There’s a 15th-century English carol which tells about the journey of the Holy Family – pregnant Mary and St Joseph – to the census in Bethlehem. In that story Mary asks Joseph to pick some cherries for her, as they’re passing by a chery tree. And then Joseph speaks to Mary with very little politness: “Go and ask the father of the baby to pick the cherries for you”. At that moment the cherry tree lowers its branches down to the ground for Mary to pick the cherries for herself. Joseph speaks the words of profound repentence.
“Cherry Tree Carol” – belongs of course to the apocryphal tradition. The fact that Mary has a “longing” – as pregnant women do – is very moving, but St Joseph has to forgive the authors sketching him in such an unfavourable manner. But even that folk ballad tells a lot about Holy Mary and the marriage itself. In our non-holy lives – if we were Her – we would have a perfect material for at least a minor argument. At least a quick and sharp retort. Or even the shortest litany of unfulfilled expectations.
And here – the folk wisdom says that when you do not try to prove the other person wrong – God may act and bring in a surprise of His grace.
And this is how we might avoid a “pre-Christmas argument”. For which I pray especially – for me and for you – to the Holy Family wandering to Bethlehem these days. 🙂
M
“Cherry Tree Carol” by Sting – HERE.
I’m preparing a list of ideas for “perfect Christmas” for my student of English. I find dozens of ideas in the world wide web “counselling service”. So you can’t do without hand-made home decorations, the Christmas cookbook which will make your dreams come true if you follow the recipes carefully enough – at the end the opus magnum is crowned with the cake topping designed by a celebrity. And you shouldn’t forget about the presents up to $50 and above $50, paying speciall attention to the ideas for gifts for senior memmers of your family.
The shop display reminds me of the necessity of buying dried apples and confectioned fruit – and the shop assistants explain to each other that the shopkeeper raised the prices by 60 % this morning.
In the heat of the queue my make up melts together with the hope of attaining any degree of perfection. And then I wonder if the humanity might do just with a campfire in the woods, roasting bread on it, as they did during the war. And I remember that all the snow of Alaska won’t make a “white Christmas” if we do not share a piece of our hearts and blessing.*
Let there be enough love to decorate Christmas. 🙂
Małgosia
*Bing Crosby
I know what this famous magic of Christmas is all about!
It is about feeling in a shop the force of marketing and losing control over the contents of one’s wallet (that are increasingly more modest, oops).
Luckily, yesterday Saint Ignatius of Loyola, presented to chidren during the Rorate mass, helped me. He encourages to do everything AMDG (ad maiorem Dei gloriam łac. – for the greater glory of God)!
And to concentrate our preperations for Christmas on this aspect, so as not to lose in our shopping and cooking (all the things that have to be cooked) what is most important. So that we have enough faith, like Zacharias (Luke 1: 5-25) in who we are waiting for!
„I will praise you, Lord” (Psalm 71) in all I do. Also in the preparations for Christmas.
And I wish the same to you today and in the coming days. 😉
Dosia
‘ Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus’.(Luke 5:18)
Not a long time ago, when my Mother-in law was to stay with us, I was paralysed myself with my fear, reluctance and prejudices.
Luckily, I was surrounded by friends who carried me in their hearts before Jesus and He healed me.
It is for me a great privilege when I can help someone, when I can carry someone in my heart before His throne and give him to the King who will heal, not only what is visible but also what is hidden to the eyes.
It is good to have friends in the community of the church. They will care for us when we ourselves are unable to get before the face of the Lord.
Dosia
Baptismal Font, Cistercian Abbey in Krzeszów, Poland
Bartek, EyesWideOpen
To celebrate birthday – it’s normal in our culture. Because the birth is certainly a moment when someone IS present. And today’s celebration is a feast dedicated to the conception. The beginning of man that is first known only to God. Today, in particular, the beginning of Mary.
Her beginning is special: it’s so full of grace as to take away from her the burden of sin – this fatal inclination that makes our life a struggle and that so often brings ourselves and the others to tears, However, this fullness of grace does not deprive Mary of her humanity. Because she was ‘greatly troubled’ when the Angel came to her, and posed him questions, and later on searched for her Son ‘anxiously” – and told Him about it. So She can accompany us with full understanding of our daily cares, questions, joys and disappointments.
When today we send to heaven our best wishes for Her, we can be sure that no conceived man is ever omitted by the Father of Life. The Word for today says is that ‘He chose us in Him before the creation of the world’ and ‘in love He predestined us for adoption to sonship’. He chose you, He chose me. And He never called that off. He chose also this little One who was born several days ago with only half of the brain and the nuns from the
Foundation in Wrocław were looking for help for the baby.
In spite of all the circumstances, each beginning is a miracle of infinite love.
Małgosia
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14)
We know for sure that He’s coming back again. He said so himself many times.
That’s why I, especially in the Advent, learn to expect Him with joy – like a beloved guest who likes to surprise us and never says when he’s going to visit us.
And I think it’s not so much the problem whether the Guest sees everything spanking clean. He cares more for my love, my kind reception and the ready heart. And the joy about His coming.
Basia
It is children who wait for Him most. It’s obvious, after all he always brings what they dream about at the moment. So children ask for teddy bears, computers, skis and sweets. He was always attentive to people’s needs- and he helped. In a special, very discreet way, secretly.
Saint Nicholas is unique because he is attentive not only to children’s needs, We, adults, can also ask him for many things. He will ask on our behalf. He listens to our needs, as well. If he cares for the requests of children, he is not indifferent to ours, neither.
And if we, adults, help Saint Nicholas to fulfil the dreams of our children, as much as we can, how much more our Father will help him to fulfil our needs.
And what’s most beautiful is that he hasn’t patented his way of doing and he lets us copy his best practices.
To bring joy to the others in a discrete fashion – and here we not only mean just buying material gifts but also a good word, some kindness. If we give in this way, we receive at the same time, and this is a true miracle, a double one.
Dosia
[On the photo we can see Dosia’s husband in the role we all know well 😉 – Note from the Editors]
He was a well clad, polite gentleman. He came into my office at the end of my duty on Saturday. He said that he’d locked his car keys in the car and that he had to go back to get the other set. And that he had some paint mixing facility and he would give the money back. Well, perhaps not on Saturday but surely on Monday. He’ll give back those 10 PLN that he needs. And he asked what he could give me as a collateral. Because he could gladly give me anything.
I’m talking to him, smiling to him and to myself. I’m telling him that I don’t need any collateral and that many people came here. Some didn’t have enough money to buy a ticket, some to buy medicines (the pharmacy is close at hand), some to buy bread in the nearby discount shop… And I smile again. And I’m giving him the 10 PLN because I remember a certain nun who is a streetworker. She says that we should watch out and not let ourselves be abused. It is clear. But she also said something that stuck in my memory: that in spite of all these things we should not kill those impulses of the heart.
It is so difficult today. If I suspect that someone’s lying then perhaps it’s better not to give. But I do not identify completely with the indifference and calculating that somebody’s cheating and lying. I want to see all the people who come to me. How should I help them? How can I preserve this creativity of charity that John Paul II called for so urgently?
How do you manage to do it?
Michał
It’s so good that Małgosia has counted how many days of Advent we have. Right away we get some motivation. It is not the WHOLE Advent but only 22 days that pass so quickly. It is a bit like on a marathon: you notice first the first ten, then you count the kilometres to the first half, then 30 km, and then you start how much is left until the end. Only 12, 11, 10…
We all know how fast the days fly away. So it’s worth making each of them special by making my resolution. Whatever it is, the aim is always not my “perfection” but the joy of others. What do I care for a big resolution if I haven’t brought any joy to those around me? In Szczecinek on Sunday we finished the programme I+You=We. It was so good to see those wives and husbands who during the Holy Mass at the end looked at one another with so much tenderness and smile. Let this Advent bring the most beautiful smiles to our near and dear.
With a smile for you, my beloved
Fr Jay 🙂
