St.Luke

Today is the feast of St.Luke, the only non jewish writer of the New Testament. He wrote both the Gospel of St. Luke and the book of Acts Of The Apostles. He was a doctor, a scholar and apparently a bit of an artist!

 It is thought that Luke converted to Christianity during the first wave of evangelisation after Jesus is assumed into heaven. He is a companion of Paul and accompanies him on many of his journeys and is witness to the many happenings that Paul encounters on his missionary travels. Because of his close relationship with Paul it is logical to think that St. Luke met with the apostles and various disciples, especially when Paul was imprisoned in Rome.

We know that he was with St. Mark on a number of occasions and was well acquainted with the information that only St Mark could have supplied. In the book of Acts he knows all the details of St. Peter's delivery—what happened at the house of St. Mark's mother, and the name of the girl who ran to the outer door when St. Peter knocked. He must have met with St. Peter frequently and it is thought that he may have even helped St.Peter draw up his first epistle in Greek.

After St.Paul's death it is thought that St. Luke continued to preach the "Good News." However at sometime he must have decided to sit down and write an account of all that he had heard, seen and been told. He wrote his account to a high ranking Roman official called Theophilus, unfortunately history does not tell us who this man was or why Luke decided to write to him other than to give the official an account of everything he had already heard.

It is believed that St. Luke died at the age of 84 in Boeotia. We are not sure wether he died a martyrs death or simply of old age. What we do know is that St. Luke left us an incredible account of Jesus and all His wonderful works. And also the beginning of the Church and it's rapid growth from those few first fishermen into the millions of followers that exist today.  Luke's writings allow us to understand Jesus' mercy and compassion and His love for each one of us. So today as we celebrate this great saint let us give thanks to God for Luke and his courage to use all his talents to bring us the message of the "good news" so that we too can have the gift of faith in our own lives.

St. Joachim And St. Anne

Today is the feast day of these two extraordinary Grandparents. Can you imagine what it must have been like for this couple? Tradition tells us they waited many years for the arrival of their daughter Mary. Feeling punished by God for their barreness, rejected by the society around them, because of the stigma childlessness carried with it and entering into old age without children to take care of them. For all their wealth life was tough. But God did what only God does, He sent an angel to this couple to assure them they would have a child. In time Mary was born.
Now what we know about this couple may not all be true, but the one thing for sure is that Mary had parents who were given an exceptional daughter. It is from them that she learnt her faith and the scriptures. It was through their influence that Mary was able to give her "fiat" when an angel of God appeared to her. Had she heard the stories from her parents of how an angel had delivered them the good news that they were going to have a child? and now was history repeating itself.

How Joachim and Anne must have struggled when Mary dropped the bombshell that she was with child. For so much of their lives they had been judged as unworthy by their neighbours because God had not blessed them with a child, and now here again their family was going to be judged by those around them who would look down upon their beloved daughter for her unplanned pregnancy. Could her story be true? It seemed incredible that God would choose them to be the grandparents of His son. So many thoughts must have gone through their heads, and then there was Mary's tale about an angel, it must have struck a chord, if God had done it once He could surely do it again!

The one thing for sure is we will never know this side of eternity. But that Jesus had grandparents is true and I am sure they delighted in His presence and did the things that grandparents do, they just happened to be the grandparents of the greatest man that ever lived, what an awesome privilege to be able to influence the son of God.

So on this day as we celebrate this wonderful couple let us remember and pray for our own Grandparents and thank them for the love they have passed down to us and to invoke the help of these two great saints as we continue their legacy in handing on the faith of their Grandson to our own children.

It's good to have Saints who can intercede for us, here is a prayer to ask St. Anne to intercede for us

(Glorious St. Anne, filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer, heavily laden with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present affair which I recommend to you under your special protection.

Vouchsafe to recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and lay it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue.

Cease not to intercede for me until my request is granted.(Here ask for favour you wish to obtain.)

Above all, obtain for me the grace of one day beholding my God face to face, and with You and Mary and all the saints, praising and blessing Him through all eternity. Amen.

Good St. Anne, mother of her who is our life, our sweetness and our hope, pray to her for us and obtain our request. (Three times).

St. James

St. James, along with his younger brother John were given the names "Sons of Thunder" by Christ because of their zealous behaviour.  Believed to be cousins of Jesus, because  it is thought that their  Mother Salome was one of the Blessed Virgin Mary's sisters.

 St. James was a fisherman as was his brother John.They worked for their father Zebedee, alongside  St. Andrew and St. Peter. They all fished together on the Sea of Galilee. When Jesus passed by one day, he called  to them to come and be "fishers of men". Without hesitation they all left their day jobs and went after this itinerant preacher.
They lived with Jesus for three years. They shared in his daily life and were witnesses to his prayer life, his miracles, his attitude towards sinners and those who suffer.  They also witnessed his power and the miracles He performed.

When asked if he could follow the path of suffering Jesus was to take, James bravely said he could. His mother had hoped for glory and honour for her sons. But instead the Lord spoke of service and slavery, counting yourself as the least among the people.
James did not have to wait that long to prove his bravery, his martyrdom came only fourteen years after Jesus' crucifixion. When Herod Agrippa wanting to please the Jews beheaded James.

It is thought  that the relics of St James were brought to Spain some time after his martyrdom. His shrine at Compostela in Galicia grew in importance until it became the greatest pilgrimage centre in western Europe. 

Every country has churches dedicated to St James and many have well known, well-trodden pilgrim routes. In Paris, the Tour St Jacques marks the start of the route that finally ends at Compostela. In England, pilgrim routes lead from all parts of the country to the major ports that were used on the pilgrimage. This network of routes is a vital witness to the fact that the Middle Ages were not the static stay-at-home time that we often think them to be. 

I love to think that many people would have set out on this arduous journey. Setting forth to walk the miles and miles that would lead them on to Spain and the beautiful Cathedral of St. James. Did he ever imagine that his legacy of being a follower of Christ would continue to impact the people of the twenty first Century who today still make that journey. Their reasons may be many and varied but none can fail to be touched as they arrive at that majestic Cathedral. So many return home clasping their scallop-shell, the emblem of St James, which has now become the emblem of pilgrims who tread the path to Compostela.

Because St. James is represented by the scallop shell it would be fun to cook up a fishy supper using the shells. The most famous is of course, "Coquilles Saint Jaques"

• 
  
• Serves 4
• 
  
• 500 g scallops
• 500 g prawns
• 12 oz (375 g ) mushrooms, sliced¸
• 1 cup white wine or chicken stock
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp. parsley, chopped
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• ¼ cup + 1 tbsp. butter
• 6 tbsp. Plain flour
• 1 cup of cream
• ⅓ cup gruyere cheese, grated
• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs 
• 
  
• 1. In a large pan, combine scallops, shrimps, mushrooms, wine, onion, parsley, lemon juice and a pinch of salt

  2.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes
  3.  Transfer to a strainer set over a pot to reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid
  4. In the pan, melt ¼ cup of butter and add flour, mix well.
  5. Pour in the reserved liquid and the cream in one shot and cook, whisking for about 3 minutes or until boiling and thick.
  6. Remove from the heat and add cheese, stirring until melted, add salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Add seafood mixture and mix well.
  8.  Transfer in 4 shells.
  9.Melt 1tbs. of butter and then add the breadcrumbs, mix well.
  10.Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top of the  shells.
  11.Place under a hot grill for about 2-3 minutes or until golden and bubbling.
  12. Serve with a lovely salad or fresh vegetables. 
  13. Enjoy!

The Feast Of St. Patrick

St. Patrick of Ireland – whose feast we celebrate today – is one of the world’s best known saints.

He was born around 385, perhaps in Scotland, near Kilpatrick. His parents were Calpurnius and Conchessa, who were Romans living in Britain.

When he was about fourteen, he was captured during a raiding party and taken to Ireland to live among the Druids and pagans, tending and herding sheep.

During his captivity, he turned to God in prayer. He later wrote:

"The love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith, and my soul was roused, so that, in a single day, I said as many as a hundred prayers and in the night nearly the same. I prayed in the woods and on the mountain, even before the dawn. I felt no hurt from the snow, ice or rain."

When Patrick was twenty he had a dream which told him to go to the coast. Sure that God was telling him to leave Ireland he ran away and made his way to the Irish coast. There he found some sailors who were willing to take him back to Britain, where he was reunited with his family.

Once more Patrick was inspired by a dream in which he heard the  people of Ireland were calling out to him:

"We beg you, holy youth, to come and walk among us once more."

Following on from this dream Patrick decided to become a priest. He began his studies and was later ordained by St. Germanus, the Bishop of Auxerre, whom he had studied under for years.

 Patrick was eventually ordained a bishop. He then returned to Ireland to bring the Gospel to the Irish people. The great advantage St.Patrick had was from his earlier captivity. Having spent those formative years living with the pagans and druids he understood them and was able to use this to his advantage when he started to evangelise them.

There are many legends surrounding St.Patrick. One of these tells of his meeting with a chieftain called Dichu who wanted to kill him. When  Dichu  raised his arm to bring down the fatal blow, his arm stiffened and he couldn’t move. It was only when he agreed to befriend Patrick that his arm returned to normal.
Another is that he chased all the snakes out of this beautiful country, I have heard a vicious rumour  that this was impossible, primarily because Ireland has never had snakes, but  hey don't let that get in the way of a good story.

Patrick began preaching the Gospel throughout Ireland, winning many converts. He gathered disciples around him and they went out and preached and won many further conversions.
Kings, their families, and entire kingdoms converted to Christianity on hearing Patrick’s message.

Maybe one of the most famous teachings that Patrick was renowned for was his teaching on the Trinity – using a simple shamrock to explain it.

Patrick spent forty years preaching and converting the Irish. Many witnessed the miracles attributed to him. After years of living in poverty, traveling and enduring much suffering, he died in Saul on March 17th 461.

For those with Irish ancestors, today is a great day of celebration. There will be many people wearing green and proudly sporting shamrocks.

To celebrate the feast of St.Patrick, why not get out a green tablecloth and cook up a Irish Stew.

This year I've made a dough ball snake, in honour of those pesky little critters who may or may not have been chased off the Emerald Isle by this beloved Saint. Serve them with garlic butter alongside your stew or as an opening event to your meal.

500g Spelt flour
1.5tsp salt
1packet easy bake yeast.
1Tbls olive Oil
300ml warm water

Mix flour, salt ,yeast and oil. Add warm water to form a soft sticky dough.
Knead for about 10 minutes on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic.

Divide dough into about 20 small pieces. Shape into rounds. Place on an oiled baking sheet, each ball touching the next. Shape last ball into a more triangular shape and make a tongue and eyes.
 Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.
Enjoy with some butter and a crushed garlic mixed in!

The Feast Of ST. Joseph March 19th

The feast of St. Joseph is a wonderful day to celebrate the transformation of a humble carpenter into one of the greatest saints the world has ever known.

Everything we know about St. Joseph comes from Scripture; it is from these words that we can begin to build a picture of the kind of man St. Joseph was.

The Gospel writers Matthew and Luke seem to have two differing accounts of Joseph’s genealogy. However, both agree that his descent was from the House of David. This was confirmed when the angel appeared to him and greets him as “son of David,” a title also used for Jesus.

We know from the Gospel of St. Matthew (13:55) that Joseph was a carpenter, or at least the original word used in the Gospels is ‘tekton’ which means “craftsman” or “artisan”; so he may have built houses and done other work as well; we have to assume he was quite clever with his hands.

It appears that Joseph was not a man of  wealth. When Jesus was taken up to the temple to be circumcised, Joseph  only presented the poor man’s offering of two turtle doves to be sacrificed and not the specified lamb. However, when Mary and he were looking for lodgings in Bethlehem he went to the hotels and hostels looking for a place to stay, and we have to assume he had the money to pay for them, so they were not destitute either.

It is often in the times of  extreme pressure we see the depth of someones  character. St. Josephs handling of Mary when he discovers she is with child  elicits a kind, gentle and compassionate
response to her situation. Even though he is very distressed he chooses not to shame her in public, but to put her away quietly so that no harm comes to her. He knows that a woman caught in adultery would most likely face the death penalty.

After discovering what he assumes is Mary’s betrayal, we see St. Joseph responding to a dream. An angel appears to him and tells him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife.
I find two things interesting about this. The first is, how many of us would respond to a dream? So often we shrug them off. Admittedly they may disturb us – but would we act on them? The second is Joseph’s complete lack of hesitation; straight away he goes and takes Mary as his wife. Now if St. Joseph noticed his wife was pregnant, you can be sure the rest of the village was gossiping about it. In the face of what you feel would be heavy criticism, Joseph acted courageously and brought her into his own home, thereby giving his future son legal recognition .

Even though the gospels reveal very little about this man that God chose to take care of his son, we
can see from his actions that St. Joseph was a God-fearing man. He always acted on what he felt he was being asked to do. He protected his family in times of adversity. When Herod was out to kill his Son he again responded to a dream and moved the family to an area of safety. He created a home and a livelihood to provide for them.

St. Joseph took his role as foster-father to the Christ child seriously. He taught Jesus his own trade; we know this from Mark 6:3 when the Pharisees speak of Jesus as the “carpenter”. Jesus is also well versed in his Scriptures, think of the time when his parents found him in the temple talking and listening to the elders and they were amazed at his knowledge. All these things begin to build up a picture to the type of man Joseph was.

Tradition teaches us that St. Joseph had died before Jesus’ public ministry had started. This is for two
reasons: there is no mention of him at the wedding feast at Cana or in any other gospel story about Jesus’s public ministry, and when Jesus is dying on the cross he entrusts his Mother Mary into his
disciples' John’s care. This would not have happened if she had, had a husband or other children to take care of her.

St. Joseph is a man for our times. If ever there was a need for a good role model for our sons, St. Joseph fill this spot. His example of courage, obedience, love and wisdom illustrates a few of his most admirable attributes. Let us encourage all of our young people to seek to follow his example.

In Italy it is traditional to eat a cream puff called a Zeppole di San Giuseppe on this day. So why not nip to the bakers and take home a lovely treat for tea in honour of this most wonderful man.