Feast of St. Stephen

 Feast of St. Stephen Dec 26

Being First

Everyone loves being first.

First in line.

First to be chosen,

And First to choose.

Except when it comes to Martyrdom.

Very few people race to the front of the line to be stoned, crucified, or beheaded.

But Stephen did.

He is the first martyr.

The first to die for Christ.

As he was dragged outside of Jerusalem

And stoned.

We may not be called to lay down our lives,

But we can be martyrs of a different kind.

We can be the first to forgive.

The first to apologize.

The first not to gossip.

The first to lay down the phone or turn off the TV in order to pray.

These kind of firsts are not always easy.

But then again Martyrdom never is.

God Bless

 

Christmas

As I drove through the city I saw Christmas tree in homes.

There were trees in the homes of Democrats and Republicans.

Christmas trees in the homes of rich and poor.

Christmas trees in the homes of black and white and Hispanic

and every other race and nationality.

Christmas trees in the homes of young people and old.

Married and single.

For one brief moment in time

On Christmas Day

There is Peace on earth

And all divisions cease

Christmas is what we all want.

Christmas is family.

Christmas is Peace on earth.

Christmas is joy and love.

Christmas is giving to the poor and feeding the hungry.

Christmas is Believing!

If Christmas represents everything we want,

Then why do we forget it the day after

and go back to everything we don’t want?

The Magic of Christmas is living it all year round and not just for a day.

When things pile up in May or August;

When politics gets on your nerves.

When the family starts arguing.

When the news makes you depressed.

When it all just get to be too much.

I don’t care what time it is,

Or what month it is

Or who is around.

Put on your favorite Christmas songs.

And sit back and remember what really matters most.

Do it with your family;

Do it with your friends;

Do it in July!

In the backyard around a BBQ and a beer.

People may think you’re crazy.

But you will know that you really are the only sane one around.

Because while everyone else is waiting for the Spirit of Christmas once a year,

You can have it whenever you want!

God Bless

December 24

 

Christmas Eve

Tonight the Word will become flesh and dwell among us.

Tonight the Virgin Mary will give birth to a Son.

Tonight we are all innkeepers.

Will there be room in our hearts?

Tonight we are all angels.

Will we proclaim Peace on Earth and good will to all?

Tonight we are all shepherds,

Will we hasten to see the Lord?

Tonight we are all Wise Men,

Will we come to adore Him?

Tonight the Christ Child reminds us

That we are all children of God!

Will we see each other as brothers and sisters in the Lord?

God Bless

 

December 23

Zechariah had his doubts and because he did he was unable to speak. Doubts have a tendency to silence Hope and Joy and Faith.

So when they arise,

We should try to resist them.

Because they offer nothing that is good or of value.

When Zechariah resisted his doubts,

And acknowledged that John was to be the name of his son,

Who was to go before the Lord and prepare His way,

Zechariah’s tongue was loosed and he spoke God’s praises.

Those who resist their doubts always have something good to sing about!

God Bless

 

Blessed Jacopone da Todi

(d. 1306)

Jacomo, or James, was born a noble member of the Benedetti family in the northern Italian city of Todi. He became a successful lawyer and married a pious, generous lady named Vanna.

His young wife took it upon herself to do penance for the worldly excesses of her husband. One day Vanna, at the insistence of Jacomo, attended a public tournament. She was sitting in the stands with the other noble ladies when the stands collapsed. Vanna was killed. Her shaken husband was even more disturbed when he realized that the penitential girdle she wore was for his sinfulness. On the spot, he vowed to radically change his life.

He divided his possessions among the poor and entered the Secular Franciscan Order (once known as the Third Order). Often dressed in penitential rags, he was mocked as a fool and called Jacopone, or "Crazy Jim," by his former associates. The name became dear to him.

After 10 years of such humiliation, Jacopone asked to be a member of the Order of Friars Minor(First Order). Because of his reputation, his request was initially refused. He composed a beautiful poem on the vanities of the world, an act that eventually led to his admission into the Order in 1278. He continued to lead a life of strict penance, declining to be ordained a priest. Meanwhile he was writing popular hymns in the vernacular.

Jacopone suddenly found himself a leader in a disturbing religious movement among the Franciscans. The Spirituals, as they were called, wanted a return to the strict poverty of Francis. They had on their side two cardinals of the Church and Pope Celestine V. These two cardinals, though, opposed Celestine’s successor, Boniface VIII. At the age of 68, Jacopone was excommunicated and imprisoned. Although he acknowledged his mistake, Jacopone was not absolved and released until Benedict XI became pope five years later. He had accepted his imprisonment as penance. He spent the final three years of his life more spiritual than ever, weeping "because Love is not loved." During this time he wrote the famous Latin hymn, Stabat Mater .

On Christmas Eve in 1306 Jacopone felt that his end was near. He was in a convent of the Poor Clares with his friend, Blessed John of La Verna. Like Francis, Jacopone welcomed "Sister Death" with one of his favorite songs. It is said that he finished the song and died as the priest intoned the Gloria from the midnight Mass at Christmas. From the time of his death, Brother Jacopone has been venerated as a saint.

“Crazy Jim,” his contemporaries called Jacopone. We might well echo their taunt, for what else can you say about a man who broke into song in the midst of all his troubles? We still sing Jacopone’s saddest song, the Stabat Mater , but we Christians claim another song as our own, even when the daily headlines resound with discordant notes. Jacopone’s whole life rang our song out: “Alleluia!” May he inspire us to keep singing.

God Bless

December 21

 

The Magnificat

After Mary conceived the Son of God,

She broke out into song, singing the Magnificat.

And how her soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.

Do we ever break out into song praising God?

Do our lives proclaim the goodness and the greatness of God?

They should!

Because our God,

Has mercy on those who fear Him;He lifts up the lowly

And fills the hungry

And always remembers His Promise of mercy.

And this is something to sing about.

God Bless

December 19

 

The Birth of John The Baptist

The birth of John was unexpected.

Zechariah and Elizabeth were both advanced in years.

But God’s plans are not our plans,

And God is not limited to our way of thinking and understanding.

Zechariah doubted that God could do the impossible.

And so he was struck mute until John was born.

Then Zechariah sang God’s praises.

Must we wait for miracles before we sing God’s praises.

Every breath we take;

Every sun that rises;

Every bird that sings

And every flower that blooms,

Should be enough!

God Bless