Starlight Cookies for the Last Week of Advent

We found this recipe for a gift mix online a couple years ago and adapted it to use as special Advent cookies. They would make lovely pre-Christmas gifts, made into mix kits, with the following instructions printed out and tied on with a ribbon. You could also commemorate the journey of St. Joseph and Mary with your own family by making these the last week of Advent.

* To print out for the tags:

Starlight Cookies

To be made on or for Christmas Eve

in Honor of our Blessed Mother's and St. Joseph's

Journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem

Contained in this jar:

Chopped Walnuts to represent the rocky road the little family traveled on

White chocolate chips for the stars in the sky

Dried cranberries whose tartness symbolize the doors shut to Mary and Joseph

Sugar to represent the snow

Brown sugar for the brown hills of Bethlehem

Rolled oats to symbolize the animals in the stable where they found shelter

Flour for the simple goodness of the shepherds in the fields they passed

To make the cookies:

Think of the preparation St. Joseph and Our Blessed Mother must have made for this journey to Bethlehem: Heat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper.

For the light of Heaven that shined down on them: In a medium bowl, beat together 1/2 cup softened butter, 1 egg, and 1 tsp of vanilla until fluffy.

Consider the difficulties of the journey: Add the entire jar of ingredients, and mix until well blended. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets

Imagine the long trek across the barren desert: Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, or until edges brown.

Remember the Holy Family's arrival at the stable; anticipate Jesus' coming: Cool on baking sheets or remove to cool on wire racks.

Appreciate the joy and promise of His birth: Enjoy eating them!

Have a Merry and Blessed Christmas!

(Makes app. 18 cookies.)

* To prepare the jar ingredients:

layer the following..

1 C plus 2 T all-purpose flour

mixed thoroughly with

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

*followed by*

1/2 C rolled oats

1/3 C packed brown sugar

1/3 C sugar1/2 C dried cranberries

1/2 C white chocolate chips

1/2 C chopped pecans

Here's how they looked when we were all done. We capped with a square of Christmas fabric and tied with a bit of ribbon and a scrap of garland, then added our instruction card, like so:

But the possibilities for decorating are only limited by your imagination!

Happy last week of Advent!  May all your preparations for the birth of our Savior be filled with the sweetness of that starlit night.

A Christmas Tour of the White Board

Welcome to Davis command central: the white board.  It takes up half of one wall in the kitchen, right by the door to the dining room, and since pretty much everyone comes into the house through the kitchen door, it's practically impossible to miss it.

See Stan Laurel there?  Dominic drew that for us right after he helped mount the white board, shortly after we moved here in September.  Since no one can bear to erase Stanley, we've turned him into an ever-changing Ollie and Stanley quote billboard, and as the kids have pretty much memorized every one of their films, the quotes are endless.   

Over here in the bottom corner we have the inevitable Christmas countdown.  Theresa lettered this for us -- and found the perfect little magnet to add. (This is from yesterday; today finds us at only 15 more days to go!)

Then there's this:

The last one was:"Don't be a cotton headed Ninny Muggins!"
We're doing Christmas-themed advice right now...

And, last but not least, we have our lists -- the white board's chief composition, the content which holds it together and gives it meaning.  First, there's the general shopping list:

Followed by more specific Christmas baking lists, like this one for Magi Bread:

We've been building a "movies-we-want-to-buy" list for a while now:

But this is my favorite list:

Because the sole of Gabe's sneaker has come loose -- and guess what he couldn't find to fix it himself?  Such a guy.

"No duct tape in this house? What the heck?"

(Possibly the best thing Gabe could find in his stocking Christmas morning?)

Examples of Love and Kindness

Best pals: Penny, the kitties' "stepmom" snuggling into a corner of the woodpile outside our dining room window this morning. (No worries; when it's really cold, they're all piled up in the mudroom!) See the little white kitten, closest to Penny's nose? That's Jeeves; he's a deaf white kitten, which is usually a death sentence for a barn cat -- but not for this one. See how Jeeves' ear looks all wet and slobbery? That's where Penny has been kissing him.  He has a particular Guardian Angel in our St. Bernard. Pretty neat. We get a big kick out of the sweetness of this gentle giantess.

The big kids will remember another deaf white barn cat (Felix) that lived to a venerable old age because of a guardian doggy --, Anthony (of sainted memory)... I think the heavenly appointed Guardian Angel of the cats and dogs pairs up animals like this sometimes. 

A Mom's Advent Meditations: the Immaculate Conception

Today's feast is a special one for me.  Because Bernadette is my middle name, I've always had a particular fondness for anything relating to the maiden of Lourdes. She was always my saint and I was her little girl -- and wise and loving patron that she is, she took my hand when I was a child and through the years has led me to the beautiful Lady in the Grotto, to Our Lady, the Immaculate Conception.  As an adult I consecrated myself in St. Lous de Montfort's Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary under the title of  the Immaculate Conception, an association that glows with meaning, especially in the Advent season; Lourdes and Bethlehem are connected by heavenly bonds.

Most of us, I think, imagine Bethlehem in sparkling starlight, ringing with the song of angels, warm in the love of the Holy Family.  Likewise, everything about Lourdes is beautiful and magical, tingling with the music of heaven: the beauty of the image of Our Lady of Lourdes, the yellow roses under her feet, the blooming of the rectory's roses in winter, the miraculous spring bubbling up under the hands of St. Bernadette -- but, most importantly, Our Lady's message there at the grotto, her affirmation that she is -- and always has been - the Immaculate Conception.  That she was conceived without the stain of sin.  That she remained always perfect and pure, as the Mother of God must be and is -- there at the side of the manger in Bethlehem, here with us, the Universal Church, our Mediatrix of All Grace.  The thought transports my soul.  

But, then there are the other sides of the stories, the pictures that ground them in earthly reality:  the abject poverty of Bernadette's family; the derision she received for being the recipient of such a divine gift, an ignorant, backward, and unhealthy child of no obvious merit; the lowly place the Queen of Heaven chose to be seen -- literally the town dump.  Such contradictions: the glory of heaven, the grittiness of earth. The scene mirrors Bethlehem and the lowly stable where the King of Heaven chose to be born... The glow of heaven in the most unlikely places.

It's a wondrous thing to know, isn't it?  That God can appear anywhere -- in the most unlikely of places.  That He actually seems to seek these places out -- like the Good Shepherd climbing down the cliff, hunting out His stray lambs.  He comes to dwell in the hearts that are prepared and beautiful in their love for Him, but He also comes into the poorest and most unprepared of hearts, seeking a place for Himself. 

In my best days and my worst, Christ seeks to dwell in my soul and His Mother's only interest is to help me make this soul of mine a good place for Him to be.  On this feast honoring the perfect purity of the Mother of God, I hope and pray that I can always keep Mary, the Immaculate Conception, my close companion, that I can manage to make her a comfortable and constant place in my heart.  Where she is, He is; Jesus is always at home where His Mother is staying.

  Mother Immaculate, make my heart a Bethlehem!

Know Mary; Know Jesus
No Mary; No Jesus

*  Story of St. Bernadette and Our Lady of Lourdes, here.

*  History of the feast the Immaculate Conception here.

*  A wonderful prayer for the day, one of those recommended for those consecrated to Our Blessed Mother, but a beautiful devotion for anyone anywhere:  The Prayers of the Little Crown of Mary

*  The Catholic Toolbox has a slew of links to activities, coloring pages, and recipes, here.

*  As always, Catholic Cuisine shares some wonderful recipe ideas for today's feast: look here.

*  Charlotte's (Waltzing Matilda's) lovely coloring page here.

* More beautiful coloring page links for the day here, many specifically for the Immaculate Conception (others for the Annunciation, etc.) -- we printed off this one:

Our Best Wishes for a Happy, Holy

Feast of the Immaculate Conception!

On this Holy Day of Obligation
  we unite our prayers with our friends and family at  holy Mass...

The ideal way to be close, even when we're far away!

The Feast of St. Barbara!

St. Barbara is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, one of the early martyrs of the Church, famed for her legendary courage, and her unusual patronage.  Her life story is one of those recorded in the Golden Legend, but here it is in a nutshell:  St. Barbara, the daughter of a rich man, lived some time during the fourth century. Though her father was a heathen -- and determinedly so -- Barbara learned of the Faith and adopted it secretly.  When her father (surely of choleric temperament) discovered her, he, himself, turned his daughter over to the Roman authorities, and it was at his hands that she was martyred -- by beheading. (Can you imagine?) On his way home after this cruel act, her father was struck by lightning and his body completely consumed by fire.  Barbara, in the meantime, enjoyed the beatific vision and eternal happiness in Heaven.  Her intercession was immediately accompanied by miracles and her fame and expample spread thoughout Christendom. 

St. Barbara is the patron saint of artillerymen, military engineers, gunsmiths, and miners, and is invoked against lightning storms and sudden, violent death in the workplace.  Her cultus exists today in an unusual way through her particular patronage in the military:

St. Barbara's Day is celebrated by the British Royal Artillery, the Australian RAAF Armourers, the Royal Canadian Artillery, the New Zealand RNZAF Armourers, the Irish Defence Forces Artillery Regiments.  The American Third Texas Light Artillery celebrates the Feast of St. Barbara in a special way with a traditional punch, called Chatham Artillery Punch -- and it'll treat you to a punch, let me tell you!  Check out their website for the recipe and for some great history and information on how St. Barbara's Day is celebrated in beautiful Southeast Texas! It isn't only the Texans who honor St. Barbara, though, as the Order of Saint Barbara is a military honor society in the US Army and Marine Corps Artillery.

In the country of Georgia, St. Barbara's Day is celebrated as Barbaroba (on December 17th, which is December 3rd in the old style calendar).  They serve the traditional lobiani, a bread baked with bean stuffing.

Saint Barbara's day, kinown as Eid il-Burbara  in Syria, Lebanon and Palestine among Arab Christians is celebrated much like North American Halloween. The traditional food is Burbara, a bowl of boiled barley, pomegranate seeds, raisins, anise and sugar offered to children parading from door to door in costume. It is believed by Lebanese Christians that Saint Barbara disguised herself in numerous characters to elude the Romans who were persecuting her.

In Greece, the feast day is celebrated by the Artillery Corps of the Greeg Army and the Cypriot National Guard.  The traditional fare for the day is Loukoumades, canonball-shaped pastry confections, made with cinnamon and honey.  (I think we'll try these for dessert tonight, after some meatless lobiani!)

G.K. Chesterton wrote the Ballad of St. Barbara, a poem that tells the story of the artillery barages that turned the First Battle of the Marne, in WWI.
The legend goes that after surviving a violent storm on the eve of the Feast of St. Barbara in 1602, Spanish explorer, Juan Cabrillo, docked along a beautiful coastline in the newly discovered land of California, and in thanksgiving for his safe journey named the area in honor of St. Barbara:  Santa Barbara, CA.

For beautiful images of St. Barbara, you can go here.
For a coloring page you can click and print on the picture below.

Prayer on the Feast of St. Barbara

Oh God, who among the other miracles of Your power, have given the victory of martyrdom, grant, we beseech You, that we, who are celebrating the heavenly Blessed Barbara, Your Virgin and Martyr, may by her example draw nearer to you.



Amen.

St. Barbara, pray for us!

Ireland Dreams, Wedding Rings, Christmas Bling

Ben and Michelle

This may be the most challenging Christmas for us yet. Oh my stars! Things are tight to begin with, having endured the cost of an expensive move in September -- and just the fact of living seems to suck money out of the bank account... Everyone we know is struggling this way! But on top of the daily-daily, we're looking forward to Dan's and my trip to Ireland in April (the airline tickets were my birthday present from my family, but the rest of the trip is on Dan, bless him!) -- and now we're also anticipating Michelle and Ben's wedding in June!

No need for a convertible, then, right?

Not like I'm complaining, mind you!  But, my eyes are bigger than my wallet.  (Or, er, Dan's wallet...)  Planning an itinerary for a trip to Ireland, you can't help but run into the most amazing (and pricey) B&Bs... And imagine renting a convertible to drive around the Irish countryside! (=sigh=)

 And, then there's the wedding coming up -- and Pintrest wedding boards!  Oh my goodness, the beautiful venues, the fabulous decorations, the spectacular wedding dresses we could buy...  (=sigh=)  Not to mention the ideas I keep having for gifts to give the happy couple...  I could spend millions!

But, truly.  I am tying my expectations down with my shoestrings. I know that the happiness in our Ireland trip and Shell's wedding have nothing to do with bling --  money isn't going to make them special.  The very fact of them is special.  Beyond special.  And so exciting!  And Christmas is joy and beauty all by itself.  The birth of Christ doesn't need bling!

But, fair warning, kids...  You've heard of skinny jeans?  You may be getting some skinny stockings this year. Like these.  Aren't they cute?

Thanks for taking one for the team,

Paul and Nicole, Kevvy, Frater, Dominic, and Michelle.

We love you so much!

A Mom's Advent Meditations: St. Bibiana

December 2nd:  Feast of St. Bibiana

Bibiana suffered in the Christian persecution supervised by the Roman governor, Apronianus, under Emperor Julian in about the year 363 A.D.  In this persecution, her mother, Dafrosa, was beheaded and her father, Flavian, a Roman knight, was tortured and sent into exile where he died of his wounds. Thus orphaned, Bibiana and her sister, Demetria, were left with no means of survival, all of their possessions having been confiscated by the Roman government.  Still, they were able to remain in their family home, adding prayer to their enforced fasting. Apronianus, seeing that deprivation had apparently not swayed the girls away from Christianity, summoned them, intending to convince them to give up their faith, but it was to no avail.  After declaring her faith, Demetria fell dead, and Bibiana, equally strong in her determination to hold fast, also professed her faith, but lived to frustrate the Roman governor and glorify God. In an attempt to destroy her virtue, Apronianus placed Bibiana in the hands of an evil woman who used physical violence, along with all other manner of persuasion to loosen her resolve, but Bibiana stayed true. Finally, enraged at the stubbornness of the young woman, Apronianus ordered her to be tied to a pillar and beaten with scourges tipped with lead balls until she expired. The saint endured the torments with a joy inexplicable to her executioners, at long last dying under the blows.  The Roman governor, desperate for some kind of victory over the perseverance of the holy martyr, ordered her body to be left out in the open to be desecrated by wild animals, but it was left untouched, and was retrieved for Christian burial after two days. Her remains and that of her sister and mother were eventually removed to the site of the basilica which bears her name today.

The Basilica of Santa Bibiana

The Basilica of St. Bibiana

In a very early biography of Pope Simplicius (468–483), Liber Pontificalis, we find that Pope "consecrated a basilica of the holy martyr Bibiana, which contained her body, near the 'palatium Licinianum' " (ed. Duchesne, I, 249, as per Wikipedia). The Basilica of Santa Bibiana still exists in Rome, near the ancient temple of Minerva. You can visit it today! Restored many times over the centuries, it was built over the original site of Bibiana and Demetria's family home  The bodies of St. Bibiana, her mother, and her sister, lie within a tomb situated under the main altar.  The column or pillar just inside the chief entrance to the basilica is reputed to be the one that St. Bibiana was tied to when she was flogged to death.

+-+-+

Third day of Advent -- and having read the history of St. Bibiana this morning with the children, I've been thinking about her all day.   How can the story of this saint move us forward during this holy season?  What can this girl from 2,000 years in the past teach us?  

Though we don't ever learn the age of this young martyr, I picture Bibiana being the age of my oldest daughter, about 19 or 20, a comparison that adds a twist of reality -- and a certain sort of terror -- to the story. I've been trying to picture our Michelle in this same situation. How must it have been for Bibiana?  A Roman citizen, a young woman from a well-off family, she probably grew up knowing little of want or hunger --  same as our daughter.  I'm sure that like our girl, she was cherished by her parents and had a close loving relationship with her sister. She had nice clothes, good food to eat, friends she enjoyed...  but she and her family gave it all up for Christ.* 

It's impossible to imagine losing more than Bibiana lost.  Both of her parents were martyred in a brutal way, she lost everything her family ever owned, was deserted without support, witnessed the sudden death of her beloved sister, then was subjected to the worst kinds of mistreatment and torture... But, through it all, exhausted, heart-sick and afraid, she held fast to her Faith.  Through threats and temptations, she held fast.  Abandoned and bleeding, she held fast.  Tied to a pillar and beaten mercilessly, she held fast.  She never wavered and is described as being joyful to the end.  Joyful!

You know why?  By her own will, Bibiana had absorbed the lessons taught to her by her parents, she understood the real meaning of her Faith, she prayed unceasingly, and made use of the grace God sent down to her for strength to persevere through temptations and even torture.  But joyful?  Where do you find  joy in a situation like this? And how does such a young woman achieve such a victory at all?

Well, you know there was a lot of praying going on!  And you can be sure she wanted to follow the good example of the rest of her family, but there's also this:  having endured what she had for love of God, Bibiana breathed air from the wings of the Holy Ghost and exhaled the gift of wisdom --  hard-won wisdom maybe, but real wisdom about the true meaning of things. Earthly things.  Even earthly loves.  Forcibly separated from every temporal attachment, Bibiana found nothing standing between her and the Infinite.  Nothing blocked the view between the soul of Bibiana and the Face of God.  Most definitely, there at the pillar, oblivious to everything else, she looked into the Face of God.   And words cannot describe that. There are no words.  Only joy.

+-+-+

Dear St. Bibiana, during this season so overtaken by concerns for material things, help me to share in your wisdom and keep my priorities fixed on heaven. As I go through the days of Advent, making all the practical plans and preparations necessary for the holidays, help me remove any obstacles, so that on Christmas day, when I look into the manger, nothing will stand between me and the Infant Jesus.  Pray for me that I may some day experience the joy you know, seeing God face-to-face.   Amen.

* Interesting historical note: St. Bibiana and her family lost their lives in the last full-scale Roman persecution, one that terrorized the Christian population after the Christian reign of Constantine in the early fourth century. Most might think that all persecutions ended with Constantine, but it was not so. Emperor Julian (as in "Julian the Apostate") followed a long line of Christian emperors following Constantine; he reigned from 361-363 A.D.    The last non Christian emperor of Rome, he felt it his calling to restore Rome to its former greatness by (among other things) purging the empire of Christians in favor of the old pagan ways.  Mercifully, his time on the throne was short, but you can imagine it came as a terrible shock to the Christian Church at that time to feel they were heading back to the days of persecution they thought they'd left behind!

A Mom's Advent Meditations: St. Andrew

December 1st -- The Feast of St. Andrew*

St. Andrew could well be called the thoughtful Apostle.  Judging by the accounts of him in the Gospels, he seems to have been especially tuned in to the people and events around him.   Remember? Upon first meeting Jesus on the banks of the Jordan, his first thought was to run and find his brother, Peter, and drag him back to introduce him to the Messiah.  It was Andrew who called Our Lord's attention to the boy with the loaves and fishes that ended up feeding 5,000 hungry followers in the desert.

 After the  death and resurrection of Christ, having received the grace of Pentecost, Andrew traveled, preaching and converting thousands through Scythia and Greece, then, after many years, won the martyr's crown in 60 A.D., following his Master to the cross in Achaia.  His death by crucifixion (on an "X" shaped cross) was of the more common sort, though -- long and agonizing, not shortened by the Sabbath. Brave and faithful to the end, St. Andrew lingered for two long days -- and as he died he continued to preach to the people gathered near him; in his agony, his final thoughts were of other souls that he might still save.  His charity was a deeply ingrained habit of life that he practiced to the moment of his death.

+-+-+

So, Saint Andrew. You can't help but like the man he seemed to be: spontaneous, loving, thoughtful, loyal, faithful, humble, courageous...  But, how is it that the Church, in her wisdom chose this apostle for one of the very first meditations of the Advent season?  I'm sure there are many reasons, and I expect The Liturgical Year would be an obvious place to find out for sure, but I've been pondering, myself, on the life of St. Andrew today, and this is what I've learned from this great Apostle:

First, we have to pay attention.  St. Andrew was a master at this.  He noticed what was going on around him, really noticed.  Then, he acted on what he saw.  And, you see how he acted, right? The way he would the rest of his life: he ran to Jesus.  After hearing Him speak, Andrew ran to Our Lord and introduced himself.  Then he looked to see who else he could drag over to meet Jesus. He went and got his brother, Peter, of course!  And with this simple and spontaneous act of love, he changed the world.  Later, when he found what looked like a possible solution to a problem, he ran to Jesus -- who turned Andrew's suggestion into a miracle that fed 5,000 people. All his life, traveling the world, Andrew brought people to Jesus, converting thousands to the Faith. Even hanging on the cross, with his dying breath, he was bringing people to Jesus, and he's doing the same work in heaven today!

 This is what the Advent season is all about; preparing for the coming of the Savior, finding our way to Him, and bringing everyone with us that we possibly can -- just as St. Andrew did.

As we go about our extra busy lives this Advent season, we can pray to St. Andrew to help us focus on what is truly important: to run first to Jesus, to start and end every endeavor with Him.  We can ask St. Andrew to lend us his keen eyes to help us really pay attention to our loved ones, our neighbors, our friends -- the mailman, the kid delivering our pizza, the clerk at Walmart, everyone! -- and by our prayers, our patience, and our charity bring them to Jesus.  And, we can ask St. Andrew, our willing guide, to accompany our souls on the journey through Advent, to pray for us, and to take us close to the manger in Bethlehem this Christmas!

Novena Prayer of St. Andrew

(to be recited 15x a day from the feast of St. Andrew until Christmas)

Blessed be the hour and the moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Blessed Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold.  At that hour, vouchsafe, O my God, to hear my prayer, and grant my petitions, through merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer.  Amen.

* The traditional feast day for St. Andrew is Nov. 30th; because this date fell on the first Sunday of Advent, it is celebrated on Dec. 1st this year.

A Visit With St. Nicholas

 

Gabe:  "Seeing how you have rabbit fur trim on your coat there, I guess you won't mind me telling you that our dog, Penny, catches a rabbit at least every day.  Yeah, she really does.  And then she eats half and gives the other half to the cats."

Not skipping a beat, Santa's answer: "I don't like your chances with the Easter Bunny, guys."

Santa.  He's such a card. (gglggl)

Folks who know us may be wondering, though... I thought y'all didn't do Santa.  Well, no; we don't.  But we had time to spend after Mass today while the girls were in choir practice, and ended up at a candy store in downtown Omaha where we were greeted at the door by an apparently bored Santa.  William and Gabe (as all our children) enjoy the Santa mythology but don't believe Santa is real; they knew this kind gentlemen was playing a part -- and they played right along -- straight-faced the whole time.  It was hilarious.

Not another soul was in the store, so they got Santa's ear for a good twenty minutes.  Little did he know what he was getting into when he sat down with these little guys!   They didn't let on  that they were "unbelievers," and he didn't let on that they were totally cracking him up, though every once in a while, in the midst of their discussion (which chiefly concerned dogs, cats, rabbits, reindeer, and how Santa broke into houses without chimneys), he looked over to Dan and me with a twinkle in his eye and a quivering of his whiskers, as if he were silently chuckling under his beard. He was an awesome facsimile of the caricature (winkwink) -- a great Santa!

Oh, yeah - and there's this: I was very proud of Gabe, who, when Santa first greeted them with  "Merry Christmas," responded:  "But it's not Christmas yet, you know."  My boy.  It's not Christmas yet, but today does mark a new liturgical year!  St. Nicholas' feast day is coming up within the week, but it's almost four weeks until the Big Birthday!  Still plenty of time to fine tune our Christmas lists -- gifts and kindnesses for one another and  new resolutions for Baby Jesus.

Blessings and best wishes to anyone who happens by!  Happy First Sunday of Advent!  Happy New Year in the Church!

Gingerbread Days

If you google "gingerbread" looking for a recipe, the first umpteen dozen hits will be recipes for gingerbread men or gingerbread houses, but I've had a hankering lately for good, old-fashioned, moist, and spicy ginger bread.  The girls are away with Dominic at choir practice this afternoon, so it's just me and the boys, and I wanted a simple recipe that the boys could help make. No cookie cutters, no piped frosting, thank-you.  Nothing that fancy -- or messy.We hunted the internet again, using the key words "gingerbread loaf," and this is what we found:

Simple Goodness Ginger Bread

What to Get...

Not this kind of gingerbread...
At least not this time around.

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 egg
• 1 cup molasses
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup hot water

What to Do...

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9-inch square pan. (We used a traditional, 9" loaf pan)
2. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg, and mix in the molasses.
3. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Blend into the creamed mixture. Stir in the hot water. Pour into the prepared pan.
4. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan before serving.  
5. Make a simple honey butter spread by whipping together one stick (1/4 lbs) softened butter and 1/4 cup 
6. honey. Slather it on and enjoy!  

William gives it an enthusiastic thumbs-up!  

*  Recipe found here.

On the Feast of the Presentation of Mary

Friday, November 21st

Dedicating Our Children


It is traditional belief that St. Anne and St. Joachim dedicated their only daughter, Mary, to God in her earliest years, offering the great sacrifice of having her brought up in the Temple. Not in their own home. It's a difficult concept for loving parents to get their brains around.

Having done it myself, I can understand and sympathize with the difficult decision to send older children ~ teenagers ~ away to be educated. But toddlers? It's hard to imagine.


But Mary was no ordinary toddler.

We have to understand that Our Blessed Mother was singularly blessed, not only in her spotless person, but in her parents. They obviously heard God's Will and had the courage and faith to obey it. The place for their extraordinary little girl, the woman who was to be the Mother of God, was away from the world,in a place where she could be raised as close to the Father as it was possible. There were some of the saints who were dedicated in the same way as small children, and it was surely no easy decision for their parents to make, either. But, it's heart-rending, isn't it, to think of it in terms of our own families, our own small children?

Sure, we want our children to be saints. But, to dedicate them to God so completely that we give them up? In this day and age, the practical application doesn't even exist. Maybe that's a good thing. Who on Earth could we trust so completely?

But, we can dedicate our children to God without sending them away. In fact, in our times, one of the best ways to dedicate them to Heaven is to keep them centered in our homes, steeped in our Faith.

We can teach them service to God through our example in practicing the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.


The boys can learn to serve at the altar, the girls can learn to arrange the altar flowers and take care of the linens. (These are things young Mary undoubtedly learned to do!)

When we educate our children, we can be sure to teach them also the universal interrelationship with Divine Providence ~ in all that they learn, in math and the sciences, language, art, and music, even shop class, home ec and PE.

By our example, we teach them habits of goodness and respect for the discipline of faith.

We pray for them and teach them to pray.

It all comes round in a circle, back to God: cause, effect, and purpose. When our children laugh and play they can send their wholesome happiness heavenward, and it will be received as prayers. When they sleep, when they wake, when they celebrate, when they suffer, our children can be gaining merit. Every minute of the day. We dedicate them to God by teaching them to dedicate themselves to Him. Whether they are two or twenty-two, we, as their parents, can and should teach them that their identity is with and through Him. And that, whatever their eventual vocation is, saecular or religious, they will find no greater happiness on this earth than they will knowing, loving and serving God.

Teaching them these things, and living with Christ the King as the center of our family universe ~ this is how we dedicate our children to God.

In this day and age, it's not an easy thing to do. The world, the devil, and our own bad inclinations all conspire against us. It's not easy overcoming the message of the average American saecular humanist ~ who doesn't understand that goodness is happiness and worldliness is not. But, it's well worth the trouble; the rewards are eternal!

Saints Anne and Joachim are ideal patrons for parents whose goal is to raise their children above the world. And the Blessed Mother, herself, is the tenderest guide.

Prayer for Mothers

Father in heaven, grant me the grace to appreciate the dignity which you have conferred on me. Let me realize that not even the Angels have been blessed with such a priviledge - to share in your creative miracle and bring new Saints to heaven.
Make me a good mother to all my children after the example of Mary,the Mother of your Son. Through the intercession of Jesus and Mary I ask your continued blessings on my family. Let us all be dedicated to your service on earth and attain the eternal happiness of your kingdom in heaven. Amen.

Prayer to St. Joachim and St. Anne

Great and glorious patriarch, St Joachim, and good St Anne, what joy is mine when I consider that you were chosen among all God's holy ones to assist in the fulfillment of the mysteries of God, and to enrich our earth with the great Mother of God, Mary most holy. By this singular privilege, you have become most powerful with both the Mother and her Son, so as to be able to obtain for us the graces that are needful to us.

With great confidence I have recourse to your mighty protection, and I commend to you all my needs, both spiritual and temporal, and those of my family. Especially do I entrust to your keeping the particular favour that I desire and look for from your intercession.

And since you were a perfect pattern of the interior life, obtain for me the grace to pray earnestly, and never to set m heart on the passing goods of this life. Give me a lively and enduring love for Jesus and Mary. Obtain for me also a sincere devotion and obedience to Holy church and the sovereign pontiff who rules over her, in order that I may live an die in faith and hope and perfect charity. Let me ever invoke the holy Names of Jesus and Mary. And may I thus be saved.
 Amen.

* Repost from 2008