CHRISTMAS TO CANDLEMAS IN A CATHOLIC HOME
BY HELEN MCLOUGHLIN
THE LITURGICAL PRESS
St. John's Abbey
Collegeville, Minnesota
CONTENTS
The Season of Grace and Joy
A Correct Outlook
Christmas Eve
Family Morning Prayers
Family Evening Prayers
The Christ-Candle
Caroling
The Shepherds
Indian Christmas Carol
Christmas Recipes
St. Stephen's Day
St. John's Wine
Holy Innocents
New Year's Day
Blessing for Beer
Epiphany
Epiphany Gift
Epiphany Prayers
The Wise Men
Holy Family
Where Abideth Charity and Love
St. Canute
St. Agnes
St. Brigid's Day
Purification
Acknowledgments: To Florence Berger and the National Catholic
Rural Life Conference, Des Moines, Iowa, for recipes on pp. 22,
25, 26, 35 from "Cooking for Christ"; to the Gregorian Institute
of America, Toledo, Ohio, for the hymns on pp. 18 and 37; to the
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine for the English version of
passages from the Bible; to McLaughlin and Reilly Company,
Boston, for hymns on pp. 20 and 39; to Harcourt, Brace and
Company for quotation from "The Christmas Book," by Rev. Francis
Weiser, S.J.; photography by Daniel McManamy.
Nihil obstat: John Eidenschink, O.S.B., J.CD., Censor deputatus.
Imprimi potest: + Baldwin Dworschak, O.S.B., D.D., Abbot of St.
John's Abbey.
Imprimatur: + Peter W. Bartholome, D.D., Bishop of St. Cloud.
Copyright by The Order of St. Benedict, Inc., Collegeville,
Minnesota.
"...people are instructed in the truths of faith and brought to
appreciate the inner joys of religion far more effectively by the
annual celebration of our sacred mysteries than by any official
pronouncement of the teaching of the Church. Such pronouncements
usually reach only a few and the more learned among the faithful;
feasts reach them all. The Church's teaching affects the mind
primarily; her feasts affect both mind and heart and have a
salutary effect upon man's whole nature."
--Pope Pius XI
THE Root of Jesse has blossomed.
The Star of Jacob has risen.
A Virgin has brought forth the Savior!
Our God, we praise You.
--OFFICE OF CHRISTMASTIDE
THE SEASON OF GRACE AND JOY
Christmas is a liturgical season of great joy. It lasts forty
days, from December 25 to February 2, during which the birth of
Jesus Christ, our Savior, is celebrated as one continuous
festival. The finale comes with His presentation in the temple. A
season most dear to Christian hearts, Christmas is as distinct in
the liturgy as Advent, Lent, Easter, or Pentecost. Four weeks of
Advent are scarcely enough to "prepare the way of the Lord" for
His coming to us as King. However, if we have used that season as
a preparation, we are ready now to receive the Redeemer who will
deliver us from sin in answer to our requests. Christ's coming
must be, not a lovely idyll or a pastoral scene, but a reality
accomplished in our lives and our children's. Forty days of
rejoicing are not too long a celebration for so great an event.
The early Church selected December 25, the date of the winter
solstice when God the Creator gives the sun an increase of
natural light in northern hemispheres, as the day on which to
celebrate the birth of the Sun of Justice, Light of the world.
Radiating from the Divine Child are a galaxy of wonderful saints
whose lives afford a continuing interest in celebrating the feast
of His birth.
Micheas, who lived in the days of Isaias, prophesied the
birthplace of the Messiah: "Thou, Bethlehem, art a little one
among the thousands in Judah; out of thee shall He come forth
unto me that is to be the Ruler of Israel; and His going forth is
from the beginning, from the days of eternity." The name
Bethlehem signifies House of Bread. To it at Christmas comes the
Savior, who is the Bread of Life. By our participation in this
mystery the divine transformation takes place whereby He "re-
shapes the body of our lowliness after the body of His splendor."
Our forebears gave the name Christmas to the feast of our Lord's
birth because they kept the "Christ Mass" as the heart of their
celebrations. Following closely the liturgy of the Church, they
centered their customs and wrote their hymns and carols on her
practices of the season, adoration, love, joy, and gratitude.
Those practices also increased their admiration for His Virgin
Mother Mary who gave Almighty God His human form. He had created
heaven and earth by His Word, but His becoming Man depended on a
creature's FIAT, "Be it done unto me according to Thy Word." Mary
consented. Our forebears honored her in their great masterpieces
because she is God's Mother. For the same reason the world in our
day honors her as Queen of Heaven.
A CORRECT OUTLOOK
It is to our Lady that Christian families must look for help to
reestablish Christmas as a season of festivities marking Christ's
birth. Either we live the liturgical year with its varying
seasons of joy and sorrow, work and rest, or we follow the
pattern of the world. Nor is it an easy task to break with the
world and the powerful influence of advertising. Their season of
Christmas begins around Thanksgiving Day when stores display
wares for holiday gift-giving. It lasts until December 24.
Families, who would not dream of eating their Thanksgiving turkey
a week in advance or of having their 4th of July picnic in June,
give no thought to the fact that, when they awake on December 25,
there is not a shred of Christmas left. Every present has been
opened. Every carol has been sung. The tree has dried out.
Christmas is apt to be a dull day given to over-eating. There was
no fast in Advent, so it follows that there can be no feast.
It is difficult to keep one's home dark in Advent penance; to
keep a tree fresh outside the door; to refrain from singing
carols until Christmas eve. Our children see their friends' trees
shimmering with ornaments a week before Christmas. Their houses
are bedecked with lights. Television and radio blare carols. Not
only is it difficult to keep from celebrating beforehand, it is
even more difficult to begin forty days of the Christmas season
when all around people are concluding their festivities. How then
do families return to the spirit of the Church and begin the
season of joy and grace on Christmas eve?
The simplest way is by keeping Advent. Children love to
anticipate. When there are empty mangers to fill with straws of
small sacrifices, when the Mary-Candle is a daily reminder on the
dinner table, when Advent hymns are sung in the candlelight of a
graceful Advent wreath, children are not anxious to celebrate
Christmas before time. That would offend their sense of honor.
Older children who make Nativity sets, cut Old Testament symbols
to decorate a Jesse tree, or prepare costumes for a Christmas
play will find Advent all too short a time to prepare for the
coming of Christ the King.[1]
Celebrating Christmas in its season can be accomplished more
easily when several families try it together. Frequently there
are families who, if only for sentimental reasons, would like to
keep the joy and surprise of Christmas for the eve. Christians of
the Eastern rite wait until their particular feast of Christmas
comes in January. We should likewise begin ours on its proper
day. We also need time for our festivities. The Church gives us a
period of forty days for rejoicing.
As a child in the suburbs of Boston, my Christmas eve centered
around the parish house. On the half-hour groups of children with
trumpet accompaniment caroled around the giant tree on the lawn
or, when snow was too deep, sang on the rambling veranda. From
there they went to sing in the park, at the convent, and at homes
of aged parishioners. Back to the parish house, its hearths
aglow, children trooped to enjoy warm doughnuts and cider. Early
in the evening high school students caroled on the same circuit.
Now the parish house was bright with candles and firelight. The
night was blue and so frosty cold that the trumpets cut the air.
Their "Noel Noel" traveled far and clear. In reply myriads of
vigil lights, flickering against lace curtains in every house,
returned a bright "Merry Christmas." Carolers returned to the
parish house for refreshments.
Half-hourly the charming custom of caroling went on. By nine
o'clock the church choir arrived. When the last trolley car had
left the carbarns an hour later, a hush fell upon the city making
peace on earth a reality. By ten-thirty parents arrived to join
the singing and to free the choir for rehearsals.
I remember the breathtaking beauty of the upper church. Its
marble altar with golden decorations was resplendent with light.
The crib gave new joy each succeeding year. With the singing of
Midnight Mass our season of rejoicing began.
Afterwards families walked home together in the sharp cold
nights, parents a bit ahead, boys and girls lagging behind.
Everywhere vigil lights flickered in homes of the Irish emigrants
who began the custom in penal days when priests were being
hunted. Telling of the custom in "The Christmas Book,"[2] Father
Francis X. Weiser, S.J., writes: "The people had no churches.
Priests hid in forests and caves and secretly visited the farms
and homes to say Mass there during the night. When Christmas came
the faithful placed burning candles in the windows so that any
priest who happened to be in the vicinity would be guided to
their home through the dark night. Silently he entered and was
received by the devout with fervent prayers of gratitude that
their home was to become a church during the Holy Night. To
justify this practice in the eyes of the English soldiers, the
Irish people used to explain: 'We burn the candles that Jesus and
Mary looking for a place to stay will find their way to our
home.' The English authorities finding this superstition harmless
did not bother to suppress it."
A Gaelic name for Christmas eve is "Oidhche na ceapairi"--Night
of Cakes. I can still see the cakes through candlelight in
kitchens of my childhood. A spanking white cloth on the table set
off the two-foot candle bound in evergreens and rising from a
bowl of holly to symbolize the Light of the world arising from
the Root of Jesse. On the polished black stove were round loaves
of sweet buttery bread flecked with currants and candied peel
called Irish Christmas "cake." That bread spelled Christmas for
us.
After a feast day breakfast early in the morning, our tree was
stealthily brought indoors and set into its waiting stand. Balls
were hung, tinsel, popcorn, and cranberries festooned to its
spreading branches. Then it was time for Mass at dawn.
Every nation has its Christmas bread. The French Canadian uses
homemade "Pain d'Habitant," the German, "Christstollen," the
Czech "Vanocka." The Italian saves a slice from each Christmas
loaf and on St. Blaise day, forty days later, soaks the hard
bread in milk and eats it. Many cakes are baked in wreath-shaped
pans and circles to symbolize everlasting life. Among these are
the Swedish "Julbrod," chock full of citron, raisins, almonds;
and the famous Ukrainian poppy seed cake. A recipe for the Irish
cake is on p. 41.
ON CHRISTMAS EVE
Once Christian families succeed in giving Christmas its proper
setting in the liturgical cycle, they will enjoy the feast. In
our house, Christmas begins when the children are awakened and
dressed in slippers and robes. Each is given a lighted candle in
honor of the Christ-Child. The children come up a long hall,
slowly, singing "Silent Night" as they proceed to the living
room. Their father has lighted the Christ-Candle and the tree.
Family and friends gather round the Nativity scene. Pierce, our
oldest child, reads from the Roman Martyrology:
In the forty-second year of the Empire of Octavian Augustus, in
the Sixth Age of the world while all the earth was at peace,
Jesus Christ, Eternal God, and Son of the Eternal Father, willed
to consecrate the world by His gracious coming; having been
conceived of the Holy Ghost, and the nine months since His
conception having now passed (all kneel), He was born as Man of
the Virgin Mary at Bethlehem of Juda. (Very solemnly):
THE BIRTHDAY ACCORDING TO THE FLESH OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
All: Praise be to You, O Christ.
A blessing of the crib and then of the tree is read by the father
who uses the prayers of the Church's liturgy.
Father: The Word was made flesh, alleluia.
All: And dwelt among us, alleluia.
Father: O Lord, hear my prayer.
All: And let my cry come to You.
Father: Let us pray. We beseech Thee, Almighty God, bless this crib which
we have prepared in honor of the new birth in the flesh of Thine
only begotten Son. May all who devoutly see in this image the
mystery of His Incarnation be filled with the light of His glory,
who with Thee liveth and reigneth forever.
All: Alleluia .
Family and friends sing the Adeste Fidelis:
O come, all ye faithful,
Joyous and triumphant,
To Jesus, to Jesus in Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels.
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ, our Lord.
The procession moves to the Christmas tree or the Jesse tree,
decorated with symbols of the Old Testament. All that is needed
to bless the tree is a little holy water--children love to
sprinkle it--and the following prayer:[3]
Father: Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, who by dying on the
Tree of the Cross didst overcome the death of sin caused by our
first parents' eating of the forbidden tree of paradise, grant,
we beseech Thee, the abundant graces of Thy Nativity, that we may
so live as to be worthy living branches of Thyself, the good and
ever green Olive Tree, and in Thy strength bear the fruit of good
works for eternal life. Who livest and reignest for ever and
ever.
All: Alleluia.
We first heard about the Jesse tree in "Worship" magazine. A
regular Christmas tree represents the Root of Jesse and is
decorated with lights and homemade symbols depicting the
ancestors of Jesus or Old Testament events leading to Him. For
Adam and Eve we use a rosy apple with two bites taken from it;
for Abraham and Isaac, a ram; for Solomon, a temple; for Moses,
two tablets of the Law; for David, a star; for Isaias, a hand
with a burning coal. These were drawn by an artist friend and cut
by the children from bright paper.
Freehand, we cut a pitcher from silver paper to symbolize
Rebecca, using a milk jug from Williamsburg as a model. We also
cut shells for John the Baptist and sheaves of wheat for Ruth.
The children helped their father make a ladder and attach to its
rungs tiny angels to symbolize Jacob. We placed a crown bearing
twelve stars for our Lady at the top of the tree and above the
crown a rose for our Savior who budded from the Root of Jesse. To
these we added beautiful hand-carved wooden "O" antiphons and
symbols of our Savior made by the Benedictine nuns at Regina
Laudis, Bethlehem, Connecticut. Christmas cards with liturgical
texts and symbols are widely available, and may well be cut out
and hung on the tree for decorations. We have also used the Jesse
tree symbols on a small artificial tree which the children when
little could decorate and redecorate to their hearts' content
without fear of pulling electric lights or breaking heirloom
Christmas balls.
Last year we served "Bread of Angels" on Christmas eve. Paper-
thin wafers with Nativity scenes imprinted, these were blessed
and given to each member of the family and to guests to symbolize
that "all who partake of one bread are one body." With the Bread
of Angels we used blessed wine. This simple fare helped us to
keep the Christmas vigil fast and made it a pleasure to do so.
The Bread of Angels was the gift of friends of Polish extraction.
Little children must go back to bed as midnight draws near in our
house; but their brother now serves Mass. Two doors away from us
the carillon of a famous church peals out the glad news of
Christ's birth.
Before we leave the house, a tiny figure of the Infant is placed
on the straws of the empty manger beside each child's bed. In
this way the first sight to greet him or her on Christmas morning
and during the season will be the Savior in swaddling clothes. We
hasten to Mass in the darkness of night, reminding ourselves that
we are about to celebrate the greatest act of the Christmas
feast. We go to greet that Light which now shines in the
darkness; we go in the spirit of the shepherds to adore the Son
of God and to offer our hearts to Him in His manger. Later during
the Offertory, when bread and wine, the noblest of inanimate
creatures, are offered by us and for us, we offer our children,
our sorrows, our joys and ourselves on the paten, even as the
divine Child offers Himself to His Father. Then we make room in
our hearts for Christ, true God and true Man, who comes to us
cradled in Bread. In His coming in the Christ Mass, we undergo
the divine transformation which alone makes Christmas merry. For
"merry" in its original sense meant blessed.
MORNING PRAYERS DURING THE CHRISTMAS SEASON
Children love to pray when they realize that they are saying the
same prayers as Catholics all over the world. At Christmas it is
easy to introduce such prayers as a family custom. These morning
prayers, with variations on special feast days, are said from
Christmas eve until Candlemas. They may be used whole or in part
depending on the ages of the children in one's family.
Mother: Christ is born to us!
All: Come, let us adore Him.
Father: To the King of the Ages, who is immortal, invisible, the
one only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
All: Thanks be to God.
Father: Arise, O Christ, and help us.
All: And deliver us for Your Name's sake. Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.
Father: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy Name. Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give
us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we
forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into
temptation.
All: But deliver us from evil.
Father: O Lord, hear my prayer.
All: And let my cry come to You.
Father: Let us pray. O Lord God Almighty, who hast brought us to
the beginning of this day, preserve us in the same by Thy power
that during this day we may not fall into any sin, but that all
our words, thoughts and work may be directed to doing Thy holy
will. Through our Lord Jesus Christ.
All: Alleluia.
Mother: This day Christ is born, this day the Savior has
appeared. This day Angels are singing on earth, Archangels are
rejoicing. This day the just are glad and say:
All: Glory to God in the highest, alleluia.
When children in our family are late or fussy, we sing the
morning offering learned during babyhood:
"Good morning, dear God, we offer to You our thoughts, words and
actions and all that we do."
This is followed by the Lord's Prayer, a Hail Mary, and an
appropriate ejaculation.
EVENING PRAYERS DURING THE CHRISTMAS SEASON
In the evening families may again use the official prayers from
the liturgy of the Church.
Mother: May the Lord Almighty grant us a peaceful night and a
perfect end.
All: Alleluia.
Father: Be sober, be watchful! For your adversary the devil, as a
roaring lion, goes about seeking someone to devour. Resist him,
steadfast in the faith.
All: Thanks be to God.
Father: Our help is in the Name of the Lord.
All: Who made heaven and earth.
Father: I confess to Almighty God,
All: to blessed Mary ever Virgin, / to blessed Michael the
Archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, / to the holy apostles
Peter and Paul, to all the saints, and to you my family, / that I
have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed: / through my
fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. /
Therefore I beseech blessed Mary ever Virgin, / blessed Michael
the Archangel, blessed John the Baptist, / the holy apostles
Peter and Paul, all the saints, and you my family, / to pray to
the Lord our God for me.
Since children love to sing their prayers, any Christmas carol or
hymn such as Silent Night or Adeste Fidelis may be sung at this
time. (When children are very, very tired we simply sing a hymn
and call that our evening prayer.)
Father: Protect us, Lord, while we are awake and safeguard us
while we sleep, that we may keep watch with Christ and rest in
peace.
Mother: Sing to the Lord a new song, Sing to the Lord, all you
lands.
All: Sing to the Lord, bless His Name; announce His salvation,
day after day.
Mother: Tell His glory among the nations among the people His
wondrous deeds.
All: For great is the Lord and highly to be praised, awesome is
He, beyond all gods.
Mother: For all the gods of the nations are things of naught, but
the Lord made the heavens.
All: Splendor and majesty go before Him, praise and grandeur are
in His sanctuary.
Mother: Give to the Lord, you families of nations, give to the
Lord glory and praise, give to the Lord the glory due His name!
All: Bring gifts and enter His courts, worship the Lord in holy
attire.
Mother: Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice, let the
sea and what fills it resound, let the plains be joyful and all
that is in them!
All: Then shall all the trees of the forest exult before the
Lord, for He comes, for He comes to rule the earth.
Mother: He shall rule the world with justice and the peoples with
His constancy.
All: Protect us, Lord, while we are awake and safeguard us while
we sleep, that we may keep watch with Christ and rest in peace.
Father: O Lord, hear my prayer.
All: And let my cry come to You.
Father: Let us pray. Visit this home, we beseech Thee, O Lord,
and drive far from it all snares of the enemy. Let Thy holy
Angels dwell herein who may keep us in peace, and let Thy
blessing be always upon us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ.
All: Alleluia.
Father: May the blessing of Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost, keep us forever.
All: Alleluia.
Prayers in our house are said at the crib during Christmas. It
might be well for parents to meditate on the words of Abbot
Marmion: "When we would penetrate into the sanctuaries of God's
secrets, He says to us; 'This is my beloved Son, hear ye Him.'
This is the solution of all: Jesus stretching out His little arms
to us in the crib is God. As we gaze on Jesus, we have no
difficulty in understanding that God is love."
Parents should avoid buying the ugly representations of the Babe
of Bethlehem which flood the market at this time of year. It is
better to carve a Madonna and Child from soap or to encourage
children to draw and cut out their own Nativity figures. A Hummel
infant in a wooden manger is more effective than a set of cheap
figures. If your children are too small to have a delicate statue
under their tiny hands, a lovely Nativity scene of folded
cardboard is available. The stable background with the usual crib
figures are easily assembled; it is the sort of thing children
(or teachers) will want to put near their windows to share with
others.[4]
THE CHRIST-CANDLE
An attractive Christ-Candle for the family table may be made at
home by melting paraffin or used white candles. Take a No. 3 size
empty can, the kind in which juice comes. Remove one end of the
can. Across the top open place a pencil to which is tied a ten
inch piece of string for the wick. Pour the melted wax or
paraffin into the can until full. Allow to cool. Then place in
the refrigerator for an hour. When the bottom of the can is
removed by a can opener, the candle will slip out easily. It may
be entwined with holly or other evergreens to signify the Light
from the Root of Jesse and lighted at meal times.
A child may cut from old Christmas cards a Madonna and Child, a
star or angel, and attach these with rubber cement to the candle.
Our eight-year-old daughter decorated a delightful candle by
pinning to it tiny bright metal stars, spangles and snowflakes by
means of straight pins. These decorations come packaged at
Christmas goods section of five and ten cent stores, or are
available from mail order houses.
CAROLING
When Advent hymns have been sung until December 24, there is a
delightful freshness to Christmas carols. Among our favorites are
"Christ Was Born on Christmas Day" and "Little Jesus, Hang Your
Head, You Has Got a Manger Bed."[5] There are many American carols,
among them Holland's "There's a Song in the Air," which stress
the kingship of Christ. The following song from "The Story of the
Redemption for Children" published by the Gregorian Institute of
America is one which children learn easily.
{Musical notation cannot be displayed in ASCII text.}
THE SHEPHERDS
Te Lucis ante Terminum
1. That night while people were asleep
The Shepherds watched their flocks of sheep.
Then suddenly an angel bright
Was standing in a blaze of light.
2. "Be not afraid," the angel said,
"I bring good news to make you glad.
For in a a stable cave forlorn
The Savior of the world is born."
3. A host of angels in the sky
Began a song of love and joy:
"Glory to God in Heaven's height,
And peace to mean whose wills are right."
4. The Shepherds came and found the Child,
Within the manger, sweet and mild.
They found Him with His Mother dear,
And good St. Joseph kneeling near.
Another carol which deserves to be better known among Catholics
is the lovely Indian Christmas Carol written by St. John de
Brebeuf, S.J., a French Jesuit missioner among the Huron Indian
tribes. Father de Brebeuf translated the Christmas story into
Indian imagery for the Indians at whose hands be later suffered
martyrdom.
There is a statue of the Child Jesus wrapped in a robe of
rabbits' fur in St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York City. A booklet
on this early devotion of the Indians to the Holy Infant is
available at the entrance to the Cathedral.
{Musical notation cannot be displayed in ASCII text.}
INDIAN CHRISTMAS CAROL[6]
1. Twas in the moon of wintertime
When all the birds had fled,
That mighty GitchiManitou
Sent angel choirs instead;
Before their light the stars grew dim,
And wond'ring hunters heard the hymn:
(Refrain)
Refrain:
Jesus, your King is born,
Jesus is born,
In excelsis gloria
2. Within a lodge of broken bark
The tender Babe was found,
A ragged robe of rabbit skin
Enwrapp'd Hid beauty 'round.
But as the hunter braves drew night,
The angel song rang loud and high:
(Refrain)
3. The earliest moon of wintertime
Is not so round and fair
As was the ring of glory on
The helpless infant there.
The chiefs from far before Him knelt
With gifts of fox and beaver pelt.
(Refrain)
4. O children of the forest free, O sons
O sons of Manitou,
The Holy Child of earth and heav'n
Is born today for you.
Come kneel before the radiant boy,
Who brings you beauty, peace and joy.
(Refrain)
CHRISTMAS RECIPES
Rice is a traditional dish in countries as widely separated as
Denmark, where it is called "Risengrod," and Spain, where "Arroz
Dulce" is its name. The following recipe from Puerto Rico may be
used with cocoanut milk; but it is equally as delicious as plain
American rice pudding when cow's milk is used. Prepared ahead of
time, it gives a mother a chance to enjoy Christmas morning.
(Cocoanut milk may be purchased in stores in Spanish sections or
may be made by soaking a package of dry cocoanut for an hour in
one cup and a half of water and then straining it.)
Arroz Dulce
Cooking time: about 1 hour
1/2 cup raw rice 1/2 cup seedless raisins
2 cups boiling water 1 egg
1/2 cups milk or cocoanut milk 1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Wash rice. Put in a saucepan with the boiling water and boil 15
minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and rinse under cold
running water. Scald milk in top of double boiler over boiling
water. Add the rice, sugar, raisins, and salt, and cook, covered,
until rice is tender--about 40 minutes. Beat egg well, and add to
it 2 heaping tablespoons of the rice mixture. Mix well and pour
back into remaining rice mixture in the double boiler. Cook,
stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add butter and stir until
melted. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and mix well. Serve warm or
cold.
Another time-saver for a busy mother are delicious Christmas
morning muffins made in a jiffy when cranberries have been
prepared beforehand.
Cranberry Muffins
1 cup fresh cranberries 2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup sugar 2 eggs beaten
2 cups prepared biscuit mix 3/4 cup milk
Wash and clean the cranberries, cut them in halves, cover them
with the sugar, and let stand overnight. Combine the other
ingredients gently--don't worry about lumps--add the cranberries
and fill well-greased muffin pans two thirds full. Bake in a 400
degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Makes 12 two-inch muffins.[7]
Many traditional recipes, among them mince pie in the shape of a
manger, Greek Christmas bread, Christstollen, and Brioche are
given in "Family Advent Customs." For little children we feel
that a birthday cake, preferably a white one, with a single
candle, carries out the idea of Jesus' birthday. They always
enjoy singing "Happy Birthday, dear Jesus," before they cut the
cake.
A family we met at a Cana conference uses traditional fruit cake
as Baby Jesus' Birthday Cake. To it they add a candle for each
child. Children want to give the Child a present. Christina
Rosetti's poem, "What Can I Give Him?" is appealing, easy to
memorize, and answers the little one who wants to give Jesus
something special.
What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd,
I would bring a lamb;
If I were a wise man,
I would do my part;
Yet what can I give Him?
Give my heart.
Another poem easily memorized is "Our Brother Is Born":
Now every child that dwells on earth,
Stand up, stand up and sing:
The passing night has given birth
Unto the children's King.
Sing sweet is the flute,
Sing clear is the horn
Sing joy for the children,
Come Christmas morn:
Little Christ Jesus
Our Brother is born![8]
Older boys and girls will enjoy making Christmas Lady Cookies. An
easy recipe follows.
Christmas Lady Cookies
2 eggs separated 1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar 1/2 cup cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Beat egg whites until stiff; add 1/4 cup sugar, beating all the
while. Beat the yolks until thick and lemon colored, then beat in
remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Fold the white mixture into the
yolks, then fold in vanilla, flour and salt. Drop on ungreased
paper-lined cookie sheets and bake for 15 minutes in a slow oven
(300 degrees). When cool remove from paper and sprinkle with
confectioner's sugar.[9]
English eggnog is also a tradition for Christmas. In "Cooking for
Christ," Florence Berger gives a delicious one. We cut the
proportions in half.
6 eggs 1-1/2 pints of cream
1-1/8 cups of sugar 1 quart of milk
1 pint brandy 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1/2 pint rum
Beat egg yolks with sugar; add brandy and rum slowly, so eggs
will not coagulate. Beat in milk and pint of cream. Fold in three
stiffly beaten egg whites. Beat the remaining egg whites very
stiff, add powdered sugar and 1/2 pint cream. Float this egg
white mixture on the eggnog. Chill over night before serving.
Ideally, mothers should go to Mass daily. Actually it is often
impossible because of distance from church, working schedules of
husbands, or very young children in the family. In discussing
this with groups of mothers, it was noted that just after
breakfast, when children have gone off to school and just before
the baby's ten o'clock bath, is as a rule the easiest time for a
mother to read the Mass of the day and make her spiritual
communion. The mother who follows the forty days of Christmas in
a missal containing liturgical notes will gain many practical
suggestions for celebrating this season.
ST. STEVEN'S DAY
Leading the great saints who radiate from the Christ-Child is St.
Stephen, whose feast is December 26. First of the martyrs, he was
stoned by the Jews because he courageously proclaimed that Jesus
was the Messiah. His name signifies "the crowned." In a day like
ours, when hatred of enemies floods the minds of children, the
soldier-saint Stephen, who loved his enemies, is an excellent
model for them and for us.
On St. Stephen's Day our night prayers at the crib are varied in
this fashion from those on p. 14:
Father: Christ, the New-born, today crowned blessed Stephen.
All: Come, let us adore Him.
Mother: Stephen, full of grace and power, was working great
wonders and signs among the people.
All: Thanks be to God.
Father: You crowned him with glory and honor, O Lord.
All: You have given him rule over the works of Your hands.
Father: Let us pray. Grant, O Lord, we beseech Thee, that we may
imitate him whose memory we celebrate, so as to learn to love
even our enemies; because we now solemnize his martyrdom who knew
how to pray even for his persecutors to our Lord Jesus Christ Thy
Son, who liveth and reigneth forever. Alleluia.
All: Alleluia
ST. JOHN'S WINE
When our children were little, we celebrated December 27, the
feast of St. John, very simply. After blessing wine with holy
water and the sign of the Cross, we made a punch, adding water
and sugar, and poured it into our best goblets. Then at the
supper table Daddy would begin the toast, touching his goblet to
mine, and say: "I drink you the love of St. John." In turn I
touched the goblets of each of the children. They followed suit
and would "drink you the love of St. John." It is a delightful
custom and one they cherish.
Its memory comes back to them many times. Not infrequently when
they are given a special drink--even in warm weather--they say:
"Today is such a saint's feast! Let's drink to his love." And the
clinking of glasses begins as they toast the patron of the day.
Now that they are older we have a more solemn blessing in memory
of St. John, who remained unharmed by a cup of poisoned wine
after he had blessed it with the Sign of the Cross. Whenever a
priest of the family is home, the 22nd Psalm is read, followed by
the Lord's Prayer and a series of versicles. Then the official
prayers for the Blessing of Wine are recited. Otherwise the
following blessing from the Ritual is read at the dinner table.
Father: Lord Jesus Christ, Thou didst call Thyself the vine and
Thy holy Apostles the branches; and out of all those who love
Thee, Thou didst desire to make a good vineyard. Bless this wine
and pour into it the might of Thy benediction so that every one
who drinks or takes of it, may through the intercession of Thy
beloved disciple, the holy Apostle and Evangelist John, be freed
from every disease or attack of illness and obtain health of body
and soul. Who livest and reignest forever.
All: Amen.
A toast to the love of St. John is then pledged by all the
family. St. John's wine is easy to make.
Recipe for St. John's wine
2 cups wine 2 inches stick cinnamon
2 whole cloves 1 cardamon seed
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Boil the spices in the wine for about five minutes. Strain the
wine. Serve hot.
HOLY INNOCENTS
Holy Innocents or "Childermas Day" is celebrated on December 28.
The Gospel tells the story simply. "Herod sent and slew all the
boys in Bethlehem who were two years old or under." He had
intended to include the Son of God among the murdered babies. To
recall the grief of their mothers the Church wears purple today.
In Mass she hushes her joyous Gloria in Excelsis and the
Alleluias.
And yet there is joy in her services. Children sing with the
choirs in the great cathedrals; and in ancient times other
functions were given to them--hence the name "Childermas" or
Children's Mass.
The feast of the Holy Innocents is an excellent time for parents
to inaugurate the custom of blessing their children. From the
Ritual comes the form which we use on solemn occasions, such as
First Communion. But all parents need to do is to sign a cross on
the child's forehead with the right thumb dipped in holy water
and say:
"May God bless you, and may He be the Guardian of your heart and
mind--the Father, + Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen."
As I go from bed to bed at night, I just make the sign of the
Cross with my hand over each child while saying: "May God the
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost keep you safe this night."
The custom of blessing children is easiest to establish with a
baby or toddler and it grows with them. For older children the
realization that parental blessings are as old as the human race
can be established from reading the Old Testament. Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob blessed their children. Before his journey
Tobias blessed his son with the words: "May you have a good
journey, and God be with you on your way, and His angels
accompany you." I have seen a newly ordained priest kneel for his
parents' blessing and then give them his first blessing. It is
easy for a child who receives his father's or mother's blessing
to see them as God's representatives. Encouraging parental
blessings, St. Ambrose says: "You may not be rich; you may be
unable to bequeath great possessions to your children; but one
thing you can give them--the heritage of your blessing. And it is
better to be blessed than to be rich."
We commemorate the spilling of the blood of the Holy Innocents by
using a cherry or strawberry sauce, the kind you buy or preserve,
poured over a vanilla pudding. A traditional recipe for the day,
given in "Cooking for Christ," is:
Blanc Mange
3 cups milk 1 pinch salt
1/4 cup cornstarch 1 beaten egg
4 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon almond flavoring
Scald two and one-fourth cups of milk. Mix three-fourths cup of
cold milk, cornstarch, two tablespoons of sugar and salt. Add
slowly to the hot milk. Cool until thick (about five minutes).
Add egg and rest of sugar. Finish cooking for a minute or two.
Flavor with almond. Mold.
Mrs. Berger adds that it is a sure trick to add two or three
tablespoons of the hot cornstarch mixture to the egg before
stirring it into the pudding to prevent curdling. Rennet, junket,
or a Bavarian cream may be used in place of Blanc Mange.
Prayers for Childermas include a versicle and the Collect from
the Mass in addition to those on p. 14.
Father: Enraged, Herod put to death many male children
All: In Bethlehem of Juda, the city of David.
Father: Let us pray. O God, whose praise the martyred Innocents
this day proclaimed not by speaking but by dying, put to death
all vices within us, that Thy faith which our tongues profess,
our lives also by their actions may declare.
All: Amen.
NEW YEAR'S DAY
The Church begins the New Year With the Holy Name of Jesus.
Liturgically this great feast commemorates the first shedding of
His blood for our redemption. On the same day, along with
celebrating the giving of His Name Jesus, which means "Savior,"
we also honor Mary's divine Motherhood. Today's Epistle bids us
to circumcise our hearts, as it were, "to live soberly, justly,
and godly in this world."
New Year's is a day of hospitality among many people, especially
the French. In England it was a day set aside for godparents; and
godcakes are still given to children on this day in many places.
It should be easy to keep New Year's day as a feast on which we
honor godparents and repay them for the responsibility they have
assumed toward our children.
An idea is to hold open house and let the children's godparents
drop in when they please. Have ready beer or ale for grown-ups,
and a children's punch. Perhaps you might serve beer which has
been blessed and pretzels for grown-ups, punch plus initial
cookies for children. Pretzels, incidentally, were originally
made in the shape of a hand by medieval monks who gave them to
children visitors.
BLESSING FOR BEER
This prayer attributes the power of brewing to God and asks Him
to make the beverage beneficial to man. The father sprinkles beer
with holy water and prays:
"Bless, O Lord, this created thing, beer, which by Thy power has
been made from kernels of grain. May it be a healthful beverage
for men; and grant that by invoking Thy holy Name all who drink
thereof may find it a help for the body and protection for the
soul. Through Christ our Lord. Amen."
Children's Punch
1 qt. cranberry juice
1 can frozen concentrated orange juice
1 can frozen lemonade concentrate
1 No. 5 can pineapple juice
Ginger ale as needed
Combine cranberry juice, orange juice and lemonade concentrate
with the pineapple juice and enough ginger ale to make desired
strength. Pour over ice in a punch bowl and garnish with
maraschino cherries and pieces of pineapple.
Initial Cookies
2/3 cup butter or margarine 4 cups pastry flour
1 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring
2 yolks or 2 whole eggs
Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and blend together until smooth.
Add almond flavoring and flour. Chill for 1 hour in a long roll.
Then form into the initials of the godparents visiting for the
day. Allow to stand 2 or 3 hours on a cookie sheet to dry the
surface. Then brush with egg white mixed with a tablespoon of
milk; and sprinkle with chopped almond and sugar. Bake in a
moderate oven for about 15 minutes. These cookies are like almond
pretzels.[10]
Bring out their christening robes, if you have saved them.
Reminisce about each child's baptismal day, which is his or her
rebirth in Christ. With godparents and family gathered in the
living room, light the children's baptismal candles, or light a
holy candle for each child. When the candles are ready, the
father presents one to each child and prays as the Church did at
baptism: "Receive this burning light, and safeguard your baptism
by a blameless life. Keep the Commandments of God, that when our
Lord shall come to claim His own, you may be worthy to greet Him,
with all the saints in the heavenly court and live forever.
Amen."
Grown-ups and children repeat together their baptismal vows:
I (name--) promise to renounce the devil and all his works and
allurement.
Mother: The grace of God our Savior has appeared to all men,
instructing us, in order that rejecting ungodliness and worldly
lusts, we may live temperately and justly and piously in this
world.
Then follows a Christmas song and the prayer of the day.
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The Word was made flesh, alleluia, alleluia.
And dwelt among us, alleluia, alleluia.
Glory be to the Father and to the Song and to the Holy Ghost.
(Repeat first two lines)
Father: By reason of His very great love
All: Wherewith He has loved us, God sent His Son in the likeness
of sinful flesh, alleluia.
Father: Let us pray. O God, by the fruitful Virginity of the
Blessed Mary Thou hast given to mankind the rewards of eternal
salvation; grant, we beseech Thee, that we may benefit through
the intercession of her by whom we received the Author of Life,
our Lord Jesus Christ.
All: Amen.
A New Year's Day ceremony takes only a few minutes, but leaves a
memory that lasts a lifetime and builds a sense of security in
children. It also focuses their attention on the wonderful gift
of Baptism.
EPIPHANY
Like so many of our family customs, the celebration of the King's
Feast, or Epiphany, began when our children were toddlers. They
put their shoes outside the door for gifts from the Kings, and a
few almond cookies with a small toy were all they received. In
their visit the Wise Men left a tiny gold paper crown on each
Christ-Child figure, and raised the family manger to a throne
draped in red corduroy and gold paper. (Red crepe paper is
equally elective). At the Nativity scene they left figures of the
Magi and their retinue.
I used to make paper crowns of gold so each of our children could
be a King. Then, using bright pieces of fabric, I would hem both
ends and draw a contrasting wide ribbon through one. This
gathered the material into a cape for the King. The children
chose their names--Caspar, Balthassar, Melchior. Their day was
spent journeying to Bethlehem on rocking-horse or tiny saw-horse
camels. At supper we served a simple cake with white frosting
topped by a crown of gumdrops. Three pieces of the cake were
given away in honor of the Wise Men. It was always a job to keep
the crown from losing its "jewels" before it was served. After
supper each child was tossed to the ceiling three times, in honor
of each of the Magi; then the ritual began.
With three Kings in procession we blessed the house with holy
water and marked the doors with blessed chalk. We put 19 + C + M
+ B + 70, using the initials of the Magi and the year, so that
our coming and going would be in search of the Truth. The baby
would be rocked to sleep with "We Three Kings of Orient Are,"
while the others cuddled up to hear carols. We lived in a Spanish
neighborhood and were not alone in celebrating "The King's
Feast." Although small, the children had fulfilled its chief
purpose--to honor Christ as King.
Epiphany means the revelation of the Messiah's coming to the
Gentiles whom the Magi represent. It is one of the five days of
the year called "a day most holy" in the Canon of the Mass. In
Spain, Portugal, Central and South America, the feast is kept
with almost as much solemnity as Christmas. Now that our children
are older--the oldest ten--the blessing of our apartment is
sometimes given by a priest. Using water blessed on the eve of
Epiphany, he reads a Christmas antiphon, the Magnificat, two
prayers, and the final blessing.
In the absence of a priest the family gathers around the crib
with lighted candles and recites or sings:
All: A Child is born in Bethlehem, alleluia!
Full joyous sings Jerusalem, alleluia, alleluia.
From Orient, behold the star, alleluia,
And holy kings come from afar, alleluia, alleluia.
The father reads the Gospel for the Feast of the Epiphany, St.
Matthew 2:1-12.
All: From the East came the Magi to Bethlehem to adore the Lord;
and opening their treasures, they offered costly gifts: gold to
the Great King, incense to the true God, and myrrh in symbol of
His burial, alleluia!
While the father sprinkles the rooms of the house with Epiphany
water obtained from the church or with ordinary holy water, the
mother and children recite the canticle of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, the Magnificat.
My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid,
for behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
Because He who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is His Name;
And His mercy is from generation to generation
toward those who fear Him.
He has shown might with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones
and has exalted the lowly.
The hungry He has filled with good things
and the rich He has sent empty away.
He has given help to Israel His servant,
mindful of His mercy--
As He promised our fathers--
toward Abraham and his descendants forever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world
without end. Alleluia.
All: From the East came the Magi to Bethlehem to adore the Lord;
and opening their treasures, they offered costly gifts: gold to
the great King, incense to the true God, and myrrh in symbol of
His burial, alleluia!
Father: Many shall come from Saba.
All: Bearing gold and incense.
Father: O Lord, hear my prayer.
All: And let my cry come unto Thee.
Father: Let us pray. O God, who by the guidance of a star didst
this day reveal Thy Only-Begotten Son to the Gentiles, grant that
we who know Thee by faith may be brought to the contemplation of
the heavenly majesty. Through the same Jesus Christ.
All: Amen.
All: Be enlightened and shine forth, O Jerusalem, for thy light
is come, and upon thee is risen the glory of the Lord, Jesus
Christ, born of the virgin Mary.
Father: Nations shall walk in thy light, and kings in the
brilliance of thy rising.
All: And the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.
Father: Let us pray. O Lord, Almighty God, bless this house that
it may become a shelter of health, chastity, self-conquest,
humility, goodness, mildness, obedience to the Commandments, and
thanksgiving to God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Upon this
house and those who dwell herein may Thy blessing remain forever.
Through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
With blessed chalk the lintels above the door are marked with the
initials of the three kings and with crosses. We use the
following form:
Father: Let us pray. O Lord God, through the power of the priest
Thou didst bless this creature chalk to make it helpful to man.
Grant that we who use it with faith and inscribe with it the
names of Thy saints Caspar, Melchior, and Balthassar upon the
entrance of our homes, may through their merits and petition
enjoy physical health and spiritual protection. Through Christ
our Lord.
All: Amen.
The father then writes the initials of the names of the Magi
separated by crosses and the year above the door in this manner:
19+C+M+B+70
In conclusion the following hymn is sung or prayed:
The star of Jacob leadeth them, alleluia!
From Saba to blest Bethlehem, alleluia, alleluia.
Gold, myrrh, and incense pure they bring, alleluia.
To Mary's Child, God, Man and King, alleluia, alleluia!
This home service may also be used the evening before Epiphany or
any day during the Octave.
Sometimes a mother will say, "Our children are too big for
processions--John is eleven." Boys of eleven or any age love
cake. Forget the processions if your children are older, and
teach them a joyful wholesome use of food, as the Church intends,
by celebrating feast days. For King's Day let a boy or girl bake
a cake with prepared mixes and then build a gumdrop crown on it.
Better still, fill the house with a feeling of the Epiphany by
baking a traditional cake with a bean in it, letting whoever
receives the bean be King for the day.
Twelfth Night Cake[11]
1 cup shortening 1/2 teaspoon salt
2-2/3 cups sugar 1-1/2 cups milk
5-1/2 cups flour 2 teaspoons vanilla
5 teaspoons baking powder 6 beaten egg whites
Cream shortening and sugar. Add milk alternately with sifted dry
ingredients. Fold in beaten egg whites. Add vanilla. Bake in
three 9-inch greased layer tins in a moderate oven (375 degrees)
for about 30 minutes. Frost and top the cake with a crown of
gumdrops.
EPIPHANY GIFT
An inexpensive gift for children is candied fruit peel. Its
jeweled crustiness makes it ideal for Epiphany. Somehow the
commercial producers have a way of making all peel taste the
same. Peel may be wrapped in gold paper as gifts for a children's
Epiphany party.
Remove peel from oranges, grapefruit, or lemons--as much as you
wish to candy. Be sure that white inner rind stays on peel. Slice
it into 1/4 inch wide strips, as long and uniform as possible.
Place in a saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, and
pour off liquid. Repeat process five more times.
After sixth boiling, cover peel with cold water, boil peel until
tender; then pour off water. Measure peel in a measuring pitcher,
add on equal quantity of sugar, put both back into saucepan. Add
barely enough water to be seen through the peel, bring water to a
boil. (An asbestos pad under pan will maintain low heat). Reduce
heat and simmer until syrup is thick. This will take several
hours.
Place a wire cake cooler in a large flat roasting pan and spread
peel over wire, When it is well drained and cold, roll the peel
in granulated sugar and let it stand overnight. It may be
necessary to roll peel in sugar again the second day. Place in
airtight container until ready for use or roll in gold paper as
gift.[12]
EPIPHANY PRAYERS
For the families that do not have an Epiphany home service, the
following evening prayers are appropriate.
Father: Christ has appeared among us.
All: Come, let us adore Him.
Mother: The precious gifts which the Magi brought to the Lord
this day are threefold, and they are signs of divine mysteries.
By gold the power of the King is signified, by frankincense His
great priesthood, by myrrh the burial of the Lord.
All: The Magi worshipped the Author of our salvation in the crib,
and of their treasures they brought to Him gifts of mystic
nature.
Youngest Child: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the
Holy Ghost.
All: As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world
without end. Amen.
Father: Let us pray. O God, by the leading of a star Thou didst
manifest Thine only begotten Son to the Gentiles on this day;
mercifully grant that we who know Thee by faith, may be brought
to contemplate the beauty of Thy majesty. Through the same Jesus
Christ Thy Son.
All: Alleluia.
The following hymn serves well as a conclusion. Additional verses
may be composed by members of the family.
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THE WISE MEN[13]
Jesu Dulcis Memoria
Now there appeared a brilliant Star
Which led the wise Men from afar.
They came and, kneeling down, adored
And offered gifts to Christ, the Lord.
The Church has chosen the Sunday within the octave of Epiphany as
the Feast of the Holy Family and as a day for the restoration of
the true spirit of family life. Americans and Canadians should be
rightly proud of this feast. It is North American in origin,
founded in Montreal in 1663. The Mass and Office of the day give
Christian parents an opportunity to pray that their family life
may be sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Family life becomes
sanctified when parents carry out St. John Chrysostom's plea to
make each home a family church. This idea may seem far-fetched.
Yet Christians fulfill the sacrament of Matrimony in their homes.
Penance and Holy Eucharist are administered in the home in times
of sickness, as is Extreme Unction. In danger of death, a newborn
baby may receive Baptism at home.
It is in today's Epistle that families will find norms for
shaping Christ-like lives. "Brethren, put on therefore, as God's
chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of mercy, kindness,
humility, meekness, patience. Bear with one another and forgive
one another, if anyone has a grievance against any other; even as
the Lord has forgiven you, so also do you forgive. But above all
these things have charity which is the bond of perfection. And
may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts; unto that peace,
indeed, you were called in one body. Show yourselves thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you abundantly; in all wisdom
teach and admonish one another by psalms, hymns, and spiritual
songs, singing in your hearts to God by his grace. Whatever you
do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him."
On this Feast of the Holy Family, we vary the usual Christmastide
prayers by using the following hymn. The sentiments expressed
make it peculiarly appropriate as a Christian family song.
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UBI CARITAS ET AMOR[14]
"Where Abideth Charity and Love"
Where abideth charity and love, God is ever there.
All together one in love of Christ, our blessed Lord.
Let us sing in exsultation of one accord.
Live we in holy fear and gentle love our life in God.
And give we to one another our hearts truly. (Repeat first line)
And whenever we come together in mind heart
There is no fear of quarreling among us to drive apart.
Cease all angry thoughts and bitter words, all evils end.
And Christ, our Brother, comes to live among us, our Guest and Friend.
Where abideth charity and love, God is ever there.
JANUARY 19 AND 21
On the feast of St. Canute the Fourth, the Danes honor a great
king and martyr. At Christmas a cake baked in the form of a boar
is brought to the dining room table, but it is not eaten until
St. Canute's Day, January 19, when their Christmas season ends.
We use a somewhat similar custom on the feast of St. Agnes, two
days later. A cake is baked on her feast in a lamb mold.[15] It is
frosted white and made woolly with cocoanut shreds. Raisins serve
for the eyes, a half cherry for the mouth. The cake has a twofold
meaning. It commemorates St. Agnes' name which means lamb or
victim in Latin, and pure in Greek. It also reminds our children
of the custom of placing two lambs on the altar of the Basilica
where her relics lie. The animals are blessed by the abbot and
sent to a cloister where they are reared. From their wool come
the palliums sent by the Pope to archbishops who wear them on
their shoulders as symbols of the sheep carried by the Good
Shepherd.
St. Agnes is a wonderful saint for teen-agers because she
remained innocent amid pagan corruption and died at thirteen
rather than sully herself. Rome still keeps marked the path she
trod to martyrdom.
A suitable prayer for today (in addition to those on p. 14) is
from the hymn by Adam of St. Victor:
Father: Let us gain courage for our own battle by honoring the
martyrdom of the glorious virgin Agnes. St. Agnes, vessel of
honor, flower of unfading fragrance, beloved of the choirs of
Angels, you are an example to the worth of virtue and chastity. O
you who wear a Martyr's palm and a virgin's wreath, pray for us
that, though unworthy of a special crown, we may have our names
written in the list of Saints.
All: Alleluia.
ST. BRIGID'S DAY
The Irish love to sing at their work. Ancient Gaelic songs for al
kinds of work may still be heard at the annual "Feis" ("fesh" or
festival) in big cities. There are songs for milking and for
gathering honey, spinning songs and carding songs. Their rhythm
always follows the motions of the body. So it isn't surprising
when Maura Laverty in her "Cookbook" recommends any song in waltz
time for the kneading of "Barm Brack," a traditional Irish bread
for St. Brigid's Day on February 1. It is a wholesome golden loaf
sparkling with a shining sugar glaze.
Barm Brack
4 cups flour 1 cup milk (tepid)
1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 beaten egg
1 tablespoon yeast 3/4 cup raisins
4 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup currants
6 tablespoons sugar 4 tablespoons chopped peel
Warm milk until it is lukewarm. Melt butter in it. Cream yeast
with 1 tablespoon of sugar and add 1/2 tepid milk mixture. Add
beaten egg. Sift cinnamon with flour into a bowl. Make a well in
the center and pour the yeast mixture into it. Sprinkle with
flour and leave in a warm place until yeast forms a honeycomb.
Mix to a dough with remainder of the milk. Turn onto a floured
board. Knead into mixture 5 tablespoons of sugar, 3/4 cup of
raisins, 1/4 cup of currants, and 4 tablespoons of chopped peel.
The fineness of texture of yeast bread depends upon thorough
kneading. It is a one, two, three movement, and to do it
properly, you must get rhythm into it. Miss Laverty writes: "I
find it helps me to sing 'Red, red roses' as I knead." Put the
bread into a bowl, brush it with butter, cover, and leave in a
warm place until doubled in bulk. Knead again, put into greased
pans, brush with butter, and cover until doubled in bulk again.
Bake 40 minutes at 450 degrees F. (hot oven). A few minutes
before the cooking is finished, take the Brack from the oven,
brush with egg white, sprinkle with fine sugar, and return to the
oven for a minute or two.
FEAST OF THE PURIFICATION
The feast of the Purification of our Blessed Mother closes the
forty days of the Christmas season. The day is also called the
Presentation of the Child in the Temple, or the feast of
Candlemas. On this day each member of the family should receive
his or her own blessed candle to be lighted on birthdays,
baptismal anniversaries, first Holy Communion, and in sickness.
This is another appropriate occasion to invite friends to a home
ceremony.
The family, who with lighted candles goes in spirit to the Temple
with our Lady, will learn a wonderful lesson of her humility.
When Mary went to offer her first-born Son, Joseph carried the
offering of the poor, two turtle-doves, symbols of purity and
fidelity. According to Jewish law, one would be offered as a
holocaust and the other for a sin offering. The Book of Leviticus
reads: "The priest shall make atonement for her sin, and thus she
will be made clean." Actually Mary, the God-bearer, was not
subject to such a rite--no "purification" was necessary after a
virginal giving birth to Christ. Nevertheless in her humility she
observed the Law.
As the Holy Family enter the Temple, the aged Simeon and Anna,
called by the Holy Spirit, wait to see the Child. It had been
promised to Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the
Savior. Mary, the living "Ark of the Covenant," guided by the
same Spirit, welcomes the saintly old man and puts the Salvation
of the world into his arms. "Now," he says, "Thou dost dismiss
Thy servant in peace, O Lord, because mine eyes have seen Thy
salvation which Thou hast prepared to enlighten the Gentiles, and
the glory of Thy people Israel."
The blessing of candles, which takes place on this feast, is one
of the three principal popular blessings conferred by the Church.
Ashes and palms are the other two. The father of a family begins
the home ceremony by gathering the family in candlelight around
the crib for a last time.
Father: Lord Jesus Christ, the true Light that enlightens every
man who comes into the world, pour forth Thy blessing upon these
candles; sanctify them by the light of Thy grace and mercifully
grant that as candles by their visible light scatter the darkness
of night, so too our hearts, burning with invisible fire, may be
freed from all blindness of sin. With the eyes of our soul
purified by Thy Light, may we discern those things that art
pleasing to Thee and helpful to us, so that having finished the
darksome journey of this life, we may come to never-fading joys
through Thee, O Jesus Christ, Savior of the world. In perfect
Trinity Thou livest and reignest God forever.
All: Alleluia.
Christmas evening prayers follow the blessing (p. 14).
With the family and friends we usually have a candlelight
procession from the dining room through the halls to the living
room. There a Simeon of ten in a borrowed white Jewish prayer cap
awaits Mary with her doll, wrapped in swaddling clothes to
symbolize Baby Jesus, and a young Joseph carrying a cage with two
pigeons made from modeling clay. In candlelight Simeon takes the
child and prays his canticle. Then he blesses Joseph and Mary and
adds: "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and for the
rise of many in Israel, and for a sign that shall be
contradicted. And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that the
thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
Then the Antiphon, "It had been revealed to Simeon by the Holy
Spirit, that he should not see death before he had seen the
Christ of the Lord," is sung or said in unison. A family could
easily make its own prayer to the Queen of Heaven, asking that
the graces of Forty Days remain with them for the year.
There is a prayer by Abbot Gueranger which we like for Candlemas:
"O Blessed Mother, the sword is already in your heart. You
foreknow the future of the Fruit of your womb. May our fidelity
in following Him through the coming mysteries of His public life
bring some alleviations to the sorrows of your maternal heart."
ENDNOTES
1. In "Family Advent Customs" the author develops these various
practices; available from The Liturgical Press, Collegeville,
Minn.
2. Harcourt, Brace and Co.
3. A longer form for the Blessing of the Christmas tree is given
in "Family Advent Customs" (Liturgical Press, Collegeville,
Minnesota.)
4. Included in "The Twelve Days of Christmas Kit" published by
the Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minn.
5. In the Diller-Page Carol Book and Niles' Appalachian Mountain
Songs respectively; both available from G. Schirmer, Inc., N.Y.,
or from public library music collections.
6. From "Pius X Hymnal" published by McLaughlin & Reilly, Boston.
7. The Christmas Cook Book by Zella Boutell. The Viking Press,
N.Y.
8. By Harold and Eleanor Farjeon. Oxford University Press, New
York.
9. From "The Christmas Cookie Book" by Virginia Pasley. Little,
Brown and Company, Boston, Mass.
10. From "The Christmas Cookie Book" by Virginia Pasley. Little,
Brown and Company, Boston.
11. From "Cooking for Christ" published by the National Rural
Life Conference, Des Moines, Iowa.
12. "The Christmas Cook Book" by Zella Boutell, Viking Press.
13. From "The Story of the Redemption for Children" published by
The Gregorian Institute of American, Toledo, Ohio.
14. From "The Pius X Hymnal" published by McLaughlin & Reilly
Company, Boston, Mass.
15. Lamb molds are available at Lewis and Conger, Inc., Sixth
Avenue at 45th Street, New York.