O Night Divine

Feast Preparation

I'm a little late (wince) for tomorrow. Tomorrow is, of course, Saint Nicholas Day and this site is a plethora of information about that great saint.  The Barrett children are wigged out excited to put out their shoes tonight in the hope that gold coins will appear tomorrow morning. They will, courtesy of Trader Joe's $1.99 cute bags of them.

I was also able to score some lovely foil covered Santa chocolates at Aldi's for cheap this week. Whee!

If you are prepared for Saint Nick's congratulations. If you did nothing, worry not.  Check the St. Nicholas link on the sidebar and be sure to go over to St. Nicholas Center, there are so many stories, coloring pages, easy peasy crafts (including my dear friend Alice's spoon saint craft, which is genius simplicity) and recipes.  

Now, I'm going to try to be on the ball and remind you that Saint Lucy's feast is in eight days so if you have visions of sweet little girls in white nightgowns bringing sweet rolls around in the early morning you had best make a plan.

We have a Saint Lucy link there in the sidebar as well and here is a list of other useful ideas:

Catholic Icing: St. Lucy's for Beginners.

This post by Elizabeth Foss is a lovel tour of Advent through her home in years past and has an inspiring picture of her girls in St. Lucy garb.

This is my absolute favorite St. Lucy crown ever crafted by the talented Jen from As Cosy As Spring.

Dawn posted about a simple St. Lucia day with boys a few years back and even further back here.  That big boy is in college now !

Catholic Sistas did a lovely St. Lucy post last year.

So that should give you something to chew on, and hopefully I'll make a little plan myself. If you have an idea, please share it in the comments or on our Facebook Page!

 

 

 

Happy St. Andrew's Day

St. Andrew the Apostle is often overlooked in favor of his brother, of whom you may have heard, Peter.  Andrew intoduced Peter to Jesus, having first been a disciple of John the Baptist.  Andrew is said to have been martyred in Greece on a cross shaped like an "X" which is now referred to as St. Andrew's cross.

Today begins, what is sometimes known as the Christmas Novena or the Christmas Anticipation Prayer.  This is an ancient and meditiative prayer that meant to draw us closer to Christ in this time of preparation. It is also a very powerful intercessory prayer that when prayed fifteen times a day between today and Christmas day can result in many intentions being granted.  It is also called the St. Andrew's prayer but it does not call upon that great saint, rather it petitions God directly.

"Hail and blessed be the hour and moment In which the Son of God was born Of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, [here mention your request] through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother." Amen.

In Scotland St, Andrew's day is a big celebration since it is their national day, St. Andrew being the patron saint of Scotland.  According to legend a Greek monk, St. Regulus, was ordered by God via a vision to take several St. Andrew relics to the end of the earth for safe keeping. Regulus immediately set off on a dangerous sea journey which ended at the settlement of Fife, which is the modern day town of St. Andrew's. There was a tooth, a knee cap and a few finger bones that became a focus of many pilgrimages until the Scottish Reformation in the 1600s when they were destroyed.

This children's book is free on Kindle today.

To make the day make a point of printing the prayer and saying it with the children.  Fifteen times may seem overwhelming but if you break it up, five times at each meal or ten times in the morning and five before bed, it's not so time consuming.

Today is also New Year's Eve for our church. The liturgical year officially ends tonight and begins anew tomorrow.  Why not make a little celebration tonight?  Have some sparkling cider for the kids and a little bubbly for the adults. If you want to be really authentic try some single malt. The Glenlivet is a favorite in my house.  Some shortbread or a traditional Scots dessert called Cranachan is a fun idea. Cover the table in a tartan or any plaid fabric or use plaid napkins and call them tartan, I wont' tell.

However you mark the day keep in mind that this season of Advent is a privilege to journey through. A time to grow in faith with your family and a chance to bind you children in their faith in a joyful way that they will pass down to their families in the years to come.

Thank you for making us part of your Advent.

Book Review: Lucia, Saint of Light

Lucia, Saint of Light 

by Katherine Bolger Hyde, illustrated by Daria Fisher.
• Reading level: Ages 4-8
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Conciliar Press; 1st edition (October 1, 2009)

What is my criteria for a good saint biography?

1. The story should be captivating and well-written.
2. The illustrations should be appealing and beautiful.
3. The saint is depicted accurately as a true historical figure canonized by the Catholic Church.
4. The humanity of the saint is depicted.
5. The saint’s love for Jesus Christ and His teachings is shown through the story with examples of prayer, virtue, and love for his/her neighbor. There is also an evidence of cooperation with God’s grace.
6. The story should inspire my child to imitation. It should help him see what is meant by the term "saint", and instill a desire to become a saint.

When a story depicts or explains some historical legends, symbols, patronage, and/or cultural customs still with a focus on the Christian roots of them all, I find this an extra bonus.

This doesn’t mean I limit myself to only those books that fit my criteria. I just find that if we read stories about customs or traditions that are derived from saints, but if they are written for children it takes a little more discussion to bring the point that this is a fictionalized story and not really about the saint.

Lately, it is getting harder to find picture books on saints that fill my wish list. That's why I was so excited when I read Lucia, Saint of Light by Katherine Bolger Hyde, illustrated by Daria Fisher. This book fulfills all my desires in a saint biography and is the perfect book to read for the Memorial of St. Lucy.

I was drawn immediately by the title, as Lucia is referred to as a "saint". After reading the first sentence, "Today is my nameday!" I knew this book was a keeper.

The story revolves around Lucy and her family, an American family of Swedish descent. The family celebrates the Swedish customs of the Lucia Bride and all the baked treats on the feast of St. Lucia on December 13, also sharing their customs with other families. Lucy's mother discusses with Lucy the true St. Lucia and her life and martyrdom, and also ties in the explanation and connection of the Swedish customs with the saint.

The illustrations and story really paint a living picture of St. Lucia (or St. Lucy), helping a child understand how heroic she was, and that she was an actual historical figure. While this book was written by an Orthodox writer, Catholics and Orthodox both honor St. Lucia and this book bears that commonality. The main item a Catholic reader might notice missing is the connection of St. Lucia and her eyes. The Catholic tradition invokes St. Lucia's intercession against eye afflictions, but this is not the same in the Orthodox tradition. The author presents St. Lucia's heroic death for love of Christ, but also does spare gory details, like her eye removal.

The recipe for Lussekatter (Lucia Cat Buns) is included. I had never noticed before that the buns were in a shape of cross!

Also included is the sheet music to Santa Lucia, with original lyrics based on the traditional Swedish lyrics. I really like the author's interpretation, which has more of a Christian view of St. Lucia. There are also quite a few web links provided as resources. For more information, see the author's website.

Lucia, Saint of Light (alternative source for the book is Conciliar Press) by Katherine Bolger Hyde is a wonderful book, and I highly recommend it. If you're looking for a book for a nameday celebration, or just need to decide on one title for the Feast of St. Lucy on December 13, this would be my pick.

Disclaimer: I received a copy to review, and the links to Amazon will provide me a few cents to apply to another book to review if you decide to buy this book.

Saintly Inspiration

In her usual inspirational and gentle fashion Meredith has written of her love and devotion to the communion of saints and how she incoporates their wisdom and holiness into her life and into her family's day.

As Advent approaches it is an excellent time to think of the saints of Advent and how we might make them part of our preparation for the coming of Christ. In the sidebar is a list of feast days during the season of Advent. Why not look it over and prepare now for a lesson, craft, recipe or book to share with your family and really make that saint part of your Advent life. 

Above things, I want to encourage everyone who reads this blog to make prayer the most important part of your Advent season.  Speak to God everyday and ask him to help you make ready for his Son in both your home and your heart.  Teach your children to specially ask God for graces during this season.  It is an excellent opportunity to help them focus on the reason we celebrate rather than a gift list. EWTN has a beautiful Christmas Novena that is both deeply prayerful and concise. This can be important when praying with small children. :)

In this prayerful preparation the holy saints can serve as an example and as partners in prayer.  A novena to a favorite saint is a perfectly appropriate way to prepare for Christmas.  Lent is a time which we are prayerfully preparing for the Passion of Our Lord.  The Advent season has unfortunately given way to a more secular preparation and many people do not realize the enormous graces that can be had by merely focusing your Advent on Christ.

Toward that end I am delighted to have persuaded Meredith to post here on O Night Divine some of her ideas and traditions with regard to the saints of Advent with a particular focus on Our Lady.  As many of you know Meredith started a beautiful Mondays with Mary tradition with her children and I am so happy to have her here at O Night Divine. I was delighted to meet her in August at the Real Learning Conference and to discover she is as charming and beautiful in person as she is on her blog. It's lovely to discover a kindred spirit.

Have a blessed day.