STOPPED

I have often said that God uses illness to stop us. He also uses weather. Today I find myself snowed in! I knew it was coming. I ran my Saturday errands yesterday in preparation for it.

When my son and his wife were blessed with twin sons, they were so happy. They were also overwhelmed. I still laugh remembering that first call from my son where he said, "Ma, you just gotta help me with these babies!" The first babysitting schedule brought me to their house 2 mornings a week. Other grandparents had other allotted times. That was fine. It later went to 3 days a week to the mid-afternoon. A few weeks ago, my fellow mother-in-law passed away. I have now been over there 4 full days a week! Sometimes even on a Saturday or Sunday as well! This week he tried to get me for all the weekdays. I kept Thursday for myself.

As an Oblate, I wish to pray the Divine Office at the prescribed times. On babysitting days, coming home mid-afternoon at least allows me to combine Sext and None. But one day this week, I was kept so long that I was even late for Vespers! The babies have recently turned 2. Bringing the breviary with me isn't practical anymore. But what grandparent doesn't love their little ones and doesn't feel that they can't get enough of them? Further, while my son keeps promising he will go to church again soon, for some reason, he doesn't want me to expose his boys to too much religion. If this is coming from his wife, I do not know! But when those boys see my Benedictine crucifix, they say "Nonna's cross!" will all seriousness! Children know and sense things! So while on one hand, I may not be saying 'no' enough, on the other hand, my grandchildren need me! One day they will be in school and not need their Nonna so much. I will be on a more steady prayer schedule and miss them too. Unless, of course, they have more children. I surely wouldn't mind! :-) Maybe they will have twin girls next time! :-D

For today, however, everything has stopped! The snow is still falling. I prayed the early hours at their allotted times rather than bunching them together to go to my son's house and I won't have to combine Sext and None but pray them when I am supposed to. I engaged in Lectio Divina in the quiet early morning rather than late afternoon, tired and distracted. A day like this affords it own time of recollection for a soul.

Feat of the Presentation

Presentation, Purification, Candlemas Day, is upon us. I love the old customs and try to keep them. On this day, I have my candles blessed for the year. It helps to go to a priest that is either very young or over 70. One of those modern, postmodern, or liberal types might refuse or not know what to do. Traditionally, priests bless the candles before Mass. It is in their Book of Blessings.

On this day, I place at least one blessed candle on my supper table. In parts of Europe, it is customary to have candles everywhere in the house. Candles represent Jesus the "Light of Revelation to the Gentiles" as Simeon proclaimed in the Nunc Dimittus. Snowdrop flowers are also traditional but white carnations are easier to find and more affordable in my area, not to mention safer for my cats!

Traditional foods include tamales or hot chocolate in Mexico, crepes in much of Europe, perhaps with a suzette sauce. I suppose fowl would work in remembrance of the pigeons or turtle doves sacrificed at the Presentation of our Lord.

Appropriate readings of study for the day would include: Exodus 13:2-13, Leviticus 12:2-8, Numbers 18: 15-16, Psalm 24:7-10, Psalm 47: 10-11, Malachi 3:1-4, Luke 2:22-40, Hebrews 2:14-18, and St. Ephraem's "Homily on Our Lord", #48-57. And of course, as Oblates, we will read the Fifth Degree of Humility from the Holy Rule.

The Forgotten Season of Septuagesima

Those of us who pray a pre-Vatican II version of the Divine Office or assist at Traditional Latin Mass will acknowledge this Sunday as Septuagesima Sunday. The Novus Ordo calendar has these weeks as the beginning snippet of Ordinary Time. Both lead us to Lent. While the LIturgical color for the beginning of Ordinary Time is green as is the rest of Ordinary Time later in the year, in Septuagesima, the penitential color of violet is already used in preparation for Lent. Some traditional Catholics will even engage in voluntary fasting in preparation of the Great Lent.

The Sundays of Septuagesima are listed for their approximate distance to Easter Sunday. Septuagesima means 70; Sexagesima, 60; Quinquagesima, 50; Quadragesima, 40. Then we enter Lent. In the Traditional Latin Mass as well as the pre-Vatican II forms of the Divine Office, the use of saying "Alleluia" is already suspended and at Matins, the Te Deum is not said.

Whether you see and celebrate this Sunday as the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time or Septuagesima Sunday, may we refrain from any unnecessary servile work, worship in Spirit and in Truth, and be free from worry on Our Lord's Day!

St Thomas the Oblate!

Today is the Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas. He is well known as a theologian and a Dominican preacher. But what I didn't know until my studying today is that he was given as an Oblate at the age of 5! Thomas was the son of high noble parents. They brought him to the Abbey at Monte Cassino where his uncle was Abbot. It was his mother's hopes that he would one day follow in his uncle's footsteps and be abbot himself. The monks found him to be a grave and studious child who would pour through manuscripts and ask very profound and intelligent questions. He stayed at Monte Cassino nearly 10 years when the Abbot advised that he go to university in Naples. It was at University he was introduced to the Greek Classics and St. Julian, a Dominican recruiter. His parents were very disappointed when he chose the Dominicans over the Benedictines, even to the point of having his brothers in the military overtake him and bring him home. But his parents finally relented and he went on to be the great Dominican preacher and Saint.

Imagine the things Thomas learned as an Oblate! How such a beginning shaped his life to be true to God and put him first in all things! Although influenced by Dominican theology and the Greek classics, his first training beyond his mother's knee was The Rule of St. Benedict and the Work of God.

Comment Moderation

It is unfortunate that I have had to more strictly moderate comments in order to avoid those persistent nasty ones that have been popping up randomly, as well as those who are posted by people who think that other people's blogs are their own personal billboard for selling things. I am very sorry about this.

Have a most blessed Sunday!

God Provides Again!

I had resigned myself to being late on the utility bills this month and possibly having a couple of them turned off briefly. Perhaps because it was January and it affected billing cycles, perhaps because the cold weather and shorter days raised a couple of bills, whatever it was, it looked like I was going to be in trouble but did not panic this time. I decided how I was going to handle it, who would get how much and just hope it held me until my disability check comes next week and I can pay the rent.

My daughter came over Sunday. When she saw my empty cupboards and refrigerator, she gave me $100! I tried to give it back to her saying she would need it for school but she paid for her books already and finally got a big retro payment from her employer who had some problems of his own. I am glad we don't have to worry about her rent now! She promised me that she would get some of her unneeded things from the back closet so I can store some things in there and make more room in my kitchen pantry. We found an old jewelry box I had given her as a child. It had a choker necklace in there very popular in the 90's. I had gotten it from a thrift shop for $3 way back. When it was no longer in style nor fit my neck anymore, I gave it to her to play with. When I saw it in the jewelry box, I was surprised to see the gold filling did not fade. My daughter looked at it and said, "Mom, this looks like real gold!" I said, "How could I get real gold for $3?" I could never read the small tiny print in the corner of the clasp. My daughter said it read 14k! I could not believe it. Plus working in a jewelry store at one time, I did know of customers who had gold filled pieces of well-made costume jewelry who would get clasps in real gold because that is what turns green first and can be rather irritating to the skin. That is what I thought when she told me about the clasp reading 14K. But she said to take it and sell it. She was sure it was all real gold and its weight would bring a good price. She also would not take her $100 back! She knew what my bills are!

The next day, I brought the necklace to the jeweler. It paid $367! So this month, all my minimum payments and utility bills are paid. When my disability check comes next week, it will pay the rent. God has provided again! This time through the good heart of my daughter. It is a blessing when our grown children remember our kindnesses to them. Blessed be God our Great Provider!

Mom, I wish I could go to Haiti..........

Music to a devout Catholic mother's ears! Of course, my daughter cannot go to Haiti now. She needs to work so long as her place of business is still in operation. She needs the money for rent in the city of her graduate school. She needs very expensive books for the new semester. She needs to do her field work. She is a certified EMT and could probably be of help over in Haiti where they had that terrible earthquake this week. But this is not the time for her to do something like that. In mapping out her future, I have asked her where she would like to work after graduation. She mentioned one of the worst nursing homes in the state! Working there doesn't pay very much either! I asked her why. She said because those elderly people are the ones who would need her most!

As Oblates, living away from home and involved in family life, we often worry about our children when they don't always go to Mass on Sunday, date the wrong people, etc. But when your grown child says they want to do something to help on such a scale, I praise God that He has helped me to do something right!