HOLY INNOCENTS

Right after Christmas we celebrate the feast of the HOLY INNOCENTS.

This week we celebrate a little earlier as the children from last week's massacre are laid to rest. This morning in the news was another story, almost too unbearable to read due to its touching nature showing us  the kindness of humanity when suffering is beyond our ability to understand.

A heart-breaking guard of honor for their little comrade as firemen lined the funeral of seven-year-old Daniel Barden who dreamed of joining their ranks - but whose life was cut short at Sandy Hook.
Daniel  had one hope when he grew up:  to be a firefighter like his uncles.
But while the youngster's future was tragically cut short when he became one of  the 26 victims in the Sandy Hook massacre on Friday, his dreams have not been forgotten.


In a heart-wrenching display of kindness and remembrance on Wednesday morning, firefighters from as far as New York City attended the young boy's funeral in Newtown to pay their respects.
As Daniel's parents, brother and sister arrived at St. Rose of Lima Church  the firefighters somberly formed an honor guard along the road, silently offering support to the heartbroken family.

The child's funeral is the latest in the long, almost unbearable string of services for the innocent victims of the killings.

His  father said: 'Our son had so much love to give to this world, and he was supposed to have a whole lifetime of bringing that light to the world. All of us have suffered a loss because that won't be realized.'

May Christ who is the LIGHT of the World bring some comfort and peace to these families at this time when we should all be celebrating not mourning.  But as Christians we know that His Coming into our world was to be followed by  His death and Resurrection.

December 19 O ROOT OF JESSE

Sr. Ansgar  Holmberg, CSJ

O RADIX JESSE: “O Root of Jesse, you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples; kings stand silent in your presence; the nations bow down in worship before you. Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid.”

The image of the Root of Jesse comes from Isaiah (11:1) where he says, “And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of His root".  “And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him: the spirit of wisdom, and of understanding, the spirit of counsel, and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge, and of godliness. And He shall be filled with the spirit of the fear of the Lord.” (Is 11:2-3).

Isaiah goes on to say, “On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of Him.” The Root of Jesse is given, not only to Israel, but as a signal to the nations, a standard around which all peoples will rally. In fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, Jesus says of himself, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself” (Jn 12:32). Today’s O Antiphon opens onto the paschal mystery: the Root of Jesse announces that the advent of the Son is ordered to the mission of redemption that He will accomplish on the Tree of the Cross.

Our journey to redemption continues as David, the Root of Jesse, becomes the ideal king the root from whom Jesus will spring.  Christ is the root of Jesse in a two-fold sense: he is the descendant of David, who was the youngest son of Jesse, and He inherited the royal throne.  The angel foretold to Mary, "The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father.  He will rule over the house of Jacob forever and his reign will be without end" (Luke 1:32-33).

18 December, O ADONAI

Nicholas Froment

"O ADONAI, and Leader of the house of Israel, Who didst appear to Moses in the flame of the burning bush, and didst give unto him the Law on Sinai: come and with an outstretched arm redeem us."

Today we have the most Jewish of the O Antiphons: ADONAI, Moses, and Sinai - the Lord God, the man of God, and the mountain of God are named in a single brief prayer. "Adonai" is Hebrew for "my Lord", and was used by devout Jews for the name "Yahweh", out of reverence. With this second antiphon we progress from creation to the familiar story of God manifesting himself by name to Moses and giving his law to Israel as their way of life. We are also reminded of the Israelites' deliverance from bondage under pharaoh, a foreshadowing of our own redemption.

N.B. The scene to the left is the central panel of a triptych painted by Nicolas Froment in 1476. It depicts Moses awestruck before the Burning Bush and the appearance of the Angel of the Lord. The Burning Bush,  here a rose bush all ablaze with radiating flames, surrounds the Virgin Mother holding her Divine Son. The Child Christ holds a mirror in his hand in which both of them are reflected.

For early Christians this bush, full of the fire of God’s presence, yet still itself and unconsumed, was a sign of the Lord Christ who would come, who would be fully God and yet also fully human.

"God’s relationship with the Hebrews as his Chosen People was first manifested with his choice of Moses to lead the Children of Abraham out of slavery and to a promised land. Their choseness was not for privilege but as the vehicle through which the world might be reconciled to Him." Bishop Kevin Farrell, Dallas

Sr. Ansgar Holmberg, CSJ

O WISDOM

J. Lagerquest/A. O'Connell

December 17

Tonight at Vespers we sing the first Great "O", O SAPIENTIA (O Wisdom).

The seven "O Antiphons"  are prayers that come from Vespers during the Octave before Christmas Eve, a time which is called the "Golden Nights." It is believed they were sung as far back as the 5th C. in France.

Each Antiphon begins with "O" and addresses Jesus with a unique title which comes from the prophecies of Isaiah and Micah, and whose initials, when read backwards, form an acrostic for the Latin "Ero Cras" which means "Tomorrow I come."

The Great “O"s not only bring intensity to our Advent preparation, but bring it to a joyful conclusion.  As we daily sing these ancient antiphons, you shall all be included in our song!

Sr. Ansgar Holmberg, CSJ

“O Wisdom coming forth from the mouth of the Most High God, Your Lordship is over all that is, stretching from the beginning to the end, You who order all things with might and with sweetness, come teach us the path of prudence. Make known to us Your ways."


 Like many Old Testament words, wisdom (in Hebrew hokma, in Greek sophia, in Latin sapientia) has a much broader meaning than our English word implies. Wisdom more than simple knowledge,  is the fullness of relationship with God. To be wise is to align our body, mind and spirit with the designs of God. It is to live in balance (a favorite concept of St. Benedict) and to possess equilibrium in our lives and to experience beauty in this world.
"All wisdom comes from the Lord and with Him it remains forever" (Sirach 1:1)

As we prepare in these last days for His coming, we need to pause and reflect and pray: O come, thou Wisdom from on high!

SIMBANG GABI- OTHER CUSTOMS

Seattle Archbishop Peter Sartin leads the service

I know nothing of this devotion except that a Mass is celebrated by our Archbishop, Peter Sartin, in the Cathedral of  St. James in Seattle, today Dec. 16th. One of our new Oblates will attend the Mass. We have many people of Philippine descent in our Pacific Northwest. They are some of our most respected and respectful Catholics. 

SIMBANG GABI is a devotional nine-day series of Masses practised by Roman Catholics and Aglipayans in the Philippines in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary in anticipation of Christmas. Simbáng Gabi, which translates to Night Mass, is held from December 16 to December 24 and is usually done as early as 4 or 5 o' clock in the morning. On the last day of the Simbang Gabi, which is Christmas Eve, it is called Misa de Gallo, which literally translates to "Rooster's Mass".

St. James Cathedral, Seattle

In the early days of colonization when the Christmas season would begin it was customary to hold novenas in the evenings. The priests saw that the people despite fatigue wanted to attend. As a compromise, the clergy began to hold Mass in the early dawn when the land would still be dark before the natives went out to toil in the fields again. The custom spread and it evolved into a distinctly Philippine tradition to attend Mass at a rather early time. This cherished Christmas custom eventually became a distinct feature of Philippine culture and is a symbol of sharing.

During the Spanish and early American periods the parishioners would mostly have nothing to offer at the Mass except sacks of rice, fruits and vegetables and fresh eggs. These were graciously accepted by the priests, who besides keeping a portion for themselves, would share the produce with the rest of the parishioners after the service.

The rice-based foods were traditionally served to fill the stomachs of the farmers and since rice is a cheap and primary staple. The pastries were full of carbohydrates needed for the back-breaking forced work in the rice paddies and azucareras that the natives suffered under the colonisers.

Even today, local delicacies are readily available in the church's premises for the parishioners.

St. James Cathedral

St. James Cathedral

BIRDS and REJOICING

December 15 is the day for the CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT in our area of the country. This count, which takes place all over North America and into Central & South America, is over 112 years old, yet many have not heard about it. Around the turn of the 20th C. scientists and bird watchers were becoming concerned about declining bird populations due to the winter tradition known as the Christmas "Side Hunt". People would choose sides and go afield with their guns. Whichever side brought in the biggest pile of birds won.

Christmas Day 1900, ornithologist Frank Chapman, of the Audubon Society, proposed a new holiday tradition: A "Christmas Bird Census" that would count birds in the holidays rather than hunt them. Today, there are tens of thousands volunteering for the count and over 57 million birds sited in the US alone ( 646 species).

 For the past 10 years, I have taken my 4-H birding club to scour the island for water birds, small brown birds hiding in the thickets, raptors high above us, and everything in between. 

Canada Geese- very common

Snowy owls- rare, but seen recently

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The next day, Dec. 16th we celebrate the third Sunday of Advent. Certain Sundays throughout the liturgical year have taken their names from the first word in Latin of the Introit, the entrance antiphon at Mass. GAUDETE (REJOICE) SUNDAY is one of these.

On Gaudete Sunday, having passed the midpoint of Advent, the Church lightens the mood a little, and the priest wears rose vestments rather than purple. The third candle of the Advent wreath is also rose-colored. The change in color provides us with encouragement to continue our spiritual preparation for Christmas.


While the Introit, "Rejoice in the Lord always" gives us the theme for this day, the Epistle again incites us to rejoicing, and bids us prepare to meet the coming Savior with prayers and supplication and thanksgiving. The Gospel however, in the words of St. John Baptist, warns us that the Lamb of God is even now in our midst, though we appear to know Him not.

The spirit of the Office and Liturgy all through Advent is one of expectation and preparation for the Christmas feast as well as for the second coming of Christ, and the penitential exercises suitable to that spirit are thus on Gaudete Sunday suspended for a short while to encourage us and  to symbolize that joy and gladness in the Promised Savior, should never be absent from our hearts.
In the words of our Holy Father Benedict XVI:  In this season of Advent let us reinforce our conviction that the Lord has come among us and ceaselessly renews His comforting, loving and joyful presence.

In this command ordering us to rejoice we are reminded of the JOY that is to come and not to loose HOPE.

SANTA LUCIA

Francisco del Cassa

One of our favorite feasts in Advent is Santa Lucia's Day (St. Lucy ) the 13th of December. Its modern day celebration is generally associated with Scandinavia, where she is one of the few saints observed. The feast is also observed in other countries such as Italy, Estonia, Hungary,  Bosnia, Croatia, Slovakia, Germany, and Spain.
 
St. Lucy was a young Sicilian girl who vowed to live as a virgin in devotion to Christ. Her mother, however, arranged a marriage for her to a pagan suitor. To dissuade her mother by proof of a miracle, Lucy prayed at the tomb of St. Agatha that her mother's hemorrhage would stop. When the miracle happened, her mother agreed to stop the marriage.

Stephen Whatley, British

St. Lucy's suitor, however, had other plans, and revealed Lucy as a Christian. Authorities went to collect her, planning on forcing her into prostitution, but they were unable to budge her, even after tying her to a team of oxen. She was then tortured by having her eyes torn out. They planned on torturing her by fire, too, but the fires kept going out. She was then killed by being stabbed in the throat with a dagger.

Her feast is tied in with the celebration of light and winter, as her name means light and her feast day originally coincided with the winter solstice, which marked the shortest day of the year.

Some of the loveliest St. Lucy's Day customs are Swedish: the oldest daughter of a family will wake up before dawn on St. Lucy's Day and dress in a white gown for purity, often with a red sash as a sign of martyrdom. On her head she will wear a wreath of greenery and lit candles. "St. Lucy" will go around her house and wake up her family to serve them special St. Lucy Day foods, such as St. Lucy bun, a rich yeast-leavened sweet bun that is flavoured with saffron and cinnamon or nutmeg and contains currants.

Sharon Furner

In the United States it is celebrated with cookies on the mantel in states where there is a large number of people of Scandinavian ancestry, often centered around church events, such as Ballard, near Seattle.

One of the best customs I have read regarding this saint of light comes from Croatia. It is the custom to plant the Christmas wheat on the feast of St. Lucy.  By Christmas Eve the fresh shoots of wheat should be about 8 inches of a soft green. The wheat is then placed next to the manger or crib scene as a gift to Jesus and a reminder to us of the Eucharist which feeds our souls and also as the staff of life which nourishes all of mankind.

St. Lucia is the patron saint of the city of Syracuse in Sicily, where she was born and patroness of those with eye problems, often being depicted carrying her eyes.

James Ressell May, Kentucky