Reflection on Today’s Daily Readings by Fr. Bertrand Buby, SM

Today’s Readings



Scripture: Lectionary # Genesis 3:9-15.20. Psalm 98:1.2-3.3-4. Ephesians
1:3-6. Luke 1:26-38:
What a wonderful help for continuing in the spirit of Advent–this Feast of
the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. It centers on her
person who from the first moment of her conception was free from all sin
and would continue in that freedom by the grace of God through the
Incarnation of Jesus, her Son and her Redeemer. It happened in the “kairos”
time of God that she was preserved from all sin. We realize, in speaking
about Mary as Catholics,we should never separate her from the mysteries of
her son, Jesus the Messiah and our Lord.Mary is always to be seen with her
son as we learn from the whole of the Scriptures that reflect upon her
through the evangelists and St. Paul ( Galatians 4:4-5). She is associated
with Jesus in all of his mysteries as Blessed Chaminade says.

One of the most succinct insights gained from an exegetical look at Mary
and Jesus is found in the commentary by Benedict T.Viviano on Matthew 2:11.
It is the only reference to mariology or marian theology per se in the
whole of the New Jerome Biblical Commentary, but it says what we need to
hear and and ponder over:” the child with Mary his mother: The Magi offer a
model of sound mariology as worshippers in a Marian context.” That
exegtical comment gives us the way of properly approaching Mary in all of
her mysteries and of not failing her by minimalism or maximalism. Mary and
Jesus therefore are not to be separated even in the mystery of her
Immaculate Conception. At first, we may think this dogma separates her from
us and even from Jesus. Her sole purpose of existence was from the first
moment of her life wrapped in the mystery of God sending his Son to us
through a human person, a real mother. She was in the plan of God to be
that woman called Mary of Nazareth.

In Genesis 3 we have the persons of Adam and Eve who fail in their original
purpose of living always in obedience to God. The new Adam and the new Eve
would recapitulate what had failed through them.The failure is
recapitulated, that is, restored,by the New Adam born of the New Eve. It
was Irenaeus of Lyon who first gave us the theme of recapitulation in the
order of grace within God’s salvific plan for the human race. Cardinal John
H. Newman took as his starting point for marian theology this theological
statement and insight of Irenaeus. For the rereading of the Old Testament
in Genesis 3, we found that Patristic thought based on Irenaeus insight
continued to develop Mary as the New Eve. The first Eve in the original
plan was in a special creation immune from sin but had the capacity to
choose sin and did. Mary is the promised woman whose offspring will undo
the work of the serpent by having her son’s heel crush the head of that
snake that represented evil. Together then the Promised Woman and her son
brought the victory over the devil.

The reading from Ephesians shows us that all of us in the plan of God were
predestined for salvation. There is no negative predestination present for
anyone who reads carefully the word of God in the Bible. Our text says,
“God has bestowed on us every spiritual blessing. God chose us (and
certainly Mary) before the world began to be holy and blameless in his
sight, to be full of love.” Those words though not directly speaking of
Mary are a great insight into what the Immaculate Conception of Mary is all
about. (Ephesians 1:4). Even the word used for love and charity and grace
is bound up to what we will see in Mary’s call. She is given a new name in
the Annunciation of Luke. (Luke 1: kecharitomene ho Kyrios meta soul which
translates “you have already been graced by the love of God and the Lord is
with you.” The nobility of our calling and that of Mary is present in those
lines. She is the one who through her son’s redemptive love and actions
kept her always in the presence of God the Father. She was always present
with her son in those hidden years at Nazareth.

Just as a newness was found in Christ,the Church saw a newness in Mary by
calling her the new Eve. Mary is given a new name that unravels the
mysteries of her vocation and life–”kecharitomene”– the same word that is
formed from what Paul is speaking about in the love of God and the grace of
blamelessness meant for all of us. This newness is taken up in a beautiful
way by the Psalm when it speaks of a new song being sung to the Lord. We
sing that song in honor of Mary this day. (Psalm 98: “Sing to the Lord a
new song…the Lord has made known his salvation…Sing joyfully to the
Lord all you lands…Sing praise to the Lord before the Lord for he
comes.”).

Mary’s cooperation with God in the plan of salvation is the meaning of the
Annunciation Narrative and why it is told by St. Luke. Her paraphrased
name is an indication of who she is in the sight of God– “the one who has
been loved, graced already”. Even the grammatic meaning of the perfect
passive participle shows this to be the sense of her new name. We rejoice
that Mary said Yes to what Gabriel was asking of her. She does respond
after dialoguing and discerning as well as she could the mystery of her
calling, her vocation. Her rational consent is with a graced will and a
loving heart that exploded on the sins of this world.She accepted the
mystery of her vocation.

The reading from Ephesians has high praise for us, but Mary is the person
who first understood and fully lived out that grace coming from God that
made her blameless and full of love. Eve was first called to such a way of
life, but said a No to the Lord with Adam equally responsible with his No.
Mary is not the woman of paradise but of this world that is surrounded in
so many dimensions of sin and evil. She was born of human parents just
like the rest of us. She was gifted with the presence of the Holy Spirit
and through those gifts understood and was full of wisdom when she gave her
acceptance: “Let it be done to me according to thy word.” Her Yes was a
commitment to a life which she always lived in the presence of God and her
son.

We honor on this day the most noble calling of the Woman of Promise
(Genesis 3:15) who was full of the grace and love of God. She was blessed
because she believed in the mystery of God’s love for her. Her hope and her
love would continue to unfold each day in the presence of her Son and her
God. Today we ask Mary, our spiritual mother, to intercede for us before
God. We celebrate her and sing to her with our new song and we join the
poet who said of her that “She (Mary) is our tainted nature’s solitary
boast.” Amen.

Reflection on Today’s Daily Readings by Fr. Bertrand Buby, SM

Today’s Readings

Scripture for Dec. 7, Second week in Advent:

Lectionary # 183. Isaiah 40:1-11. Psalm 96:1-2.3. 10.11-12.13. Matthew
18:12-14:

“Comfort, ye, comfort ye my people saith your God”. This version has more
of an Advent tone to it than some of the other translations and helps us to
enter more deeply into two of the great models for Advent: Isaiah and John
the Baptist. In the prophetic words, John’ mission is announced and
carried from Isaiah into the Gospels. John will indeed prepare the way of
the Lord and help them to hear and experienced the comforting words of the
Messiah Jesus. They need not look for another. John’s disciples will help
the master to realize that the Christ is now among his people and the
Baptist will fade into the background and soon give his life for the coming
of the kingdom.

The prophet, then John, and finally the confirming words of Jesus help us
to blot out the guilt of the past that often haunts us. The kingdom is
among us. Emmanuel is present in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. For us,
we need the daily reminder that we live in the peace of Christ, a peace
this world cannot give, and that all of our sins are forgiven. This is the
time for renewal and for a metanoia. For us who are sinners, changing one’s
mind or rethinking our behaviors involves repenting or changing one’s life;
for those who are religious people not conscious of sin the demand of
metanoia might be better translated literally as a change of mind,
attitude, and motivation. If we reflect on the opposition encountered by
Jesus’ demand, the Gospels record little rejection of him by sinners but
quite the opposite from those who considered themselves right.

Jesus acts as the good shepherd dor the little ones–the children. He
teaches us a lesson that we need very badly in our society where children
are abused at home, at school, and even by those who represent the Church.

The changing not only of our minds but also our hearts helps us to move
away from negativity, cynicism, and rash judgments. We then feel and
experience the hope, joy, and peace Isaiah prophesies for us. We hear
Isaiah pointing the way to the Good Shepherd by his own mention of a
shepherd who feeds his flock and gathers his lambs in his arms. Then in
the Gospel, we hear Jesus himself assuming the role of a shepherd who
searches for the lost sheep and gathers in the innocent into his arms. We
see this applied by Jesus to the children, the little ones who surround him
and felt protected and loved by him. He tells us that it is the Father’s
plan that not one of these little ones should be in any way harmed. His
words are of comfort to those who are parents and do show the love that
children need. “It is not part of your heavenly Father’s plan that a
single one of these little ones should ever come to grief.” (Matthew
18:24).

Psalm 96 assures us that the comfort promised by God through the mouth of
Isaiah is real and effective in those who allow God to work within them.
We are to exult in the Lord before he comes; he comes to rule the earth and
he shall rule the world with justice and the peoples with his constancy.
(Ps. 96:13). Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus, come. Maran atha!
Amen.Scripture: Sat. of First week of Advent. Lectionary 181: Isaiah
30:19-21.23-26. Psalm 147: 1-2.3-4.5-6. Matthew 9:35-10:1.6-8:

Pathos and hope well up in our hearts and minds by today’s readings.
Pathos deals with the experience of our feelings in times of hardship,pain,
or disappointment. It is directly related to the word for suffering
(pathien in Greek). We are all afflicted by such sufferings and some are
almost paralyzed by them day in and day out. The readings then give us the
other side of the pathos by offering us God’s gift of hope. The two words
may be in tension with one another, but the Scriptures unravel and loosen
the hold of one over the other. Jesus shows his pathos for the ailing
people of the land in which he was born; he has mercy on them and sees that
the harvest is so many that he beckons the disciples to help him in what he
is doing for the poor, the blind, the lame, the deaf, the marginal.

We are startled to see that Jesus’ focus is exclusively on his own people.
He realizes that one–even if he be the Messiah–can only do so much. He
does not micro-manage what he is doing; he delegates the curing, healing,
exorcizing to his disciples, the twelve men whom he has chosen to help with
the harvest. There is more that enough to do even in his own land for all
of his disciples and followers. After his death, a universal sending will
take place through the downpour of the gifts of the Holy Spirit upon the
apostles and Mary.

We sense the same tension in Isaiah between pathos and hope. The prophet
however is offering more of a hopeful vision than one of pathos. In the
Gosplel we are in need of God’s mercy. Jesus had pity upon them and us for
he was merciful. The psalm likewise has the same message. God heals the
wounds of his people and gives them great almost idyllic hope through
Isaiah and the Psalmist. Patience, waiting, and trusting are offered as a
way of coping while believing these things will come to be real and a time
of peace and prosperity will follow.We too join in these tensions of pathos
and hope allowing Jesus to unbind our wounds without his worrying about his
own sufferings. Thus he is the wounded healer.

How do we handle our problems, our worries, our ills? There is another
message to help us answer, namely, God promises that a voice will tell us
what to do. Is this the voice of our heart, mind, and soul? Or is it the
Holy Spirit within us? ” While from behind you, a voice shall sound in
your ears: “This is the way; walk in it.” It is both our voice of
conscience and discernment as well as that of the Holy Spirit. This voice
helps us to make good choices about helping Jesus in his healing mission to
all peoples. We are the hands of the wounded healer Jesus. He it is who
heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds. The reign of God is at
hand. We sense the presence of the Lord and continue to cry out, Come ,
Lord Jesus, come. Maranatha.
Prayer: Lord, strengthen me to wait upon you with courage and faith. Let me
seek one thing: to dwell in your house all the days of my life and there
gaze upon your loveliness. Lord, cure my blindness that I might see your
beauty. Yes, Come, Lord Jesus, and let us see your face and we shall be
saved. Happy are all who long for your coming. May each of us be your
instrument in stirring these desires in our brothers and sisters. Amen.
(Fr. C. Stuhlmueller, C.P.P. )

Spencer’s hands were dirty and cold and yet he held them open ready to hand me the simple treasures he found among the thousands of other stones and pebbles. He gives without thought, he loves without self preservation, he breathes without contemplation of the outcome, he lives as only a child can in the light of God with innocence and purity open, giving and kind.

What should we strive for in our life?

We should strive to recapture the innocence and purity of a child. We cannot go back or live through our children but we can listen, watch them and let them set the example of selfless living in our lives. We can allow them to show us the simple yet complex stones that build the foundation of faith that we have so often let slip beyond our grasp. It is in the simple stones that support his tiny feet that we can find the stability of life. We will not find the security in finances, material possessions or things of this world. The foundation that will secure our souls lies within the most simple grains of sand, in nature, one another, and in faith that there does exist a God who has created us and loves us beyond all earthly things. We have to go back to the earth, the dirt, the stones, the innocent purity of creation to find our breath, to listen to our purest thoughts, to open our hearts to love and kindness.

We have to deny the feelings of inferiority, fear and rejection. We have to live as if we are dying, love as if we will never be hurt, and believe as though our lives depend completely on our total faith in God. We think that these ideas are lofty, philosophical and unattainable in this modern culture that breeds selfish motives, defensive living and purposeful cruelty to get ahead of all the rest. We must strip away our culture’s coveted acts of living and put on the purity of a child. We can exist in this world without envy, an abundance of material possessions and a me centered attitude.

In fact when we decide to turn the other way and be kind to strangers and want nothing in return, when we choose to help our coworkers, take time to listen to our children, love our spouses without condition and search for a self less lifestyle we will then find the purest happiness that can exist because we are acting as God has intended for us since the beginning of time. When we seek God in the simple acts of kindness, unselfish giving, tender understanding and an unguarded heart we find a stability that is unshakeable.

Accept the simple stones from my child; pure kindness, time for others, empathy, giving without a need to receive, and unconditional love for all. These simple stones will lead you to a faith you have longed for yet never understood, they will make steady the path that you were meant to walk all the days of your life; the way to walk daily with God.


Copyright 2010 Lori Hadorn-Disselkamp

Today’s Readings



Second Sunday of Advent Scripture readings for Sunday, December 5, 2010,
cycle A. Lectionary # 4

Scripture: lectionary # 4. Isaiah 11:1-10. Psalm 72:1-2.7-8. 12-13.17.
Romans 15:4-9. Matthew 3:1-12:

Our saintly leader for this second Sunday in Advent is John the Baptist.
We recall how Mark, the Evangelist, actually starts his gospel with John
the Baptist as the voice crying out, “Prepare, the way of the Lord.” We are
to reform and renew our spiritual lives and discipline our bodies while
doing justice for others. The Kingdom of God is at hand. It is a Lenten
message, but also a call that sobers us to realize Advent is the time when
the King of the Kingdom comes among us and gets us ready also for his
Second Coming. Matthew has completed the first two chapters before he
comes to this scene. He is dependent on Mark for it, but he enchances it
with much more description about John the Baptist; it is thick description
and we get a picture of how the early Chritians envisioned John. John is
interested in preparing us for the coming of the Messiah who we believe is
Jesus,the Son of God and son of Mary.

The Gospel gives us the contrasting effects of the Baptism of John and that
of the Holy Spirit that the Messiah will give us. John invites the people
and even the Roman soldiers to receive a baptism of immersion in the Jordan
River. He is an apocalyptic preacher of strict divine judgment. Jesus, on
the other hand, is the one who will baptize in the Holy Spirit and that
baptism will be like a fire purging us from all of our sins effectively.
This latter baptism prepares us for the second coming of Christ the Lord
who also is the Messiah. We are thus made aware of the first coming of
Christ the Messiah through John the Baptist, then through the Holy Spirit’s
baptism we are made aware of the Lordship of Jesus and his ultimate coming
at the end times.

The other leading person for us is again the constant and classic prophet
Isaiah. He insists on the uniqueness of God, God’s oneness, and absolute
holiness. ( Remember his vision and the Sanctus ! Sanctus! Sanctus! Holy!
Holy!Holy! We Christians like that since it reminds us of the Trinity of
Persons in One God!) Isaiah helps us establish something about the Messiah
who descends from David and Jesse. Jesus is the shoot from the stump of
Jesse. The seven gifts of God’s Spirit are given to this Messiah: wisdom,
understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, fear and reverence for the
presence of God, piety.

Psalm 72 is a messianic psalm praising the works of the Messiah King. It
complements what we have seen at the end of the passage in Isaiah: “On
that day the root of Jesse is set up as a signal for the nations; the
Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious.” (Isaiah
11:10). Amen.

Today’s Readings

Scripture: Sat. of First week of Advent. Lectionary 181: Isaiah
30:19-21.23-26. Psalm 147: 1-2.3-4.5-6. Matthew 9:35-10:1.6-8:

Pathos and hope well up in our hearts and minds by today’s readings.
Pathos deals with the experience of our feelings in times of hardship,pain,
or disappointment. It is directly related to the word for suffering
(pathien in Greek). We are all afflicted by such sufferings and some are
almost paralyzed by them day in and day out. The readings then give us the
other side of the pathos by offering us God’s gift of hope. The two words
may be in tension with one another, but the Scriptures unravel and loosen
the hold of one over the other. Jesus shows his pathos for the ailing
people of the land in which he was born; he has mercy on them and sees that
the harvest is so many that he beckons the disciples to help him in what he
is doing for the poor, the blind, the lame, the deaf, the marginal.

We are startled to see that Jesus’ focus is exclusively on his own people.
He realizes that one–even if he be the Messiah–can only do so much. He
does not micro-manage what he is doing; he delegates the curing, healing,
exorcizing to his disciples, the twelve men whom he has chosen to help with
the harvest. There is more that enough to do even in his own land for all
of his disciples and followers. After his death, a universal sending will
take place through the downpour of the gifts of the Holy Spirit upon the
apostles and Mary.

We sense the same tension in Isaiah between pathos and hope. The prophet
however is offering more of a hopeful vision than one of pathos. In the
Gosplel we are in need of God’s mercy. Jesus had pity upon them and us for
he was merciful. The psalm likewise has the same message. God heals the
wounds of his people and gives them great almost idyllic hope through
Isaiah and the Psalmist. Patience, waiting, and trusting are offered as a
way of coping while believing these things will come to be real and a time
of peace and prosperity will follow.We too join in these tensions of pathos
and hope allowing Jesus to unbind our wounds without his worrying about his
own sufferings. Thus he is the wounded healer.

How do we handle our problems, our worries, our ills? There is another
message to help us answer, namely, God promises that a voice will tell us
what to do. Is this the voice of our heart, mind, and soul? Or is it the
Holy Spirit within us? ” While from behind you, a voice shall sound in
your ears: “This is the way; walk in it.” It is both our voice of
conscience and discernment as well as that of the Holy Spirit. This voice
helps us to make good choices about helping Jesus in his healing mission to
all peoples. We are the hands of the wounded healer Jesus. He it is who
heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds. The reign of God is at
hand. We sense the presence of the Lord and continue to cry out, Come ,
Lord Jesus, come. Maranatha.
Prayer: Lord, strengthen me to wait upon you with courage and faith. Let me
seek one thing: to dwell in your house all the days of my life and there
gaze upon your loveliness. Lord, cure my blindness that I might see your
beauty. Yes, Come, Lord Jesus, and let us see your face and we shall be
saved. Happy are all who long for your coming. May each of us be your
instrument in stirring these desires in our brothers and sisters. Amen.
(Fr. C. Stuhlmueller, C.P.P. )

Today’s Readings



Scripture: Lectionary # 180. Isaiah 29:17-24. Psalm 27:1.4.13-14.
Matthew 9:27-31:

What a wonderful gift is our sight. Even in reading about the curing of
the blind in Isaiah and then Jesus giving sight to the two blind men who
grope their way toward him on the road to Capernaum, we are amazed and
startled by such miracles. John has Jesus speaking about blindness when he
cures another person who was blind from birth: His disciples asked him,
“Rabbi, was it his sin or that of his parents that caused him to be born
blind?” “Neither,” answered Jesus: “It was no sin, either of this man or
his parents. Rather, it was to let God’s works show forth in him. We must
do the deeds of him who sent me while it is day. The night comes on when no
one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John
9:2b-5).

Our reading from Isaiah has the following consoling message, “And out of
gloom and darkness the blind shall see.” Then the selection for the day has
Jesus healing both men who cried out with great and courageous faith,
“Jesus, Son of David, have pity on us.” What a marvelous experience they
had in seeing the face of the Son of God and then the beauty of all that
surrounded them on both sides of the road.

Psalm 27 is also about the light in which we see and it extols this gift of
God given freely to us. “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom
should I fear?” The psalm comes back several times to the act of seeing.
“This I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
that I may gaze on the loveliness of the Lord all the days of my life. Show
me, O Lord, your way, and lead me to a level path. I believe that I shall
see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living.” Yes, God and
Jesus are our light and our salvation whom should we fear?

Perhaps, blindness can be applied to the spiritual realm as well. Many
people returning from Lourdes, Fatima, or other shrines for healing, say
they were not physically healed but spiritually. That means they see
things in a new way that gets them out of the old patterns that blocked
their vision of Jesus and the saints. Now they are on pilgrimage with the
people of God toward the city of God, the new Jerusalem coming down from
heaven. All of us need to wait for the healing power of the Lord with
courage, patience, and faith.We are to be stouthearted while waiting for
the Lord. We are led to pray for those who also are eye
specialists–opthamologists, oculists, medical doctors. We pray also for
the spiritual persons who help us see better by looking at the bigger
picture: mentors, confessors, counselors, spiritual directors and novice
masters. Jesus, we are confident that you can help us to see beyond our
own biases, addictions, sins, and spiritual blindness. Lord, Jesus, Son of
David, have pity on us! Restore our sight. Amen.

Night Before Christmas 1985

Tucson, Arizona. Land of saguaro cactus, red desert and the yearly gathering of the Gastellum clan for Christmas.

For as far back as I can remember, we would make the annual fourteen hour drive from Colorado to Arizona to spend one or two weeks with family in a continuous celebration that centered on the Faith, family and food.

But before we made the trip our family made its own Christmas cards. My Dad’s an artist and my Mom does beautiful calligraphy so we always had perfect cards to send out. Even farther back before Christmas my Mom would get each of us a Christmas ornament that had something to do with an event during the past year. One year I got a brass skier because I went skiing for the first time. Another year I got an ornament of Pikes Peak because I completed the half marathon ascent that summer. Ouch!

My Mom’s parents had lived in the same house ever since I could remember Christmas and later my aunt and uncle moved into the house three doors down. Several other aunts, uncles and various greats also lived in Tucson. I was even blessed with knowing my Great Grandmother. You know, the lady who was quick enough to catch mice by the tail?

There was always an Advent wreath on the dining room table and Christmas stockings always made the trip with us. For some reason, the felt Advent calendar that my mom made with the snap-on ornaments for each day almost never made the trip so we only got about two weeks completed and then had to add everything else after Christmas.

My mom collects Nativity sets and I think she got that from her mom. There were always a variety of Nativity sets around the house, missing baby Jesus, of course until Christmas day. Unfortunately, most sets are now made in China so our store isn’t able to offer a large selection of them.

Night Before Christmas 1984

On Christmas Eve we always had a traditional Mexican dinner with homemade tamales, re-fried beans, calabasitas and the best tortillas anywhere. We would then all gather in the spare room and with a roaring fire in the fireplace and the blinds strategically cracked open, my grandfather would read The Night Before Christmas from a huge coloring book that all of us cousins had taken a hand at coloring. Just like clockwork every year Santa would be on the roof, shout down the chimney and flash by the window before vanishing across the golf course behind their house. We would then all go back in to the living room and find our stockings full. My poor Uncle Steve, and some years Uncle John, frequently missed this momentous event. It’s amazing how things always came up right at that time.

Tumacacori Mission

Some years we would go down to the Tumacacori Mission to sing carols and see the luminarias lining the church and walls at night. My family has a long association with the Mission. My grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary there and they met at the Catholic church just up the road in Tubac. One of my great-(great?)-aunts was scalped by Indians while her siblings hid in the mission bell tower. She survived.

When we were all younger and had the energy we would then go to Midnight Mass and then come home and open presents. I don’t know how my grandparents did it.

Christmas day was the time to go visit Uncle Mannie and Aunt Armida. It was also the first place that I got bragging rights for eating exotic food. Every Christmas Aunt Armida made Menudo and I loved it. Christmas dinner was a traditional turkey affair.

Saguaro National Park at Sunset

During our time in Tucson we had three typical site seeing visits to make. The first, and most regular, was a trip to the Sonoran Desert Museum. My Grandfather had been a park ranger most of his life and was a supporter of the museum. My favorite exhibits were always the prairie dog town and the geological exhibit with the earthquake detectors and the path through the “cave”.

The second visit was a guy trip to some dive for authentic Mexican food. I don’t remember the names of any of the places we went but you probably won’t find them in tourist books.

Some years we would make a trip to the Pima Air Museum or have a picnic at the Saguoro National Park. Yes, a picnic in December. Except for the one year it snowed and we had a snowball fight instead.

Okay, now it’s your turn. What fond memories do you have of Christmas?

Thankfully, I did have my phone with me, so I made a couple of calls.  My mom agreed to pick up Birdie and then come unlock my house. As I hung up I suddenly realized I had an hour to kill with nothing in particular to do. It was a strange feeling to suddenly have nowhere to go, no one with me and nothing to accomplish at the moment. Remembering the magazines I keep in the car for carpool, I took them around to my front porch. In the three years we’ve lived in this house, I have never once sat in my big wicker chairs decorating our wraparound porch. So, I sat, read my magazine and discovered the chairs are very comfortable as well as good looking.

As I sat there, I realized what a beautiful day it was; nice and cool with a clear blue sky. My thoughts kept coming back to the idea that I really needed this break, to take a time out and do nothing. Even though I had my iPhone on me with all its glory and connectivity, I didn’t use it. Instead, I just sat and enjoyed doing nothing. Just flipped absentmindedly through my magazines while watching the cars drive by the house.

In that hour, I realized this “break” was necessary in my life. It was rejuvenating and calming to be still and silent. A smile came across my face as I realized this was God’s way of telling me to enjoy life and remind me that I do have time to be quiet and still.

When I saw my mom’s minivan come around the corner, a part of me was sad. Even though I knew she brought me lunch and my precious daughter, I really didn’t want to go inside and leave that moment.

God, in his infinite wisdom, found a way to speak to me in a manner I would hear clearly and understand. I’ll admit that it’s been a few weeks since I locked myself out and I haven’t been back to my porch to sit, but I am making much more of an effort to be still and quiet and thank the Lord for all his blessings in my life every day.

Copyright 2010 Lisa Jones

Today’s Readings



Scripture: Lectionary 179: Isaiah 26:1-6. Psalm 118:1.8-9.19-21.25-27.
Matthew 7:24-27:
Jerusalem looms high in the Bible both in the readings from Isaiah during
this Advent and in the Gospels. We know well that it is central as a point
of departure and return for Luke-Acts. Some say that the geography that
surrounds it and itself is like a fifth gospel. Jerusalem is also featured
in the most eschatological book of the New Testament, the Book of
Revelation. It is a reflection of the heavenly Jerusalem that is so
beautifully described in the last chapters of Revelation. It is a powerful
symbol for our meditations despite the present day turmoil. Associated
with the Land, the Isaeli people cherish it as a precious gem and somehow
God protects it despite all that is happening in and around it. As John’s
Gospel tells us, “Salvation is from the Jews.” Salvation is also the
meaning of Jesus’ name!

By trusting in God and with faith of the heart helps us to understand that
God is our rock and our refuge. We encounter the Presence of God within the
walls of Jerusalem and within our sacred places like chapels, churches,
shrines, mosques, and synagogues. They are spaces where we do pray and are
led even to contemplation. We learn the meaning of the Psalm for today
when it sings out, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust
in princes.” (Psalm 118).

Like Jerusalem the words of Jesus are very important for our faith and our
union with our Creator and Redeemer. They are inspired words given to us
through the Spirit as well as through the mouth of Jesus.Again, the lesson
is simple if we are to understand the word(s) of God: we are to do God’s
will. How? Again back to the ten commandments and their positive
explanation. We should love to do and obey them. Then our prayer, “Lord,
Lord,” will be heard and answered.

We are intent during this Advent season to really receive the word of God
and to take it to heart through faith of the heart. (See Romans 10). The
heart represents and symbolizes in biblical language the whole person, the
integrated one, the one doing the will of God. We love God with all our
heart, our mind, and our soul. (Deuteronomy 6). We hear in the Invitatory
Psalm : “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” (Psalm 95).

St. Bernard tells us there are three comings of Jesus Christ. The middle
one is like a road that leads from the first coming to the final coming of
the Lord. We know Christ now through his presence within us in word and
sacrament and through the indwelling of the Spirit. Bernard continues,
“Keep God’s word in this way. Let it enter into your very being; let it
take possession of your desires and your whole way of life. Feed on
goodness, and your soul will delight in its richness. Remember to eat
your bread or your heart will wither away. Fill your soul with richness and
strength.” Amen.

The Church understands our need for encouragement, inspiration, and strength for the journey.  Thus, we can find, throughout the Liturgical Calendar, a natural ebb and flow that come with the beautiful seasons, feast days, and holy times of the Church year.

Advent is just such a time. It begins the new Church year.

It provides a respite during busy times.

It offers four weeks for us to slow down, to meditate, to think, to pray, to plan, and to renew our hearts in Christ.

Often times, if we are not careful and diligent, we can miss out on the benefits of Advent by making it a season of preparing for the more materialistic part of the holidays, rather than using it to focus on the true purpose of the season.

We’ve all seen those little ornaments and signs in the stores, on the tree, and in the catalogs: “Jesus is the Reason for the Season”.

And yet, it is all too easy (and all too tempting) to bypass Him altogether while we are planning our feasts, arranging our decorations, and buying our gifts.

Before we know it, we find ourselves a few days away from Christmas and we realize that we’ve not managed to do much more than light the occasional candle on our Advent wreath because we were off rushing here and there; drowning ourselves in the commercialism and secularism of December.

The good news is that our Advent season doesn’t have to pass in vain.

We can, with a bit of effort, and perhaps a few changes, embrace the good things that await us and allow our hearts to be renewed in the Faith and the joy of anticipating the Christmas days ahead.

By taking time each day to receive the graces God wishes to give us through Advent, we can enjoy all of the other things that come along with the holidays as well. Gifts, and visits, and shopping, and baking…these are all good things when kept in their proper contexts.

Here are a few ideas to help you make the most of Advent:

1) Start your day out thinking of it…don’t save it for the end of the day, but rather, let it help you begin your day instead: Whether you have an Advent calendar, a wreath, a Jesse Tree, or other customary centerpiece, gather the family first thing in the morning and ask God to help you prepare your hearts for the coming of Christmas.

2) Read the Bible! The Gospel of Luke is a wonderful place to start for the Advent Season. If you read just a few passages each day, you will find that it’s like being transported back in time throughout the four weeks ahead…as though we have been privileged to look in on Our Lord, His Apostles, His Mother, and all of the other wonderful people who really lived through the time of Christ’s coming to earth! This only takes a few minutes each day, but goes a long way in helping us  maintain our focus.

3) Receive the Sacraments frequently! Advent is a wonderful time to confess our sins and receive the gift of a “clean soul” for Christmas! In addition to Reconciliation, the Eucharist is the best way to refresh and strengthen and renew our spirit…try to attend Mass a little more often than just Sundays during Advent.

4) Advent is a time of waiting…spend some time in peace and quiet. Light a few candles or light your tree and simply sit and wait on the Lord! Leaving the noise and chaos of the outside world behind allows you to truly rest in His presence; and if you do this a little each week during Advent, you will feel yourself growing closer to Him all the while.

5) Keep an Advent journal. Write your thoughts, your prayers, your experiences in a small journal so that you can “see your own journey” in a tangible way. Keep track of the things that you are trying to accomplish…virtues you would like to develop, bad habits you’d like to conquer, good deeds you’d like to do for others, etc. Read back through your journal now and then during the season and see how you’re doing…are your truly preparing and renewing your heart?

We give thanks to God for His holy Catholic Church and Her beautiful Advent celebrations! Let us embrace them and share them as we ask the Lord to “prepare us for His coming!”



Copyright 2010 Judy Dudich

O Adonai and Ruler of the House of Israel, you appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush and on Mount Sinai gave him your law.  Come, and with outstretched arm redeem us.

Yesterday afternoon I had the blessing of attending the Memorial service of a dear friend, someone I have known for twenty years.  My feelings as I write this are of love and hope, but also of sorrow, disbelief. As the Little Prince in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s famous novella said, “The land of tears is such a mysterious place.” As I think of my friend, I remember him as a seeker, someone who had become a man of compassion and indiscriminate love, though he sometimes claimed not to believe in God. He will inspire my meditation today on this Antiphon.

First, the burning bush: My friend was very much the brilliant empiricist. He would’ve gone straight up to that burning bush, like Moses did.  He would have wanted to know, “what is this thing I see, that the bush is burning but not consumed?” (Exodus 3:3) This curiosity, this wanting to know, is what allowed Moses to see the Lord face to face, to hear his name called by God himself: “Moses, Moses…!” And Moses’ yearning to know the truth of things also enabled him to have the courage to accept God’s invitation to lead the people of Israel out of bondage.

The desire to know is one of the most beautiful things about human beings, what makes us children of God, beings in God’s image because we have the capacity to know and to love. Don’t we all want to know? Not just by someone else telling us, but through first hand experience, in our bones, that God is good and real and present to us on this earth? This antiphon inspires be to be bold, live life with all my strength, to seek to find—and that is what my friend’s life also inspires in me.

The final phrase is “Come, and with outstretched are redeem us.” After celebrating the life of my friend and also feeling the loss, I feel comforted that the most powerful aspect of God’s character is mercy. Were it not so, God would never have reached out to the people of Israel to give them the promises, the law and the covenant to become his own people. Out of mercy, the Lord, Adonai, came down, descended into our reality to become flesh, to dwell with us on this earth, to work and live as one of us and to one day face death himself.  If mercy can bring God to earth, then mercy can bring earth to God; can bring my friend into the presence of God and new life in God.

I have come to believe that many people long for God and seek God throughout their lives, although they may not know it. By living in a way that invites the Spirit of God into their hearts, they will hear those words of Christ, “Come beloved of my Father, for I was hungry and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was homeless and you gave me shelter, in prison and you came to see me, sick and you visited me. And they will be surprised and ask, “When, when did we do this for you?” And the Lord, Adonai, will answer, “As long as you did this for one of these the least of my brothers or sisters, you did it for me.”

Many will be surprised to hear those words addressed to them, and it is my hope that this dear friend, who so loved to play jokes on everyone, will have this last joke played on him, to hear those words of welcome from the Lord, to his everlasting joy.

Copyright 2010 Julie Paavola

Today’s Readings


Scripture: Lectionary 178. Isaiah 25:6-10. Psalm 23:1-3,3-4.5.6. Matthew
15:29-37:

“They gathered up the fragments left over, these filled seven
hampers.” (Matt.15:37). From the two fish and the seven loaves of bread
Jesus is able to feed the multitude. What is amazing is that there are
seven hampers left over from the miracle. There is enough for those
travelling home to have something to eat. This miracle later is understood
as symbolizing the Eucharist and we can easily see why. Jesus thanks God
the Father: “Jesus then took the seven loaves and the fish, and after
giving thanks he broke them (kai eucharistesas eklasen), and gave them to
the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowd.” We easily find an echo
of what the celebrant says in the Mass while proclaiming the Eucharistic
prayer. The word “Eucharist” is well known in translation as
“Thanksgiving.” We hear these prayers each time we participate in the
Mass.

The gathering of the fragments is found also in one of the earliest
declarations of faith called the Didache or the Teaching of the Twelve
Apostles. The phrase symbolizes the unity of the church made up of the
different fragments. In one of the Communion Songs frequently sung at the
Liturgy “As the Grains of Wheat” once scattered on the hill were gathered
into one to become our bread, so may all your people from all the ends of
the earth be gathered into one in you.”

Chapter 9:1-5 is worth citing for our meditation today:

In regard to the Eucharist—you shall give thanks thus: First, in
regard to the cup: We give you thanks, our Father, for the holy vine of
David your son, which you have made known to us through Jesus your Son.
Glory be to you forever. In regard to the broken bread: We give you
thanks, our Father, for the life and knowledge which you have made known to
us through Jesus your Son. Glory be to you forever. As this broken bread
was scattered on the mountains, but brought together was made one, so
gather your Church from the ends of the earth into your kingdom. For yours
is the glory and the power through Jesus Christ forever. Let no one eat or
drink of the Eucharist with you except those who have been baptized in the
name of the Lord.

Within the text we should not forget the “fish”. This became an early
symbol for Jesus himself in the form of an anacronym. The word fish in
Greek is ichthus and the letters symbolize the titles of Jesus: I=Jesus
or Iesus; CH=Christos or Christ; TH=Theos or God, U= Hyuios or Son of
(God), S=Soter or Savior.
We have thus a Scriptural passage that has been transformed into a
Sacramental Prayer for the Eucharist and symbols that represent the Bread
of Life and the Cup of Salvation as well as Jesus Christ, Son of God,
Savior. Amen.

Now normally, no matter what, that song stops me short of joyful tears with its beauty, both in execution and meaning.  But the singer and orchestration in this case was showy and hearing the superfluous flutterings and bells and such put me off.  I was about to change the station when my father who is in the middle to advanced stages of Alzheimer’s, joined in the singing, hitting every note and every word perfectly and I had to stop and listen.  Dad’s ability to hold a conversation comes and goes and visiting with him requires that one be hyper vigilant about when he is fully present.  In the song, he was fully aware and fully singing.  How I longed for the song to play on another three verses if only to hear him sing more.  I had been mildly irritated and simply focusing on “getting to mass,” getting the job done.  My father’s voice snapped me awake.

Advent is about being blessedly awake, blessedly present.  This wakefulness involves blessedly acutely preparing for the birth of Christ.  The trimmings of Christmas, the cards, the presents, the expenses, the menus, the schedules, the preparations can rob us in that moment of being able to see or in my case, hear the beauty that remains undimmed by all the tinsel.  That version of “O Holy Night” now will always permanently echo his singing in my heart; it will snap me awake.

But there are so many things that can lull one to sleep spiritually in this season that we need the candles of the Advent wreath, we need the songs about Mary and the stars on the tree. We need all the symbols this season holds to keep redirecting our very distracted souls towards Christ.  How in this 24-7 nonstop chattery twittery blackberry cyberspace world of permanent distraction, do we quiet ourselves enough to look up and see the star and feel that awe of God or fall on bended knee before the infant in the stable?

Invite Mary the Mother of God into our homes as a permanent guest, as if she were to be sitting at our table as we eat breakfast or by our sides as we trim the tree or clean the kitchen.  She who was pregnant with Christ, remains permeated by Him and knows how we can come to know her son better.  She was and is the wakeful virgin, the model of blessed waiting in all things. Letting her quiet instruction guide how we respond to the minutia and the bigger things in life, we will find a lot of unnecessary things fall away.

Asking Mary to be present is asking to have her eyes, to see the sacred in the everyday in everyone. Letting her be in your heart involves practicing due charity, joyful patience and benevolent graciousness even when sales clerks, the people in the line in front of you, the kids in the car or the news of the day seemingly justifies a rant, snarl, rage or a snarky ungenerous or unkind thought, let alone comment.

Advent is about making room in the Inn, allowing the Holy Family to stay in your life and heart.  So let us begin today to practice wakefulness by letting Mary sit at the hearth of our homes.  She will direct us via her words, “Do whatever He tells you.” And her actions, “Let it be done to me according to His will.”    Have a blessed Advent.



Copyright 2010 Sherry Antonetti

Today’s Readings

Scripture: Lectionary 177: Isaiah 11:1-10. Psalm 72: 1.7-8.12-13.17. Luke
10:21-24:

Jesus teaches us the best way to think and pray during Advent. It is easy
and direct and involves the love he and the Father have. Yes, it is the
Holy Spirit and we are called to rejoice as he did in the Holy Spirit.
This word rejoice will be heard and seen in writing many times this season,
but today it is announced and we are led to respond to the word today and
the rest of Advent. This word characterizes Advent and is a gift of the
Holy Spirit–rejoicing, joy, blessedness.

Mary, another great person to follow during Advent, is told by the Angel to
rejoice (Chaire!). She is filled with the Holy Spirit and rejoices in God
her Savior (Yeshua or Jesus). Though not part of the Trinity she is in
tune with what the Persons are and how their love for one another results
as one God ever present among us. The Holy Spirit is that love. Paul, too,
tells us to rejoice in his letters. He announces Advent by this word
rejoice.

The Gospel passage comes from the Evangelist Luke who is the Evangelist of
the Holy Spirit. He presents the scene in which we enter the spirit of
Jesus as one of rejoicing as well as one who shares his intimate prayer
with his Father through the Spirit. Jesus prays for us to be like innocent
children so that we may learn what the wise and powerful of this world
cannot know. We receive that same Spirit at our Baptism when most of us
are children or even babies and, at that sacred moment of grace we will be
guided and transformed during the rest of our lives. We become then the
“merest” of children but we understand the promptings of the Holy Spirit
and how we are to rejoice in the Spirit.

Jesus, the Son of the Father, wishes to reveal himself to us this Advent.
We sense this through the peace, joy, and graces that are ours for the
asking. Our silence, contemplation, and listening will help us to rejoice
in the Spirit by giving us the atmosphere necessary for such inward joy.

The passage tells us that Jesus shared this privately with his disciples.
He tells them, “Blessed (happy) are your eyes that many of the prophets
and kings did not have. They wished to see Jesus but did not. The disciples
see Jesus among them and rejoice in his presence. They listen and hear his
words. And we, the disciples of the Lord for today’s world are called to
accept the Spirit and to be children of God. We then enjoy the same graces
that the disciples did. We therefore Rejoice! that we are God’s children.

Prayer: Lord, grant us the strength to dream out our best thoughts, the
heroism to persevere through their collapse, the chlidlkeness to be reborn
anew so that the mystery of your hopes be manifest in our lives. No life,
lost in you, is ever lost, only transformed into its most mysterious
possiblity. (Fr. Carroll Stuhlmueller, C.P.). Amen.

Our Lord referred to His Resurrection at least seven times before it occurred, presenting it as absolute proof of His divinity.   In fact, if Jesus never performed a single miracle, His Resurrection alone would have proven He was the Son of God.  But He knew man’s faith was weak, so He performed many miracles while on earth to strengthen the faith in those who followed Him.

St. Alphonsus Liguori defines faith as “a divinely infused virtue by which man believes, on God’s authority, what God has revealed and teaches through His Holy Church.”  Faith requires that we renounce all that seems logical and reasonable, and accept that which we do not fully understand, simply because God told us so.  It asks us to plunge into unknown waters in complete trust and without a backup plan, placing the fate of our eternal souls into God’s hands.

This kind of faith used to be a highly prized gift from God, whereas now it seems it is hardly asked for at all.  We live in a time where the laws of science are supreme while the idea of faith is shunned, and sometimes even devout Catholics feel the sting of today’s unbelieving culture.  Those who are “of this world” tell us we are the ones who walk in darkness, and that we need to be enlightened and shown the way to the truth.

But the reality is that while they may walk in the light of reason, which can reveal much of the truth, they do not walk in the higher light of faith, which reveals all truth.  We may not understand all that faith offers us, but part of the beauty of a deep faith is knowing that no amount of human reasoning can possibly explain the depths of God’s mysteries.  Instead, we learn to bend and humble our reason before some revealed truth which reason alone cannot understand, and allow ourselves to willingly embrace all that God presents to us.

The Eucharist is just one of those revealed truths He asks us to take on faith.  Some of us have believed since we were children.  Others of us may struggle with the concept of transubstantiation but humbly accept it.  And others still may not have come to believe in His presence until they had been shown physical miracles backed by science.

Each of these pathways to belief in the True Presence indicates the amount of faith with which we have been blessed, and perhaps the manner in which God asks us to spread our faith to others.  If you are one who has never questioned or wavered, you may be one to inspire others with your unwavering faith and devotion.  If you are the one who has simply decided to trust in the Lord and accepted that there are some aspects of our faith you will not understand until your soul passes on, you are a great example of faith, humility and obedience.  But do not despair if you are one who does not believe without proof.  St. Thomas required the same proof to believe Christ’s Resurrection.  Perhaps your role will be to help bolster other people’s faith in the Eucharist by passionately educating them on the multitude of physical proofs and miracles with which God has blessed us, to show us the way to a deeper faith.

No matter how much or how little faith we have been given, it is what we do with our faith that matters.  For He tells us that even if our faith is the size of a mustard seed, we could command a tree to uproot and replant itself in the sea.  The smallest amount of faith, when humbly united with Our Lord, has the power to convert those around us to His truth – even the ones who seem most firmly rooted in their own beliefs – and inspire them to take that plunge into unknown waters with complete faith in Our Lord.

“Grace of the Resurrection, come down into my soul and make me truly faithful.”



Copyright 2010 Cassandra Poppe

Today’s Readings



cripture: Lectionary 176. Isaiah 4:2-6 (A). Psalm 122: 1-9. Matthew
8:5-11:

Jesus was surrounded by all sorts of people. This included Roman soldiers
who occupied his native land. We learn of one centurion who had charge of
one hundred soldiers who comes to him seeking help for his son or his
slave. The word in Greek can mean either son or slave. This Gentile
approaches Jesus and asks that Jesus cure his son. Somehow being a
well-informed foreigner and a smart commander he knew about Jesus and
believed in him as a healer. It was worth is effort to seek Jesus and ask
for this cure. We learn from the narrative Matthew gives us that this man
had a deep faith, a strong sense of who he was which is the essence of
humility, and a concern for another person who served him. He is a person
who speaks clearly and sincerely from the depths of his heart. We know his
plea, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you under my roof. Just say the word
and my servant (son, slave) will be healed.”

Amazingly this expression is used before we receive our Lord Jesus Christ
in the Sacrament of the Eucharist at communion just after we have said the
Lord’s Prayer and the priest has another prayer about removing all anxiety
from us. Our faith should at that time spring from our hearts while we say
the same words as the soldier who was helped by Jesus. Humility is
necessary for us too as we learn to accept who we are without murmurring
about it. Wholesomeness is part of humility; sincerity too.

Jesus too is amazed when he sees and hears the Roman requesting this favor
and expressing himself with such faith and trust in the Lord. Jesus does
heal the boy and by this event challenges us to have the same deep faith of
the heart that the centurion had. We then can find in our participation in
Communion a sign that the kingdom of God is already within us and among us
in one another as one bread and one body through the Body and Blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ. We are invited daily to the banquet of the Lord even
though we, too, are unworthy to have the Lord come into our hearts.

Fr. Stuhmueller says, ” During this Advent season we are asked to learn,
humbly and gratefully, for the outsider how to live worthily inside the
holy temple of God.” Amen.

Today’s Readings



Advent begins with the Vespers of last night and will continue till the
Feast of Christmas. We are beginning a new year of God’s graces and in our
Eucharist we are blessed with the grace of Scripture being read and
listened to by believers who want to make of Advent a time of
contemplation, quietness, and expectation. It is a season of great hope.
One religious member of a community of brothers and priests has this
beautiful passage from Lamentations. It helps us to emphasize hope during
this waiting period of prayer and liturgy:

But I will this to mind as my reason to have hope: The favors of the
Lord are not exhausted, his mercies are not spent; They are renewed each
morning, so great is his faithfulness. My portion is the Lord, says my
soul; therefore will I hope in him. (Lamentations 3:21-24).

Lord, come to our assistance and help us to be attentive and devoted to
your holy word during this Advent season. O Holy Spirit, stir up deep
devotion and love within our hearts for you and for one another through the
inspiration of the words of God and Jesus that you have sent to us. May
Isaiah, the Psalmist, John the Baptist, and Jesus be present to us through
these holy words. Father, we thank you for giving us Jesus as the Word
made flesh who dwells among us as Emmanuel. He is the hoped for promises
fulfilled in every age of our history and your salvation history.

We ask Isaiah to help us understand his words to us. May he instruct us in
your ways that we may walk in your paths. May your word bring forth
instruction for us from Zion, the holy city of Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2: 3).

And as we sing the psalm response of Psalm 122 let us pray for one another
for peace among all peoples especially among Christians, Muslims, and Jews.
“For the sake of these my brothers and my friends, I shall say, ‘Peace be
within you.” (Psalm 122:8).

St. Paul keeps telling us that our salvation is near. We are to put on the
Lord Jesus Christ and make no provisions for the desires of the
flesh.” (Romans 13:14).

We are encouraged by Jesus to stay awake for we do not know the hour of his
coming. We must be prepared for the day of the Lord. We are to keep watch
and to pray for the Son of Man is coming at the time we least expect.
(Matthew 24:42).

May we be atuned to what St. Augustine says as we enter this Advent with
hope and enthusiasm: “At present your body receives life from the soul, but
then it will receive life from the Spirit.” The Lord is good to those who
wait for him. Our souls seek the Lord. It is good to hope in the Lord.
Marana tha Jesus! Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Suddenly, he’s not helping out enough, even though he does everything he possibly can.  Or maybe it’s just that he’s not doing it correctly, or fast enough, or reading my mind.  I’ve even argued with him about splitting an english muffin with a fork. I maintain that they are already fork split, you just have to pull them apart, but he thinks to maximize the nooks and crannies, you need to use the fork to split them.  He sees potential yumminess, and I see another dirty fork in the sink.

Speaking of dirty dishes in the sink, I was recently heard singing “It’s a magical sink, a magical sink, where everybody puts in their dirty dishes and they come out clean.  Don’t worry about cleaning them yourself because it’s a magical siiiiiiiiiiiink!”  Pathetic song and even more pathetic attitude.

Why do I feel the need to bark at him about helping with the laundry, when he has never once asked me to mow the lawn, fix the faucet, take out the trash, or work full-time to support the family.  Why do I see what he isn’t doing instead of all the things he does for us every day?

I think many of us wives can admit to this sort of bad behavior from time to time, and I’ve been looking for ways to overcome it.

First, I put myself in his place.  Would I like to come home to a nice dinner and a clean house, or to a nagging spouse who complains about every detail of his day?  Would I like to get a thank you for all I do, or a list of things to do?  The answer is easy; treat him as I want to be treated.

Secondly, I learn to love him in the language he hears best.  For my husband, that is with physical touch.  Although at the end of a long day, I sometimes feel “touched out” by the babies, a hug or back rub shows him just how much I love him.

Another way to become a better wife is to change my attitude in my daily chores.  I recently read a wonderful article that suggested replacing the “have to” with “get to”.  For example, I don’t have to take care of my kids; I get to take care of them.  I get to go to work to help our family’s financial situation.  I get to make a wholesome dinner for my husband and children.  It truly gives my priorities a much needed makeover at times.

Finally, I can offer it up.  This month of November, as we pray for the Souls in Purgatory, we can offer up all our daily nuisances for their eternal salvation.   It’s not easy being a good and holy woman, but it’s a lot better to suffer here on Earth than in Purgatory.  So carry your cross with grace and with a smile on your face.

These are some of the things I have been trying to do to make my spouse (and house) happier.  What are your tricks for having a happy spouse?  I’d love to hear them!

Copyright 2010 Colleen Martin

Today’s Readings



Scripture: Lectionary # 508. Revelation 22:1-7. Psalm 95:1-2.3.5.6-7. Luke
21:34-36:

In this next to last day of the liturgical year, our gospel reading is
short and to the point. Jesus is preparing us for the great day when he
will return in glory. This is often called the Parousia, a Greek word which
also means presence (The kingdom of God is within). Decisive lines are
drawn up for our pondering and we are encouraged to avoid selfishness,
sensuality, drunkedness, and preoccupation with worldly allurements. We
have been hearing how necessary it is for us to be strong in our belief in
Jesus (fortes in fide). Now Jesus is telling us to stand strong before him
(thus he is present to us).

This reading is appropriate as we consider the ultimate things and the
future coming of the Lord. It is an eschatological message that is
persuasive and clear as it comes directly from the mouth of the Son of God,
Jesus. Our response is Advent like as we sing out or chant: Marana tha!
Come, Lord Jesus!

The selection from the Book of Revelation also tells us that we are
reflecting on the end time. We have a glimpse of Heaven from the seer, John
of Patmos. We envision our lives in front of the throne of God and the
Lamb of God. God’s promises to us will be fulfilled both now and in the
future. We will see God. The last words we have for today are truly
consoling: “Remember, I am coming soon. ! Happy the man who heeds the
prophetic words of this book!” This is another of the many beatitudes we
hear in the Scriptures. The Book of Revelation has given us seven specific
beatitudes.

Our Psalm95 is a psalm of praise and confidence in God the creator and
redeemer. We join in the call of God: Let us greet him with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.” Arthur Weiser in his classic
commentary on the psalms encapsulates the meaning of this excellent morning
prayer psalm: “The profound meaning of the liturgical festival as an
encounter between God and his people finds its fulfillment in the fact that
the ancient tradition of the Heilsgeschicte (salvation history) regarding
creation, election, and the making of the covenant at Sinai is here renewed
as a present sacral event (cf. of the “today” in verse 7b), and that God’s
power and saving grace are here revealed before the eyes of his people, who
in their turn humble themselves in his presence, offering him their
humility and adoration, their gratitude and trust, their submission and
obedience.” (Weiser, The Psalms, Old Testament Library, p. 626). Amen.