It is now the Feast of the Holy Innocents and I am once again determined to write something on this blog so that I can encourage people to visit it.
My first Christmas as a SP (Senior Priest) was wonderful. I was the presider at the Children’s Mass at 4pm in the gym. It was standing room only and the energy was contagious. There was three choirs of children from the school who gave a lovely concert about twenty minutes before Mass started. During the Mass, children read aloud the Christmas Gospel and other children acted the parts. There was a 2 month old boy, George who played the Christ Child. It was very touching.
In my homily, I spoke about gifts and how we all can give them whether we had money or not. I told them of a special evening during Advent when my Italian friends invited me and another priest to their house for dinner. I told them the food was delicious and as a surprise, we decorated cookies.
It seems that I have told a story (many times, I guess) about my asking my Mom when I was a seminarian if we made cookies in the old apartment on 10th Street in Washington because I had such a clear picture in my mind of doing so.
She laughed and said that once Maureen (my younger sister) was in a high chair and I standing on a chair andd we were making cookies in the “pull down” table in our small kitchen and my Grandmother stopped in.
My grandmom was a wonderful person, whom Nellie (my Godmother who lived in the apartment over her) described as “so neat, that the garbage she took out to the back fence looked more like a tossed salad”.
And she was very neat and organized; so she chided my mother for “playing” with the children when there was a sofa of clothing that needed to be ironed. My mom said, “Mother, when they are older they’ll not remember if their clothes were ironed, they’ll remember we had time to make cookies”.
So I assured my Mom that the cookie making was a memory of my childhood that often comes to mind.
Then my friends told me that I had told that story to them and that’s why we were decorating the cookies. What a wonderful gift to remember a story and then make it possible to “enter into it” again with friends. I asked the children to listen to peoples’ stories and to “gift” them by remembering.
I invited the children up to the altar and there is something special about offering Mass surrounded by little faces following every word you say and action you do. Their profound bows at the Consecration were inspiring.
As I was scheduled for Mass at 12:30pm on Christmas Day, I decided to concelebrate the Midnight Mass. Monsignor John Enzler, our pastor presided and preached. In the quiet moments and as I listend to the music, I had the opportunity to say (sotto voce) the names of so many of you, my family and friends. I lifted you up in prayer as my gift because you have been a gift to me.
I got to bed around 2am but it was a very happy SP who drifted off to sleep.
It is now New Year’s Eve and I will preside at a Holy Hour in our chapel at 9pm. Then I suppose I will go to my room and try to stay awake long enough to see the Ball come down. Just wanted to say again that I will be praying for you all during the Holy Hour and I will ask the Lord to make this coming calendar year one filled with blessings, His presence, and maybe a chance for us to get together too.
Affectionately,
MO