Julie is almost finished with the lobster costumes for the nativity. Scott's just got one Portuguese lesson to go.

  What else could it be? In Episode 346 we discuss Love, Actually.

Cat and Bowl of Goldfish

Cat and Bowl of Goldfish by Ohara Koson

Lord of a Shattered Land by Howard Andrew Jones

The Dervan Empire has at last triumphed over Volanus, putting the great city to the torch and selling survivors sold into slavery. It is an absolute victory for the Dervans in every way but one.

Hanuvar, last and greatest general of Volanus, still lives. He travels the length of the Dervan Empire to find what remains of his people and free them.

Against the might of a vast empire, he had only an aging sword arm, a lifetime of hard-won wisdom, and the greatest military mind in the world. No matter what what man or monster stands in his way, from the empire’s capital to its furthest outposts, Hanuvar would find his people and set them free.

I have a real weakness for this sort of sword-and-sorcery tale. I don't love them indiscriminately. Conan the Barbarian isn't my style. But there is a way to tell these stories that adds a bit of humor, a touch of irony, a soupçon of larger themes than merely adventure and magic. Fellow fans will know what I mean when I mention Lord Dunsany's stories and Fritz Leiber whose Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser stories are so much fun.

I've long been a fan of Howard Andrew Jones for his wonderful book The Desert of Souls. Here's my review. I lost track of Jones after his Asim and Dabir stories ended. So I was really interested when I saw that Jeff Miller (always trustworthy in pointing to new books) was had given five stars to the first two books in the series. I agree — this first book is really good. 

Lord of a Shattered Land is a series of short stories that can stand alone but which make up one tale by the end. There is no purple prose here, just good modern storytelling set in a hostile land filled with magic, quests, and monsters — both Lovecraftian and human. As Hanuvar travels he picks up a complimentary companion and encounters others who may become allies in later books. 

This world is loosely based on the Carthaginians and Romans.  In that scenario, Hanuvar is Hannibal. The difference, of course, is that this is the author's world and it is filled with interesting characters, compelling storytelling, and a quest that we want to see fulfilled. I liked seeing new facets to Hanuvar with each new adventure. I also appreciated that Jones doesn't give an info dump on the world we're in. He reveals it as needed for the story, bit by bit. Each story adds a little to what we know. This is really well written. No purple prose here!

The Creation of the World

Antonio Canova, The Creation of the World (1821-22)

I'd never heard of Antonio Canova, though when I went looking for this image I saw that I have seen several of his works before. I was captivated when I originally saw this in 2014 in the Wall Street Journal which enchants me by having an article about art every week. I love the textures, the creative spirit surging forth energetically, the way the moon is watching God create the sun, the sun's gentle and loving look toward its creator. What a wonderful work of imagination and art this is.

Then and now - the cardinal problem of life

For the wise men of old, the cardinal problem of human life was how to conform the soul to objective reality, and the solution was wisdom, self-discipline and virtue. For the modern, the cardinal problem is how to conform reality to the wishes of man, and the solution is a technique.

C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man

Unfortunately, this is even truer now than when it was written in 1943, over 80 years ago.

Feast of the Immaculate Conception - Holy Day of Obligation

This year, December 8 falls on a Sunday, so the Feast of the Immaculate Conception will fall on the following Monday. Which is today!

Luca Mombello (1518-1520/ 1588-1596)
Immacolata Concezione con Dio Padre / The Immaculate Conception with God the Father
via Idle Speculations where there is some fascinating information
about paintings of the Immaculate Conception with the Son included.

 Today we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Our Lady's preservation from all stain of original sin is an absolutely unique privilege. According to theologians, the fullness of grace in Mary's case was the principal ground and characteristic of her human nature. Every aspect of her being shone with the splendour of that harmony with which God had originally wanted to endow all humanity ... We understand clearly that God prepared with infinite love the one who was to become the Mother of his Son: How would we have acted if we could have chosen our own mother? I'm sure we would have chosen the one we have, adorning her with every possible grace. That is what Christ did. Being all-powerful, all-wise, Love itself (1 John 4:8), his power carried out his will. (St. Josemaria Escriva)

The life of the Immaculate Mother of God will always be a worthy ideal for us all to imitate, because she is a model of sanctity in ordinary life, of the kind of holiness that is accessible to everyone in everyday circumstances. It is a quiet dedication that often passes unnoticed.

In Conversation with God, Special Feasts: July - December

I do love those moments when modern science catches up to the Church. Today, believe it or not is one such day. This blew me away.

The gift of the Immaculate Conception was given contemporaneously with Mary's microscopic sparking to life. ... God chould choose His own mother and so logically chose a perfect one. As the author of creation, He crafted a pristine soul incapable of sin or moral disorder. ...

When she is just a fetus, a woman has as many eggs as she will ever have. The ovaries of a female fetus are saturated with eggs whose numbers will only decrease over time. So half of the genetic material necessary to form an embryo has waited, latent, inside of that embryo's mother since the time that mother was herself in utero. The unbroken chain of human life is unfathomably beautiful. Grandmother, mother, and grandchild are, in a certain sense, bound together, united, in every woman expecting a daughter. When Mary was conceived in the womb of Saint Anne, then, the DNA of Jesus of Nazareth was already present in the embryonic Mary. This is a biological fact, not a statement of faith. At the Annunciation, when Mary miraculously conceived Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, that "Lord and Giver of Life" spoke through the words ofthe Archangel Gabriel and sparked Christ to first stir with humanity deep inside the body where His genes had long been waiting. ...

In Saint Anne, God was readying the fairest flower of Israel, her most modest daughter and humble rose, for Himself. Mary's virtues of humility and obedience would straighten the path twisted by Eve's sins of disobedience and pride.

Father Michael Black, Saints and Feasts of the Catholic Calendar, Vol IV

If you've been saying the Immaculate Conception novena, here's the final day's prayer.

Marianne Stokes, Madonna and Child, 1907-1908

via Wikimedia Commons

I discovered this image via Magnificat's cover years ago. Our Lady is so serene and loving looking that I wanted to include it here, despite the fact that it isn't specifically about the Immaculate Conception.

St. Juan Diego Feast Day

Today the Church in the United States celebrates the optional memorial of St. Juan Diego, an Indian convert, to whom the Virgin Mary appeared as he was going to Mass in Tlatlelolco, Mexico. Our Lady asked him to tell the Bishop that she desired a shrine to be built on the spot to manifest her love for all mankind. She left a marvelous portrait of herself on the mantle of Juan Diego as a sign for the Bishop. This miraculous image has proved to be ageless, and is kept in the shrine built in her honor, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas.

Catholic Culture

Click through on the link to read more, see prayers, activities, and lots of good stuff. 

 I really love Our Lady of Guadalupe but hadn't ever stopped to think about her humble servant, Juan Diego. When I do I can see parallels to my own life, as removed as it may seem from his so long ago and in such different circumstances. One of my favorite parts of the story involves Juan Diego having a problem that makes him miss his appointment with Mary.

By Monday, December 11, however, Juan Diego's uncle Juan Bernardino had fallen sick and Juan Diego was obliged to attend to him. In the very early hours of Tuesday, December 12, Juan Bernardino's condition having deteriorated overnight, Juan Diego set out to Tlatelolco to get a priest to hear Juan Bernardino's confession and minister to him on his death-bed. Fourth apparition: in order to avoid being delayed by the Virgin and embarrassed at having failed to meet her on the Monday as agreed, Juan Diego chose another route around the hill, but the Virgin intercepted him and asked where he was going; Juan Diego explained what had happened and the Virgin gently chided him for not having had recourse to her. In the words which have become the most famous phrase of the Guadalupe event and are inscribed over the main entrance to the Basilica of Guadalupe, she asked: "¿No estoy yo aquí que soy tu madre?" ("Am I not here, I who am your mother?"). She assured him that Juan Bernardino had now recovered and she told him to climb the hill and collect flowers growing there. Obeying her, Juan Diego found an abundance of flowers unseasonably in bloom on the rocky outcrop where only cactus and scrub normally grew. Using his open mantle as a sack (with the ends still tied around his neck) he returned to the Virgin; she re-arranged the flowers and told him to take them to the bishop. On gaining admission to the bishop in Mexico City later that day, Juan Diego opened his mantle, the flowers poured to the floor, and the bishop saw they had left on the mantle an imprint of the Virgin's image which he immediately venerated.

Wikipedia

I love that in order to avoid delays and embarrassment, Juan Diego goes a different way. I have way too many times in my life like that. Though I rarely have such a good excuse as caring for an ill relative. And the fact that Mary chides him for not turning to her with his problem is a good reminder that too often I forget to enlist God's help in the challenges in my life.

We are trying to celebrate saint days more intentionally in our lives. So we will get some special roses, have Oh Gosh cocktails (like a margarita but made with rum — can't help it that we don't like tequila, we do the best we can!) . 

Immaculate Conception Novena - Day 8

Domenico Ghirlandaio, Birth Of Mary
(I like thinking about the practicalities as well as the theological at this moment.
Just like her son, Jesus, would do, Mary is a sign to us that God works in the material things —
the "matter" of our world.)

GATE OF HEAVEN

St. Alphonsus Liguori affirms that Mary is the Gate of Heaven, since in the way all befits a king confers first to pass through his palace gate, no grace comes down from heaven without first passing through the hands of Mary. Even during her earthly life we see how Our Lady was the dispenser of Divine grace. Precisely through her the unborn Jesus blesses the Precursor from his Mother's womb on the occasion when Mary has gone in haste to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Jesus performs his first miracle by changing water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee -- at Mary's insistence. The disciples begin to put their faith wholly in Jesus from this very moment. The Church in history and in the nations of the world began on that day of Pentecost -- in the presence of Mary.

In Conversation With God :
Feast Days July - December(vol.7)

Here is the novena for the eighth day.

Immaculate Conception Novena - Day 7

Madonna of the Roses, William-Adolphe Bouguereau

 

REFUGE OF SINNERS

Cardinal Newman recommends that we do not think of God as a severe and harsh taskmaster. One who himself acts out of anger, with severity or harshness, or who is easily offended by others, is often led to perceive God in this light. Jesus, however, loves each one of us beyond our wildest imaginings. He seeks us out all the more earnestly the worse our situation may appear to us. Since God is forever kind and merciful, Our Lady's role is not to soften Divine justice, but to prepare our hearts to receive the countless graces the Lord has prepared for us.

In Conversation With God :
Feast Days July - December(vol.7)

Here is the novena for the seventh day.

The Black Madonna by Gaston de La Touche, 1908

Above Suspicion by Helen MacInnes

Richard and Frances Myles are preparing for their annual European summer vacation in 1939 when they are visited at their Oxford college by an old friend who has a seemingly simple job for them. But in the heightened atmosphere of pre-war Europe, nobody is above suspicion, in fact the husband and wife are being carefully monitored by shadowy figures.

This was Helen MacInnes' first book and remains one of her best. She was a popular writer of spy novels for 45 years. Frances and Richard Myles are asked by an old friend to see if the head of an European underground railroad is still in place. This is before Britain is drawn into what will become WWII. While following clues backwards from person to person down the "railway", they discover that the open, friendly Germany they have loved has changed under the Nazi regime.

This is both an exciting spy story and an interesting look at the pre-war Germany. This book was written as the Nazis increased power and published in 1941. It seems surprisingly true to life and a fellow reviewer explains why:

She married Gilbert Highet, a Classics scholar, in 1932 and translated German literature with him. Like the characters in this novel, both her and her husband spoke fluent German and spent their summers travelling in Europe. Gilbert Highet also served as an MI6 British intelligence agent and his wife's novels were so realistic that her third book, "Assignment in Brittany" was required reading for Allied intelligence agents about to be sent to work with the French Resistance. As you can tell, you are in safe hands for a realistic novel about Europe in 1939, which is where Above Suspicion is set.

I didn't know all that but it helps explain why the book is so good. I haven't reread this for many years and was happy to find it remains as good as I remembered.

Optional Memorial of St. Nicholas, bishop

St. Nicholas was born in Lycia, Asia Minor, and died as Bishop of Myra in 352. He performed many miracles and exercised a special power over flames. He practiced both the spiritual and temporal works of mercy, and fasted twice a week. When he heard that a father who had fallen into poverty was about to expose his three daughters to a life of sin, Nicholas took a bag of gold and secretly flung it through the window into the room of the sleeping father. In this way, the three girls were dowered and saved from mortal sin and hell.

We came to the realization of the true day to celebrate the saintliness of Nicholas very late and our kids were too old to get into it though I made the effort for a few years to leave chocolate coins in their shoes outside their door. Evidently a lot of the stories floating around are impossible to verify so I will leave you with this nice food for thought from Catholic Culture where there are prayers, recipes, and activities.

Not much is known about this 4th century bishop, but that doesn't diminish his popularity around the world, both in the East and West. It is known that Nicholas was born in Lycia in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) and died in 352 A.D. as the Bishop of Myra. All other stories that surround Nicholas illustrate that he practiced both the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. He was generous, strove to help the poor and disadvantaged, and worked tirelessly to defend the faith. His legends of generosity and a slip of the tongue from other languages has made St. Nicholas or Sinterklaas into today's Santa Claus.

Immaculate Conception Novena: Day 6

Mother of God Oumilenie
(Affectionate Tenderness), Russia, XVth Century
via Icons Explained

MOTHER MOST AMIABLE

Next to the Lord, when he is nailed to the Cross stands Mary, John the beloved disciple, and some holy women. At this climactic moment the Lord speaks to the Blessed Virgin with words that have particular meaning for each one of us. He says to her: "Woman, behold thy son." Then He says to the disciple, "Behold thy mother." (John 19:27) ... It is moving to see Jesus forgetful of his own sufferings and loneliness during the anguish of the Passion ... The immense love he shows for Mary, whom he does not want to leave on her own, still moves us today. There, next to Mary, John personifies every single one of us. Christ gave us his mother to be our own.

On this day of the novena we can consider our own personal relationship with her. Do we approach her trustingly as St. John would? Do we often remember that she is at our side? Do we seek her intercession frequently, saying with all our heart: Mother, O Mother of mine...

In Conversation With God :
Feast Days July - December(vol.7)

Here is the novena for the sixth day.

Immaculate Conception Novena: Day 5

Maternal Bond,* Timothy P. Schmalz

MYSTICAL ROSE

But Mary kept in mind all these things, pondering them in her heart. (Luke 2:19) And his mother kept all these things carefully in her heart. (Luke 2:51)

The Blessed Mother treasures in her heart the events she is privileged to witness. She ponders the great and small happenings of her ordinary life in the light of faith. Her considerations, full of affection, colour her entire attitude toward the various occurrences of her life as they unfold. Mary gives us a supreme example of interior recollection. Her insistent prayer rises to heaven like the sweet perfume of the rose...

The Blessed Virgin shows us how to ponder the truths of the Faith in our heart. We also come to perceive the events of our life in the light of God's presence. Apparent disaster and success, the birth of a child and the death of a loved one, the difficulties that arise at work and in family life and the experiences of our friendship, all these will take on their deepest meaning before our contemplative gaze. Like Mary our model, we can habitually seek the Lord in the intimacy of our soul in grace.

In Conversation With God :
Feast Days July - December(vol.7)

Here is the link for the fifth day of the novena.

*Note: you may order replicas of the statue at the artist's website. 

And the Winner Is — 1935

Our family is working our way through Oscar winners and whichever nominees take our fancy. Also as they are available, since these early films continued to be hard to find.

For the 1935 Oscars we were able to see a lot of movies and were struck again by the variety of nominees, with a lot of light hearted films included.

WINNER

A rogue reporter trailing a runaway heiress for a big story joins her on a bus heading from Florida to New York and they end up stuck with each other when the bus leaves them behind at one of the stops along the way.

I love the fact that the stars' names were bigger than the movie name on the poster. Directed by Frank Capra during his most prolific period, this is a movie that is practically perfect in every way ... it's hard to believe this movie is 85 years old! It holds up so well! It was the first screwball comedy and has a lot to say about class distinctions, albeit in such an entertaining fashion that you don't realize it until later. 

I've seen this many times and it never disappoints. I suspect this will be my favorite Oscar winner for some years to come as we proceed.

I will add that Imitation of Life gave this a run for its money as a household favorite. Do try it.

 NOMINEES

A husband and wife detective team takes on the search for a missing inventor and almost get killed for their efforts.

We've seen this enough times that we didn't want to repeat it. Overall funny and enjoyable. Worthy of nomination but not as good as It Happened One Night.

Seeking a divorce from her absentee husband, Mimi Glossop travels to an English seaside resort. There she falls in love with dancer Guy Holden, whom she later mistakes for the corespondent her lawyer hired.

It was a real pleasure to watch Astaire and Rogers shine in this gorgeous piece of comic fluff. Their chemistry is undeniable and they are supported by talented comedic actors who enjoy their own minor scenes now and then. The ordering of tea, the silhouettes fooling the corespondent who I loved so much, the whistling with the bellboy - these all add richness to the movie.

The queen of Egypt barges the Nile and flirts with Mark Antony and Julius Caesar.

Here's Claudette Colbert again! (I think she made 6 movies that year.) This was a much grander spectacle than I expected and it could hold up today on that basis alone. However, I also liked Colbert's performance which is what I was really curious about since I've only seen her in It Happened One Night. Very enjoyable as an addition to our Oscar nominees viewing.

A struggling widow and her daughter take in a black housekeeper and her fair-skinned daughter. The two women start a successful business but face familial, identity, and racial issues along the way.

We were all surprised at how much we liked this tale of two mothers — one black, one white — who become good friends as they struggle together against the world in raising their daughters and earning a living. It tackled surprising issues when you consider everyday life for black Americans in 1934.

I really love the 1935 winner - It Happened One Night - but we thought Imitation of Life was robbed by not winning. I was especially interested to see Claudette Colbert in her third movie nominated for a 1935 Oscar. She was red hot that year and her performance here was good.

However, it was Louise Beavers who really stood out. We'd seen her previously in She Done Him Wrong, the Mae West film that was nominated for the 1934 Oscars. In that film Beavers played a stereotypical, giggling, joking maid. Here she was allowed a role that was very unusual for any black actor of the time. Most definitely she was robbed by having no Oscar nomination for her performance, most probably because she was black as newspapers at the time pointed out.

I especially liked the portrayal of the friendship between the two women after reading that the book from which the story was adapted was inspired by a road trip to Canada the author took with her friend, the African-American short-story writer and folklorist Zora Neale Hurston.

This is one worth watching for a lot of reasons.

=======

All the Oscar viewing is here.

Immaculate Conception Novena: Day 4

Thirteenth century Madonna with Child in the Italo-Byzantine style

Lord our God, you were pleased to bring joy into the world through the Incarnation of your Son. Grant that we who honour his Mother, the cause of our joy, may always walk in the way of your commandments with our hearts set on true and lasting joy in you. (Prayer over the Gifts, Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

Christ is our principal reason for happiness. He removes every trace from sadness from our hearts. Our Lady is truly the Cause of our joy, since her cooperation in the economy of salvation makes it possible for Christ to enter into us.

...The Blessed Virgin can show us how to be the cause of joy for others in our family life, at our place of work and in all our social contacts, our most casual encounters with acquaintances, our interviews and business trips. The brief duration of our meeting with neighbors does not matter ... Our own original source of joy is God, to whom the Blessed Virgin leads us.

On this fourth day of the Novena in honour of the Immaculate Conception we can examine the quality of our joy. Can others find God through our cheerful disposition? Are we uplifting -- do we bear charm not harm for those with whom we come into contact every day? Today we can offer Our Lady a firm and sincere resolution: May we make the way lovable and easier for others, since life brings enough bitterness with it already. Our cordiality is a way of imitating the blessed Virgin, who smiles on us from heaven as we brighten up the way of holiness for our fellow men. She encourages us to discover her Son in others.

In Conversation With God :
Feast Days July - December(vol.7)

Here is the novena for the fourth day.

Immaculate Conception Novena - Day 3

Mary and Jesus Under a Palm Tree (Middle Eastern)

 

HANDMAID OF THE LORD

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; because He has regarded the lowliness of his handmaid (Entrance Antiphon, Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

...The Blessed Virgin gives us a perfect example of how to fulfill the Will of God by our complete availability. How unfortunate it would be if, in one way or another, we were to try to exercise our own caprice in the matter. We can best cooperate with the Lord through our complete dedication when we allow him free rein in our life.

In Conversation With God :
Feast Days July - December(vol.7)

Here is the novena for the third day.

 

Arabic Madonna and Child by Albert Aublet, 1898.

Well Said - Advent: Letting Go and Going Deeper

Winter preserves and strengthens a tree. Rather than expending its strength on the exterior surface, its sap is forced deeper and deeper into its interior depth. In winter a tougher, more resilient life is firmly established. Winter is necessary for the tree to survive and flourish.

Instantly you see the application. So often we hide our true condition with the surface virtues of pious activity, but, once the leaves of our frantic pace drop away, the power of a wintry spirituality can have effect.

To the outward eye everything looks barren and unsightly. Our many defects, flaws, weaknesses, and imperfections stand out in bold relief. But only the outward virtues have collapsed; the principle of virtue is actually being strengthened. The soul is venturing forth into the interior. Real, solid, enduring virtues begin to develop deep within. Pure love is being birthed.

Richard Foster, Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home

This quote seems like one more gentle reminder of a truth I've come face to face with in the last few weeks. I have been reading Father Dysinger's introduction to lectio divina again. I have found over the years that I practice my own unique form of lectio but anchoring myself occasionally in traditional instruction is always good. I find the above theme is echoed by Father Dysinger.

THE ART of lectio divina begins with cultivating the ability to listen deeply, to hear “with the ear of our hearts” as St. Benedict encourages us in the Prologue to the Rule. When we read the Scriptures we should try to imitate the prophet Elijah. We should allow ourselves to become women and men who are able to listen for the still, small voice of God (I Kings 19:12); the “faint murmuring sound” which is God's word for us, God's voice touching our hearts. This gentle listening is an “atunement” to the presence of God in that special part of God's creation which is the Scriptures.

THE CRY of the prophets to ancient Israel was the joy-filled command to “Listen!” “Sh'ma Israel: Hear, O Israel!” In lectio divina we, too, heed that command and turn to the Scriptures, knowing that we must “hear” - listen - to the voice of God, which often speaks very softly. In order to hear someone speaking softly we must learn to be silent. We must learn to love silence. If we are constantly speaking or if we are surrounded with noise, we cannot hear gentle sounds. The practice of lectio divina, therefore, requires that we first quiet down in order to hear God's word to us...

Fr. Luke Dysinger, O.S.B.

Perhaps it is simply appropriate to the season, to that looking forward in Advent to the One who comes to complete us, to fill that empty "God-shaped" hole in our hearts.

All I know is that in the letting go, the taking up again of lectio, I am finding a quiet peace that is the perfect antidote to the rushing of Christmas preparation. Indeed, it makes the Christmas preparation simpler and calmer, despite the fact that I am doing nothing different than usual ... on the outside, that is. On the inside, I am listening ...

Immaculate Conception Novena: Day 2

Mary and Jesus (Chinese)

 

HOUSE OF GOLD

Before God made known his coming into the world in the fullness of time, He prepared Mary as the suitable creature within whom He would dwell for nine months, from the moment of his Incarnation until his birth in Bethlehem. Evidence of God's power and love show forth in his creation. Mary is the House of Gold, the new Temple of God, and is adorned with so great a beauty that no greater perfection is possible. The grace of her Immaculate Conception, including all the graces and gifts God has bestowed on her soul, are directed towards the fulfillment of her divine maternity.

St. Thomas Aquinas quoted in
In Conversation With God :
Feast Days July - December(vol.7)

Here is the novena for the second day.

Virgin and Child with angels by Le Pho

Advent Comes ... and With It Comes the New Church Year

The Son of Man is coming, and we are to look forward, get ready, and keep traveling the pilgrim way as we watch for the light, for our deliverance, for Jesus Christ.

Interior Of The Mezquita Cathedral Virgin Mary Icon

Everybody knows, even those of us who have lived most unadventurously, what it is to plod on for miles, it seems, eagerly straining your eyes toward the lights that, somehow, mean home. How difficult it is, when you are doing that to judge distances! In pitch darkness, it might be a couple of miles to your destination, it might be a few hundred yards. So it was, I think, with the Hebrew prophets, as they looked forward to the redemption of their people. They could not have told you, within a hundred years, within five hundred years, when it was the deliverance would come. They only knew that, some time, the stock of David would burgeon anew; some time, a key would be found to fit the door of their prison house; some time, the light that only shows, now, like a will-o'-the-wisp on the horizon would broaden out, at last into the perfect day.

This attitude of expectation is one which the Church wants to encourage in us, her children, permanently. She sees it as an essential part of our Christian drill that we should still be looking forward; getting on for two thousand years, now, since the first Christmas Day came and went, and we must still be looking forward. So she encourages us, during advent, t take the shepherd-folk for our guides, and imagine ourselves traveling with them at dead of night, straining our eyes towards that chink of light which streams out, we know, from the cave at Bethlehem.

R.A. Knox, Sermon on Advent 1947
quoted in In Conversation with God, Vol. 1, Francis Fernandez

With Advent the liturgical year begins in the Western churches. We switch to a new book of the gospels for Mass reading. In this year (Year C) it will be Luke who will instruct us every week.

Before Christmas we spend time in contemplation and preparation for the coming of Christ on three levels: as memorial of his incarnation as the babe in Bethlehem, to his coming with grace in our souls, and in looking forward to when he comes as the Judge at the end of time.

Those who celebrate Advent do so with various private devotions during this time. Some read a specific book to think about, some go to regular adoration, some try to avoid excessive focus on Christmas preparations, and such things.

I like this Advent Litany which may be helpful as we school ourselves to wait in patience to wait for Our Lord and contemplate what that means.

Advent Litany

Lord Jesus, you are the light of the world.
Come, Lord Jesus.

You are light in our darkness.
Come, Lord Jesus.

Son of God, save us from our sins.
Come, Lord Jesus.

Son of Mary, deepen our love.
Come, Lord Jesus.

Bring hope into the lives of all people.
Come, Lord Jesus.

Give your peace to all nations.
Come, Lord Jesus.

Be the joy of all who love you.
Come, Lord Jesus.

Bring unity among all who believe in you.
Come, Lord Jesus.

Bless us as we gather here in your name.
Come, Lord Jesus.

Lord Jesus, stay with us always.
Come, Lord Jesus.

Let us pray:

May Christ give us his peace and joy,
and let us share them with others.
All peace and glory are his for ever.

Amen.

Immaculate Conception* Novena: Day 1

As has become tradition over the years, let's say the Immaculate Conception Novena together to get us in the proper frame of mind as we approach that feast day.

I always like to begin this novena with images that remind us about some of the happiest mother-child moments — tickling and giggling together.

Master of the Winking Eyes, Madonna and Child, ca. 1450

Mary's purpose is to show us her Son. She always points the way to Him. I have never known her to fail me whenever I have asked her to show me Jesus. I will be posting something each day as this is a very worthy Advent contemplation.

Mary constantly showers down graces and favours on the faithful, and so has won the prerogative all-powerful intercessor. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Christians know that they can reach God through his Mother. She is our shortcut — the most direct path to God for us. Our love for her is shown in our continually coming up with new ways of expressing affection for her. We begin the Novena leading to the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception by trying to offer Our Lady something special each day.

In Conversation With God :
Feast Days July - December(vol.7)

DAY 1: MORNING STAR

Our Lady's appearance is the first ray of dawn that shines forth in the world. She rises over the horizon and is the forerunner to the brilliant splendour of salvation that will enter the world through Jesus Christ.

Paul VI quoted in
In Conversation With God :
Feast Days July - December(vol.7)

Here is the novena for the first day.

An ivory carving ca. 1275–1300 from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

* The Immaculate Conception is a belief in the Catholic church, as well as some Protestant denominations, that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was protected by God from the original sin during her own conception. Since she subsequently lived a life completely free from sin, this makes her perfectly pure. The idea of the Immaculate Conception is often confused with the doctrine of the Incarnation and Virgin Birth of Christ. The Immaculate Conception was defined as dogma by Pope Pius IX in 1854 and consecrated by Pope Pius XII in 1942. However, this tradition had existed within the Catholic church for more than a millenium. Eastern Orthodox Christians do not believe in the Immaculate Conception, because they have a different view of the original sin from Catholics, and in their tradition, it would be unnecessary for Mary to require divine purification from this. The majority of Protestants reject the idea because it is not explicitly stated in the Bible.  (Description from Olga's Art Gallery.)