O Night Divine

Ember Days

I'm a little late getting off the mark with this one.  I should have posted this earlier in the week but, well you know how that goes.

Tomorrow, Friday is the second of the three Ember days in December. The Ember days are three days that are set aside by the Church four times a year in order to focus on God through the wonder of His creation. In keeping with the newness of the LIturgical year the first of the Ember days take place right after the feast of Saint Lucy. The Wednesday, Friday and Saturday following the feast are the winter Ember days. The second is in the spring following Ash Wednesday, the summer days follow Pentecost and the autumn days follow the Triumph of the Cross.  A little rhyme to remember:  

Lucy, Ash, Dove and Cross

or in Latin

Sant Crux, Lucia, Cineres, Charismata Dia 
Ut sit in angaria quarta sequens feria.

        Which means:

Holy Cross, Lucy, Ash Wednesday, Pentecost, 
are when the quarter holidays follow.

(Don't be impressed, I snitched that from www.fisheaters.com)

These days are meant to be a time of abstinence and penance in thanksgiving to God for the gift of his creation. We are also meant to pray for the restraint to use His gifts wisely and with concern.  The fasts, known also as "four season fasts" are a continuation of the practice of fasting quarterly in the Old Testament.  

Thus saith the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Juda, joy, and gladness, and great solemnities: only love ye truth and peace. (Zacharias 8:19)

Since the Ember days give us an opportunity to thank our loving God for the gifts of nature and this is the time of year in which "heaven and nature sing" why not spend some time on Friday or Saturday giving back to nature or celebrating it's gifts. It would be a lovely time of year to bundle up and take an Advent nature walk and perhaps look for bits of nature to decorate your home with in the coming days. Provided you have permission, of course, cutting some evergreen boughs or pepperberries to hang in your tree or along your mantle would be a nice activity. You could also watch for the winter birds in your area. The bright and seasonally dressed cardinal is always exciting for the children to see.My dear friend MacBeth has posted a wonderful article about taking winter hikes with children which I hope you will read.

I like to spend at least part of the Embertide with the children  smearing peanut butter or suet on pinecones roling them in birdseed and hanging them out for the birds. Usually it's the squirrels that benefit but they provide their own amusement for the kids as their antics to get at the swinging cones get more acrobatic.

What about some winter star gazing? Those heavens sing even in winter and the sky is always changing. Since most of us only venture out at night in milder temperatures why not try it in winter. I wrote a post for my personal blog a few years ago about winter star gazing that you might find helpful.

What about our furry friends? Certainly they have a place in this Advent season. The most obvious thing to do is to visit a living Nativity scene. Alas, they are being legislated out of existence (and that's all I'm going to say about that) but you can still find them. If you cannot find one why not read about living Nativitys in St. Francis Celebrates Christmas. It's a lovely book telling of St. Francis' reenactment of the Nativity.

More furry friend activities to give thanks to God for creation; make a donation to your local animal shelter, treat your own pet to a long walk or play session, or how about a homemade treat for fido?

Since the Ember days are also days of fasting and penance a visit to confession is a good beginning and then speak with the children about what little sacrifices they can make to let God know they love Him and His creation.

God blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all living creatures that move upon the earth. And God said: Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed upon the earth, and all trees that have in themselves seed of their own kind, to be your meat: And to all beasts of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to all that move upon the earth, and wherein there is life, that they may have to feed upon. (Genesis 1-28:30)

We have some winners.....

Angela and Sara are the winners of the Twelve Days of Christmas Faith Folder.  I hope everyone had fun and I thank all who participated. I especially thank Lindy at Lapbooks for Catholics for her generosity.

Angela and Sara, do send us pictures of the completed projects! We'd love to see them.

 

Austerity in Advent

This has been a difficult Advent for my family. We have been living in a construction site since November 1st and have missed having things like furniture, heat and electricity not to mention our books, decorations and the other comforts that make home homey.

I have spent a lot of time inwardly (and sometimes not so inwardly) lamenting the loss of these material possessions that define seasons for us. I was unable to put up fall decorations, my favorite season and my favorite decor, and now we have endured Advent with no wreath, no Nativity, no festive feeling at all here in the "much larger but still empty" Bonny Blue House. The children have been sleeping in the basement for about 6 weeks and we school there and eat there as well. They are sick of their closed quarters and itching for some quiet and privacy. 

So it's been a sacrificial season for us. As I was saying my morning prayers a few days ago it came to me that the reason for this austerity might not just be that a village was tortureously slow in issuing building permits and that worldwide credit crisis delayed already in place financing or even that an architect forgot to submit an essential document to the torturously slow permit committee, it might be that God was calling us to something deeper. To step out in faith and trust at a time when it is particularly difficult to do so. To be open to life and to rebuild a house to accommodate this baby and others that may follow at a time when "lay-off" is the word of the day at my husband's firm

The fact that we are living in a largely empty house during a time of year marked by the "stuff" might be God's way of calling us to the essentials. The essential being Christ. Maybe this is our year to hunker down and offer up. To forgo the seasonal festivities in order to prepare our souls for what is to come.

Being at the end of a difficult pregnancy is particularly poignant at this time of year. Contemplating our Blessed Mother's last weeks as she prepared to bring the Son of God into the world. Do I have anything to complain about? I have a home, I have health care, I have a loving family to surround me every evening watching my belly jump, I have dear friends who cater to me in a shameless fashion. Bringing meals and opening their homes to me, shuttling kids to activities and devising amusements for them. Am I facing a long donkey ride to an unfamiliar place where my husband and I will endure the birth of a child in a stable, alone and overwhelmed? No, I'm facing a birth in a clean hospital with my husband at my side and family and friends anxiously awaiting news. Helping and praying as usual.

We may not have everything we want this Advent season but God has seen fit to provide everything we need. So I close my eyes in prayer and an image comes into my head. A home filled not with Christmas lights and candles but with the light of God's grace and the light that comes with the love born of our Holy Mother Mary. Redeeming light that comes from within each of us. Lead by me, an often cranky mom who suddenly has a clue what is important. A mom who sets the tone in her home, not disappointment for what is not here but great appreciation for what is. Love. Life giving, soul saving, everlasting love of God for us. And us for Him.

The Charlie Browniest of trees in the dining room where cords running to our one working downstairs light socket provide light.

And the winners are....

Mairzie and John Paul's mom !!!

I had all these cool pictures of Katie and Erin picking the winners and Typepad won't let me load them.  Whats up with that?

Congratulations to our winners and thank you to Lindy at Lapbooks for Catholics for playing along.

This was so much fun that I will definitely be doing it again soon so please check back!

Lapbooks for Catholics Give-Away!! Join the Fun!

I am happy to tell you that the Advent: A Season of Joy & Preparation Faith Folder is now available at: Lapbooks for Catholics. 

This is so reasonably priced you could buy a few and have the whole family enjoy the process. I would be delighted for those of you who make the lapbooks to send us pictures. We'll post them right here. Toward that end I want to give away two of the Faith Folder kits right here. So leave a comment in this post from now until noon Tuesday, November 25th. I'll pick two winners and announce on Wednesday and then two families will have a little something extra to be grateful for on Thursday.  If you link to a post on your blog about the give-away in your comment I'll enter you twice.

Have a blessed day!

Advent Giving

We have always maintained here at O Night Divine that Christmas begins on the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord and that the time leading up to that day is a time of preparation called Advent. Most of the readers of this blog know that and most of the rest of the world does not. 

Advent is a time to prepare our souls, hearts and homes for the coming of the Christ child. While Lent gets all the press for sacrifice Advent is also a season of sacrifice and penance.

Some people have sacrifice and penance thrust upon them.

From Hillside Education's website they have a new Helping Those In Need Page :

More and more we are hearing about good people struggling with the simple things of life that many of us take for granted. We'd like to make a small dent in the needs of people that we hear about. All the items for sale on this page are donated and all income goes directly to families who are in special need of help. Prices include shipping.

This month, (from now until Christmas) the proceeds go to help the Quigley family in Lancaster, PA who have 2 children recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes (see picture above). Because of a mistake in processing their claim and bureaucratic red tape to correct the problem, the insurance company will not be covering the insulin needed by the children for at least a month. The family is unable to cover the cost of the insulin, yet it is essential to keeping the children alive

Michele and her family are dear friends of myself and my family and this insurance disaster comes at a particularly difficult time. Her daughter Maggie was recently in the ER and things just seem to be piling up in the way that things do when you are down.

I would like to appeal to all of my readers to visit the page at Hillside and consider making a purchase or a donation to help out. To give up a treat or present makes the giving holy and helps to prepare your soul. It also merits some grace for both the giver and the recipient.

You might also consider giving as a Christmas gift Michele's lovely planners. She now has the January - December 2009 planners ready and I can tell you they are lovely and make very nice gifts.

View details here.

I will be occasionally posting here about oppotunities to practice Christ-like charity as we prepare for Christmas joy. Think how much more joyful our celebrations will be when we know that our giving included helping those in need and making a difference in the lives of our fellow man.

Blessings to you all.