Mary, Mother Of God

On New Year’s Day the Church honours Mary under the title of "Mary, Mother of God". This young woman,who God had destined from all eternity was to become the vessel that he had chosen to bring salvation into the world.

Motherhood, in both it's forms, physical or spiritual is often seen as a sub standard job. However the Catholic Church has always placed great importance on this distinguished role and If God himself chose  to enter into the world through the gift of a family then surely this is a good  blue print for us to follow.

Mary's role was pivotal to the whole plan. Her yes was a gift to all mankind.Can you imagine how the whole of creation must have held it's breath waiting and hoping for her answer to be yes. It must have let out a collective sigh of relief when that one simple word was forthcoming. Two thousand plus years later we are still benefiting from that gracious answer.

We know at the moment of the annunciation Mary was commissioned by God to bring Jesus into the world and God, in a certain sense extends that same invitation to us.  Like Mary we have a choice, we can say yes or no, again, like Mary, our answer holds eternal consequences not only for ourselves but for those God has entrusted to us.

The title, Mary Mother of God originated at the council of Ephesus in 431 A.D. The council confirmed that the humanity and divinity of Jesus could not be separated and that they existed in one person. This had implications for Mary as well; it meant that she can justifiably be called the Mother of God. In fact  one of the earliest titles given to Our Lady was "Theotokos" which literally means "The one who gives birth to the one who is God" or in short "God Bearer".

if we choose to give our yes to God we to can become God bearers taking the love and light of Christ out into the world.

Although this day is no longer a Holy day of Obligation  in the U.K it would be nice to go to mass as a family and kneel before Our Lady and consecrate your whole family to her Motherly care.

The Holy Family

The feast of the Holy Family is a lovely feast to stop and reflect on our family life. There is so much to learn from Joseph and Mary. We tend to forget that the babe born in Bethlehem is God Almighty who created Heaven and earth, all things in it, on it and around it. We miss the fact that he whom the Angels bow down and adore, humbly came to earth to live in the mess and chaos of family life.
As parents we can so often feel undervalued, not only by the society we find ourselves living in but also by those who share our life. But the Holy family can teach us so much.
Can you imagine how Mary must have felt when she went and told her parents they were going to be Grandparents? Or having to face  St. Joseph  and try and put across the message of an Angel! Then, St. Joseph having the courage to act upon a random dream and trust that God was working in his life, when everything must have screamed at him that his beloved had cheated on him.
If that wasn’t enough they then had to travel up to 100 miles to go and register in Bethlehem , have their child born in a stable amongst the animals because none of their relatives had space for them and their money couldn’t purchase them a room in town.I don't know about you but at this point I think I would be seriously hacked off.
Then just as she was getting over the birth of her first child she had a houseful of strangers turn up! How did Mary feel about her humble abode when Royalty arrived at the door? Did she wonder if the floor was swept or the pots put away ?And on top of that they had to flee and leave their friends behind knowing they were going to suffer dreadfully. After this they live  as asylum seekers in a backwater of a town.Then they needed to start up a business, make a home and raise the Son of God. To top it all their Son  to all intents and purposes ran away from home, and they had the panic of trying to find him. I find it interesting that it was three days before they went to the temple, were they not expecting their son to be in church?, is that where we would expect to find our children? Did it warm the cockles of Mary’s heart when she stood listening to the responses her son was giving to these educated men of the temple? She certainly seems to have some tense words to say to her errant son! This is family life! The hurly burly of living with children.
At a moment in history when family life is seeking to be destroyed by so many I think it is good to remind ourselves that the Church places such great emphasis on the family and for those who have found their vocation in this wonderful mission we can draw a great strength from  the Holy family.
 We see St. Joseph’s guardianship for his family and how he leads his household from danger. How Mary humbly submitted to this leadership and quietly ran their home nurturing and feeding her family. Jesus came back from Jerusalem and was humble and obedient to his parents’ wishes, he learnt the value of work from St.Joseph, looked after his Mother and learnt about his scriptures  and faith at their knees. We are reminded that it does not matter where we are in life be it child, teen, or parent, we are called to  grow in faith, hope, and love. It is in the nitty gritty of family life that we are transformed and made Holy. The secret to holiness is not doing extraordinary things, but doing ordinary things with extraordinary love and gratitude.
May be on this day as a family you can enjoy packing up a winter picnic and getting out together.

The Holy Innocents

In the days of Herod, a cruel and uncaring man who thought of none but himself. He committed a crime that seems so heinous to the rest of us that it quite takes your breath away. To slaughter innocent babies, just so no one can threaten his position. One can feel nothing but sorrow for a person who had such low self esteem that he had to rule through fear and tyranny. A man truly filled with darkness that very little light could shine through. Sadly he is one among many who down through the ages have committed such crimes against the innocent.

But Christ came to bring light into the world. A light that would set men free from their own internal darkness, if only they are willing to open themselves up to receive this light.

The young children who lost their lives that terrible day became known as the Holy Innocents, martyrs, who shed their blood because of one mans deep desire to hang onto power. Did it work? Not at all. We know Christ was already on his way to safety. His foster father, St.Joseph having been warned in a dream rose and took the child and his Mother and escaped to Egypt.

But what of the children who died that day to protect God. Theirs is a legacy that has endured, a story that is still told. Those children remind us that we cannot stay standing at the crib gazing upon the Christ child but that we must lift our heads and resolutely turn towards the cross. Because that is where Christmas Day leads us to.
Christ warned us that we would have trouble in this world, but he also reminded us that he had overcome the world. So on this day let us remember all those who have died for their faith. Especially the innocent babies being lost everyday through someone else's choices. We remember those children who are suffering at the hands of warmongers or men and women of violence and we must pray for them.
 I think so often we feel overwhelmed "what can I do, I'm only one person"  we are paralyzed by fear and consequently we do nothing. But, if we consider what we have been given by virtue of our Baptism, that we are children of the light, and we begin to take that light into the world and earnestly seek for Gods' light to come into this  world, then we can rest assured that  it will!

In many countries, today is a day of celebrating children. It's a day when children can get up to mischief, a bit like our April fools day. In Spain they cut out paper figures and try and stick them on people's backs without them knowing. In other places they are allowed to "rule" for the day. The youngest member of the family gets to choose whats for dinner or what programs get watched on T.V. But however you choose to celebrate try and gather your little ones around the Christmas crib and pray for children everywhere.

St John

 Today is the feast of St.John the Apostle. "The beloved disciple." Brother of James, son of Zebedee and Salome. He was the youngest of all the disciples and the only one not to be martyred.
in his Gospel John does not merely report all the incidents that he witnesses but truly reflects on there significance and ponders on what Jesus truly meant by what he said. He was one one of a trio of Jesus closest disciples and was witness to all the main events in Jesus' ministry.
We can learn from John how to stay close to The Lord. Jesus was number one in John's life and because of this he became the most forceful evangelist of all.  Perhaps we can learn something from this young evangelist that those who make God their number one, whose lives are built on prayer and who ponder the Scriptures will become powerful witnesses to the love of God.

I found this on Catholic Culture and I thought it would be fun to adopt into our families Christmas celebrations.
Many of the recipes for making the wine are for a mulled wine so if you have a favorite why not heat some up and sit around the fire and toast this wonderful Saint who has given us so much to reflect on, on the life of Christ.
Happy Feasting

It is a custom in the old countries to drink of "St. John's Love". The Church provided a special blessing of wine in honor of the Saint. According to legend St. John drank a glass of poisoned wine without suffering harm because he had blessed it before he drank. The wine is also a symbol of the great love of Christ that filled St. John's heart with loyalty, courage and enthusiasm for his Master; he alone of all the apostles was not afraid to stay close to Our Lord during the Passion and Crucifixion.

Prayer:

St. John's wine, blessed by the priest or sprinkled with water by the father of the family, is served with the main meal. In Catholic sections of Europe, even the children receive a little sip of it after the main course of the dinner. The wine is poured in glasses and passed around to the family and guests. As each glass is given, say:

"I drink you the love of St. John."

Response will be "I thank you for the love of St. John."

The following prayer is said over the wine:

Leader: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who has made heaven and earth.

Leader: The Lord be with you.

All: And also with you.

Leader: Let us pray. Be so kind as to bless and consecrate with Your right hand, Lord, this cup of wine, and every drink. Grant that by the merits of Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist, all who believe in You and drink of this cup may be blessed and protected. Blessed John drank poison from the cup, and was in no way harmed. So, too, may all who this day drink from this cup in honor of Blessed John, by his merits, be freed from every sickness by poisoning and from any harms whatever. And, when they have offered themselves in both soul and body, may they be freed, too, from every fault, through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Leader: Bless, Lord, this beverage which You have made. May it be a healthful refreshment to all who drink of it. And grant by the invocation of Your holy name that whoever tastes of it may, by Your generosity receive health of both soul and body, through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen

Prayer Source: Feast Day Cookbook by Katherine Burton and Helmut Ripperger, David McKay Company, Inc., New York, 1951

Our Lady Of Guadalupe.

Down through the centuries there have been many reported sightings of Our Lady. But maybe none with such dramatic consequences as when she appeared in Mexico in 1531.
A poor Aztec Indian named Juan Diego was making his way through the hills on his way to Mass in Mexico City as he did every morning. Juan Diego was a very humble and devout Catholic convert, in what was still a   largely pagan country. As he walked along he heard beautiful music and a woman calling his name. Turning from his path he climbed a hill, known it that region as Tepeyac, and found
a beautiful Indian woman waiting for him.

She explained that she was Mary the Mother of God and that she wanted a beautiful church to be built on the site where they were standing. Juan Diego was to go and tell the Bishop that the church would aid the people of Mexico to convert to Christianity. You can imagine how thrilled Juan Diego must have felt at this prospect. However, he took himself off to the Bishop’s residence, where he was kept waiting several hours. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the Bishop did not believe him.
Downcast, Juan Diego made his way back to the hill, where the Virgin Mary appeared to him again. She gently insisted he return to the Bishop and ask again for a church to be built. The Bishop still did not believe the humble man’s story; however, he did ask Juan Diego to request a sign from the Lady.
Poor Juan Diego was almost in despair at having to return a failure for the second time. He explained the Bishop’s request. There appeared on the hillside some beautiful roses which Our Lady requested he pick. She then proceeded to arrange them in his tilma, or cloak. When he took them to the Bishop and opened his cloak the roses fell out. Then the Bishop, before the bewildered eyes of Juan Diego,
fell to his knees, for on the inside of his tilma was the miraculous image of the Virgin Mary.

Within a few years a church had been built on this site. Over time, millions of people converted to Catholicism, through the influence of the image and the story.
Although this in itself is a miracle, it wasn’t the only one. St Juan Diego’s tilma is displayed in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It was made out of coarse cactus fibre which would be expected to rot away and disintegrate, yet five hundred years later it is still going strong with the original image on display.

This is a good day to eat Mexican food, fajitas, tacos, guacamole, etc, and to play piñata. If you’ve never played piñata, today is a good day to start. A piñata is simply a decorated container, often made of papier-mâché, filled with sweets and goodies. This is hung up for children to try to tear open so the sweets will fall around them.
Traditionally, piñatas were round with seven cones on, each hanging with streamers. These seven cones represented the seven deadly sins; greed, sloth, pride, envy, gluttony, wrath, and lust.
Nowadays you can buy piñatas from most good party shops and they come in all shapes and sizes. Fill them with sweets and blindfold one of the children – the reason for this is that the blindfolded player represents faith. People gather near the player and spin him around to confuse his sense of space. This used to be thirty-three times in honour of the number of years Christ lived.
The piñata serves as a symbol of hope. With the piñata hanging overhead we look heavenward yearning for the prize. The stick the child uses to hit the piñata symbolizes virtue, as only good can overcome evil. Once broken the sweets represent the just reward for keeping the faith. Finally the piñata also allows people to share in the virtue of charity, sharing and partaking in the Divine blessing

St Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin

This piece is taken from one of the homily's of St. John Paul II St Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (1474-1548). Little is known about the life of Juan Diego before his conversion, but tradition and archaelogical and iconographical sources, along with the most important and oldest indigenous document on the event of Guadalupe, "El Nican Mopohua" (written in Náhuatl with Latin characters, 1556, by the Indigenous writer Antonio Valeriano), give some information on the life of the saint and the apparitions. Juan Diego was born in 1474 with the name "Cuauhtlatoatzin" ("the talking eagle") in Cuautlitlán, today part of Mexico City, Mexico. He was a gifted member of the Chichimeca people, one of the more culturally advanced groups living in the Anáhuac Valley. When he was 50 years old he was baptized by a Franciscan priest, Fr Peter da Gand, one of the first Franciscan missionaries. On 9 December 1531, when Juan Diego was on his way to morning Mass, the Blessed Mother appeared to him on Tepeyac Hill, the outskirts of what is now Mexico City. She asked him to go to the Bishop and to request in her name that a shrine be built at Tepeyac, where she promised to pour out her grace upon those who invoked her. The Bishop, who did not believe Juan Diego, asked for a sign to prove that the apparition was true. On 12 December, Juan Diego returned to Tepeyac. Here, the Blessed Mother told him to climb the hill and to pick the flowers that he would find in bloom. He obeyed, and although it was winter time, he found roses flowering. He gathered the flowers and took them to Our Lady who carefully placed them in his mantle and told him to take them to the Bishop as "proof". When he opened his mantle, the flowers fell on the ground and there remained impressed, in place of the flowers, an image of the Blessed Mother, the apparition at Tepeyac. With the Bishop's permission, Juan Diego lived the rest of his life as a hermit in a small hut near the chapel where the miraculous image was placed for veneration. Here he cared for the church and the first pilgrims who came to pray to the Mother of Jesus. Much deeper than the "exterior grace" of having been "chosen" as Our Lady's "messenger", Juan Diego received the grace of interior enlightenment and from that moment, he began a life dedicated to prayer and the practice of virtue and boundless love of God and neighbour. He died in 1548 and was buried in the first chapel dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe. He was beatified on 6 May 1990 by Pope John Paul II in the Basilica of Santa Maria di Guadalupe, Mexico City. The miraculous image, which is preserved in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, shows a woman with native features and dress. She is supported by an angel whose wings are reminiscent of one of the major gods of the traditional religion of that area. The moon is beneath her feet and her blue mantle is covered with gold stars. The black girdle about her waist signifies that she is pregnant. Thus, the image graphically depicts the fact that Christ is to be "born" again among the peoples of the New World, and is a message as relevant to the "New World" today as it was during the lifetime of Juan Diego. Homily of John Paul II

The Feast Of The Immaculate Conception.

This beautiful feast to Our Lady shines out in the darkness of winter. Mary was predestined from all eternity to be the mother of God. For this reason Our Lady receives more graces than all the angels and saints joined together. It is because of this that she occupies a unique position among all peoples. It was not of her own doing but through the saving power of her son Jesus Christ that she was kept
free from any desire to sin. She felt no attraction towards sin or any of the temptations that the tempter would use. From the very beginning God prepared with infinite love the one who was to become the Mother of his Son. 
Mary is "full of grace and blessed among all women" because of this singular act of God. No other human being had or has been preserved in this way. I find it amazing to think that God knows us all so well that he already had our salvation planned out before the beginning of time. He knew he was going to need to create a pure vessel for him to be born into, if you were God why would you not! We inherit our humanity from our parents it's only logical that God would not want to inherit a fallen
nature from his Mother so to preserve her from the stain of original sin he gave her this divine gift.
You can see that when the Archangel Gabriel greets Mary he is aware of the extent of her participation of grace and virtue, he knows her goodness!

Down through the ages the Holy Spirit has taught countless Generations of Christians that the quickest, surest path to the heart of Jesus is through his Mother, who else in all of history knows him as well as she does. A mother has a unique privilege in the life of her children, Mary was no different,  she knew every facet and nuance of her Son because she had nurtured and raised Him from that tiny seed that grew within her to those hidden years in Nazareth. She wants nothing more than to lead all her children to Son, she is our "shortcut"to God. So on this feast day lets us praise God for his beautiful Mother and with the Archangel Gabriel say "Hail Mary full of Grace..."

 To celebrate this feast in the family why not go to mass ." Always a good thing! Or gather around a statue or picture of Our Lady and pray a decade or two or five together. Another beautiful tradition I came across on the internet via Catholic Culture is to decorate a candle with a white cloth tied together with a ribbon. The candle is then placed before an image, statue or ikon of our Lady before which the family prays to the Mother of God.  The covered candleholder represents the rod out of the root of Jesse, Our Lady, from whose womb will come the Saviour of the world. The candle represents Christ, the Light of the World, who shall come to dispel all darkness and stain of sin.

Another tradition is to bake gingerbread. I don't quite see the connection myself, however gingerbread never goes amiss in my house so I give you our simple recipe to fill your home with those lovely scents of Christmas

250g/10oz Plain Flour
3x5ml/3 tsp ground ginger
3x5ml/3tsp bicarbonate of soda
3x15ml/3x tablespoon  golden syrup
75g/3oz butter/margarine 
125g/5oz dark brown sugar
1 egg beaten
Pinch of salt.
To Decorate
Icing pens
Chocolate chips
Silver colored balls.


Sieve flour, ground ginger, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a bowl.
Warm syrup, butter and sugar until all is melted.
Mix into dry ingredients.
Stir in egg. Mix into a dough ( if to soft add a bit more flour)
Wrap in aplastic bag and place in fridge for 15-30 mins.
Dust work surface with extra flour and roll out dough. Cut with gingerbread cookie cutters and place on greased baking trays. Place in the oven at 180c and bake for 10-15 minutes or lightly golden brown. Leave for a few minutes on the tray and then transfer to wire wrack to cool. When cold decorate with icing and chocolate chips.
Enjoy!

St Andrew

St. Andrew was a native of Bethsaida, a town in Galilee, upon the banks of lake Genesareth. He was the son of Jonas, or John, a fisherman, and the brother of Simon Peter. Unfortunately the bible does not enlighten us as to which was the eldest. Though different accounts are given in the bible as to how Andrew first  encountered Jesus  St. John tells us that St. Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist and he listened and learnt from St.John. It was by the shores of the lake that St. John revealed to them that Jesus was the “Christ”, “The Lamb of of God,” immediately Andrew and another disciple got up and followed Jesus desiring to get to know him. According to St. Austin they spent the last bit of that day and all the next night with Jesus, know doubt asking questions and finding out who he was. The next morning Andrew rushes to find his brother telling him to come “we have found the Messiah”.  It seems Andrew was like an excited school boy who had suddenly found some great treasure. After spending this time with Jesus  his  deepest  desire was to bring his closest friend, his brother to meet him. What a great grace that must have been. And, what of us are we not called to do the same. After we have encountered Christ should we not long to bring others to know the one true Lord. So often it is through our love and friendship that we are able to lead others to Christ. To accept God’s call to live as one of his most intimate friends is the greatest grace anyone can receive. And the day we make the decision to accept that call is one that can so often be sketched on our hearts forever.

Andrew accompanies Jesus throughout his public ministry. After the death of Jesus he sets out and travels to Scythia, Greece and Turkey. Here he eventually meets his martyrdom. Tradition recalls how St. Andrew died praising the cross of his crucifixion which was

in an X shape because it was going to take him to be with his Lord, Oh that we can face our own deaths with the same desire. 

On this feast day we can start to pray the St. Andrew Christmas novena. Now I know a novena is normally nine days but the term can sometimes be used for any prayer which is said over a number of days.  The prayer is said 15 times each day. It doesn't have to be said all at once but can be recited over the whole day. We don't actually make a request of St.Andrew in the prayer but petition God Himself asking him to grant our request in honour of his Sons birth.  The novena finishes on Christmas Eve.

                                             “Hail and Blessed be the hour and moment 

                                              in which the son of God was born the most

                                             pure virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem,

                                             in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe,

                                            O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my

                                            desires, through the merits of Our saviour 

                                            Jesus Christ, and of his Blessed Mother.

                                                                     Amen"

Today is a good day to eat fish in honour of this fisherman who had the courage to get up and leave his nets behind to become “fishers of men.” Maybe a lovely warming fish pie! Don't forget to pray today for all fishermen and those who make their livelihoods by the sea. Especially for those fishermen who will be away from their families for Christmas.


St. Andrew's Fish Pie
Serves 6

• 1kg peeled and halved sweet potatoes
• knob of butter
  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
• splash of milk
  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
• 25g butter
  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
• 25g flour
  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
• 4 spring onions
  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
  , finely sliced
• 400ml milk
  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
• 2 x pack fish pie mix (cod, salmon, smoked haddock etc, weight around 320g-400g depending on pack size) 
• 1x bag of frozen prawns
• 1 tsp Dijon or English mustard
• ½ a 25g pack or a small bunch chives, finely snipped
• 2x handful frozen sweetcorn
• 2x handful frozen peas
• handful grated cheddar

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180 fan/gas mark 6.
2. Put the potatoes in a saucepan of boiling water. Bring to the boil and then simmer until tender. When cooked drain thoroughly and mash with a splash of milk and some butter. Season with ground black pepper.
3. Put the butter, flour and spring onions in another pan and heat gently until the butter has melted, stirring regularly. Cook for 1 -2 mins. Gradually whisk in the milk using a balloon whisk if you have one. Bring to the boil, stirring to avoid any lumps and sticking at the bottom of the pan. Cook for 3 – 4 minutes until thickened.
4. Take off the heat and stir in the cheese (if using), fish, mustard, chives, sweetcorn and peas. Spoon into an ovenproof dish.
5. Spoon the potato on top and sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
6. Pop in the oven for 20 - 25 mins or until golden and bubbling at the edges.

The Presentation Of Our Lady

Today is the feast of the Presentation of Our Lady. Not much is known about Mary prior to an angel appearing to her to ask wether she would be willing to bear the Son of God. From her very beginning Mary had been set apart, hers was the Immaculate Conception. God watched over her with great love. The feast we celebrate today does not have its roots in the Gospels but comes to us from ancient 
tradition.
 Moved by the Holy Spirit Mary consecrated her life to God from a young age and she grew in holiness and virtue. Today, as we celebrate her surrender to Gods plan for salvation let us ask Mary's help in living out our own vocation, so that like her, we will have the courage to give our own personal "fiat" to The Lord.

To help celebrate this feast in your home why not get the kids in the kitchen and whip up a batch of fairy cakes, ice them in blue icing for our Lady and sit together and enjoy them with some nice hot chocolate and pray a Hail Mary asking Our Lady to intercede for your family that you might all be able to say "yes" to God!

Christ The King

As the Churches year draws to a close we are reminded once more to remember that Christ is truly "King" and " Lord of all." This feast was established in 1925. When there then Pope, Pius XI released is encyclical Quas Primas. The world at that time was in turmoil. The effects of the First World War was still being felt. Adolf Hitler was on the rise and he formed the S.S and released his book Mien Kampf. Italy and Greece saw their political parties overtaken in political coups and it was into this that the Holy Father released his encyclical to counter the rising secularism that was facing the world.
The Holy Father wanted to remind the world that there could not be two "kings," but that we had to place our trust in the one who had proven his faithfulness even though he had faced death.
The call by Israel to be ruled by a king goes back to the Book of Samuel when the people of Israel asked to be ruled by Kings like "the other nations." Reluctantly Samuel spoke to God about the desires of his people and God warned them what would happen if they went down this path of their own choosing. Needless to say everything God spoke of came to pass. The Israelites had their sons and daughters taken from them, they lost crops and livestock to the King and if that wasn't enough they had to pay the king a tenth of all their crops and livestock.
Today's feast reminds us that God raised up a new "King." One leader who has seemingly passed the test of time. One man who sought not his own glory but came to give glory to God. One who did not try to obtain everything for himself but actually gave a complete outpouring of himself for the needs of others. Wherever he went he taught how to serve others, to love not only those that are easy to love but those whom we may consider our enemies. His teachings turned the religious beliefs of that time on their heads and he challenged the leaders to open their minds and hearts to his words.
Some listened and took on board what he said. Many did not, and called out for his demise. But do you know, you can't keep a good man down, three days after his crucifixion he rose and proclaimed his triumph over death.
God presented us with a new King, a King whose Kingdom is not of this world, who is above and beyond all human politics. One who is eager to be our King so that we may be his people.

To help celebrate this feast day I have added some links I found on the internet with some really good resources:

http://raisinglittlesaints.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/celebrating-liturgical-year-with.html

http://familyfeastandferia.com/2014/11/craft-christ-king/

http://catholiccuisine.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/a-crown-cake-on-feast-of-christ-king.html

St Elizabeth Of Hungary

St. Elizabeth was a young woman who certainly packed a lot of life into her own short life. She was of royal blood being the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary and his wife Gertrude. When she was only four years old she was taken to live in the courts of her future husband at Thuringia. In many ways hers was a great love story. Betrothed to the eldest son, Hermann, who died before they could marry. Elizabeth was then betrothed to the younger son Ludwig. They had a deep devotion to each other and Ludwig often stepped in to protect her acts of charity and penance. It is noted that he often  held her hand as she knelt beside his bed praying her evening prayers. Ludwig had succeeded his father to the throne and was known to be a capable ruler and brave solider even though he himself was only 21 when they married and she was fourteen.

They had three children: Hermann II (1222-41), who died young; Sophia (1224-84) and Gertrude (1227-97).

Shortly after their marriage, while her husband was away in Italy, floods, famine, and the pest wrought havoc in Thuringia,  Elizabeth assumed control of affairs in her husbands absence and distributed alms to all those in need. She even gave away state robes and ornaments to the poor.

In order to care personally for the unfortunate, she built below the castle where they lived a hospital with twenty-eight beds and visited the inmates daily to attend to their wants; at the same time she aided nine hundred poor daily by distributing bread to those who were hungry. It is this period of her life that has preserved Elizabeth's fame to posterity as a gentle and charitable woman. When Ludwig  returned he confirmed all she had done. The next year (1227) Ludwig left for the crusades with  the Emperor Frederick II  but died, on the 11th of  September  at Otranto, from a disease. The news did not reach Elizabeth until October, just after she had given birth to her third child. On hearing the tidings Elizabeth, who was only twenty years old, cried out: "The world with all its joys is now dead to me."

Elizabeth vowed to never remarry  much to the dismay of her family and she began to live a life similar to a nun, despite pressure from her relatives.

The order of St. Francis had a huge influence on Elizabeth and at this time Elizabeth had a spiritual advisor, Master Conrad of Marburg. He was a tough man and his treatment of her was very strict and harsh and though he would not allow her to live in complete  poverty as the Franciscans did he did not allow her to live with the excesses of court life either.
It is unsure wether Elizabeth left the courts voluntarily or as some say she was driven out by her brother in law, but whichever it was Elizabeth eventually  joined the Third Order of the Franciscans.  Here she continued to devote herself to caring for the poor and sick. With the help of Conrad Elizabeth was able to build a hospital where she spent the last few years of her life caring for those who needed her most. She died at the age of twenty four.


There are many miracles attributed to St. Elizabeth, but one of her greatest known miracles occurred when she was still alive. Known as the miracle of roses. It is said that on one of her many trips delivering bread to the poor, Ludwig met with her and asked her questions about her errand because there were those at the castle who were  suspicious that she was stealing treasures from the castle. He asked her to reveal the contents under her cloak, when she did so a vision of white and red roses was seen. To Ludwig, this meant God's protection was evident.

 On another occasion Elizabeth took a leper and placed him in the bed she shared with her husband. Her mother-in-law discovered what Elizabeth had done and feeling enraged, she informed Ludwig. Annoyed with the situation, Ludwig removed the bedclothes and instantly the "Almighty God opened the eyes of his soul, and instead of a leper he saw the figure of Christ crucified stretched upon the bed." Needless to say he did not reprimand Elizabeth.
After her death many more miracles were investigated and along with the testimonies of her companions, including her Spiritual Director, Master Conrad, she  was canonized in 1235.

"Be joyful, keep the faith, and do the little things.”

                            
                                   

Today we celebrate the feast of St. David, the patron Saint of Wales. The history of this Saint is a bit sketchy at best, with many legends attributed to him, wether there is any truth in them, who knows. However one of the thing we do know is that he was a man of great faith. He founded a number of monasteries in Wales and on the west side of England. He had a number of followers who lived very ascetic lives. After traveling to Jerusalem with his cousin St. Teilo  he became a Bishop of Menevia, an important port city linking Wales and Ireland in his time. The above quote is believed to be the last thing David said as he was dying. That's one of the things I love about the Catholic Church. Her history is littered with men and women who down through the ages have tried to live faithfully, to her founder. Leading others into a deeper relationship and trying to protect her teachings from heresies and other false notions. But whatever St. David did, or didn't do he is a man whom the Welsh people have taken deep into their hearts and for whom we pray that St.David will intercede for their nation.
One of our favourite St Davids's day dishes is leeks and ham in cheese sauce. Legend has it that this emblem, so well known for the welsh, came into being after a battle in which the welsh were trying to defend themselves against the Saxons.  The monk saw that his people were being overwhelmed in the battle. They were finding it hard to distinguish who was friend and who was foe because they were all dressed very similarly. The good monk pulled up a leek and told the Welshmen do the same and to place it on their helmets so that they would be able to recognize each other and know who were their enemies. The Welshmen probably found this a bit strange, but he was a man of God so they followed his advice. Before long they had won the battle and these lovely, tasty delicacies won their way into the peoples hearts. So in honour of St.David I encourage you to eat some leeks on this  feast day and try to live out St.Davids motto "Be joyful, keep the faith and do little things."


Leeks and ham in cheese sauce;

Allow two leeks per person or more if you love them!  Cut the ends off and wash well. Wrap them in a piece of ham and place in a baking dish.

For the cheese sauce;

25g/1oz cornflour or 

• 600ml/1 pint milk
• salt and pepper
• A pinch of mustard powder 
• 80g/3oz mature cheddar or other hard cheese

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan.
2. Stir in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes.
3. Take the pan off the heat and gradually stir in the milk to get a smooth sauce. Return to the heat and, stirring all the time, bring to the boil.
4. Simmer gently for 8-10 minutes and season with salt and white pepper.
5. Stir in cheese and allow to melt. Don t re-boil the sauce or it will 
   become stringy.
   
   
   Pour sauce over the leeks and ham, top with some extra grated cheese and  place in a hot oven 180.c 350f  gas mark 4 for about 30/40mins or until the leeks are nice and soft and the cheese sauce is golden.
   Server with a lovely crisp green salad and some really nice bread to mop up that lovely sauce.