected Grace was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)
Back in 1971 singer/songwriter, Carly Simon, released her song Anticipation. The song’s chorus went, “Anticipation, anticipation, you’re makin’ me late, you’re keepin’ me waitin’.” The song was a hit and I remember playing it over and over on my 8-track tape player. A few years later in 1976, the Heinz ketchup people used the chorus from the song to advertise and tout the thickness of their ketchup, how slowly it poured out of the bottle, and how it was worth the wait. The commercial showed a child with her grandmother eagerly anticipating the enjoyment of her favorite condiment while waiting patiently for it to ooze out of the bottle onto her burger.
Call me crazy but this memory came back to me after reading last Thursday’s Gospel, Mt 4:18-22, on the Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle. The Gospel told the account of Jesus seeing Andrew and Simon fishing, and telling them, “Come after me and I will make you fishers of men.”
But, if we only consider Matthew’s Gospel, we might think this was Andrews’s first time to meet Jesus. We’d probably be wrong. In the Gospel of John, chapter 1, we’re told that Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist who preached and prophesied that “a man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.” This could only have been the promised Messiah whom Andrew, like any good Israelite, had been anticipating would deliver them from the Romans.
Andrew believed the Messiah was coming. His imagination tasted the sweetness of freedom and he sought the Messiah as he waited in eager anticipation.
Then John heightened the anticipation by adding, “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon him.…now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.” John pointed out to Andrew, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.”
This is what Andrew had been waiting for! The Messiah was right there in front of him, he could see Him, he could touch Him! And, then, Jesus invited him to come and spend the day with him! The ketchup was now out of the bottle and on the burger! Could it get any better than this? Yes, it could, and it did the next day when Jesus told Simon and Andrew to follow Him. Andrew was being called to follow his Messiah! His search and faithful anticipation finally paid off and his joy must have been a thousand times better than that little girl’s when she finally took a bite of her ketchup covered burger.
Today is the first day of Advent, the season of waiting and anticipating the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ. We wait for His return, His second coming, and we wait for His birth at Christmas. Waiting, however, is difficult, it’s uncomfortable. Most of us want instant gratification. In our culture, we hurry and scurry in these final weeks before Christmas frantically shopping for gifts, planning meals or trips to visit family, or completing end-of-year business. Most people spend very little time, if any, thinking about and anticipating Christ’s coming. We want to fill our waiting time with other productive stuff.
In today’s Gospel, (Mk 13:33-37), Jesus cautions us to be watchful and alert because we do not know when He will be coming back. We should be prepared, ready, waiting and seeking Him with joyful anticipation. Our attention should be on the object of our desire, not on less important things that will steal the joy of the anticipation. We should be like Andrew.
Patience is a virtue, and joyful anticipation makes patience possible. We can all wait for something we are looking forward to. We can wait patiently for the ketchup to flow out of the bottle because we know how good it will be. The catch phrase in the Heinz commercial was, “It’s slow good!” Rather than fill your time with stuff just to be productive, spend that time seeking Jesus. Spend time in prayer with Jesus each day during Advent, telling Him what’s on your heart, and listen to Him in the silence of your heart. It is extremely “slow good.”
Slow down during this Advent. Make time for your loved ones. Give them the best gifts they could ever receive – your time and your love. And make time for Jesus. Enjoy the blessings and graces that God provides as you patiently anticipate Christ’s birth and His eventual second coming.
“Heavenly Father, thank You for this season of Advent, this precious time to slow down and reconnect with the most important things in life: You and our families. Thank You for the grace to grow in virtue as we seek You and patiently wait to celebrate Your birth, and await Your return. Amen.”
(Anticipation was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)
In last Wednesday’s Gospel, Jesus told His disciples that they were not to prepare their defense before hand because He Himself would give them a wisdom in speaking. (Lk 21:14). I know Jesus was alluding to their legal defense when they would eventually be persecuted, but today I had an opportunity to pray for wisdom in speaking in an unexpected situation.
I had gone to my office at the parish center to wrap up some unfinished business. Upon entering the building I noticed someone was using one of the conference room. Not long after settling in at my desk I was interrupted by a woman, a friend of mine, knocking at my door. She is Hispanic, was the one using the conference room, and she was leading six fourteen and fifteen year old girls, along with three moms, in preparation for their Quinceaneras, their cultural right-of-passage into womanhood at the age of fifteen.
My friend asked me if I would come talk to the girls about their faith obligations once they make this transition into young adulthood. I’m sure I had a scared, deer-in-the-headlights look on my face because: one, I stink at extemporaneous speaking; and, two, all I knew about this celebration is what I just wrote in italics above. I had no idea what new faith obligations they might have once they “officially” become young women, and no time to ask or research it. What could I say? She is my friend and she asked because I am the parish’s Director of Evangelization. She was trusting in me to enlighten these young ladies.
It is about twenty steps from my office to the conference room. With the first ten or so steps I tried to think of what to say but, getting no inspiration, I paced the last ten steps simply praying for the Holy Spirit to lead me.
My friend had the girls introduce themselves and I congratulated them on their upcoming milestone and asked if they were looking forward to it. They smiled and nodded. I made an awkward momentary pause, still not knowing what to say, but continued with, “Growing up can be exciting but it also brings more responsibility as you know. One of those responsibilities is to not only stay strong in your faith but to pass that faith along to others. We call that evangelizing.” Mostly blank looks followed.
“How many of you have tattoos?” That produced a smile or two and, thankfully, none had received one. “That’s good”, I added with my own smile, “but you actually have a tattoo, an invisible one. It’s the mark you received at your baptism, the mark that identifies you as a beloved daughter of God, and one who has the Spirit of Christ in you!” Quizzical looks.
You’re fourteen or fifteen so I suspect you’ve all been Confirmed, right?” All nods. “You may not know it but you were given another gift at your Confirmation, the courage and strength to tell others about your love for Jesus. Is that kind of a scary thought, talking about your faith?” More nods.
“Well, it’s really not that hard. The best way to do that is to just be friendly with other people, especially those whom you don’t know well. And, because you have the love of Christ in you, you will radiate a joy that they find different than in other people. They will begin to want some of what you have. They will want to be your friend. It’s much easier to share your feelings with friends, isn’t it?” Nods.
“But you have to be open to making new friends, which means that you have to intentionally reach out to meet new people. And that can be kind of scary. But, remember, you have been given the strength and courage you need to do that. What’s the best way to make good new friends? Well, the best way is to put your phones down and greet people person to person and have conversations face to face. This is how you really get to know someone and they get to know you. And, it’s the best way to share life and share your faith and introduce a new friend to Jesus. It’s the adult way to have a relationship with someone else.” Funny looks.
“Jesus told all of us to go and tell others about Him. It’s our responsibility. And it’s a responsibility that we have to accept as adults. I love that you’re all so excited about this next step in your life! it can be really exciting, too, to share your faith with other people, especially when you see them learning to love Jesus, too.
“I wish you all well, and that your Quinceanera celebrations are amazing! And, I hope you all embrace your young adulthood and the challenges and responsibilities it will bring. God bless you all.” Smiles and nods.
It’s difficult to tell what’s going on in a stoic young person’s mind. Everything I said may have gone in one ear and out the other. My friend and the moms seemed to love my comments, though. Someday I may have the opportunity to look back on this and see whether or not my advice stuck with them. If a connection was made with just one of those young women, and she someday puts those ideas into play, then all of my situational uneasiness will have been worth it. But, for now, I will simply trust in the Holy Spirit, the One Who gave me the wisdom to speak those words, to take it from here.
“Dear Lord, thank You for this opportunity that literally came knocking on my door today. You may have been testing me, or You may have been simply showing me that You believe in me, that I actually can evangelize when I need to. Either way, I thank You, and I thank You for giving me the words to speak. Lord, I pray for those young ladies, that they may keep the faith and that they will lead others closer to You. Amen.”
(Wisdom in Speaking was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)
Reflections of a Lay Catholic 