Saint Nicholas

You will know your vocation by the joy that it brings you. . .  You will know when it’s right.

~Dorothy Day

A friend of mine recently adopted a boy from Ukraine. She and her husband have two daughters and their lives seem full and blessed. Yet they accepted the challenge—physically, emotionally, and financially—of welcoming another child into their lives, a child with a traumatic past of neglect and abuse.

She’s not the only mom I know with such selfless devotion. After adopting two children from Ethiopia, a colleague founded an organization that builds schools and medical facilities and provides clean water to small villages in Ethiopia.

If I took a mental inventory of my friends and associates, I’d find countless examples of women—busy moms just like me—who are making a real difference in the lives of others. I know this should be an inspiration to me, but some times I can’t help but feel inferior in their presence. After all, these women are truly following Christ. And here I am, the mom who can’t remember to fill the brown paper bag I got in church for the holiday food drive. Why are those moms destined for greatness, while I’m floundering in mediocrity?

The truth, I remind myself, is that we are each destined for greatness in our own way. And that God is just as pleased with the small ways I serve him in my home as he is with the women who travel the globe to do his will.

Lord, please show me how I can serve you in some small way today.

To Ponder: Instead of wondering what amazing thing God has planned for you, think about how you can do something simple to glorify him right now.
~ Theresa Ceniccola

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Saint Nicholas

We humbly implore your mercy, Lord:
protect us in all dangers through the prayers of the Bishop Saint Nicholas, that the way of salvation may lie open before us.

~Prayer on the Feast of Saint Nicholas

Why is the story of “jolly old” Saint Nicholas so compelling?  We’re not certain how many of his legends are factual. Did he really seize the sword of an executioner poised to punish three innocent men? Did he really leave bags of gold for three daughters of a poor man? 

Even if legends prove to be thin on facts, they often communicate some truth. In the case of Saint Nicholas, we celebrate the goodness of a bishop who tried to live the gospel  message of Matthew 6:1–4: “So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.  But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” 

Do we love doing good deeds in secret? If I am the only one who bothers to clean the hair out of the bathtub drain, do I rejoice in my anonymity? Nope. The feast of Saint Nicholas just threw down a challenge.

Lord, help me “to labor and not to ask for reward” (Saint Ignatius  of Loyola).

To Ponder: How would your attitude change if your thankless jobs became “secret good deeds”?
~ Grace Mazza Urbanski

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International Volunteer Day

The call of God is not just for a select few but for everyone. Whether I hear God’s call or not depends on the condition of my ears, and exactly what I hear depends upon my spiritual attitude.

~Oswald Chambers

“I’m looking for a volunteer.”
Do those words fill you with dread? Do they remind you of school days when you didn’t know the answer and were terrified you’d be called on? For me, that panic always hit in math or science class. While I’d confidently raise my hand elsewhere, I wanted to shrivel up and disappear when my algebra teacher or, heaven forbid, my physics teacher asked a question.

Once I got to college, the fear subsided. By then, I knew my own strengths and could focus my studies on subjects where I was eager to join the discussion.

God has called us all to join the discussion. Toward that end, he’s given each of us gifts—gifts he wants us to share with other people. He needs butchers, bakers, and candlestick makers, and singers, lectors, and religious-education teachers.

But that’s not the whole story. If the only thing that mattered was expertise, he’d have made a lot more experts and many fewer lay people. While every ministry needs someone knowledgeable to lead it, it also needs people who are gifted with eagerness to help, to participate in the community, and to join the discussion with the goal of spreading God’s word.

Lord, help me to hear your call with open ears, an open heart, and a willingness to join the discussion.

To Ponder:God has made sure that we all have something to contribute, even if we haven’t quite figured it out for our selves. What volunteer opportunities will enrich your life and spirit as well as help others?
~ Lisa Lawmaster Hess

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Build an oratory within yourself, and there have Jesus on the altar of your heart.

~Saint Paul of the Cross

It’s getting noisy out there, isn’t it? The music, the commercials, the shopping malls . . . it can quickly result in sensory overload. It seems as if every space is filled. For me, it doesn’t take long to crave negative space, space that is filled with nothing.

In music, we recognize negative space as silence. When musicians remove noise and strategically incorporate silence, they also add emphasis and lend definition to their work. Can you imagine an arrangement of “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” performed by an ensemble of four vocalists, a horn section, three guitars, bass, and congas? No, because that stands in direct contrast to the song’s very message— standing in awe and meditating on the fact that God has become man.

Such an ensemble is also inappropriate for Advent, a time when we remember and reflect that Christ came to us as a baby in the silent night—meek and humble in the unlikeliest quarter of a small town. No fanfare, no trumpet blasts, no procession. What sense would it make to prepare to reexperience this event by filling our lives with noise on top of noise? That stands in direct contrast to this season’s very purpose. Let’s allow this Advent to be memorable not for how we try to supersize it, but for how we don’t. Seek negative space. Savor the silence. De-clutter your heart. Make room to receive Jesus when he comes.

Lord Jesus, remove from my heart all that separates me from you.

To Ponder:Take a look at your calendar. What nonessential activities can be removed so you can savor a bit more silence this Advent?
~ Lisa A. Schmidt

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Saint Francis Xavier

He walked with a joyful, calm face. . . . Everywhere he went he went with laughter in his mouth.

~An Observer of Saint Francis Xavier

Saint Francis Xavier (1506–1552) is regarded as one of the greatest missionaries in Christianity, baptizing tens of thousands in his widespread travels. Despite language barriers, inadequate funding, and resistance from European officials, Saint Francis Xavier spread his Christian faith in lasting ways throughout the Far East.

Total confidence in God kept this evangelist from being discouraged in the face of obstacles. Instead, he was filled with a sense of ongoing joy and enthusiasm. Living among the poor, sharing their food, and administering to the sick, Saint Francis Xavier preached the Gospel by living it joyfully.

As Christians, we, too, are called to “go and preach to all nations.” We may not be called to distant shores like Saint Francis Xavier. That’s okay. There’s more than enough mission territory right where we live, among our family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. But what Saint Francis Xavier teaches us most poignantly is that the spirit of joy must permeate all our efforts.

Joy is something that can slip quickly through my fingers, despite having a loving husband, great kids, good health, and rewarding work. It’s so easy for me to focus on
minor irritants and setbacks and on what I don’t have instead of on what I do.

Saint Francis Xavier, you discovered that emptying yourself for others cheerfully is the secret to spreading the Good News. Infuse me with the joy you radiated in sharing your love for Jesus.

To Ponder: What words would people use to describe you? Joyful and calm? Would others want to be Christian because of your disposition? Today, pledge to find an opportunity to bring someone else a little bit of joy.
~ Elizabeth Ficocelli

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International Day for the Abolition of Slavery

Boundaries help us to be the best we can be—in God’s image. They let us see God as he really is. They enable us to negotiate life, fulfilling our responsibilities and requirements. 

~Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend

When people rose to abolish slavery, they formally acknowledged the universal truth of the dignity of all human persons. Slavery is an extreme boundary violation of this dignity. God endows each person with unique gifts to fulfill his or her personal mission. But when we operate in this world with poor personal boundaries, we tarnish our gifts and compromise our dignity.

Pleasing others, lacking clarity about who we are and what we want, allowing others to enter our homes or psyches with ill effects weakens us and the entire Body of Christ. Poor boundaries make it increasingly difficult to authentically love others. Our sense of self can become so fragmented that there is not enough left to gift to another. We’ve let the world and others “pick our orchard.” Then there are no apples left when we want to give one to a person of our choosing.

Isn’t that a self-imposed form of modern-day slavery?

Breaking free starts with self-knowledge. God gives us knowledge of ourselves when we seek our fulfillment in him. Slave owners tried to break down their slaves by dehumanizing them. We must stop dehumanizing ourselves by ignoring the unique callings and needs of the soul God has given us. By letting God show us who we truly are, we respect our time, our thoughts, our feelings, and our desires, and we start establishing boundaries to protect them. From that place, we are free persons able to give authentic love to another.

Jesus, so many people wanted a piece of you in your journey on this earth. You modeled how to love others while also staying connected to your Father. Help us have the right balance between being generous and taking needed time for ourselves.

To Ponder: How healthy are your boundaries? What can you do to improve them so you can authentically love the people God has put in your life?
~ Christina M. Weber

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God asks little, but he gives much.

~Saint John Chrysostom

I smile today, thinking of the little ones who can’t wait to peel back that cardboard door marked 1 on their Advent calendars and be rewarded with the very first of those twenty-four morsels of chocolate. Advent may have already begun, but for most of the world today marks the start of the Christmas countdown.

We moms often get so caught up in the frenzy of this season that we miss its tiny treasures: the toddler lighting the Advent wreath for the very first time, the handwritten greetings from afar, or even those handmade gifts of pine cones and papier-mâché. We fixate on our lists, crossing off our acquisitions and keeping our appointments. The swirl of this month, its busyness and bounty, threaten to overwhelm us.

Today, as we remember the true reason for our Advent preparations, let’s linger in the giftedness that is all around us: The scent of the greenery reminding us of new life . . .

The deep violet harkening penitence to prepare our hearts . . .

The star and the flames pointing us toward the Light of the World . . .

And yes, even the presents, given and received with intentional love.

In our giftedness, we are given the opportunity to serve as stewards for those who go without sustenance, shelter, or even love. In giving, we receive.

Father, source of every gift, help me to embrace this Advent season. Thank you for the incredible gifts you pour into my life, especially for my precious family. May I journey toward you mindfully, grateful at every turn for your love.

To Ponder: How can you be more mindful of the gifts you give and are given this month? ~ Lisa M. Hendey

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