A cry of half despair;
Look! at your side --
And see Who standeth there!
Your Father! Hush!
A heart beats in His breast
Now rise and rush
Within His arms — and rest.
~ Father Ryan ~
So tired! so tired!
A cry of half despair; Look! at your side -- And see Who standeth there! Your Father! Hush! A heart beats in His breast Now rise and rush Within His arms — and rest. ~ Father Ryan ~
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This is a continuation of another post on Charity that I posted back in December. It too is lengthy but very good. It is taken from a wonderful book titled, "The Illustrated Examples of the Commandments" Imprimatur 1897
Works of Mercy Charity towards our neighbor is exercised in relieving either his corporal or his spiritual need. Somebody may be very rich and live in abundance, and yet be in spiritual want. And another may be destitute and not possess a farthing, and yet help the soul of his neighbor. Whether we relieve the corporal or the spiritual need of a fellow-creature, we give an alms. Such a work is called a work of mercy. Therefore we distinguish corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Corporal Works of Mercy. The corporal works of mercy are: 1. To feed the hungry. 2. To give drink to the thirsty. 3. To clothe the naked. 4. To harbor the harborless. 5. To visit the sick. 6. To redeem the prisoners. 7. To bury the dead. 1. The unequal distribution of worldly goods shows that it is the will of God that those who are rich in possessions should assist those who have none, not by sharing their property with them, but by preserving them from want. God has, moreover, expressly enjoined this duty on us, and has promised a reward in heaven to those who fulfill it. To those on His right hand who have done works of mercy, He will say on the Day of Judgment : " Come, ye blessed of My Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave Me to drink : I was a stranger, and you took Me in: naked, and you covered Me ; sick, and you visited Me: I was in prison, and you came to Me" (St. Matt, xxv. 34-36). But to those on His left who did not feed the hungry nor give drink to the thirsty, the Lord will say on the last day : " Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels. And these shall go into everlasting punishment" (St. Matt. xxv. 41, 46). 2. By doing works of mercy we obtain not only spiritual graces and a reward in heaven, but even temporal blessings, as is shown in the story of Tobias, who by his almsdeeds earned the grace of having his eyesight restored to him and of receiving great riches besides. And the Angel Raphael declared to Tobias: "When thou didst pray with tears, and didst bury the dead, and didst leave thy dinner, and hide the dead by day in thy house, and bury them by night, I offered thy prayer to the Lord" (Tob. xii. 12). 3. In giving alms, the following principles ought to be followed : We may only give alms of our own legitimate property. Of strange property we may only give alms if the owner allows it, or if his permission can be taken for granted. Thus servants and children may only give alms out of the common family property as far as the master of the house expressly or tacitly permits. The mother of the family, however, has a right to give alms with moderation, even without asking leave. Servants may give away remains of food if they are sure that otherwise they would go to waste. In ordinary cases of want we are obliged to give alms at least of our abundance. When our neighbor is in great distress, we must give even that which is required to keep up our position in life, and must retrench upon our comforts. But when our neighbor is in extreme need we are bound to give all that is not absolutely necessary for our own maintenance. 4. The best alms are those for which we deprive ourselves—of our own food or some other necessary. He who gives of his superfluity does a good work, but he who gives what he needs himself does a better one. It was therefore a beautiful custom with our forefathers always to give alms on fast-days, for we are not to fast in order to save for ourselves, but in order to give to the poor what we have saved. The poor widow who cast two mites into the treasury cast in more than all the others, according to Our Lord's own words: " For she of her want cast in all the living that she had" (St. Luke xxi. 4). "Prayer is good with fasting and alms, more than to lay up treasures of gold: for alms delivered from death, and the same is that which purgeth away sins, and maketh to find mercy and life everlasting" (Tob. xii. 8, 9). There are two more rules which we must follow in giving alms. First, we must not be slow when our help is needed. Many a one might have helped, but he delayed too long, and, when he wanted to give at last, it was too late, and help was of no use. " He gives double who gives quickly." Secondly, when we give, it must be done cheerfully. "God loveth a cheerful giver" (2 Cor. ix. 7). We should follow the exhortation which Tobias gave to his son : " According to thy ability be merciful. If thou have much, give abundantly : if thou have little, take care even so to bestow willingly a little" (Tob. iv. 8, 9). Lastly, the best way of giving alms is by adding a spiritual work of mercy to a corporal one. When we open our hand the poor man's heart goes out to us, and a loving exhortation finds a willing ear. Application. 1. How consoling is the thought that when we give we are not only none the poorer for it, but our possession will be increased by that hundredfold reward which Our Saviour will bestow on us some day in the dwellings of His heavenly Father. What we give to the poor will be kept for us in the great treasury from which we shall draw in the Day of Judgment. " He that hath mercy on the poor lendeth to the Lord: and He will repay him" (Prov. xix. 17). 2. By giving alms we gain the intercession of the poor, for it is written : " Shut up alms in the heart of the poor, and it shall obtain help for thee against all evil" (Ecclus. xxix. 15). When, therefore, we are in any trouble we must not only turn to God in our prayers, but give alms, and God will be merciful to us as we have been merciful to His poor. " Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (St. Matt. v. 7). 3. "Almsgiving does not make poor," says the Proverb. He who provides for the poor provides for himself. " He that giveth to the poor shall not want: he that despiseth his entreaty shall suffer indigence" (Prov. xxviii. 27). Examples. The beautiful examples of practical charity which we have quoted from Holy Scriptures (p. 55) are as many examples of the exercise of mercy. The lives of the saints abound in instances of the noblest generosity. St. Louis, king of France, always fed a hundred and twenty poor at his table, wherever he might be. St. Bernard deprived himself every day of a part of the food which was put before him, and often suffered hunger for several days, in order to be able to provide for the poor. St. Elizabeth, Landgravine of Thuringia, spun, knitted, sewed for the poor and made garments for them with her own hands. St. Basil knew no other use to make of the lands which the emperor had given him but to sell them and build a hospital with the money. Deo Gratias, the holy bishop of Carthage, not only gave away all he possessed, but also sold the gold and silver vessels of his church in order to redeem the captives which Genseric, king of the Vandals, had carried off to Africa. The holy Pope Gregory could not be dissuaded from visiting the sick at the time of the plague, and taking the sacraments to them in person. Spiritual Works of Mercy. In the same way as we speak of seven corporal works of mercy, we count seven spiritual works of mercy: 1. To instruct the ignorant. 2. To admonish sinners. 3. To counsel the doubtful. 4. To comfort the afflicted. 5. To bear wrongs patiently. 6. To forgive injuries. 7. To pray for the living and the dead. 1. It is our duty to instruct the ignorant if by our instruction we can confirm them in their faith, or convert them from heresy by helping them to the knowledge of the truth, or if we can prevent sin or evil. 2. We are bound to admonish the sinner when the sin is a grievous one, and especially when the erring person is under our charge, as, for instance, children, servants, journeymen, apprentices, laborers, etc. On the other hand, we are not obliged to reprove them if this duty is very difficult and we cannot expect any result from it, provided that our office and position do not make it incumbent on us. But all admonitions must be administered with charity, in the spirit of humility, and in the consciousness of our own sinfulness, without any asperity. Such admonition is called fraternal correction. 3. Counselling the doubtful is a duty for us when we know for certain or have reason to assume that the advice we can give is really good. But even good advice must not be forced on any one, but ought to be given with kindness and benevolence. 4. When an injury is done unto us and we sustain some loss thereby, or our honor and good name are attainted, we may seek for reparation and redress even by going to law, but we must not withhold our interior forgiveness. 5. Prayer for others is the perfection and completion of all works of mercy, because we implore the divine assistance for those whom we cannot help ourselves. Examples. St. John the Baptist rebuked Herod severely for having his brother's wife, although he could foresee that his boldness would cost him his liberty (St. Mark vi. 18). Our Saviour Himself deigned to show us how we are to instruct the ignorant by His discourse with the Samaritan woman, whom He treated with so much kindness, although she was by no means a virtuous person (St. John iv.). The ancient counselors of Roboam, who had stood by his father when he was still alive, gave this salutary advice to the king: "If thou please this people, and soothe them with kind words, they will be thy servants forever." If Roboam had followed this warning, the ten tribes would not have fallen away from him (2 Par. x.). How beautiful is the exhortation of St. Paul to the Thessalonians : " We beseech you, brethren, rebuke the unquiet, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient towards all men" (1 Thess. v. 14). When David was obliged to flee from Absalom, his unnatural son, a relation of Saul, called Semei, met him and cursed him, called him a man of blood and a man of Belial, and threw stones at him. Abisai, David's armor-bearer, wanted to go and cut off Semei's head, but David said: "Let him alone, that he may curse as the Lord has bidden him. Perhaps the Lord may look upon my affliction, and the Lord may render me good for the cursing of this day" (2 Kings xvi. n, 12). Pope Gregory VII. had the courage to make the Emperor Henry IV. do public penance in the courtyard of the Castle of Canossa for having transgressed both human and divine law. The holy priest John Baptist de la Salle founded a society for the purpose of instructing Christian youth, the Congregation of Christian Brothers. St. Anthony was consulted from far and near, and even the emperor and his sons wrote to him, and St. Anthony gave them salutary advice. St. Ambrose was a very powerful comforter. He raised up St. Monica, who was crushed by sorrow for the sinful life of her son. "It is not possible," he told her, "that the child of such tears should be lost." The early Christians, who were so cruelly persecuted by the heathens, prayed all the same in their religious assemblies for the Roman emperors. A holy priest in Alsace, in the neighborhood of New-Breisach, had the misfortune of incurring the anger of a wicked man. The latter fired a pistol at him one morning when he was returning from church, and wounded him mortally. The good priest not only forgave his murderer, but in the last moments before his death he appointed this man's children his heirs in order to save them from the misery which their father had brought upon them. St. Matilda, wife of the German Emperor Henry I., caused the holy sacrifice of the Mass to be offered every day for the repose of the soul of her deceased husband. An exact reprint of this wonderful book can be purchased here. The greater is our suffering and the less it is known to others, the more it makes Thee smile, O my God!
~ Soeur Therese - As soon as any affliction befalls you, say, "O God! how good you are to help me and enrich me for heaven; I should not like when death comes to be quite without some little merit to offer you."
~ St. Francis de Sales - The great characteristic of sanctity is love of suffering, as its peculiar seal is spiritual joy; one produces the other.
~ Pere de Ravignan ~ "The world is more dangerous when it flatters us than when it ill-treats us. We should be more careful of trusting it, when it invites us to love it, then when it admonishes us, and compels us to despise it.
They who follow the maxims of the world experience nothing but misery, and the flattering expectation of happiness is delusive and vain. Would you wish not to be an enemy of God? Do not be a friend of the world." ~ St. Augustine ~ Think often of eternity and remember that the humblest, the poorest, the most despised on earth will be the most glorified in Heaven.
~ St. John of the Cross ~ We have added a coloring picture of St. Hilary whose feast day is January 14th. You can find it here.
IN the Introit of the Mass of this day the Church exhorts us to a joyous adoration of Christ by the following words: Upon a high throne I saw a man sitting, whom a multitude of angels adore singing together: behold Him the name of whose empire is to eternity.
(Isai. vi.) Sing joyfully to God, all the earth: serve the Lord with gladness. (Ps. xcix. 2.) Glory be to the Father, &c. PRAYER OF THE CHURCH. Attend, O Lord, we beseech Thee, of thy heavenly mercy, to the desires of Thy suppliant people; and grant that they may both perceive what they ought to do, and may have strength to fulfil the same. Thro' our Lord. EPISTLE. (Romans xii. 1-5.) BRETHREN, I beseech you by the mercy of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing unto God, your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be reformed in the newness of your mind: that you may prove what is the good, and the acceptable, and the perfect will of God. For I say, by the grace that is given me, to all that are among you, not to be more wise than it behoveth to be wise, but to be wise unto sobriety: and according as God hath divided to every one the measure of faith. For as in one body we have many members, but all the members have not the same office: so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another in Christ Jesus our Lord. EXPLANATION. The apostle entreats, even conjures us by all the mercies we have received to bring to God a living sacrifice; namely, the mortification of our carnal desires, and the practice of every virtue, a holy, pure and immaculate sacrifice agreeable to God, intended for His glory alone; not a dead sacrifice as the Jews offered by killing animals, nor an unholy one as the Gentiles offered by polluting their bodies. This living, holy, God-pleasing sacrifice should be the offering of our body; but this does not exclude the sacrifice of our spirit, because all our actions, the corporal as well as spiritual, should be directed to God, the end for which we were created. The sacrifice of the spirit is made when we overcome pride, anger, impatience and by avoiding wilful distractions during prayer and divine worship. Like David we should have a contrite and humble heart to present to the Lord; this is a most pleasing sacrifice in His eyes, one which He will never despise. Thus we render a reasonable service, and are, as St. Peter says, (I. Peter II. 9.) a kingly priesthood, because we govern, like kings, our evil inclinations, and offer with body and soul a continual sacrifice to God. The apostle further exhorts us not to become like the world, that is, not to follow the corrupt manners and principles of the children of the world; not to desire those things at which the world aims; not to love that which the world loves; not to act as the world acts; but rather seek constantly to change our evil disposition, by combating our corrupt and evil inclinations and by practicing virtue instead. We must cease to be the old worldly man, and become a new heavenly man ; to be such, we must carefully seek to know in all things what is pleasing to God, and therefore perfect and good. This is the necessary science to which St. Paul alludes, when he says, that we should not wish to know more than is proper. All worldly arts and sciences will not help us to gain heaven, if we do not endeavor to learn thoroughly that which faith teaches, and what God demands. Even if we have made great progress in this holy science we should not presume to think more of ourselves than what we really are, nor violate charity by contempt of others less instructed, for God gives to every one, in some measure, the gift of faith. This gift of faith we should use in order to continually glorify the body of Christ, His Church, whose members we are, and enable us to lead such a life that others, being edified, may be brought into the true fold. ASPIRATION. Grant, O Jesus, that by mortification, humility, and contrition, I may offer my body and my soul as a living, holy, and pleasing sacrifice to Thee, and that I may never defile them by impurities. GOSPEL. (Luke II. 42-52.) AND when Jesus was twelve years old, they going up into Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast, and having fulfilled the days, when they returned, the child Jesus remained in Jerusalem; and his parents knew it not. And thinking that he was in the company, they came a day's journey, and sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And not finding him, they returned into Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his wisdom and his answers. And seeing him they wondered. And his mother said to him: Son, why hast thou done so to us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said to them: How is it that you sought me? did ye not know that I must be about my Father's business? And they understood not the word that he spoke unto them. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth; and was subject to them. And his mother kept all these words in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom, and age, and grace with God and men. Why did our Saviour go with His parents to Jerusalem to the temple? Because God commanded (Deut. xvi. 16.) that all the male Israelites should appear, three times a year on certain festivals, and offer sacrifice to Him in the temple; Jesus fulfilled this commandment to set us an example that we, according to the will of the holy Catholic Church, should willingly and devoutly be present at the services of the Church on Sundays and holydays of obligation. Neither the distance from the church nor the difficulties of the way should prevent our attendance, since Jesus did not shun a three days' journey to the temple. Why does the gospel say according to the Custom of the feast? That we may understand, that like Mary and Joseph, we should be punctual in observing the ecclesiastical festivals and holy usages, and like true Catholics should observe them. Parents should require their children at an early age to take part in prayer, attend church and school, and see that they conduct themselves quietly and reverently while there. Mary and Joseph took the holy Child Jesus with them to the temple. Why did the child Jesus remain in Jerusalem? Because of His love of prayer and communion with His Heavenly Father, and to show, even then, some rays of His divinity, by which to make known that He had come for the glory of His Father, and to procure our salvation. The glory of God and the salvation of our souls should be our chief object in life. Why did Mary and Joseph search so diligently for Jesus? Because they were fearful lest they should lose Him whom they loved so exceedingly. We should learn from this, how careful we should be not to lose Jesus by sin, or having lost Him, how anxiously we should seek by penance to find Him. The parents of Jesus by their diligent search and inquiries for the divine Infant teach and rebuke those parents who care less for the Christian education of their children than for their temporal advantages, who pay no attention to the persons with whom their children associate, nor to the places which they frequent, whether they learn things that are useful to them, and who for the sake of some temporal advantage permit their children sinful intimacy with evil-minded persons. From these parents God will one day demand the souls of their children with severest justice. Why was our Saviour found in the temple in the midst of the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions? To teach us that we ought to seek the knowledge necessary for our salvation, and attend carefully to the sermons and instructions on Christian doctrine; we should by no means be ashamed to ask questions of our pastors, when we are in doubt, and should listen to their answers. Was Christ, the Eternal Wisdom, ashamed to ask questions and to answer? Why should we ignorant people hesitate? It is much to be regretted that persons who have many important things concerning their spiritual welfare on their minds, through pride and false shame, would rather go to perdition than ask advice, solely for fear of showing their ignorance. Why did Mary say: Son, why hast thou done so to us? These words were forced from her by pain at the absence of her Son, whom she loved above all things, and not by indignation, for He was blameless. Mary's conduct should teach parents to remember their duty of caring for their children, and punish them when they do wrong. INSTRUCTION ON THE VIRTUE OF OBEDIENCE. He was subject to them. (Luke II. 51.) From this all Christians should learn to be obedient to the commandments -of God and of the Church. God has united life or death, blessing or malediction with obedience or disobedience to His commandments, and the Bible (I. Kings xv. 22.) shows that obedience pleases God more than sacrifices or the fat of rams, and that He despises disobedience as He does witchcraft and idolatry. We must be obedient to the Church, because Christ Himself with His holy Spirit lives in her, and governs her, and has said: Who hears not the Church, let him be to thee a heathen and a publican, therefore, shut out from eternal life. We must be obedient to our parents, because they, are placed over us by God, and we are indebted to them, under Him, for life and many benefits. Those children who do not assist their parents, when they are old, poor, and helpless, or are ashamed of them, have reason to be afraid, since even Christ Jesus, the God-Man, was obedient and subject in all things to His poor mother, and to a humble mechanic who was only His foster-father. Cursed be he that honoureth not his father and mother; (Deut. xxvii. 1 6.) how much more cursed those who despise, deride and abandon their parents? Their eyes will one day be picked out by ravens. (Prov. xxx. 17.) If God commanded obstinate and disobedient children to be stoned, (Deut. xxi. 20.) what do those not deserve who even strike or abuse their parents? How did Jesus advance in age, wisdom, and grace? He showed new effects of the wisdom and grace with which He was filled, as He advanced in years, and thus teaches us to progress the more in virtue, and fulfill the duties of our state in life that we may attain perfection hereafter. ASPIRATION. Most .amiable Jesus! who in the twelfth year of Thy age, didst permit Thyself to be found in the temple by Thy parents, and, as an example for us, wast humbly obedient to them, grant that we may diligently attend to the important affair of our salvation, willingly carry the yoke of Thy law from our youth, and be always obedient to the laws of Thy Church, to our parents, and superiors. Prevent uneducated youth from growing reckless, and preserve them from a scandalous life. Give parents wisdom and grace to educate their children according to Thy will in all virtue. Grant to us all, that we may never lose Thee by sin, or if we have lost Thee, anxiously to seek Thee, happily find Thee, and with Thy grace more and more increase in wisdom and in virtue. Amen. TRUE PIETY. They found Him in the temple. (Luke II. 46) Many people deceive themselves in regard to true piety, because their imagination represents it to them according to the effect produced by their passions or disposition of mind. He who fasts often and willingly believes that he is pious, though in his heart he nourishes a secret hatred, and while he fears to wet the tip of his tongue with wine, even with water, lest he should not live temperately enough, finds pleasure in detraction and slander, that unquenchable thirst for the blood of his neighbor. Another, because he is accustomed daily to recite a long string of prayers, esteems himself pious, though he gives vent afterwards to haughty, bitter, offensive language, hurting people at home and abroad. Another keeps his purse open for the poor, but keeps his heart ever closed to the love of his enemy, whom he will not forgive; another forgives his enemy with all his heart, but will not pay his creditors, until forced by law. All these think themselves pious, and are perhaps so regarded by the world, but in truth they are far from being pious. In what then does true piety consist? In the perfect love of God. This love is called the beautiful love, because it is the ornament of the soul, and attracts to itself with complacency the eyes of the Divine Majesty. When it strengthens us to do good, it is called the strong love; when it causes us to do that good quickly, carefully, and repeatedly, it is called piety. The ostrich has wings, it is true, but never uses them to fly; the chickens fly heavily and not high; but the eagles, the doves, and the swallows, fly high and swiftly, and do not easily tire. The sinners are but earthly people, they creep upon the ground; the just, who are still imperfect, rise, it is true, towards heaven but seldom, and then but slowly and heavily. But there are some, true, pious souls, who like the doves and the eagles soar high on strong, swift wings to God. In a word, piety is nothing else than a certain active, swift energy of the spirit, with which the strong love in us, or we with it, performs, as far as it is possible to us, all good. As the strong love urges us to keep God's commandments, the perfect love, that is, piety, urges us to keep them carefully and with all possible zeal. No one is just or pious who does not keep all God's commandments without exception ; for, to be just we must possess the strong love, and to be pious we must possess besides, a certain eagerness to profit by all the occasions of doing good, that present themselves. Thus St. Francis de Sales writes in his Philothea, from which it is seen that true piety consists not in special devotions, or the practice of special good works, but in the zealous, earnest, continuous obedience to the commandments and performance of duty for the love of God. We have added to our Catholic Reading menu two Chapter books for children. Each Wednesday we will add a new chapter to each of the books, "Jesus of Nazareth, The Story of His Life Simply Told," and "Little Therese." We will have downloadable files for each chapter should you wish to print them out and and coloring pictures if we can find corresponding ones. They are both very good read-aloud books for story time in the home.
Every sorrow which separates us from this world brings us nearer to God.
~ Mgr. Henry Bolo ~ JANUARY ELEVENTH
Thorns give forth balm, and the Cross sweetness, but we must squeeze the thorns and press the Cross to our hearts to make them distil the fragrance which is within them. ~Cure d'Ars~ JANUARY TENTH
Help me, oh, my God, and I will not fear how much soever I may be oppressed. ~Imitation~ We have given our site a new look and have hopefully made it easier to navigate. Thanks to my wonderful friend CeAnne at Sanctus Simplicitus for helping me get it organized. We have some new things planned to add to the site. Rare Catholic Chapter books for Children as well as many more coloring pages and worksheets to add to our Homeschool tab. Our newest issue of our Gazette for February is set to come out in mid-January. It will be a little bigger issue because we didn't make one for January. So stay awhile and take a look around the site. We hope you enjoy what you find.
JANUARY NINTH
As the ring is the sign of marriage so is adversity, both corporal and spiritual, patiently borne for the love of God a most true pledge of Divine election and is like the marriage of the soul with God. ~ St. Gertrude ~ JANUARY EIGHTH
Do not forecast or alarm yourself. Not half the things you look for will ever come to pass and the other half will be light to bear and God will bear both you and your crosses together. ~ Cardinal Manning ~ JANUARY SEVENTH
Jesus is the one Friend who alone remains with us when all else forsakes us. ~ Pere Lacordaire, O.P. ~ To those of you who are on facebook, we've set up a new page. You can find us here.
DECEMBER SIXTH
How can I be mistrustful or even anxious? My lots are in Thy Hands. ~ Mother M. Loyola ~ Like so many of our family customs, the celebration of the King's Feast, or Epiphany, began when our children were toddlers. They put their shoes outside the door for gifts from the Kings, and a few almond cookies with a small toy were all they received. In their visit the Wise Men left a tiny gold paper crown on each Christ-Child figure, and raised the family manger to a throne draped in red and gold fabric. At the Nativity scene they left figures of the Magi and their retinue. I used to make paper crowns of gold so each of our children could be a King. Then, using bright pieces of fabric, I would hem both ends and draw a contrasting ribbon through one. This gathered the fabric into a cape for the King. The children chose their names - Caspar, Baltassar or Melchior. Their day was spent journeying to Bethlehem on rocking horse or tiny saw-horse camels. At supper we served a simple cake with white frosting topped by a crown of gumdrops. (Recipe can be found at the end of this post) Three pieces of the cake were given away in honor of the Wise Men. It was always a job to keep the crown from losing its "jewels" before it was served. After supper each child was tossed to the ceiling three times, in honor of each of the Magi; then the ritual began. (Our children have grown since we started these customs so their is no more throwing them to the ceiling but the rest of the customs still remain for a few more years anyway. We only have two that now are young enough to want to pretend to be the kings:( ) With the three Kings in procession we blessed the house with holy water and marked the doors with blessed chalk. We put 19 + C + M + B + 96 using the initials of the Magi and the year, so that our coming and going would be in search of the Truth. Although our ceremony was small, the children had fulfilled its chief purpose - to honor Christ as King. Epiphany means the revelation of the Messiah's coming to the Gentiles whom the Magi represent. It is one of the five days of the year called "a day most holy" in the Canon of the Mass. In Spain, Portugal, Central and South America, the feast is kept with almost as much solemnity as Christmas. On this night our family gathers around the crib with lighted candles and recites or sings: ALL: A Child is born in Bethlehem, alleluia! Full joyous sings Jerusalem, alleluia, alleluia. From Orient, behold the star, alleluia, And holy kings come from afar, alleluia, alleluia. The father reads the Gospel for the Feast of the Epiphany, St. Matthew 2: 1-12. WHEN Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Juda, in the days of king Herod, behold there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem, saying: Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the East, and are come to adore him. And king Herod hearing this, was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And assembling together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he enquired of them where Christ should be born. But they said to him: In Bethlehem of Juda; for so it is written by the prophet: "And thou, Bethlehem, the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda, for out of thee shall come forth the ruler that shall rule my people Israel." Then Herod, privately calling the wise men, learned diligently of them the time of the star which appeared to them; and sending them into Bethlehem, said: Go and diligently enquire after the child, and when you have found him, bring me word again, that I also may come and adore him. Who having heard the king, went their way; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, until it came and stood over where the child was. And seeing the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And entering into the house, they found the child with Mary his mother, and falling down they adored him. And opening their treasures, they offered him gifts ; gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having received an answer in sleep that they should not return to Herod, they went back another way into their own country. ALL: From the East came the magi to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their treasures, they offered costly gifts: gold to the Great King, incense to the True God, and myrrh in symbol of His burial, alleluia! While the father sprinkles the rooms of the house with holy water, the mother and children recite the canticle of the Blessed Mary, the Magnificat : FATHER: My soul magnifies the Lord, ALL: and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid, for behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed, Because He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His Name; And His mercy is from generation to generation toward those who fear Him. He has shown might with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He has put down the might from their thrones and has exalted the lowly. The hungry He has filled with good things and the rich He has sent empty away. He has given help to Israel His servant, mindful of His mercy As He promised our fathers - toward Abraham and his descendants forever. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Then follows these prayers: ALL: From the East came the magi to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their treasures, they offered costly gifts: gold to the Great King, incense to the True God, and myrrh in symbol of His burial, alleluia! FATHER; Many shall come from Saba. ALL: Bearing gold and incense. FATHER: O Lord, hear my prayer. ALL: And let my cry come onto Thee. FATHER: Let us pray. O God, who by the guidance of a star didst this day reveal Thy Only-Begotten Son to the Gentiles, grant that we who know Thee by faith may be brought to the contemplation of the heavenly majesty. Through the same Jesus Christ. ALL: Amen. ALL: Be enlightened and shine forth, O Jerusalem, for thy light is come and uon thee is risen the glory of the Lord, Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary. FATHER: Nations shall walk in thy light, and kings in the brilliance of thy rising. ALL: And the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. FATHER: Let us pray. O Lord, Almighty God, bless this house that it may become a shelter of health, chastity, self-conquest, humility, goodness, mildness, obedience to the Commandments, and thanksgiving to God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Upon this house and those who dwell herein may Thy blessing remain forever. Through Christ our Lord. ALL: Amen. The blessing of the chalk: FATHER: Let us pray: O Lord God, bless this chalk to make helpful o man. Grant that we who use it with faith and inscribe with it the names of thy saints Caspar, Melchior, and Baltassar upon the entrance of our homes, may through their merits and petition enjoy physical health and spiritual protection. Through Christ our Lord. ALL: Amen. The father then writes the initials of the names of the Magi separated by crosses and the year above the door in this manner: 20 + C + M + B + (year) In conclusion the following hymn is sung or prayed: The star of Jacob leadeth them, alleluia! From Saba to blest Bethlehem, alleluia, alleluia! God, myrrh, and incense pure they bring, alleluia! To Mary's Child, God, Man and King, alleluia, alleluia! Now sing: We Three Kings of Orient Are This home service may also be used the evening before Epiphany or any day during the Octave. TWELFTH NIGHT CAKE 1 cup shortening 1/2 tsp. salt 2 2/3 cups sugar 1 1/2 cups milk 5 1/2 cups of flour 2 tsp. vanilla 5 tsp. baking powder 6 beaten egg whites Cream shortening and sugar. Add milk alternately with sifted dry ingredients. Fold in beaten egg whites. Add vanilla. Bake in three 9 inch greased layer tins in a moderate oven (375) for about 30 minutes. Frost and top the cake with a crown of gumdrops. Most of the Advent and Christmas traditions that we as a family do came from a book titled, "Advent and Christmas in a Catholic Home," by Helen McLoughlin A printable version of these prayers can be downloaded here:
THE EPIPHANY FOR CHILDREN IN a hospital in Germany there were many poor sick people. Some of them could move about, but were not well enough to be discharged. A crib was set up for them, but visitors were allowed to come and pray by the little manger too. The crib took up all one side of a large room, and was very pretty, but rather puzzling, and I will tell you why. There were three parts to the exhibition. One scene represented the manger with the ox and an ass, with Our Blessed Lady and St. Joseph, and the dear little holy Child. The three Kings were there Melchior, Caspar, and Balthasar. There was nothing puzzling about them. But in another part of the scene Our Lord was grown up, and was represented standing in a brook of running water; near Him was St. John the Baptist in the act of baptizing, and over the Divine head hovered a spotless dove. In yet another scene was a marriage supper; guests were sitting at table, and waiters were on the watch. The six stone water-pots showed it to be Cana of Galilee, but what had Cana to do with Christmas and the Epiphany? I will tell you what. Epiphany means manifestation, and manifestation means showing forth. Now, there were three special times when Our Lord showed Himself forth. The first time at the Epiphany to the Wise Men from the East, whom He brought to His feet by means of the bright star. The second time was at the Baptism, when Jesus stood in the river, and the Holy Ghost, in the figure of a dove, and the Eternal Father by a voice from Heaven proclaimed Him to be His Beloved Son. And the third time was at the marriage feast of Cana, when, to please His most holy Mother, Our Lord Jesus performed His first miracle, even though the real time for miracles had not come. These are the three Epiphanies, three manifestations that the Church keeps today January 6th. But we usually think of Kings only, don't we? and their grand coming: Melchior with his gold : "Born a King on Bethlehem s plain, Gold I bring to crown Him again; King for ever, ceasing never, Over us all to reign." Caspar with his fragrant incense: "Frankincense to offer have I, Incense owes a deity nigh; Prayer and praising, all men raising, Worship Him, God most high." Balthasar with his bitter her : "Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume Breathes a life of gathering gloom Sorrow, sighing, bleeding, dying, Sealed in the stone-cold tomb." Did we bring our offering to Our Lord with the shepherds on Christmas Day? Had we saved up pennies to give to His poor, or to His Church, or to His Vicar on earth? If not, might we not try to bring Him something with the Kings? Ashamed, are we, because their gifts were costly and ours are not ? Oh no ! We have not gold, perhaps, nor costly gums, nor soothing myrrh. But these gifts were symbols, too, and we can have the gold of charity paid out in word and deed and thought; the incense of prayer, burning sweetly in aspirations and loving words to Our Lord; the myrrh of self-denial, little things suffered joyfully for His sake. Such are rich gifts in our little Master s eyes. "Glorious now behold Him arise, King and glory and sacrifice; Alleluia, Alleluia! Earth to the heavens replies." Saints and Festivals for Young People, Imprimatur 1913 A printable version of this post can be downloaded here.
INSTRUCTION ON THE VIGIL OF EPIPHANY
[The Introit, the Prayer of the Church, and the Epistle, are the same as on the Sunday after Christmas.] GOSPEL. (Matt. ii. 19 25.) AT that time: when Herod was dead, behold an Angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph in Egypt, saying: Arise, and take the child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead that sought the life of the child. Who arose, and took the child and his mother, and came into the Land of Israel. But hearing that Archelaus reigned in Judea in the room of Herod his father, he was afraid to go thither: and being warned in sleep, retired into the quarters of Galilee. And coming he dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was said by the prophets: that he shall be called a Nazarite. INSTRUCTION. In this we see how wonderfully God deals with His own. He indeed permits them to be persecuted and oppressed, but never to be suppressed, and from time to time He gives them many consolations. Jesus was forced to flee into Egypt to escape the persecution of Herod, because God did not wish to save Him by an evident miracle, but in an ordinary manner. He lived in poverty in Egypt, but for no longer time than God willed, who having confounded His enemies, and taken them out of His way, called Him back, and He passed His youth in peace and quietness. The dispensations of God the Father in regard to His Son, and the care He had for Him, should be a consolation for the just; they must be happy if God deals with them as He did with His Son; they will certainly, like Christ, be made to suffer no more than God permits, and their sufferings will be ever accompanied by consolations. St. Joseph avoided the land of Judea, because he feared since Archelaus succeeded Herod in the government, he might also imitate him in his cruelty. A Nazarite means, a low person, a despised person. Jesus was so called, because He grew up at Nazareth, and spent the greater part of His life in that city, which was held in such contempt by the Jews that they could not believe, any thing good could come out of Nazareth. (John x. 46) A coloring picture for "The Flight into Egypt" can be found here. JANUARY FIFTH
Do not fear the Cross. . . . Without it you cannot find Christ. With it you will find the help and consolation of His open Heart. Without Christ the cross is hard, dead, crushing wood. With Christ the Cross is strong as God, sweet as love, tender as a tear. ~Father Kane, S.J.~ TWELFTH DAY, EPIPHANY
In Staffordshire, fires were lighted on this day "in memory of the blazing star that conducted the three magi to the manger in Bethlehem." In Irish homes there was the same insistence on light. In a sieve of oats, surrounded by twelve burning candles, a single large candle was lighted. But generally speaking, all the festivities of the day were based on the idea of kingship and bent on honoring the three kings, so that lots were drawn to determine who should be the king for the day. Here was one way of marking the day. An Epiphany cake was made, traditionally of flour, honey, pepper and ginger, and a halfpenny put in it. When it was baked it was cut into as many pieces as there were members of the family, while portions were also assigned to our Lord, to Mary and to the three Magi. These were given to strangers, preferably to people in need. Whoever found the halfpenny in his piece of cake was saluted as king, placed in a chair of honor, and three times raised up to the ceiling, on which with his right hand he drew a cross. A carol was sung and the king ruled the party that followed. An Epiphany party might easily become a feature of this day in any Catholic youth club or school or family. After a brief re-telling of the story of the Wise Men, those arranging the party could follow the custom of having in the cake three beans, each of which will represent a king. On their being chosen, the three kings rule the party, which should end with a carol-singing procession and the giving away to someone in need of some food which had been held back for this purpose. "A Candle is Lighted" - Imprimatur 1943 We finally have fixed our uploading issue. Yeah!!! We have added a couple new coloring pages to the site. St. Genevieve and a Soldier of Christ Shield. You can find them here.
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Holy Mother Church
dedicates the month of March to Saint Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church COPYRIGHT
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