Christmas greetings... more than a day... a season, a life.

As far as I can tell, the first Christmas greeting ever mentioned in Scripture was not a Christmas card at all. It was more of a singing telegram sung by a choir of angels near the outskirts of Bethlehem where shepherds watched their flock by night. And as far as I know, those famous Magi bearing gifts for the Christ Child arrived after the fact… and their gifts represented not just a moment or a day in time, but a life to be lived, one that would develop and grow and bless many in its wake.

Enter the wisdom of the Church’s meditation on the Birth of Christ, giving us a sense that this blessed event was really a season… that we are entering into a new time, a new era.

A new order of life opened up that first Christmas night. And we have never been the same.

The Christmas season for the Christian is everything that comes after the birth of the Newborn King. Just like the life of a family celebrates the birth of a child after their arrival. This does not discount the advent of the child’s birth as unimportant. That is an important time of patient interior nurture. It anticipates the changes to come within the family, and allows time for appropriate preparations. But a birth brings external celebrations and excitement and blessed obligations. A birth initiates changes within all the relationships of the family, and beyond to the wider community.

The real joy is not just about a birth day, but the life that it represents… a tiny soul born with a profound destiny.

So in the spirit of birth announcements arriving after the birth, and the spirit of a continued season of wonder and joy as we welcome a newborn in our midst… 


Let us be about the holding and the hugging…  


Let us practice saying his name lovingly on our lips… 


Let us take turns embracing his family and kissing and cooing the warm bundle that is ours to share.

Let us linger over this somehow… like Mary did… by pondering these things in our hearts. Even if the rest of the material world is packing up Christmas, or selling it for 75% off, we can silently be assured that something more than day has passed. And something more remains.

Christ has truly entered in, for all time.

We have been given a new life in and through this Holy Babe. May we understand this, so many centuries later, that we have a Savior who, truly, anticipated our own births. And his loving gaze and outstretched arms still await our coming into full knowledge of our profound destiny.

May the grace of Christmas be yours for more than just one day, but every day. And may your New Year mark many days where Christ enters in.

How silently, how silently,

the wondrous Gift is given;

So God imparts to human hearts

the blessings of his heaven.

No ear may hear his coming,

but in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive him still,

the dear Christ enters in.

(O Little Town of Bethlehem, Phillips Brooks 1835-1893)

                                                                      

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This makes me think... (Absolutely one of my favorite acapella groups of all time)

Merry Christmas... May the Holy Family bless you and yours!

Photo credit: Maria Johnson

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirin'i-us was governor of Syria. And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 


And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 


And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!"


When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 

But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. 

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. 

--Luke 2: 2-20.

From my family to yours, a very Merry Christmas!

Bob and I

Boulder, CO, December 2011

O Come Let Us Adore Him -- sing it!

The F.U.N. Quotient... happy Christmas traveling edition...

Among Women Podcast #120 News of a Baby at Christmas

Among Women 120 is one part Christmas story, one part love story, and one part a single adoption story shared by two families.

Download this week's episode and listen to Pat recite O. Henry's famous story, The Gift of the Magi. Plus, listen in to a remarkable conversation between two women who've experienced an "open" adoption, whereby both the birth mother and the adoptive mother not only knew each other from the early days of the child's life, but have become very good friends in the process! It's an amazing story of courage, openness, intergenerational understanding, and love --with a few Christmas "God-incidences" thrown in for good measure!

Don't miss this extra-long, jammed-packed edition of Among Women. And find out how you might win an Among Women coffee mug!

Get involved in SQPN's giving program, and don't miss the SQPN Marathon on Dec. 27th from 9am-9pm. Join Pat at 12 noon EST for the Angelus and the recitation of the Scriptural Rosary. Plus talk and giveaways too! (Find it through the SQPN live show site.)

UPDATE: The SQPN Marathon, originally slated for Dec 27th has been postponed. Stay tuned! We'll announce the new date here when we know it!.

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Among Women ReadHER 12.17.11 Adventing,Christmas poems and blessings...

Among Women ReadHER

12.17.11

Alphabet for Christmas (a poem)
By Misty Nagel at her blog, Misty's Morning
Love-i-ly!


Celebrating Advent: An Advent Wreath Carnival Link Up
By Sarah Reinhard at Snoring Scholar
Simply sharing the advent wreaths from readers. It's nice to see what other folks do at their family table, or putting their wreaths at other focal points in their homes. Go check out Sarah's most recent visit to Among Women 116 where she shares her Advent book, Welcome Baby Jesus.


Why Religion is Not About Being Good
By Marc Cardaronella at Evangelizing Catechesis
Marc's spot on with this post.... especially in the season of 'bein' naughty or nice'.


Why Are the No Catholic Mom Bloggers in this Top 100 List
By Jennifer Fulwiler at the National Catholic Register
Things to think about in terms of the new evangelization...


A Mom's Holiday Playbook
By Erika Higgins at CatholicMom.com
I missed this article from a few weeks back. This idea may be too late to implement this year, but you might still get started. It's a simple way to "plan" to get through the holidays. I'm sure you could design your productivity apps on a phone to do similar things for you.


A Blessed Christmas!
By +Archbishop Timothy Dolan at his blog at the Archdiocese of New York
This is Bible and Catholic trivia that I've known for years, but I'm pleased that His Excellency pulled it all together in one handy article... making connections like this: "Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the Hebrew word for 'house of bread.' Thus, on His birthday, we approach the Eucharist to receive this “bread of life” in Holy Communion." (I love learning stuff like that!)


It's All About the "O"
By Daria Sockey at her blog, Coffee and Canticles (The Divine Office in your Life)
The "O Antiphons" that is! They start today! 

Why Did the Magi Cross...

By Meredith Gould

That Meredith, such a kidder! A giggle.

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The F.U.N. Quotient -- The real JOY edition

Put Yourself into the Christmas Story, my latest at Patheos

Here's this week's column from Patheos describing a simple method for meditating on the Christmas story... spend some time in God's Word this season!  Here's a little bit...

Put yourself in the story. It’s a real spiritual exercise; a form of meditation that disallows just passively listening to the message, but actively receives it. 

Imagination stirs us to become a character in the story’s action, or to be ourselves as bystanders or witnesses of the events. That kind of identification draws us deeper into “the Greatest Story Ever Told”, letting it take root. We make personal connections when we ponder what catches our attention. The longer you meditate on a scenario in Scripture, the more you relax with the details, and the more vivid the experience. And while your mind is engaged this way, the Spirit of God may whisper to your heart as well. 

Read the infancy narratives in chapters 1 and 2 in the Gospels of Matthew or Luke. You can work with a few paragraphs, or the Gospels at Mass. 

See, smell, touch, hear, and taste. Talk to the people you are reading about. 

Putting myself into the story helps me to “get it.” I acknowledge the truth of my situation; the need for more of God in my life and less of everything else. 

I discover that the supernatural takes place within the realm of my natural world. That’s what makes Christmas so utterly amazing. My eyes see and my heart detects God becoming part of the human family, and I find him in my own experiences.

Read the rest of "Put Yourself into the Christmas Story." 

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Among Women ReadHER 12.10.11 Advent, Gadget Craziness, Love, Babies, Charlie Brown & more

Among Women ReadHER 

12.10.11

Advent - Waiting, Hoping, Dreaming, Believing
By Dione Grillo at CatholicMom.com
Chuck full of good stuff. It's never too late to embrace Advent in the home with your family.


O Come Let Us Adore Him
By +Archbishop Timothy Dolan of NY from his blog
Do NOT miss this. Then share it.

Resisting the Electronic Christmas Craze
By Mary Beth Hicks at Family Events
Excellent family gift-buying advice.


"Such Love is Seldom Seen": Mother Mary Walsh OP (1850- 1922)
By Dr Pat McNamara at Patheos
Dr Pat is a great church historian and he retrieves a great story about a woman who heroically lived the beatitudes in the tenements of New York, and brought gifts to children who were forgotten by Santa, and so much more.


Wedding Dresses and Women, or How Women Dream of Prince Charming but Wake Up in "The Hang Over"
By Pia de Solenni from her blog of the same name
As a moral theologian Dr. Pia has some razor-sharp commentary on this, and I was quite taken with the insights of the wedding dress designer mentioned in this post.


Genetic Warrior: Leticia Velasquez and the New Diversity
By Lisa Mladinich at her column at Patheos
Leticia Velasquez is a smart and sassy leader in the pro-life movement, with expertise in the special needs arena. Leticia has been my guest, talking about her life with Christina, her daughter diagnosed with Downs Syndrome, on AW 30.

"A Man for All Seasons" and the Call to Fanaticism
By Joseph Susanka at Patheos
One of my all-time favorite films, and Joseph gives me more reasons to re-view it.


The Gospel According to Peanuts: How A Charlie Brown Christmas Almost Didn't Happen
By Lee Habib at National Review Online
Interesting history behind-the-scenes of the making of this family classic, especially in light of the media's hostility toward Christianity today.

Ah. So That's Where Babies Comes From
Posted by Patrick Madrid at PatrickMadrid.com
Cute and fun video short involving one woman's pregnancy. Rated G.


Because Natural Law is Catholic
By Frank Weathers at Why I Am a Catholic
Big topic covered deftly and with good resources; worth the read.


Catholic University's Same-Sex Dorms Foster Friendship, Respect
By John Garvey, CUA President, at the Washington Post
I have heard John Garvey speak several times and am very impressed with the direction he is taking here. FWIW, out freshman has no problem with the same-sex dorms, and indeed, welcomes them.


SQPN Announces 4 New Affiliates
By Steve Nelson, Exec. Director at SQPN
Catholic podcasting continues to grow. Check out the 4 latest affiliates at SQPN! There might be something that catches your ear! Don't forget, SQPN's annual giving campaign is in full swing, and we need cheerful givers! 



This TED talk has been making the rounds... very encouraging mathematician describing the reaches of technology that visually takes us to the body's interior from conception to birth. (10 minutes long)

The F.U.N. Quotient... Bethlehemian Rhapsody

Some Advent Humor.

Among Women ReadHER 11.26.11 Mass Translation, Mass Confusion, Mass Participation...

Among Women ReadHer

11.26.11

When Thanksgiving is Filled with Turkeys
By Fr. James Martin SJ at Patheos.com
A bit late for the actual holiday, but soooo much of this is applicable to the forthcoming Christmas celebrations!


Sharing With Others
By Rachel Balducci at Testosterhome
A little bit on the joy of girls, and a little bit of loving on the strangers we meet.


31 Elaborate Marriage Proposals
Posted at MentalFloss
Hey, I'm just happy that people STILL want to get married, despite the high stats on cohabitation, and people who eschew marriage! (Altho', theologically and biologically speaking, I believe we are made for marriage, and the ultimate marriage feast of the Lamb, but I digress...) Don't know how many Catholics are represented here, but surely a few clever romantics!


Saying Good-Bye to the Old English Translation of the Mass
By Patrice Fagnant MacArthur at Spiritual Woman
It's ok to say you will miss the old translation. It's healthy, even, to say that this will be hard for you, for us. 


Pope Benedict XVI on Children and Prayer
By Lisa Hendey, at Faith and Family Live
So simple, so true, so easy to share. (So often folks think of B16 as this giant theological intellectual... and *ahem* he is... but he is also a great, humble, Papa who speaks to the moment, even with children.)


Jesus' Eager Desire: Our Participation at Sunday Mass
By Cardinal Sean O'Malley of the Archdiocese of Boston (as found in The Pilot)
Excellent catechesis for everyone everywhere (not just us folks in MA) on our relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist, and our relationships with the people in the pews next to us in our parishes. Long letter, but worth it. Share it with your loved ones.


Did you see the pilot episode for the sitcom Mass Confusion? If not, you can catch it on demand at Catholic TV.

This makes me think.... about a new order of things...

The woman has conceived the Child, sheltered him under her heart, and has given birth to her Son. The world has come under a different law. All these are not merely one-time historical events upon which our salvation rests. They are simultaneously the model figures and events that announce to us the new order of things, of life, of our existence.


---Fr. Alfred Delp,  SJ, Advent of the Heart, Seasonal Sermons and Prison Writings, 1941-1945. 
Fr. Delp was imprisoned and executed in a Nazi death camp in 1945.


Image credit:  Our Lady of Mount Carmel with the Infant Jesus, at the Carmelite Chapel, Peabody, MA, taken by yours truly.

O Come Let Us Adore Him!

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given...

Isaiah 9: 6

No one, 

whether shepherd or wise man,

can approach God here below 

except by kneeling 

before the manger at Bethlehem

and adoring him 

hidden in the weakness 

of a new-born child.

(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 563.)

Merry Christmas, 

from our house to yours!

Among Women -- on vacation this week!

The Gohn Kiddos

Circa 1995

No podcast this week! Too busy getting ready for The Big Day! 

Hope you are enjoying the Christmas season with those you love! I'll be back next week on December 28th!  

Feel free to browse the Among Women archives via our Master Index.

Merry Merry!

This makes me think... incarnationally

The truth is 
that only in the mystery
of the incarnate Word
does the mystery of man take on light.

For Adam, the first man,
was a figure of Him Who was to come,
namely Christ the Lord.

Christ, the final Adam,
by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and His love,
fully reveals man to man himself 
and makes his supreme calling clear.
It is not surprising, then, that in Him
all the aforementioned truths
find their root and attain their crown.

He Who is "the image of the invisible God" (Col. 1:15),
is Himself the perfect man. 


To the sons of Adam 
He restores the divine likeness 
which had been disfigured from the first sin onward.
Since human nature as He assumed it was not annulled,
by that very fact
it has been raised up
to a divine dignity in our respect too.

For by His incarnation 
the Son of God has united Himself 
in some fashion 
                             with 
                                      every 
                                                 man. 


He worked with human hands,
                       He thought with a human mind,
                                    acted by human choice and
                                             loved with a human heart. 


Born of the Virgin Mary,
He has truly been made one of us, 
like us 
in all things except sin.

--Gaudium et Spes, par. 22, from the Documents of Vatican II.


(Um, emphasis and crazy poetic form mine.)

The Presence of Another... wonder regarding Advent, Maternity, and the Eucharist

Inspired by the Christmas cards I bought this year, my weekly column at Patheos discusses the mysteries of life in the womb, the incarnation of Christ, and the dynamism of the Real Presence of the Eucharist.  Here's an excerpt:

Mothers come to know their biological children in a way that defies proper explanation. This heartbeat and these first stirrings are an advent of that first encounter face to face.

And mothers expectantly await the meeting of this tiny one they know somewhat dimly, and yet intimately.

Presence. Heartbeat. Blood. Life. Relationship.

These are not just the proximities of maternity; they are the stuff of the once-invisible and inexpressible God entering our humanity and cleaving to us in ways unimaginable yet tangible. They hail Immanuel, “God-with-us”, (Is 7: 14, Mt 1: 23.)

And Mary gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths,                            and laid him in a manger… (Lk 2: 7.)

What started with Mary’s maternity has ramifications for all of us.

Mary’s precious womb contained the Body of Christ.

Two millennia later, Christians still recognize the Eucharist as becoming the true Body and Blood of Jesus. (Jn 6:53-56)

Eucharist is the sublime privilege of receiving Jesus inside our very selves bodily. 

Read the rest over here.

++++++++++++++++++++++

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Raising the Fun Quotient - Adventing in Public - Go Cincinnati!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas....

All this took place to fulfill

what the Lord had said through the prophet:

"Behold,
The virgin shall be with child 
and bear a son,
and they shall name him
 "Emmanuel",
which means 
"God is with us."

(Matthew 1: 22-23)

From my house to yours,

a very merry Christmas!


This blog, and this podcast on hiatus until after the New Year!

Image courtesy of the Basilica of the Natonal Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

In the Beginning was The WORD....

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

courtesy of the www.usccb.org