The Holy Spirit, the Paraclete

Since December, I have had the joy to be involved with our local Lifeteen Youth Group-- and I LOVE it. It is a blessing to share my love of the Faith, and I am blown away by the amount of times that my Faith is strengthened and enkindled by the joy, trust and happiness of the teens. Best thing that has happened in the last several years. SO thankful that our youth minister thought to invite me to participate. God is very good! A few Sundays ago, I told our group a bit about the Holy Spirit as part of our "Windy With A Chance of Fire" (ha ha) Life Night. Here's the gist of what I said: 

The Sanctifier

“When the work that the Father gave the Son to do on earth was accomplished, the Holy Spirit was sent on the day of Pentecost in order that He might continually sanctify the Church.” The Catechism tells us that Christ sent the Holy Spirit (the 3^rd Person of the Blessed Trinity) upon the Apostles and the whole Church in order that the Church would be holy and always remain so through the centuries even in our present time. Pentecost is the birthday of the Church. Up until this point, even though they had witnessed the Resurrection and Ascension, the Apostles had been cowering in fear- afraid of the Romans, afraid of their fellow Jews and the synagogue leaders and unsure where to even begin spreading the Gospel. Maybe they even forgot that Jesus promised “the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” We have all received the sacrament of Confirmation and the graces of the Holy Spirit, but it’s easy for us to forget about those graces and to forget to ask the Holy Spirit for help.

The Transformer

But that’s OK- because the Holy Spirit is always close, ready to completely transform us with a renewed heart and mind- just like He did for the first disciples of Jesus. On the day of Pentecost the Apostles and our Mother Mary were gathered in the Upper Room in Jerusalem (very likely the same room where the Last Supper took place) when the whole room was filled with a violent wind. Fire rested above each of their heads to show the immense grace poured out by God through the Holy Spirit of purifying and preparing each of them for their mission to spread the Gospel. This same thing happened to each of us at our Confirmation- there was a very real outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and a strengthening of His fruits in our souls.

The Counselor

The Holy Spirit fulfilled Jesus’ promise to be with the Church always and from then on the Holy Spirit has worked through the Church- from the time the Bible was assembled, as we know it today, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to the inspired writing of Pope John Paul II and our current pope, Benedict. We can directly place ourselves under the guidance of the Holy Spirit when we make decisions, when we pray and especially as students. There are some beautiful prayers to the Holy Spirit for guidance during studies.

In fact, the Holy Spirit is the master of prayer. He intercedes for us to God and makes His dwelling among the Church in a very real way. The Catechism says that “the Spirit prepares men and goes out to them with His grace, in order to draw them to Christ. He makes present the mystery of Christ, supremely in the Eucharist, in order to reconcile them, to bring them into communion with God, that they may bear much fruit”. The first work of the Holy Spirit in the Apostles after Pentecost was to bring unity and order to people of many nations. Peter took his place as leader of the Church by preaching to a huge crowd of Jews from other nations; strangely, each person heard Peter speak in his or her own language. Only months ago Peter was denying Christ and now with the power of the Holy Spirit, he converted 3000 people through one speech! The other Apostles took up their roles as the bishops of the early Church and in the book of Acts we learn of the Apostles conferring the Holy Spirit upon new converts: “When Peter and John arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” In a similar way our bishops confer the sacrament of Confirmation on us, and Holy Orders on those men called to be priests.

 

The Defender

The early Christians took their role as witnesses to Christ to a whole new level and they were almost immediately called upon to defend their Faith even to death. Jews and Gentiles who now shared a common Faith in Christ were strengthened by the sufferings they endured at the hands of others. The Catechism says “All, however, must be prepared to confess Christ before men and to follow Him along the way of the Cross, amidst the persecutions which the Church never lacks. Service of and witness to the Faith are necessary for salvation.” The Holy Spirit gives us the courage and fortitude we need to speak up for our beliefs and to lead others to Christ through our sacrifice. Each of us has to be prepared to stand up for our Faith and to defend it in the face of possible persecution with the help of the Holy Spirit, who will give us the words to say and our persecutors the grace to accept the truth. One of the greatest Apostles and Evangelizers who ever lived, St. Paul, was first a persecutor of the Church.

The Enlightener

The Holy Spirit has drawn great sinners, great thinkers, great leaders to the light of truth over the centuries and He continues to give the grace of conversion to those willing to respond. St. Paul was literally blinded with the truth that in persecuting the body of Christ- the Church- He was persecuting the person of Christ. God sent a man named Ananias to Paul that Paul should see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit- healed in mind and body. We can rejoice in the great conversions that still take place through the Holy Spirit- so many of our greatest defenders of the Faith now are converts to Catholicism- like Scott Hahn and Peter Kreeft. Our churches across the country are filled with those who have experienced profound conversions. Daily conversion is what has to keep us moving towards our heavenly goal, with the light of the Holy Spirit to lead us. 

Christ's promise that the Holy Spirit would always be there as our guide is a very personal gift to me. Almost three years ago exactly, I went through a tremendously difficult break up. I felt completely broken, confused about who I was anymore, and lost. The day that it happened, I went to the chapel to pray and to speak with a priest friend about it. After baring my soul, I expected him to (and hoped he would) give me some great words of wisdom that would solve everything. He very simply told me that the Holy Spirit, the Divine Consoler (or Healer), would help me and he handed me a song sheet with the words to a hymn about the Holy Spirit printed on it, along with a prayer of trust to the Holy Spirit. It seemed such a simple thing, and not quite what I had in mind, but I prayed the words every morning, like he said, and soon throughout the day. I can honestly say that it is through the power of the Holy Spirit that I was transformed and healed. It took a lot of time, and I still continue to heal, but the good work begun in my soul that day is all due to the movement of the Holy Spirit. By resting in Him, I know very personally that  the Holy Spirit's power is not just limited to that day of Pentecost with the Apostles and that He's not just for the very smart or the very holy. He dwells in each of us and He is closer to us than we will ever realize.

The Way, The Truth, and The Life

Today we remember the conversion to Christianity of a pretty awesome guy. With a pretty awesome conversion. Not only does this guy have his own feast day (even though he does have to share it with the first Pope)- we have a day to mark his conversion too. (What must St. Augustine think of this?) That guy is St. Paul. He spent several years of his life hunting down, persecuting and killing Christians- men and women and probably even children. (What a guy!) And even then, God wanted St. Paul for His own. I can’t tell you how many bad guys I would like for Jesus to throw off a horse and bring to repentance, but that is obviously not the normal style God uses to get our attention. It’s what St. Paul needed. Through his response to God’s call, and his acknowledgement of the Lord’s passion and realization of the Body of Christ, Paul became the greatest evangelizer the world has ever known.

St. Paul encounters the love and power of Christ

Nothing moves me like a good conversion story; though I sometimes think that we glorify ‘back stories’ a bit too much. Some of my favorite saints- like Paul and Mary Magdalene- have amazing back stories. When I was pretty little I really thought that they belonged to me, as my patrons. I hadn’t done that much wrong, (relatively speaking) but the idea of daily conversion and completely turning your life around, no matter how simple and insignificant your problems are, spoke to me even then. We each need to get thrown from our horse be blinded by the light of Christ.

Since Christmas, my family has moved on to studying the book of Acts as part of our nightly prayers. My brother is reading aloud to us a chapter a night and then we talk about it. Last night we read where the Apostles (before Paul joined their ranks) had been imprisoned for preaching and healing when an angel appeared to them, opening the prison doors and saying “Go and stand in the temple and tell the people everything about this new life”! (Acts 5:20) I love that line- that mission for us- not just to tell everyone about the Person of Jesus or your belief in Him, but that your entire life has been changed as a result of Jesus’ coming. Our lives are to be different because we are Christians. Because I am a Catholic, my whole life is new, changed, and full of meaning. Our Faith is supposed to be our life; which brings me to my favorite quote of St. Paul’s: “For me, to live is Christ”. Our life should be nothing but living for Him. I lose this vision about once every thirty minutes; my needs, my desires, my disappointments are tops. Of course the Lord cares about me and provides for my good, but we are to be focused and consumed with love of God and doing His will. If we live for Christ, then to die is truly to gain! If it wasn’t for God and His all consuming love for me, my whole day would be nothing but a major fail.

Kind of a commanding guy, that St. Paul

This time last year, St. Paul was a particular patron of mine. I was working on the play “The Miracle Worker” at my local theatre and I was entrusted with the role of Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller’s determined Irish teacher. I thought about how St. Paul knew what it was like to see, but have his mind clouded with half truths and illusions; and how he experienced temporary physical blindness and an opening up of His mind to Truth and Beauty and a love that he could never imagine. Helen Keller went through something similar, and her tremendous soul was placed in the hands of her teacher, as St. Paul- newborn in the Faith- was entrusted to Ananias for instruction. Helen knew a vision that few others experience in this life once the world was opened to her, and St. Paul shared the joy and blessings of a life lived in Christ after the transformation of his entire existence. During our final performance I was quite choked up and carried off in the ending scene when Annie breaks through to Helen by spelling the word ‘water’ (the matter of the Sacrament of Baptism). I had dropped to the floor to embrace this child, who was truly Helen to me in those moments, and through my tears I saw nothing but a blur and the stage lights- and they were blinding. I was overwhelmed with thinking that this must have been what Helen experienced as the world was opening up around her, and what St. Paul must have felt when stuck off his horse by the light and power of God’s voice asking “Why?” It was a grace filled moment.

Helen's dawn

Today’s scripture reading at Mass for the conversion of St. Paul speaks of Christians as followers of ‘the Way’. St. Paul met The Way along his way- Jesus Christ meets us on the road and shows us that He is the Road and our Destination.  He is The Way, The Truth, and The Life!

A Very Lunsford Christmas - Part 2

Please allow me to be the very last person to wish you "Merry Christmas!" this Season.

Yup, that's right. Christmas ends today, sadly. It's the feast of Epiphany, (if you're a Roman Catholic in America the feast magically moves to the first Sunday after the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God on January 1st), when we remember the Wise Men's visit to the Child Jesus and subsequently, that Christ came for all peoples of every nation.  My family celebrates Epiphany on January 6th- the 12th day after Christmas- the way it always used to be done. We're old school, sometimes.

I want to tell you about how my family keeps this holy Season.

A Lunsford Christmas Carol, 2005
My parents and siblings were Cratchits. I was Christmas Past.

"It was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well,
 if any man alive possessed the knowledge.
May that be truly said of us, and all of us!"

Usually the tree goes up a few days before Christmas Eve. It takes an entire evening for my dad to get the artificial tree out of the box and fluffed into just the right look. He is perfectionist- we all are- and the tree looks all the better for it. Lights will then be strung and the next night we hang ornaments. The ornaments have evolved over the years into a celebration of every play we have done. There are ornaments with a framed photo of us in costume, a memento of the show dangling from the next branch- and, of course, there are lots of 'Baby's First Christmas' and that nature when you have five kids in the family. The angel ornaments must be hung at the top of the tree, below our tree topper of Mother Mary holding our Baby Jesus. Our Christmas Critter collection (animals made from pine cones, nuts, etc) must be evenly dispersed, along with the fake icicles. Large ornaments go on the bottom and inside branches, and- for Heaven's sake- "don't hang all the photos with your picture right in front"! We have tried to watch a Christmas movie or play Christmas music while decorating, but this quickly becomes a distraction and is drowned out by the general craziness that ensues.

The Lunsfords and their tree.
And the dog we keep every Christmas for a friend.
(That's a tradition too.)

Personally, I spent the entire day of Christmas Eve wrapping gifts. I'm sure it was a beautiful day. I didn't leave my room. (I am a perfectionist when it comes to wrapping. And a procrastinator.)

The presents are put out under the tree and a watchful eye is kept on the littlest Lunsford who likes to check out, shake, and generally snoop into each and every one of them. It seems to me that everyone in the world should have a child to share Christmas with, or should celebrate Christmas like a child. There is nothing like it! There is such joy; and not just about the gifts, but an excitement about life! Bear with me, I have to share something from the book by Caryll Houselander that we read during Advent:  (it just makes me smile--)

"The Child never died in Christ. All through His manhood He kept the essential qualities of His childhood: the capacity for complete joy and complete sorrow, the child's simplicity, the child's love of the Father. To every sorrow that He met in some other person's life, He responded with the unqualified sympathy that only children give. He approached people as children do, asking for a drink of water, wanting nothing but to be loved. Above all, He kept the joy of a child, the child's delight in the loveliness of the earth... when He wanted to describe something utterly beautiful, He described the grass... when He had to produce money to pay a tax, He worked a miracle that is like a fairy story, a miracle that a boy would like to work. Instead of simply calling money out of the air, He made His Apostles find it inside a fish..." 

Around 8pm on Christmas Eve my family gathers for one last lighting of the Advent wreath and the Christmas candle . Then the youngest member of the family gathers up Baby Jesus to place in our outside manger scene and we head to the front yard. We each kiss His little head and sing "Silent Night" as my brother flips the switch to light all of our outside decorations. (It's always so beautiful.) We do the same for our little manger scene on the mantlepiece inside, and we sing more, where it's warm! This year we decided to sing carols several nights during the Christmas Season when we discovered that my young rascal of a brother only knew a couple by heart. Asking him to follow along in a songbook produced lyrics like "troll the accident yuletide carol" so it was a great thing.

Last year our manger was complete with real snow!

Soon we round up, dress up and head out to Midnight Mass - a tradition that I cannot do without. This year, I glammed up in my merry brightest. (Scroll up and you can see. Well, not really.) I put on a cute Talbot's outlet dress, with a shirt underneath because of the cold, and a nice belt.  It wasn't until we sat down at church to hear thirty minutes of carols before Mass that I realized I could not breathe.  We had a huge lasagna dinner which is what I would like to blame for the sudden tightness of my dress. Regardless, I had to go back out to the foyer of the church to loose my belt to the last hole and even then I spent the greater part of the Mass trying not to fall over. You would think it would then be impossible for me to enjoy the large reception planned after the Mass. But no, cookies and cranberry pecan crusted cheese balls still found a willing home on my plate. Once we got home I remained upright long enough to snap the photo above with my family. Baby Jesus got a big Christmas laugh over me, no doubt.

On Christmas Day we usually wake up late. (See above Midnight Mass reference.) We cooked breakfast and then gathered in the living room to open gifts. But, with us, Christmas Day is not about hours spent opening presents. Christmas Day is about Jesus-- His birthday. His birthday is such a big deal, it's not one day. It is a 12 day celebration. My parents decided to stretch out our celebrating over the 12 days when I was maybe 9 or 10 years old. I remember when they told us: "Kids, you are only going to open one present from us on Christmas Day." I probably cried. I didn't understand then what a joy it is to wake up every day for 12 days to say "Merry Christmas" and open a gift. It's pretty awesome, actually. It reminds us that Jesus is the gift that is there for us every day of our lives, every moment. We open one gift (usually a larger, exciting item) from my parents on Christmas morning and the siblings exchange gifts from one another. (That's four gifts on Christmas, for those that are counting.) When I tell people about this tradition in my house they are usually shocked that we have to wait so long, and then shocked that we get 12 gifts. I quickly let them know that these are not X-boxs or DSis that we are getting every day- sometimes even a small dollar store item; or a book, CD, movie, or something to eat. It's just a little way to show the importance of every day in the Christmas Season. This year, I got many cute shirts from my parents, and my main gift was the audio recording of "The Screwtape Letters" dramatized by the awe-some Andy Serkis and cast.

My family knows that I love to give and receive homemade gifts-
A lovely magnet board made from an old tray,
a bracelet from an old sweater and felt,
a Jane Austen inspired badge reel from buttons and a cameo.
My sweet best friend knitted me a gorgeous green scarf from hand dyed wool
and my parents' last gift was a Jane Austen devotional!

We celebrate with a birthday cake for Jesus after dinner (a lovely tradition many people are doing these days!) and usually some cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies complete with recycled plots and dialogue- just to keep things secular. (Other Lunsford Christmas movie favorites include: A Muppet Christmas Carol, Christmas in Connecticut and Spirit of the Season. Check them all out!) With extra time off work, most of the 12 days are spent relaxing and enjoying family at home, or making visits to our extended family and friends. Also; sitting by the fire, driving around to look at Christmas lights and drinking shocking amounts of hot chocolate. With marshmallows. And board games. Yes, there may be some of the holiday stress still in the air, but I am so thankful for the way that I have grown up celebrating this time of year.

You really should spend Christmas with us. It's reverent, funny, random, traditional, spontaneous and exciting. For prayer during the Christmas Season we read from the Christmas sermons of Ronald Knox; I think he sums it all up simply and best with:

"Christmas is a birthday just like any other; it is a birthday unlike any other; and no wonder, for it is the birthday of all of us."

He came that we might have life.

Venite Adoremus!

A Very Lunsford Christmas – Part One

O Come Divine Messiah!

A very Merry Christmas to all! As promised (though a bit late) I wanted to write a little synopsis of my family’s Christmas traditions. They may not be anything new or terribly exciting, but they are kind of different. My mom has written about them once for The Sister Servants of the Eternal Word, but I thought some new friends might want to understand what we Lunsfords do ‘round this time of year and why. So, let’s start at the beginning.

Last years gorgeous decorations at church
designed by The Sister Servants

I love that many denominations have pre-Christmas customs and services, like our Catholic tradition of Advent. It always warms my heart to go inside a Protestant church and see those four purple and pink candles sitting around and hearing those strains of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”. You can’t miss Advent in a Catholic Church- everything turns a lovely shade of eggplant for the four weeks of December leading up to the 25^th. Advent is traditionally a season of penance, recollection and preparation- but there are so many feasts and customs going on at our house, that it really becomes more of a celebration and excited anticipation than anything!

We began our preparations on the feast of St. Andrew, Nov. 30^th, with the Christmas novena. We recite the beautiful prayer together as a family fifteen times every day for a special intention. This year we had a neighbor as well as a dear friend of mine in need of prayers for healing. So we gathered around our family’s prayer table and Advent wreath for our night prayers. My littlest brother was overjoyed to learn how to operate the child-safety-lock lighter and set the subsequent candles ablaze every night. We pray the novena, sing the weekly verses of the aforementioned Advent tune-age, do a little jumpin’ and hand raisin’ (??!) and settle in for readings from the Bible and one of my mother’s favorite books by Caryll Houselander, “The Little Way of the Infant Jesus". It’s an awesome read for anyone who is interested in the life of the Child Jesus and the theology of holy Childhood. Here’s a quote I loved:

"We are 'other Christs'. Our destiny is to live the Christ-life: to bring
Christ's life into the world; to increase Christ's love in the world; to give
Christ's peace to the world... the Christ-life in us, the infant Christ of our
soul is the only-begotten Son in the hands of God."

Art from Michael Hayes

Our kitchen table is decked out with homemade Advent placemats displaying old Christmas card cut-outs and atop the table sits a dead tree. Yes. Or, actually, a dead branch-  it’s another custom. It’s called the Jesse Tree and it is a calling to mind of Old Testament history and the genealogy leading up to Jesus. For each day of Advent my youngest brother and sister make an ornament (usually drawn on paper but we have a few felt creations hanging on this year) and display it proudly on the branch. (Think: coat of many colors to symbolize Joseph, harp to remember David….) It’s a variation of an Advent calendar, I suppose—though you can bet we’ve got one or two of those as well. Try it yourself next year, especially if you have young kids.

This year's Jesse Tree

We try to avoid watching too many Christmas movies or listening to the Christmas radio station (that’s been playing Bing Crosby songs since the day after Halloween here in AL. Ugh.) during the early days of Advent. But, if we didn’t let some of that sneak in we would never get the chance to experience it all (or, my favorite, Christmas Hallmark movies!!) until the season has finally arrived and when most of the world says it's over. See, the whole 25 Days of Christmas thing is borrowed from the 12 Days (of music fame), an old Catholic custom. Christmas is such a big deal that it lasts for 12 days after the 25^th - until January 6^th, which is the traditional date of the Wise Men’s arrival. Christmas only begins on Christmas.  More on that in a post to follow… We get ready in stages at my house and that creates lots of anticipation.

In our living room, by the fireplace, we display our empty manager from the very start of Advent. Next to it is a bag of pine needles. If the kids in our family (or any of us so inclined to participate) do something really nice or extra to rightly prepare for Christmas, we get to put in some straw. Object: make the manger nice and full and soft (relatively, these are pine needles, after all) for Jesus when He comes.

Ready and waiting for the Baby Jesus Himself

December 6^th is a very exciting day along the way to prepare for Christmas. This is the day that Santa Clause (Saint Nicholas) comes to visit us! Santa Clause is, as we all know, a very real person. He is a bishop from WAY back in the early Church (who got his start punching heretics and helping those in need) who is also the patron saint of children. Every year he brings toys and gifts to children all over the world (the sleigh, reindeer, all that) and in many parts of Europe and in many Catholic homes he comes a bit early. We hang our stockings by the chimney with care the night of December 5^th, watch the movie “Santa and Pete” (Pete is one of Santa’s helpers- keep an eye out for him in some Dutch and Finnish Christmas depictions- we first heard about him from the movie), and leave out some cookies and fruitcake for the duo. We also have a candy cane blessing, since the treat is a symbol for St. Nicholas’ bishop’s crozier, and, as many have pointed out, the ‘J’ in Jesus. (Sanctifying sweets- always a good thing.) My dad puts out the giant lighted candy canes on either side of the porch and a couple by the mailbox and we’re set. I usually tuck a note to the jolly old saint in my slippers by the bed, since (pre-stockings) he would leave gifts in wooden shoes back in Germany. .... The next morning—treats in our stockings!! There are always chocolate coins, (in symbol of St. Nicholas’ contribution to the dowry of three needy daughters) and, usually, other little goodies and maybe something that doesn’t fit inside the stocking lying nearby. It’s exciting, and a great way to remember the origins of Santa. Santa Clause/Saint Nicholas is the real deal.

St. Nicholas, Bishop

Treats left for Santa (and Pete)

Time for more saints!!! On December 8^th we remember the solemnity of Mary’s Immaculate Conception (see post here) by lighting a special candle at prayer and then we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the 12^th with Mexican food! There is sometimes mariachi music involved. On December 13^th, Saint Lucy makes an appearance. A Swedish custom is for the eldest daughter of the family to rise early and serve her family breakfast in bed on Lucy's day. If you know the Lunsford family, getting up early doesn't work too well. Also, since my youngest sister is, in fact, named Lucy, she took over the serving permanently when she became old enough. We now prepare a cinnamon roll, or the like, and she serves it after dinner. Lucy then runs around the house putting candles (or their plug-in counterpart) in every window, as Lucy means “light bearer”. Since Saint Lucy is the patron of eyesight (um, having lost hers and all that) we always do a second novena prayer leading up to her feast day for someone who has eye problems and is in need of the Lord’s healing.

My little sister, Santa Lucia

The O’Antiphons begin on December 17^th and last until Christmas Eve. We have a banner hanging in the kitchen with each antiphon/prayer and we recite the one for the day before dinner in preparation for the immediate coming of the Lord. And then-- it happens. Christmas.

Why do we do all of this stuff? Is this required of Catholics? Are we crazy? ---My family started most of these traditions slowly, my parents did not grow up with any of it, but they studied and read and heard of things from others. When I was a little kid we began many of the customs. They may have been strange or different at first, but mostly they were exciting. We knew why we did them (to more fully enter into the Season, understand the awesomeness of Christ’s coming as our Redeemer, and celebrate the memory of those gone before us) and we were able to explain it to our friends. (They thought it was pretty cool too.) Advent and Christmas became a very important time for family, and realizing that the family is the central unit of society and the Domestic Church; that the Faith and the rich history of Christianity is a vital part of our day-to-day living.

Ask me questions if you want, or tell me your family’s and church’s customs and traditions. I kinda like the stuff.

War Horse

I've already mentioned this over on Facebook, but I am very excited about several movies on their way to theaters- most especially War Horse based on the book by the same title. And, interestingly enough, the play.

I first took notice of the story after seeing it rack up Tony awards onstage in 2011; including the Tony for Best Play.  I was immediately drawn in by the beauty, originality and characterization of the horses with the historical background of World War I. The puppetry was so realistic and endearing that I was almost disappointed when I heard it was going to be made into a movie! However, as I do not plan to visit Broadway any time soon, I realized $10 at the Rave is my ticket to seeing the full length dramatization.

War Horse, Broadway

After seeing the teaser trailer, specifically the moment when the soldiers mount their horses in the wheat field as the music (by the ever-awesome John Williams) soars, I was brought to tears and realized that the film will be just as powerful as it's Broadway incarnation.

War Horse, the movie 

It warms my heart to see something like this; great art that teaches us the greater truths about ourselves as human persons (dedication, selflessness, honor, love); our connection with God's creatures, and the beauty, love and kindness that brings us through the worst of times.

 I've always loved horses, and period dramas, and military history. So- this is the movie for me. And the play for me. And a book I should probably read. If I can stop listening to the soundtrack.

The Woman For All Women

Today is the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, so I do not want to miss my chance to say a couple of things about the model that we have in the Blessed Mother of Our Lord. The Immaculate Conception means that Mary was conceived without original sin. She was to be the temple of Our Lord here on earth, the spotless vessel that would house Him for nine months; it makes sense that she would not be an ordinary gal. But the main thing to remember is that Our Lady is also redeemed through the sacrifice of her Son on the cross, like all of us. Jesus' death on the cross transcends time and space, purifying those before and after Him. (Think of it as one of those BC, AD timelines where you have the cross in the center.) His Sacrifice flows from both sides of the cross beam to all those here on earth that lived before Him and all that will live after. We are all able to enter Heaven because Jesus opened the gates, and His suffering gives us the grace we need to follow Him. Our Lady was purified and saved from sin in advance (Jesus' sacrifice is not bound in time) by the very merits of Her Son. It's deep. I know.

It's nearing Christmas so we are all thinking about the coming of the Infant Christ and of His mother and father here on earth- Mary and Joseph. It's a time for us to appreciate and come to a deeper love of the Holy Family. I think my Protestant friends have a fondness for Mary displayed at this season that they do not even realize. We all sing about her during the Holidays, we have images of her in our homes and on our Christmas cards. We love her because she was the first person to hold Emmanuel, God With Us. Shouldn't that make us think how Jesus would love her as an adult just as much as He did looking up into her face as a child? That's why Catholics love and honor Mary-- because Jesus did.

Our Blessed Mother Mary went through everything possible that a woman can experience. She was a virgin throughout her life. She had an unplanned pregnancy. She was married. She was a mother. She took care of a home. She cooked. She worked. She traveled. She lost her husband. She lost her Son. She died. (And I'm only scratching the surface!) She is an amazing woman and I want to deepen my love and devotion to her through the eyes of her Son.

I have been praying a thirty day novena to Saint Joseph, leading up to Christmas, for a special personal intention (please join me in my prayers). While reading through the beautiful prayer, I was reflecting on how hard it must have been for Joseph, as he was nearing death, to think about leaving Jesus and Mary. He would never want to be parted from them! (But what peace to have them at his deathbed!) It struck me especially how it must have hurt Our Lady when Saint Joseph died. They were husband and wife and loved each other as such, though they never consummated that love in the physical sense.  I pray about wanting to find the spouse God has chosen for me and I think about the women, like Our Lady, who found that spouse here on earth and endured the tremendous suffering of being parted from him.  I was very moved this week to hear about the work of Taryn Davis and what she has done to reach out to military widows- and I see a need for groups like this in the Catholic church to reach out to these women through Mary. Mary is the perfect model for all women suffering such a loss. I will be praying for all widows (and widowers) during this Christmas Season in a special way. I can't imagine how hard it is.

I would love to share how my family celebrates Advent and Christmas in my next post, along with all my random thoughts of the season. It's a wonderful time.

Work of Your Hand

"But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you our Potter; and we all are the work of your hand."  -Isaiah 64:8

I find it difficult to go to craft and art shows and not be overwhelmed by the amount of talent and beauty that come from the hands of "regular" people. I give myself plenty of time to browse around at every booth and that usually means I find something that I would like to buy from every vendor. Even if the piece does not at first appeal to me, sometimes it's the craftsmanship with a closer look, or wonder at the scale and inspiration of it that cause me to say "I like this" or "If I had the money, I would buy this".

I am a big fan of pottery and I have managed to justify many a purchase for myself, or a lovely piece for a friend, over the years. We have an unbelievable amount of talented potters in the Birmingham area- and even an awesome studio, Cahaba Clayworks, right in my own hometown. To hold a beautiful finished piece of pottery in your hand and to remember where it came from (mud) can be a real opportunity to give glory to God. Not only can we thank Him for the gifts He bestowed on the individual potter and to rejoice that this artist fostered his or her talent, we can even remember our own creation at the hands of Our Father; after all, we were mud once too.

A great piece by my favorite local potter, Susan Freeman

Taking a pottery class is an item on my ever growing bucket list. I have chatted with a few potters and have  tremendous respect for the time, artistry and skill that it takes to create a piece from scratch. For some reason, I have stood in front of a blank canvas and a row of paints knowing I had to come up with something and felt much less intimidated than standing over a pottery wheel. If there is a potter sitting at that wheel, however, it's clear to see how forgiving and cooperating the clay is to the sometimes gentle and sometimes harsh guiding of a hand. Little imperfections or the hint of something the potter does not want in the finished piece can be removed if the clay is giving. If things are really looking bleak, the potter can step back and entirely change the direction that he was going with the piece. Even so, sometimes a finished piece may look great, but can ruin in the kiln- and ruin other pieces that were placed in a close vicinity.

Now, take a look at the above paragraph remembering the idea that God is the potter and we are clay. He is trying to get the best possible result from us. He pushes us and pulls us and guides us into the men and women of character that He wants us to be. He gives us everything we need to survive the firing that we experience in this life. Unlike the clay used by the potter it is our own fault if we attend only to our outward beauty and find ourselves and those around us ruined in the end by our own problems. Our Father is the potter who never gives up.

Bryan Jordan at the wheel

I have come to love Raku pottery, a method where beautiful colors are actually formed by tossing a kiln fired piece in a metal trash can with pine straw that catches on fire. Of course, the Catholic in me can't help thinking of Purgatory and how beauty and goodness is brought out in us through the fire of God's purifying love. I have especially admired the Raku method through the work of local artist Bryan Jordan (pictured above) and his mother, Laura, and proudly own several of their pieces.

Larry Allen's great work from Cahaba Clayworks

Let me suggest that you take a closer look at some pottery next time you have the opportunity and if you purchase a nice piece (or if you get one from me for Christmas-- ha ha) think about being good clay in the hands of the Potter, yourself, whenever you admire it. Birmingham area friends- you'll get a great chance to admire and purchase work in just two weeks at the Blue Light Special Art show at Leeds' Cahaba Clayworks studio. (I went last year and it was unbelievable- and not just pottery!) Your $2 admission goes to First Light Women's Shelter, as does the gourmet soup you purchase for lunch, and all of the potters that I mentioned above will have items for sale- many marked down for end of the year sales! I hope to see you there- Dec. 10 and 11!