Joseph Mohr, a Catholic priest from Austria wrote the lyrics to Silent Night. The choir director of St. Nicholas Church in  Oberndorf, Austria, Franz Xaver Gruber composed the melody. Silent Night was first performed on Christmas Eve in 1818 at St. Nicholas Church.

This past Sunday we celebrated the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

The Holy Family

The divine providence of God was in perfect order when He picked this family. Mary was visited by the Archangel Gabriel heralding the great news of her Immaculate Conception. Mary was engaged to marry Joseph, but when he discovered  that she was with child (by the Holy Spirit) Joseph had second thoughts. It was not until an angel appeared to him in a dream that he understood the importance of his role as the holy foster father of Jesus. He was called to protect his family from all harm. St. Joseph is mentioned in the Bible, but he was never quoted in the Word of God. He was the silent example of holiness. He listened to the messages sent from God through holy angels and departed to Egypt to save the Christ Child from the hands of King Herod.

It was through Joseph’s obedience that Jesus’ life was spared from the hands of the evil King Herod. That’s what holy fathers do; they protect their children from all harm. Joseph serves as a role model on how to be a great father. The idea that he was a foster father to the Son of God gives us an insight as to how deep the Lord wants fathers to exemplify Joseph’s fatherhood. Not only did he raise Jesus as his own, he handed down his trade of a carpenter to his Son. It is a misconception that Jesus had brothers and sisters because in the times of the New Testament close relatives were referred to as brothers and sisters. Mary was set aside to carry the Christ Child in her womb; this was her main purpose in life, and Jesus was her only begotten son.

St. Anne and St. Joachim 

Mary was born to St. Anne and St. Joachim. St. Joachim was a wealthy man who benevolently gave to the work of God. He gave  one-third to the Temple, one-third  to the poor, and kept one-third for St. Anne and himself. They were judged harshly by their Jewish community because they were elderly and they could not bear children. They both fasted and prayed for a child. St. Joachim went to the desert and prayed for 40 days and 40 nights, while his wife fasted and prayed at the Temple. An angel appeared to St. Anne first to announce that she would bear a child. St. Joachim experienced an angel apparition around the same time telling him to go back home to his wife because she was with child. When Mary was three-years-old she was consecrated to the Temple.

Jesus’ Grandparents

As parents, St. Anne and St. Joachim made the ultimate sacrifice of consecrating Mary to the Temple. They understood that Mary was a special gift from God. Their role as grandparents was to pray for the future of the Mother of God, their daughter Mary. St. Anne must have known that Mary would become the most famous woman in the world. Mothers have a God-given intuition for their children.

Mike and I have four grandchildren. Each one is different, and we have learned that we cannot treat them the same. We love them the same but our involvement as grandparents is to be available to help at any time. I will drop everything when it comes to the needs of our grandchildren. I want to teach our grandchildren to love the Lord and to be an example of serving God. All grandchildren are special because we as grandparents have a great opportunity to witness what we have experienced in life. We have grown from all of our past hurts and pains and can offer great wisdom. The many times that I have served as the taxi for our grandkids, I always have the radio on a religious station. None of them seem to mind.

Our grandchildren help us with technology; what seems impossible for me  comes so easy for them. I do not like to cook or bake, but now that has become a tradition with our grandkids. I don’t mind the mess because the time spent in the kitchen is worth all the labor of cleaning up. So as grandparents we are working at coming alongside their parents, making sure that we are part of raising good, honest citizens who will honor their parents and love God.

 We Pray As A Family

Last year we lost a dear friend. This was not COVID-related but it was an unexpected departure. The sad irony is that our friend had recently lost his oldest son as well. Our friend left behind his younger son who is suffering the lost of his beloved father and brother. My heart aches for this precious young man because he was so close to his father and brother. I have been praying for this young man for months, but when he stopped returning my text messages, I realized that he had gone deep into the mournful pain of loss. We all grieve differently, but his pain is too much for him to bear alone, and the holidays are a harsh reminder of this great void in his life. We miss our friend so much, but I cannot imagine the pain his son is going through. All that is left is prayer because we trust that God will pull him out of this deep grief.

Psalm 147:3-5   New American Bible (Revised Edition)

³ Healing the brokenhearted,
    and binding up their wounds.
⁴ He numbers the stars,
    and gives to all of them their names.
⁵ Great is our Lord, vast in power,
    with wisdom beyond measure.

 

My Prayer

Dear Lord, we know that the Christmas season brings so much pain to those who are alone, who are suffering from illness, or are not on speaking terms with close family members. Lord, we ask that You send Your Holy Spirit to comfort them and to help them to understand that there is nothing impossible for You. You heal the broken hearted, and restore the faith in those who looks to You for help. I pray for our friend’s son, Lord.  You know his pain and every tear that he has shed for his family. Lord, comfort his broken heart and give him peace. Amen.

Romans 8:18   New American Bible (Revised Edition)

¹⁸ I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us.

 

 

 

I’m sharing this story for those who need a deeper understanding of the Eucharist.

When Mike and I were a young married couple we once attended Mass at St. John Eudes in Chatsworth, California. We had not been to Mass in a while yet one thing remained unforgettable: the overwhelming joy I felt after received Communion. The  sensation was profound, and though I lacked the spiritual maturity to comprehend what was truly happening – That I was receiving the Body of Christ Himself. For years, I carried that memory of joy without truly understanding its source. Bas as I slowly returned to my Catholic roots, the meaning became clear: What had been missing form my life all along was not merely a feeling, but the Eucharist – the presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.

The Novice Eucharist Minister

To serve as a Eucharistic Minister (EM) requires training – a brief tutorial on positioning, words, and how to properly distribute. I thought it would be simple. I was wrong.

The first time I stood at the altar, I felt inadequate. Every eye seemed to fixed on me, scrutinizing my every movement. As a  communicant approached with mouth opened and tongue extended, fear gripped me. What if I touch her tongue? What if the Host fell short of her mouth? My anxiety proved prophetic; during my first week, I dropped a consecrate wafer on the floor.

Thank the good Lord, the lady picked it up immediately and consumed it herself. I was mortified. Training had taught us to handle the dropped Host with reverence, but in the moment, I froze. When it happened again, I quickly retrieved the Host, held it carefully in my hand, and after distributing to the remaining communicants, brought it to the priest and explained, he took it reverently and consumed it.

The Lesson

I learned a powerful lesson: the reverence belongs to the Lord.

Six years later, I continue server as a Eucharistic Minister. With each week, confidence has grown – not in my technique, but in the sacred responsibility itself.

Our parish serves bothe the parish community and an attached Catholic school, so I minister multiple times weekly often to young students. And what began as a fear has become a privilege.

Not  Again

Several years ago, while distributing Communion to a student, I noticed a small particle of the Host fall to the floor. My heart beach to race – not from embarrassment but from the weifh=ght of what has happened.

I couldn’t simply pick it up,  the altar was surrounded by people, and I didn’t  want to disturb their communion with Christ. But my mind was crazed with worry. What if someone stepped on it? What if I lost it entirely? My eyes remained fixed on that spot for the next several minutes, I was a wreck!

After Mass, as I was still watching that area, Alan, one of the sacristans, approached and asked what I was looking for. I explained that I’d seen a particle fall during distribution. Together, we searched the floor. I found something small and, in a moment of reverence – or perhaps because I was looking too hard  –  placed it in my mouth, genuflected, and walked away.

Something was immediately wrong.

Whatever I place in my mouth did not dissolve like the Eucharist. It had a grainy, almost fibrous texture –  like a fingernail or toenail. As I exited the church my stomach churned. Gagging, placed the object in my pocket to investigate further.

At home, the horrible truth became clear: it was indeed someone’s discarded toenail!

Transubstantiation

Transubstantiation is the Catholic core belief that the bread and wine used for Communion become the Body and Blood of Christ. That’s why I experienced such joy when receiving Communion at St. John Eudes. It was the body and blood of Christ!

In a recent Pew survey, it was discovered that 69% of Catholics do not understand the holy concept of transubstantiation. These Catholics are under the fallacy that the Body and Blood of Christ  is merely a symbol. I am happy to report that out of the 31 % who believe in transubstantiation, I am one of them.

The Reverence 

After experiencing the mishaps, I investigated the proper protocol for when one accidentally drops the Eucharist, so I could be better prepared. According to he General Instruction of the Roman Missal #280:

1. Priest and Eucharist ministers mist be extremely alert during the distribution of the holy communion, ensuring that the recipient consumes the sacred host immediately and retrieving it if an accident occurs.
2. When receiving holy communion, a recipient must extend his or her tongue sufficiently so that the sacred host may be placed securely on it, or make a proper cup with his or her hand to receive it securely. The recipient should then step aside while still facing the altar and consume the sacred host before returning to the pew. I always practice this, even before realizing it was part of the official rules.
3. If the sacred host falls to the floor, or even a piece of it, its should be retrieved and given to the priest at an appropriate time – such as the end of communion when the priest is preparing to purify the vessel. The Eucharistic minister can also consume the host if it has fallen on the floor.

What I found particularly interesting is this: if the host that has fallen on the floor is too soiled to consume, it should be placed in water until it dissolves. The water is then discarded into a special drain that does not feed into the sewer system, but rather disperses into the ground.

My Prayer

Dear Lord, continue to shed light on our crazy world. May You Holy Spirit open the hearts of those who do not understand that it is truly in the Eucharist. May we fall on our knees in reverence to Your Holy presence. Amen.

As Catholics we have so many feast days to  celebrate. Last week we celebrated St. Nicholas, St. Ambrose, the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Juan Diego. Some of us Catholics take these feast days to heart. I’m one of those.

December 12th is the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe; it is also my husband Mike’s birthday. Our Lady (the Blessed Mother) apparitions have been going on for centuries. This particular apparition in Mexico City took place in December 1531 when the Aztecs’ King Montezuma II ruled over the land. Daily human sacrifices were terrifying and up to as many as 25,000 lives were murdered yearly in the name of their Aztec gods . So the Lord sent His precious Mother to intervene.

The Dream

The Lord gives me dreams; some of these dreams are prophetic. I recently had a dream about a friend’s business dealing. In the dream I was instructed to warn my friend about a business deal. I did not want to impose on my friend so I prayed about it for a few days. My conscience would not let me rest, so I finally informed them about the dream. The dream was entrusted to me and it was my responsibility to share it. What they decide to do with the information is their decision.

When you remember a dream in detail, it’s because it has an important message. Montezuma’s sister had a dream that would change the course of history.  In 1509 Princess Papantzin had a prophetic dream. She was thought to be dead and was placed in a tomb. She was not dead but in a coma. It was during this time that she had a vivid dream about an angel visiting her. The angel led her to the seashore. As she was standing looking toward the sea, she saw several ships appear. On the sails were black crosses, which were the same as the cross on the angel’s forehead. The angel told Papantzin that these ships were bringing  men to conquer her nation and bring the knowledge of the True God to Mexico. In great detail, the princess was told that she would be the first to be baptized to wash away her sins. Papantzin wasted no time in sharing the dream with her brother Montezuma. It took over ten years before the Spanish victory led to the fall of the Aztec Empire .

The Spaniards

There are good and bad Christians, and this holds true for the conquistadors. Hernan Cortes and the men who fought with him were religious. They understood who God was, but Catholic doctrine was unknown to them. Hernan Cortes came to convert the pagan country to Christianity, and history tells of the brutal behavior of some of his men. But what was unbelievably appalling to the conquistadors  were the human sacrifices taking place by the Aztecs. Cortes tore down many pagan altars and put crucifixes and statues of Mary to replace all the idols. Many of the indigenous Aztecs were converted, including Juan Diego.

Being Used of God

Juan Diego was middle class of this highly civilized nation. Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) was the world’s largest city of its time. His Aztec citizenship gave him the right to vote. He was educated because under the empire it was compulsory for boys to attend school until they were old enough to have a trade. Juan Diego was a business man who farmed and made furniture and mats from reeds.

Before being used of God we must be trained; it was no different for Juan Diego. Along with his wife and uncle, Juan Diego and Princess Papantzin were some of the first converts to the Catholic faith. Juan Diego received religious instruction from the traveling missionaries. He walked 14 miles to attend Mass and receive communion. On December 8th, the feast day of the Immaculate Conception, he had his first encounter with the Blessed Mother. Perhaps some of you do not fully know the story of the Miracle of Guadalupe. Juan Diego was on his way to Mass when he heard the most beautiful voice calling him in his native tongue. Our Lady instructed Juan Diego to go before Fray Juan de  Zumarraga, the Arch Bishop of Mexico City, and have him erect a church in Her honor.

At first the Arch Bishop was not convinced, so Juan Diego felt it was out of his hands. Again the Lady appeared to him on December 12th, but this time She gave him instructions to go to the top of Tepeyac hill and pick Castilian roses. This was an unusual request because these roses were native to Spain, and the weather in Mexico was too cold at this time to produce roses. Juan Diego was obedient to the Lady and did as instructed. He gathered the roses and wrapped them in his tilma. Tilmas were usually made of ayate (cactus), which was a coarse fabric of threads from the maguey plant and vegetable fiber. The interesting fact about this fiber is that it naturally decays after 20 years.

When Juan Diego arrived to see the Arch Bishop, he had the roses wrapped in his tilma; when he released his hands from his garment, beautiful Castilian roses fell to the ground. But it was what was image of Our Lady of Guadalupe imprinted on his tilma that brought them to their knees. This same tilma is still housed in Mexico City and is in the same condition as when it was first worn by St. Juan Diego. Juan Diego was 50 years old when the Lady appeared to him. At that age he was considered old, yet he was used to convert an entire continent. How much will the Lord use us? This Advent season is the perfect time to go into prayer and ask the Lord how you are to be used of God.

Roses 

Roses are synonymous with The Blessed Mother. Twice in my life I have experienced the special scent of roses: once after sharing a message at a service with a lay group and once after serving the homeless on Skid Row. Out of nowhere came the strong, sweet smell of roses that filled the air around us. All who were present knew that Our Lady was well pleased with the work well done. It is for this reason that our home is always filled with roses, mostly from my backyard.

My Prayer

Dear Lord, thank You for Your beautiful Mother. May all mothers follow her example. In our quest for answers, guide us to understand the love You have for Your Mother. May we all honor Her as You did. I pray for all who have a strained relationship with their mothers. Lord, teach them to honor their mothers as You did Yours. It is never too late to mend a relationship. Call your mothers!

Lord, I continue to lift up Bobbie and Amy for a miracle healing. Amen