First Sunday of Advent

by popadmin | Nov 21, 2021 | CIC Saint Writeups

28 November: First Sunday of Advent. The word Advent comes from the Latin adventus, which means a coming or arrival. Advent is the first liturgical season of the Church Year; it begins today and ends on December 24th. Don’t skip Advent – it’s there for a reason! It is a time of hopeful, joyous preparation for the coming of the Savior. The liturgical colors of Advent are violet and rose. Violet symbolizes penance, preparation and sacrifice. Rose is used on the Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday (Gaudete is Latin for rejoice.) The color rose signifies anticipatory joy that the waiting is half over; Christmas is near.

Advent is a time for us to prepare our minds and hearts for Jesus (through prayer, penance, fasting). We think of Advent as a time to prepare for Christmas, or the First Coming of Christ, but it should also remind us to look forward to the Second Coming of Christ.

“When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior’s first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming. By celebrating the precursor’s birth and martyrdom, the Church unites herself to his desire: “He must increase, but I must decrease.”” (Catechism, 524)

Here are some ideas for how you can celebrate the holy season of Advent. Remember, you don’t have to do it all—just choose a few, and see what blesses your family. The ultimate goal is to use the season of Advent to prepare our minds, hearts, and homes for the birth of Christ.

Ideas for celebrating the season of Advent in your home:

• Advent Wreath: place on your table and light the candles each night. Pray together and sing O Come O Come Emmanuel. Be sure to bless your advent wreath using this blessing.
• Advent Calendar: a wonderful visual for children to count down the days leading to Christmas.
• Jesse Tree: lots of ideas and resources online for this. It is a fantastic way to learn about Jesus’ ancestors and the Biblical events leading up to His birth. Click here for more about the Jesse Tree.
• Nativity Scene: this tradition started by St. Francis is a perfect visual to remind everyone about the meaning of Christmas. Say a blessing over your nativity set and maybe wait to add baby Jesus to the manger until Christmas morning!
• Special Sunday Advent Dinners: fix a special dinner every Sunday in Advent and eat together by candlelight. Read aloud a Christmas story, Saints story, Scripture passage or Advent devotion. Say prayers together as a family.
• O Antiphons: from the Liturgy of the Hours, these antiphons are sung or recited at evening prayer from December 17 to 23, the octave before Christmas. Each antiphon welcomes the birth of the Savior by heralding one of the ancient Biblical titles given to the Messiah (as prophesied in the OT). Click here for the antiphons.
• Las Posadas: this Hispanic tradition reflects on what it was like for Joseph and Mary on the night Jesus was born. This begins on Dec. 16 and continues through Christmas Eve. Click here for more.
• Read Christmas & Advent books to your children: Here and Here are two wonderful book lists!
• Almsgiving and acts of service: good deeds and generosity have always been an important part of preparation for Christmas. Make it a family activity!
• Celebrate Saints’ Feast Days: There are many wonderful feast days during Advent. Click here for a list. You could keep it as simple as reading about the life of the saint over dinner; or make it a more elaborate celebration with ideas you find online.
• Sacrifices for the Christ Child: fill an empty “manger” during the season of Advent – one piece of straw placed for every sacrifice or good deed. Baby Jesus will have a soft manger when he arrives on Christmas from all the good works performed during Advent! Click here for more.

Go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation as a family; pray together; attend mass; do everything you can to prepare your heart and soul for the coming of Our Savior!

16 November: Feast of Saint Margaret of Scotland & Feast of Saint Gertrude the Great

by popadmin | Nov 14, 2021 | CIC Saint Writeups

16 November: Saint Margaret of Scotland. Born in Hungary in 1046, Margaret was the great-niece of Saint Edward the Confessor. She was a Saxon princess, raised in Hungary where her father was living in exile. She spent her childhood there as an unusually devout and pious girl. The family eventually went to England, when her father was called to high office by his uncle, King Saint Edward III. Margaret’s father died suddenly. She and her mother had to flee yet again; this time to the court of Malcolm, the King of Scotland. Upon instructions from her mother, Margaret married King Malcolm in 1069. The country was blessed by her holy life and deeds of charity for the next thirty years. Margaret had eight children and proved to be a model mother and exemplary queen who brought up pious children. She zealously trained her children in the practice of Christian virtues. Margaret also worked hard to improve the morality of her subjects. In the midst of royal splendor, Margaret chastised her flesh by mortification and vigils and often passed the greater part of the night in devout prayer. Her most remarkable virtue was love of neighbor, particularly love toward the poor. Her alms supported countless unfortunates; daily she provided food for three hundred souls and shared in the work of serving them personally, washing their feet and kissing their wounds. Queen Margaret of Scotland is the secondary patroness of Scotland. She is also the patron saint of large families, learning, queens, widows, and the death of children. St. Margaret’s copy of the Gospels is preserved in the Bodleian Library at Oxford University.

Ideas for celebrating this feast day at home:

• Practice the virtue of charity today. Ideas: donate to a charity, buy baby items for a crisis pregnancy center, take a food donation to a food pantry, help in our own parish by giving to the KofC turkey dinner project or to SVdP’s angel tree project to provide toys and coats for children in need ($25 contribution for a warm winter coat for a child in need; $25 for a child to purchase a toy – give online at SVDP)
• Offer your support (even if it is just a little morale boosting) to a mother with young children who is trying to raise her children to love God.
• If you are a mother with young children, pray to St. Margaret to help you imitate her zeal in training her children in the Faith. If you are needing a little boost, read Cardinal Mindszenty’s The Mother.
• Today it might be fun to cook a pot of Scottish soup in honor of St. Margaret who probably cooked many pots of soup herself. (Try making Scottish Tattie Soup!)
• To celebrate St. Margaret, making a crown cake (denoting her rank) would be appropriate. Chocolate “coins” wrapped in gold foil could also be enjoyed today in memory of Margaret’s generosity.

Today, 16 November, is also the Feast of Saint Gertrude the Great. Gertrude was a Cistercian nun from medieval times. She was born in 1256 at Eisleben and at the age of five was taken to the convent at Rossdorf. In spite of much ill-health, Gertrude used her exceptional natural talents well; she knew Latin fluently and wrote prolifically. When she was twenty-five years old, Christ began to appear to her and to disclose to her the secrets of mystical union. Obeying a divine wish, she put into writing the favors of grace bestowed upon her. Her most important work, Legatus Divinae Pietatis, “The Herald of Divine Love,” is distinguished for its theology and poetry. How it stimulates love of God can be felt only by reading it; Abbot Blosius is said to have read it twelve times each year. Saint Gertrude was one of the first to have stressed devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She died in 1302, more consumed by the fire of God’s love than by her fever. Read more about the Life of Saint Gertrude in this book. Learn a prayer in Latin on her feast day. Renew your own devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus today.

11 November: Saint Martin of Tours

by popadmin | Oct 31, 2021 | CIC Saint Writeups

11 November: Saint Martin of Tours. Born to pagan parents, this son of a veteran was forced at the age of 15 to serve in the army. Martin was baptized a Christian at age 18. He lived more like a monk than a soldier. One of the most famous stories associated with Martin happened while he was in the army: Martin came across a poor, naked beggar at the gates of Amiens who asked alms in Christ’s Name. Martin had nothing with him except his weapons and soldier’s mantle; but he took his sword, cut his own cloak in two, and gave half to the poor man. That night, Christ appeared to him clothed with half a mantle and said, “Martin, the catechumen, has clothed ME with his mantle!” At age 23, Martin refused a war bonus and requested dismissal from the army. He told his commander: “I have served you as a soldier; now let me serve Christ. Give the bounty to those who are going to fight. But I am a soldier of Christ and it is not lawful for me to fight.” He was accused of cowardice and after great difficulty, was discharged. Martin then dedicated himself to God’s work. He traveled to Tours where he began studying under Hilary of Poitiers (a doctor of the Church). Martin was ordained as an exorcist. Martin also became a monk. He established a French monastery near Poitiers. He lived there for 10 years, forming his disciples and preaching throughout the countryside. The people of Tours demanded he become their bishop. Martin did not wish it (was so reluctant that he hid in a barn full of geese which honked loudly and gave him away!!!). He thus reluctantly became bishop of Tours and served faithfully. Along with St. Ambrose, Martin rejected putting heretics to death. He worked against the Arian heresy, paganism, and the Druid religion. He was an extraordinary evangelist and won many to the Christian faith. Once the devil appeared to him and spoke as if he were Christ. Martin recognized the deceit. Three dead persons he raised to life. When he was an old man, Martin fell into a painful fever. Although he longed for Heaven, Martin prayed: “Lord, if your people still need me, I do not refuse the work. Your will be done.” Sick and suffering, he was called to heaven on November 11, 397. Saint Martin is a patron of the poor, soldiers, horsemen, alcoholics, tailors, and winemakers.

Ideas for celebrating this feast day at home:

• Martin’s day, called “Martinmas”, arrives in autumn, the beginning of wine harvest and the time to slaughter winter meat. It is a day for great feasting. Tradition is to have “St. Martin’s goose” and new wine; enjoyed with cakes, figs, fruits, nuts, puddings. Of course, a store-bought rotisserie chicken enjoyed with a good wine and fig cake would also be perfect!
• A symbol for St. Martin is a horse, so horseshoe cookies are traditional. Recipe here. The catch is that you have to give half your cookie away, in honor of St. Martin’s generosity!
• To remind us that we should be a light in the world like St. Martin (bringing light to the beggar), lanterns are a main tradition of Martinmas. Pull out camping lanterns or make your own St. Martin paper lanterns. Free lantern pattern here. Then, have a family procession or “lantern walk” and sing a traditional lantern song for Martinmas. Or, sing around a bonfire with your family!
• Another idea is to string up twinkle lights all over your home: the more light you bring into the world, the better! As you string lights, be sure to remind children that Christ is the “Light of the World” and we are called to shed that light on everyone we encounter.

All of these traditions are based on the fact that St. Martin cut his cloak in half and gave it to a beggar. The perfect way to celebrate this feast would be to help the needy. Participate in a coat drive, donate to a local shelter, help our parish Triune Mercy Kitchen or St. Vincent de Paul as they serve the needy in our own community.