Happy Third Day of Christmas

               “Happy Third Day of Christmas” was the opening of the homily today at Holy Family Catholic Church in Hilton Head, South Carolina.  On this great solemnity for St. John, it does seem as if the entire world has forgotten that there are twelve days in Christmas. I made the mistake of not bringing any Christmas CD’s and cannot find any Christmas music, not even on Christian music stations.

                For most of Advent, I try not to listen to Christmas music.  Pandora’s Advent station becomes one of my most used sources for music during advent.  I’ve come to love the Advent songs.  There are thirteen verses to” O Come, O Come Emmanuel”.    “O Come Devine Messiah” and “Creator of the Stars at Night” are now in my Advent repertoire.  I have been singing the great Christmas carols to myself as I take the time to praise God for the gift of his only Son.

               The feasts that we, as Catholics celebrate this week are inspiring and beautiful.  Yesterday we remembered Stephen, the first Martyr.  I read an essay that reflected on the fact that Stephen and Paul are in heaven, ecstatic to be together, although Paul, then known as Saul watched Stephen be stoned to death.  The point was made that Stephen wanted everyone to know Jesus as he did and that Saul’s conversion would have filled Stephen with delight -a wonderful second day of Christmas.

Today, the Apostle John, the one to whom Jesus gave his mother and the one who first believed at the tomb, was the focus of the Eucharistic celebration.  Tomorrow it will be the feast of the Holy Innocents, the children whom Herrod had killed to eliminate the Messiah.   I would imagine that the children who were massacred in Connecticut will be prayed for during the prayers of the faithful at churches all around the country, and perhaps the world.  Saturday will be the feast of St. Thomas Beckett who was martyred in 1170 and then Sunday is the Feast of the Holy Family.  And on it goes until January 6^th, which is Epiphany, the twelfth day of Christmas.

If you are not ready to join the after Christmas madness of shopping, and preparing for New Year’s Eve, stop by your local Catholic Church.  You will find a place that celebrates the birth of Christ until Epiphany.  Christ, as a tiny baby will be found in the Crèche.  As you breathe, you will inhale the pine scent of the trees and you eyes will be delighted will altars decorated with a plethora of poinsettias.

               Most importantly, you will find Christ in the tabernacle and a quiet place to pray and reflect.  Whether it is the third day of Christmas, or the 198 day of ordinary time, it is a day to thank God for his great gift.

"The Work of Christmas," by Howard Thurman

For many, Christmas ended the morning of December 26th.  In the Catholic liturgical calendar, Christmas ended the night of January 9th this year.  I just discovered this poem filled with love and truth and wanted to share it with you.  It was written by Dr. Howard Thurman.  He was Dean of Theology at Howard University and Boston University.  In 1944 he helped found the first racially integrated, multiculural church in the United States.  As an author, philosopher, theologian, educator and civil rights leader, he influenced many during his lifetime.  And with this poem, continues to influence even today.  I just had to share it with you!

"The Work of Christmas"

When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among brothers,
To make music in the heart.

Light

             Light is in my thoughts this morning. This weekend, we took down our outside Christmas lights.  The weather was unusually warm, so it made sense to do so, and Epiphany (January 6^th) is past.  Today we will take down our Christmas tree.  I reluctantly turned off the lights last night.  I know that it will be next Christmas before I these lights will glow in the living room again.

Wide-awake in the middle of the night, I decided to lie down on our family room couch to see if I could get back to sleep.  Initially, I laid my head at one end of the sofa and then realized that there was light coming through the windows and resting on the other side of the sofa.  “It must be a full moon,” I thought.  I turned around to put my head at the other end of the sofa so the soft, gentle moonlight would rest on my face and upper torso.  As I closed my eyes, I thought of the reflection that I recently read that compared Mary’s reflecting the love of Jesus, like the moon reflecting the light of the sun.  When I woke 90 minutes later, the moonlight was gone and it was time to begin my day.

                As I drove my son to his carpool early this morning, I noticed the pink sky as I drove home - a reminder that the days are lengthening, although we are in the middle of winter.  Each day brings us closer to spring.

                 How fortunate I am to be surrounded by light today: the colorful, beautiful lights of a Christmas tree, celebrating the birth of Jesus, the gentle light of a full moon in the middle of the night, reminding me of Mary and then the sun rising just a little earlier each day in the midst of winter.

                I simply ask that I might be a light to others today. 

What is a Gift?

                For some reason, gifts are on my mind today!  I spend part of the morning at the post office mailing the last of the out of town gifts for the year.  I am very excited and happy about the gifts that I/we are giving this year. 

Just after Thanksgiving, I saw a contest on the web titled, “My horrible holiday gift” contest sponsored by a hotel chain. In anticipation of the “thousands – if not millions – of awful, embarrassing gifts that will be received” by Americans this Christmas, it will reward gift recipients for sharing their stories on line.  People can trade in less-than-desirable gifts for “valuable prizes”.

This is what we have come to, expecting to receive what we don’t want and finding a way to turn it into what we do want.  Dictionary.com defines gift as “something given voluntarily without payment in return”.  It occurs to me that Christmas gift giving is no longer voluntarily and many of the anticipated “horrible” gifts arise because individuals select gifts out of sheer panic, or because an advertiser has enticed them to purchase the item, or because they feel obligated to give a gift and don’t know what to get.

My favorite gift that I ever gave my mom was a Philadelphia Phillies six dollar coffee mug purchased in San Francisco.  My mom loved baseball and I visited many major league baseball parks with her after my father died.  When we went to a game in Philadelphia in July – in a year long before internet shopping - they didn’t have any mugs.  She was devastated. Yes, she was so sad.  In October that same year, I was in San Francisco for work and had a free evening.  As I walked along the waterfront, I happened upon a store that sold sports souvenirs.  Tucked in a corner, on a shelf that I could not reach, was one Philadelphia Phillies mug.  I bought it, wrapped it securely in my luggage and kept it safe until December 25^th.  I could not wait for her to open it and when she did, she shared my joy! 

This year, due to the economic conditions in my family – we have joined many others in downsizing this Christmas.  I carefully shopped throughout the year when I found something that I thought would be a perfect gift.  Although we spent much less this year, I am very excited about the gifts we are giving.  Most of the gifts I mailed today had been purchased in advanced, I just was not organized enough to get them wrapped and packaged before today!

With just six days before Christmas, maybe it is time to take a time-out from the Christmas (holiday) madness and consider what it is that is really being exchanged.  After all, those original Christmas gifts given to Jesus were things that he would need, given in love.   It is my prayer for you today, that if you are in the middle of the Christmas madness that you take a deep breath and remember that a gift is given voluntarily.  (Just as Jesus gave us the greatest gift – voluntarily!)

Wishing you much peace in these final days of Advent!

Sleigh Bells?

               The Corner Bakery was unusually quiet as Noon approached last Friday.  It was Veteran’s Day, a legal US holiday.  Many of the buildings around this restaurant are government buildings, so it was a great day to meet my sister for lunch.  Although we live only 20 miles from each other, it had been a while since we were able to catch up on our lives.

                I ordered food and found a booth to sit.  As I slid into the booth, I shook my head.  Are they really playing Sleigh Bells?  It’s November 11, nearly two weeks before Thanksgiving and 45 days until Christmas begins.  They are not the only food emporium pushing the holidays.  The red coffee cups at Starbucks came out around Halloween, not Thanksgiving this year. 

                Maybe it is the economy and the news in general.  Perhaps the thinking is that Christmas music (if Sleigh Bells even qualifies) and red coffee cups create festive and cheerful surroundings.  If people are cheerful, will they buy more?

                This early exposure to Christmas celebration seems to bother me more and more each year.  In our house, we celebrate Advent.  We light the Advent wreath each night and read from an Advent book after dinner.  This tradition helps us stay focused on the Advent journey.  My fourteen-year-old son still enjoys lighting the candles.  At a time of year, when darkness arrives at five in the evening, the light and warmth on the table will be welcome.

                I’m not a purest.  Our Christmas tree goes up about 10 days before Christmas.  Much of my shopping done, (as I like to get gifts for family members from places where I’ve travelled) and I do enjoy listening to Christmas music before December 25^th. (I also have two CD’s with Advent music!)  When the radio stations stop playing Christmas music, (or maybe they call it holiday music) at midnight on December 25^th, I have my own CD’s in my car and at home.

                We also celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas.  The readings for the masses between Christmas and Epiphany are beautiful.  Our new family tradition is to have a celebration on Epiphany – the REAL Epiphany – January 6^th, not the day celebrated by our church.

                This week, I’ll buy my Advent candles, plan the family Thanksgiving visit to Michigan, (my home state), look for my Advent CD’s  and enjoy the beautiful fall weather that is forecast . This is the week to enjoy the final days of trees decorated with beautiful color and to walk along Sligo Creek, hearing the crunch of leaves under my feet. 

I’ll spend my time during the season of hope, walking with Mary. When the music begins for mass at Midnight on December 25^th, I’ll be ready to celebrate the birth of our Savior, and thank God for the gift of His Son to us.