" We never give more honor to Jesus than when we honor his Mother, and we honor her simply and solely to honor him all the more perfectly. We go to her only as a way leading to the goal we seek - Jesus, her Son." - Saint Louis Marie de Montfort.  While Catholic veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary has long been a confusing things for non-Catholics, the Church has vehemently insisted in the importance of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the life of Catholics.    For the longest time veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary confused me until I was taught to basic principles about Mariology.  The first is that the Church was forced to turn to Mary as it unfolded the mystery of the Incarnation.  The question “Is Jesus the Son of God?” could not be answered definitively by the Church until the question of “Could Mary be called the Mother of God?” had been answered.  When the Church affirmed that Mary could indeed be called the “Mother of God” then it could easily answer the question of Jesus’ divinity.  All throughout the development of the Creeds (Apostle and Nicene) the Church always maintain that Mary was a human being and that what could be said of her would help the Church understand the mystery of the Incarnation.  The second idea that helped me understand devotion to Mary was the idea of seeing her as a role model.  If I want to be a good baseball player it would serve me well to study the great hitters of history.  In the same way if I wish to be a saint, then I need to study the saints and especially Mary the greatest and only sinless saint.  Remembering that because Mary was sinless that did not mean she was not capable of sinning for after all Adam and Eve were sinless and they sinned. 

 
As we begin our look at the Blessed Virgin Mary, I would like to recommend a wonderful book that I came across called: The Other Faces of Mary: Stories, Devotions, and Pictures of the Holy Virgin Around the World by Ann Ball.  Ann, who is a great hagiographer (someone who writes biographies of saints), turned her attention to many different images and apparitions of Mary from around the world.   A lot of the information I will present comes from reading her book.
 
The first image of Mary that I would like to write about this month is called Maria Bambina (The Baby Mary).  This image of Mary and/or collection of images seems to trace its origin to a Poor Clare nun in Todi, Italy in 1735.  No one quite knows why the original artist, a Poor Clare Nun, created the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary as a baby.   The statue though would go in and out of hiding (from wars) and storage (I guess because people did not care for the image and stuck it in a closet) over the next few years.  On the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1884 the statue found its way into the infirmary of Sisters of Charity of Lovere where miraculous healings began to happen.  In 1909 devotion to Maria Bambina was recognized by Pope Pius X and devotion spread throughout Italy.   Ann Ball in her book points out that: “Today, numerous supplicants come to bring their petitions to Maria Bambina.  Young couples who want the gift of a child are among the most fervent of her devotees.  Many return, holding their newborns, to thank her for prayers answered.” 
 
When I first found out about this devotion, I was surprised that such a devotion should exist.   I never thought of Mary as a child.   It helped me to understand that the Blessed Virgin Mary a little more.  Mary was a girl in a very masculine culture who did not appreciate children.  Mary was therefore at one time a nobody in the eyes of the world but even before she was born she was special in God’s eyes.  Each one of us is special in God’s eye despite the world thinking most of us as nobodies.  We have an important role to play in God’s plans just as Mary did.  I believe that this devotion speaks to us also of the role of parents.  How could eventually grow up to say “yes” to God if she did not have good parents who taught her how to pray?  Tradition gives the name of Ann and Joachim to Mary’s parents. 

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"Mary, give me your Heart: so beautiful, so pure, so immaculate; your Heart so full of love and humility that I may be able to receive Jesus in the Bread of Life and love Him as you love Him and serve Him in the distressing guise of the poor." --Blessed Mother Teresa.  It seems that when every there is something about Mary, there is always a concern for the poor.   St. Ignatius Church, the largest parish in Japan, one finds another fascinating image of the Blessed Virgin Mary referred to as “The Baker Woman.” 
 
Ann Ball, author of The Other Faces of Mary: Stories, Devotions, and Pictures of the Holy Virgin Around the World.  Here is her description: “Standing humbly at the back of the sanctuary is a modernistic image of Our Lady, sculpted of a type of rough, pale stone.  A Japanese-style arrangement of fresh flowers sits on the floor in front of the image as the sole token of affection for her; she is too new to have called forth the ex votos and other pious expressions of devotion so often found near the image of Our Lady in older churches.  The artist Nakono Shigeru has portrayed Mary as a young woman dressed in a simple, modest robe and veil.  One notices at once that she appears to be in the early stages of pregnancy, and her hands are clasped in a prayerful attitude in front of her gently swelling belly.  As the viewers approaches, his eye is drawn, as if by a magnet, to the folded hands.  It is only then, up close, that one realizes that the humble, pregnant virgin is holding a single perfect head of wheat, as if gently offering it those who draw close to her.”
                       
The name of the statue comes from a poem written by a French Christian poet Marie Noel (d. 1967) during World War I.

The baker woman in her humble lodge
Received a grain of wheat from God.
For nine whole months the grain she stored.
Behold the handmaid of the Lord!
Make us the bread, Mary, Mary,
Make us the bread, we need to be fed.
 
The baker woman took the road which led
To Bethlehem, the House of Bread.
To knead the bread she labored through the night
And brought it forth about midnight.
Bake us the bread Mary, Mary,
Bake us the bread.  We need to be fed.
 
She baked the bread for thirty years
By the fire of her love, and the salt of her tears
By the warmth of a heart so tend and bright
And the bread was golden brown and white.
Bring us the bread, Mary, Mary,
Bring us the bread, we need to be fed.
 
After thirty years the bread was done.
It was taken to town by her only son;
The soft white bread to be given free
To the hungry people of Galilee
Give us the bread Mary, Mary
Give us the bread, we need to be fed.
 
For thirty coins the bread was sold,
And a thousand teeth so cold, so cold
Tore it to pieces on a Friday noon
When the sun turned black and red the moon.
Break us the bread , Mary, Mary.
Break us the bread, we need to be fed.
 
And when she saw the bread so white,
The living bread she made at night,
Devoured as wolves might devour a sheep
The baker-woman began to weep
Weep for the bread, Mary, Mary
Weep for the bread, we need to be fed.
 
But the baker woman’s only son
Appeared to his friends when three days had run
On the road which to Emmaus led,
And they knew him in the breaking of bread.
Lift up your head, Mary , Mary
Lift up your head, for now we’ve been fed. 

 The image of Mary as the “Baker’s Woman” reveals how selfless Mary is and thus it is not surprising therefore Mary is always associated with the poor.  She probably understand better than anyone else that loving others is the best way to love God.

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" The Immaculate alone has from God the promise of victory over Satan. She seeks souls that will consecrate themselves entirely to her, that will become in her hands forceful instruments for the defeat of Satan and the spread of God's kingdom." --St. Maximilian Kolbe.  As we continue our look at the different images of the Blessed Virgin Mary and reflect on the spiritual insights that come from them, I turn once more to Ann Ball’s book: The Other Faces of Mary: Stories, Devotions, and Pictures of the Holy Virgin Around the World to find our next image that of The Virgin of Altagracia “Our Lady of High Grace.” 
 
The Virgin of Altagracia has a special place in the heart of the people of Dominican Republic.  This particular image received a papal crown (special honor) twice first by Pius XI and then again in Pope John Paul II.  Ann Ball describes the image as: “ The image is a portrait of the Virgin at the nativity.  It is small, about thirteen by eighteen inches, and is painted on cloth.  The picture was painted about the turn of the fourteenth century by an unknown artist of the Spanish school.  It is framed in an ornate frame of gold, enamel, and precious stones.  The frame was crafted by an unknown eighteenth-century artisan, who must likely used the jewelry presented as ex votos to the image for his materials.  His work is considered one of the finest examples of Dominican gold work. “
 
This image of Mary at the nativity physically contradicts historically everything that actually happened.  Mary was in no way royalty so hence she would have no crown.  She was a traveler far away from home and so her clothes would not have been very clean.  She gave birth to Jesus in a stable that I would have to assume would be messier than what the image portrays.  Ironically though the painting probably portrays what is going on much more accurately than we may realize.  Mary is the royal daughter of God the Father.  She is the “Queen Mother” and hence the crown.  Mary’s clean and beautiful clothes represent her soul that is not tarnished by the dirt of sin.  The clean surroundings speaks of the lack of chaos in Mary’s soul for she has her soul completely oriented with the Father’s will.  I believe that decorating images like this can help remind us what is truly important. 
 
Carlos Cabral, a Dominican Republic businessman, quoted in Ann Ball’s book had this to say when pondering the image of The Virgin of Altagracia: “ For me, no matter how she is portrayed, the Virgin Mary represents much by the fact that she is the Mother of Jesus, the Son of God.  The words of Christ from the cross, “Mother, there is our son; son there is your Mother,” have always echoed in my mind, and in many moments of uncertainty and suffering I pray to Mary for consolation.  From her example, we receive the greatest of lessons: humility, selflessness, unconditional love, conviction, and resignation.”
 
Mary’s example of holiness, of love, and of discipleship cannot help but send the devil packing fearfully.  The idea of Blessed Virgin Mary as “Our Lady of Grace,” invokes in me the reminder that with God I am capable of doing nothing.  God willingly gives us what we need to avoid sin.  The question is am I open to receiving what God wants to give me.  Sometimes I feel that if I do things God’s way that I will be missing out on something.  Mary understood that God loved her and desired what was best for her so she willingly submits to His will and declares herself to be “the handmaid of the Lord.”  She finds true happiness by learning to rejoice in God’s will.  We are challenged by her example to do the same.

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"So your strength is failing you? Why don't you tell your mother about it? . . . Mother! Call her with a loud voice. She is listening to you; she sees you in danger, perhaps, and she—your holy mother Mary—offers you, along with the grace of her son, the refuge of her arms, the tenderness of her embrace . . . and you will find yourself with added strength for the new battle." --St. Josemaria Escriva.  It seems like all the saints had a devotion to Mary and would pray to Blessed Virgin Mary in times of temptation.  Seizing on this idea, I often recommend to those struggling with chastity to keep a rosary nearby and when there is a temptation to be unchaste to pull out the rosary and pray it.  The praying of the rosary not only refocuses on Christ but also puts distance (speaking of time) between the temptation and any actions following the temptations.  I believe the devil being the father of lies does not want us to wait after he presents a temptation for he would rather us not think and discover the falsehood of his lies.  The image of the Blessed Virgin Mary today is called “Our Lady of Chapi” or “Mary Most Pure.”  Ann Ball in her book: The Other Faces of Mary: Stories, Devotions, and Pictures of the Holy Virgin Around the World states: “The Virgin of Chapi is of a type known as a candelaria, an image of purity symbolized by the candle she holds in her right hand.”  Ann Ball continues her description: “The image is approximately two feet tall.  In her right hand she holds a candle and a small basket containing two turtle doves.  She cradles her Divine Son on her left arm and holds a rosary in her left hand.  In keeping with Hispanic tradition, the image is dressed in richly embroidered clothing.  Inside the temple, both she and the babe wear beautiful crowns, and Our Lady wears a regal cloak and sometimes a decorative sash.  When the Virgin of Chapi goes out to meet her clients in procession, however, her hair is braided and falls in graceful plaits similar to those of the woman of the region.  She and her son don a protective cloak, and each wears a large Peruvian hat.  The large dark eyes of the Virgin of Chapi are compelling.  They seem to invite the repentant pilgrim to the love and mercy of her Son.” 
 
Sometimes, I believe that there are mysteries of our faith and experiences of our life that really cannot be explain with words and so to fully explain them one must use his or her body.  John Paul II in his Theology of the Body talks, pointed out that one of the reasons why a person’s body was so important was because it alone is capable of expressing the soul.  For example, we only know what people are feeling because their body expresses it either through gestures, words, or both.  I think one of the great mysteries expressed in this devotion to Mary is that she and Jesus remove their crowns before they go out and meet the pilgrims who have come to the shrine and then they place on the statues a normal Peruvian hat.  What a beautiful symbolism of how Mary and Jesus do not Lord their heavenly status over others but rather they come down low to hear our petitions and to care for us.  It speaks to me of what heaven is all about.  Heaven is not a place that if I make there I will brag about my accomplishments but rather heaven is a place where I will love and be concerned with the needs of others as God is.  I also like the idea of the procession where Mary and Jesus symbolically come out to those who wish to be close to them.  This symbolizes of course that Mary and Jesus are always close to us and do not simply remain aloof in heaven. 
 
Another interesting thought about the Virgin of Chapi is that her shrine has been moved a few times over the years because non-Catholics (and probably some Catholics) grew tired of the great crowds of pilgrims that would come to the shrine.  It reminds me sort of the fact that Mary had to give birth to the savior in a manger because there was no room for her in any inn.  Sometimes we can accept Christ and His mother into our hearts and unfortunately there are also times in which we expel Jesus and Mary from our hearts because of what others think or because they make us uncomfortable.  We are challenge therefore to keep our hearts always as a dwelling place of Jesus and of His Mother Mary. 

I was talking with a friend of mine who recently converted to Catholicism and is studying all the aspects of the Catholic faith that he can.  He had just finished reading some books on Catholic moral theology.  This friend went onto explain to me that he thought the big difference between Catholic morality and Protestant morality was that Catholics desire to be moral people out of their friendship with God and Protestants feel that they have to be moral in order to earn God’s love.  Another way of putting it is that Catholics strive to be the type of friend that God wants me to be verses trying to earn God’s friendship.  To go one step forward we might say that as Catholics we call God “Father” and we our goal in life is to be sons and daughters that He will be proud of trusting always in his love instead of spending our life trying to earn God’s love. 
                I really did not start to make good friendships in my life until I was in high school and I soon discovered that I acted a certain way around them in order not to ruin that friendship.  I am not talking about giving into peer pressure or anything like that but I tried to be a better person when I was around them.  For example, I would share one friend’s secret with another for fear of losing that friend.  My friendship then with someone else created a moral standard that I needed to live up so in this example I choose not to be a gossip.
                With this insight in mind, I begin my Spiritual Ponderings focused on my topic for November and that being the idea of virtue.  Virtue is all about how can we be the best person that we can be or maybe another way of putting it or another way of putting it how can I be the best friend of God that I can be.
                As a guide for our trip through the land of virtues, I have been using Barbara Unell and Jerry Wyckoff’s book: 20 Teachable Virtues: Practical Ways to Pass on Lessons of Virtue and Character to Your Children.  For previous virtues please check out www.mayjesuschristbepraised.com.
                Loyalty will be the first virtue we look at this year.  Here is Drs. Unel and Wyckoff’s definition of the virtue called “loyalty”:
 
Loyal: 1. Faithful to one’s allegiance, as to a sovereign, government, or state: a loyal subject.  2.  Faithful to one’s oath, commitments, or obligations: to be loyal to a vow.  3.  Faithful to any person or thing conceived of as deserving fidelity or imposing obligations: a loyal friend.
 
                As I was typing the above definition, I began to think of “loyalty” as maybe the fundamental virtue of the Old Testament.  God constantly chooses to enter into the lives of people with the hope of establishing relationship with them.  This relationship with the divine being that is God, though creates a demand for fidelity and imposes obligations upon the people that He enters into any relationship with for example Abraham is called to trust God to the point of possibly sacrificing His son Isaac, Moses had to remain faithful to the Lord even despite failing ten times to convince Pharaoh to let the Israelites go, and the Israelites are often chastised for not remaining loyal to God despite all that He does for them.  God is ultimately loyal to those who trust in him (and even those who don’t).   
 
10 Steps to Help One Develop the Virtue of Loyalty.
1.            First is that we should model loyalty and thus not run away from a relationship at the first sign of a problem.
2.            We should model loyalty by remaining faithful to our commitments.
3.            We should talk to people about team loyalty and how our actions can add esteem or disrespect for teams that we support.
4.            We should talk to people about how to remember what others have done for us.
5.            We should also look for ways to help people who have helped us in the past.
6.            We should reinforce family commitment (this can be done by creating family duties).
7.            Remember to praise acts that show loyalty
8.            Remember to point out acts that don’t show loyalty for example gossip or breaking a promise.
9.            Talk about some Characters in the Bible that were loyal to God
10.          What are some movie, television, or literary characters who you think demonstrate loyalty and why?

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As we strive this month to look at different virtues that we can develop so that we can become a better person let us look at our next virtue: Courtesy.  Remember that as a guide for trip into the land of virtues; I have been using Barbara Unell and Jerry Wyckoff’s book 20 Teachable Virtues: Practical Ways to Pass on Lessons of Virtue and Character to Your Children. 
 
Courtesy: 1. Excellence of manners or social conduct; polite behavior. 2. A courteous, respectful, or considerate act or expression.  3. Indulgence, consent, or acquiescence. 4. Favor, help or generosity. 
 
Saint Basil the great had the following to say about courtesy: “A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.”  Barbara Unell and Jerry Wyckoff had this to say about courtesy: “Those who are considerate enough to think of the needs of others and to be courteous increase the pleasantness of everyday life and reduce its conflicts, thus reducing the pollution of violence around them.”
 
What I think about most when it comes to courtesy is that it requires thought.  We need to move out of our selfishness to think about other people and what they might need or appreciate.  Courtesy starts with thinking about the other as a gift from God and therefore treating the gift with respect.  Gestures of courtesy do not have to big others also. 
 
Mother Teresa for me is a prime example for courtesy.  The following are some quotes from Mother Teresa that I think speak elegantly about courtesy.
 
“Peace begins with a smile..” ? Mother Teresa
 
“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”  ? Mother Teresa
 
“Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”  ? Mother Teresa
 
“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.”  ? Mother Teresa
 
Remembering that most problems in the world happen out of neglect and not malice so therefore people who are focused on being courteous really can help make the world a better place.  I also believe the courtesy is all about being the person that you wish to be.  I do not think any of us dreams of growing up to be a bully always focused on our own desires.  Instead I believe that we grow up desiring to be the person that others want to be around because we are a nice guy.  Being courteous therefore for me is a choice to be the person that I want to be. 


10 Steps to Help One Develop the Virtue of Courtesy.
1.            Demonstrate courtesy for others by first practicing it.
2.            Say “Please” when making a request.
3.            Say “Thank You” when receiving something.
4.            Try to be aware of other people’s feelings.
5.            Try to return kindness to others even when not receiving it first.
6.            Mediate television and watch shows the promote courtesy and not shows that promote making fun of others.
7.            Try to avoid sarcasm.
8.            Avoid negative name calling
9.            Try to anticipate ways to help others.
10.          Take time to reflect how your behavior has affected others.

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It is time for our next virtue which is a virtue that many of us find us lacking from time to time and wishing we had more of and that being Patience.  Remember that as an aid for our look at virtues I am using Barbara Unell and Jerry Wyckoff’s book 20 Teachable Virtues: Practical Ways to Pass on Lessons of Virtue and Character to Your Children. 
 
Patient: 1. Bearing pains or trials calmly without complaint.  2. Manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain.  3. Not hasty or impetuous.  4. Steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity.  5. Able or willing to bear. 
 
Patience: The capacity, habit, or fact of being patient.
 
When I think about patience, I think of the movie Evan Almighty.  In the movie Evan’s wife and children lead him because Evan has been told by God to build an ark.  While they are at a restaurant Evan’s wife Joan begins to complain to the waiter who happens to be God.  She finally says to God “What do you think of that?”  God’s response is something like “It sounds like an opportunity.”  God goes onto explain that when people pray for patience God does not just zap a person with patience but rather God gives them more opportunities to practice patience. 
 
Patience though is mostly about self-control.  It is about being able to control our tempers and our instincts to start blaming others for problems that may or may not exist and rather we choose to remain calm and make loving decisions despite the chaos that maybe going on in our hearts and minds.  Patience is about being in the right headspace to make appropriate decisions.
 
“Patience is power. Patience is not an absence of action; rather it is "timing" it waits on the right time to act, for the right principles and in the right way.”  ? Fulton J. Sheen
 
When I am in a hurry I know that I begin to lose the power of self-control.  I become rash and unkind.  Patience therefore is a virtue that I know I need in my life. 
 
Patience is for me a lot about self-acceptance.  If I am not happy with who I am then I spend my time searching for approval from others and
 
Let nothing disturb thee; Let nothing dismay thee; All thing pass; God never changes. Patience attains all that it strives for. He who has God Finds he lacks nothing: God alone suffices ~ St. Teresa of Avila.
 
10 Steps to Help One Develop the Virtue of Patience.
1.            Learning to delay want is part of developing patience
2.            Planning future goals can help demonstrate the need to tolerate frustration
3.            Help demonstrate the need to follow directions and take small steps in order to accomplish bigger things.
4.            Understand that you cannot always have what you want
5.            Understand that you are not necessarily entitled to everything.
6.            Take time to pray
7.            Reflect on God’s love
8.            Work on issues that upset you.
9.            Realize that patience is something that you wish to possess
10.          Trust in God more.

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We have come to our last Sunday of November and we conclude our look at virtues we turn once again to Barbara Unell and Jerry Wyckoff’s book 20 Teachable Virtues: Practical Ways to Pass on Lessons of Virtue and Character to Your Children.  The virtue we will look at is resourcefulness. 
 
Resourcefulness: able to deal skillfully and promptly with new situations difficulties etc. 
 
I believe resourcefulness has become one of the most important and popular virtue in our world today.  We see it in television shows like MacGyver (a show about a man who did not carry a gun but was always able to improvise a weapon or life saving device with items he found just lying around) and the A-Team (television show from my childhood in which Vietnam vets build battle vehicles out left over parts), movies like Bourne Trilogies (Jason Bourne a secret agent of the government is able to save the day by being fast acting and resourceful) and the Hunger Games (Katniss survives through her resourcefulness and ability to out think everyone). 
 
Resourcefulness is all about being able to be aware of your present situation and of the objects around you and seeing the potential in them.  Resourcefulness allows us to think outside of the box and therefore see beyond the ordinary use of things. 
 
I believe in order to be able to develop resourcefulness one must appreciate everything as a gift and see things as a gift from God.  Resourcefulness though does not mean use an object to the point of exhausting the potential of the object completely.  If I use something without appreciating it then I am not being resourceful but rather gluttonous and disrespectful. 
 
Resourcefulness also means trying different things until we find something that works. Often we find it easy to give up if something does not work the first time.  Resourcefulness teaches us to try again or at least try a different variation or approach to the task that we are trying to accomplish. 
 
Resourcefulness I think also comes from not being afraid to make mistakes. 
 
10 Steps to Help One Develop the Virtue of Resourcefulness
1.            Take an object and think about how many different ways this object can be used
2.            Think about everything as a gift from God.
3.            Put together a Jigsaw puzzle
4.            Pretend to be on a desert island what 10 things would you want with you.
5.            Share with others how you have overcome a difficult situation
6.            Share with others a difficult situation and ask them to how they would handle it.
7.            Play different strategic games.
8.            Watch a movie or television show and explain how you would have handled a situation differently than one of the characters.
9.            What are your strengths and talents?
10.          Is there anyone person in your life that you have under-appreciated?

A couple of weeks ago, I was searching for something on Amazon.com and decided to look at the list of books that they were recommending me to buy and one book caught my attention in a special way.  This book was called: Stations of the Nativity and it was illustrated by Patrick Kelley and written by Lawrence Boadt C.S.P.  I believe that part of the reason why the title caught my attention was it made me recall Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s book the Life Of Christ.  In Fulton Sheen’s biography of Christ he said the following about the connection between the nativity and the crucifixion:  The manger and the Cross thus stand at the two extremities of the Savior’s life!  He accepted the manger because there was no room in the inn; He accepted the Cross because men said, “We will not have this Man for our king.” Disowned upon entering, rejected upon leaving.  He was laid in a stranger’s stable at the beginning and a stranger’s grave at the end.  An ox and ass surrounded His crib at Bethlehem; two thieves were to flank His Cross on Calvary.  He was wrapped in swaddling bands in His birthplace, He was again laid in swaddling clothes in His tomb—clothes symbolic of the limitations imposed on His Divinity when He took a human form.  I would like to for the month of December using Kelley’s and Boadt’s book as a guide take a closer look at the story of the nativity. 
 
First Station: The Annunciation: Reading                                                                                                               Luke 1:30-31, & 38.
In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.  And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.”   But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.  Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”  But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
               
Fr. Pastorius’s Reflection:   Over the last year through different articles I have read and Bible studies that I have participated in, I have come to see how much of a nobody Mary truly was in the light of the world especially when you compare her to Zechariah the father of John the Baptist the other person that we learn from Luke that the angel Gabriel was sent (Luke 1).  Zechariah was a member of the high priestly class serving in the temple and Mary is just a lowly girl from a backwards town (a hillbilly of sorts).  Zechariah was trained by the greatest of Rabbis and scholars of the Law and Mary was probably taught by her parents (whom tradition has named Joachim and Anne).  Zechariah though does not believe in God’s almightiness and questions the angel about God’s ability to bring about the things that the angel has announced.  Mary just asks instead for instruction on how she is to proceed.  Mary declares that she is the “handmaid” of the Lord.  The word “handmaid” is a nice term that is pleasant to the ears but what Mary actually said was “I am the slave of the Lord.”  Mary realizes that her entire life was in God’s hand and a gift much like a slave’s life was always in the hands of his or her master.  
 
Grace to be desired:  After reflecting on the first station of the Annunciation, we should pray for the grace to realize that even though the world may see us as a nobody that we are important not only to God’s plan of salvation but also to God himself.  The second grace that we should pray for is a willingness to realize that all we have is from the Lord and therefore we should humbly declare ourselves to be the slaves of the Lord and strive to do his will not out of fear of punishment though but rather out of deep sense of gratitude for all that God has lovingly bestowed upon us. 

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Continuing with our look at the Stations of the Nativity as found in Kelley’s and Boadt’s book: The Stations of the Nativity. 
 
The Second Station: The Visitation                                                 Reading: Luke 1:39-45
During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.  And how does this happen to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.  Blessed are you who believed ^* that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”
 
Fr. Pastorius’s Reflection:  In Scott Hahn’s book: Hail Holy Queen: The Mother of God in the Word of God Scott Hahn points out that the phrase “the mother of my Lord” that Elizabeth speaks had special meaning in Jewish history for it was a term that was used in reference to the queen mother.  For example Solomon had over a thousand wives but he only had one mother-Bathsheba.  So Elizabeth’s greeting I believe makes her the first person to acknowledge Jesus as king.  Another thing that catches my attention is how the Holy Spirit is moving.  First Mary is overwhelmed with the Holy Spirit and now John even though he is in his mother’s womb is filled with the spirit and finally we can see that Elizabeth herself is caught up in the Spirit through the quality of her prayerful greeting.  Finally I cannot help but sadly think about how this story might have had a different ending if it were to take place today for Mary as a single teenage mother might have been encouraged to have an abortion and Elizabeth as a lady passed her childbearing prime would probably have also been encouraged to have an abortion if they lived today.  Children though in Scriptures are always a blessing.
 
Grace to be desired:      After reflecting on the second station the Visitation, I feel God speaking to my heart to ask for the grace to recognize Jesus as the Lord of my life and to ask for a greater share of the Holy Spirit.  May the Lord also grant each of us a deeper respect for all human life! 
 
The Third Station:  The Magnificat                                        Reading: Luke 1:46-55
And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.  His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
 
Fr. Pastorius’s Reflection: If there is one constant theme in the Old Testament for me it would have to be God’s faithfulness.  Despite all the problems that the patriarchs, the Israelites (those who wandered in the desert with Moses and into the Promise Land with Joshua) and the citizens Kingdoms of Israel and Judah God remained faithful to them and helped them overcome insurmountable odds.  When they remain faithful to God good things eventually emerge from their difficult situations but if they try to fix things themselves bad things ultimately happen.  Despite all the impossible things God has done for them like divide the Red Sea, give them bread from heaven, bring forth water from the rock, and defeat far superior adversaries they simply refuse to remember all that God has done for them and to trust in God.  Mary through her song , that we call the Magnificat shows that she remembers all that God has done and thus she has complete confidence in God in the present moment.
 
Grace to be desired: After reflecting on this third station of the nativity that of Mary singing the Magnificat, I feel a calling to pray for the grace to remember all that God has done not only in Scripture but for us (individually and as a community) personally and may this remembering of all that God has done for us lead me to a deeper trust in God.

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Continuing with our look at the Stations of the Nativity as found in Kelley’s and Boadt’s book: The Stations of the Nativity. 
 
The Fourth Station: The Birth of John the  Baptist                           Reading 1:57-66
When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son.  Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be called John.”  But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.”  So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.  He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were amazed.  Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God.  Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea.  All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.
 
Fr. Pastorius’s Reflection: As Zechariah writes down the name “John” on the tablet letting people know that this is what he wishes his son to called, he regains his ability to speak which he had lost by because of his not believing in the message the angel spoke to him.  It was his act of obedience (naming his son John) that brought about his healing being able to speak that he had lost through his disobedience.   In some way what will become John’s primary message “repent and make straight the way of the Lord” is lived out by his father now. 
 
Grace to be desired: The grace that I feel the Holy Spirit speaking to me today is a need to confess those times that I have done wrong and not believed in God or His plan for me and to not only confess it in the Sacrament of Reconciliation but also to do some sort of penance in order to show God my sorrow and my willingness to follow him now.  May we all pray for the grace to make a good confession!
 
The Fifth Station: The Prophecy of Zechariah                                Reading: Luke 1:67-80
Then Zechariah his father, filled with the holy Spirit, prophesied, saying: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and brought redemption to his people.  He has raised up a horn for our salvation within the house of David his servant, even as he promised through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old: salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, to show mercy to our fathers and to be mindful of his holy covenant
and of the oath he swore to Abraham our father, and to grant us that, rescued from the hand of enemies, without fear we might worship him in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord ^* to prepare his ways, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God by which the daybreak from on high will visit us to shine on those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel.

Fr. Pastorius’s Reflection: 
There is a Christmas song called “Belleau Wood” and it is about a cease fire during World War I on Christmas day.   The soldiers on both side end up singing “Silent Night” together each from their own fox holes but at the strike of midnight the Christmas truce ended and the battle began again.  The song’s last verse is particular haunting and inspirational:
But for just one fleeting moment the answer seemed so clear.  Heaven’s not beyond the clouds.  It’s just beyond the fear.  No heaven not beyond the clouds.  It’s for us to find it here.  Zechariah in his canticle says something similar: “without fear we might worship Him.”  Would peace in our world come if we moved beyond our fear of what others think and just worshipped the Lord?  Would we come to see that God is not against us but rather for us?  The story of Christmas to me is ultimately about how far God is willing to go to show us His infinite love.
 
Grace to be desired:   Today, I feel the Holy Spirit inviting me to ask God to remove all fear from our lives or at least allow us to prevent the fear that I feel from treating others in an un-Christian manner.Merry Christmas to you.  Continuing with our look at the Stations of the Nativity as found in Kelley’s and Boadt’s book: The Stations of the Nativity. 
 
The Sixth Station: Joseph’s Dream                  Reading Mathew 1:20-23
Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly.  Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.  She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, ^* because he will save his people from their sins.”  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.” 
 
Fr. Pastorius’s Reflection:   Elena Bosetti in her book: A Contemplative Reading of the Gospel of Mathew: The Journey Toward Hope has this to say about St. Joseph:    Although he is presented in the genealogy as “the son of Jacob,” Joseph of Nazareth conducts himself above all in the manner of Abraham.  Unlike the patriarch Jacob, Joseph does not bargain with God; he does not argue or ask for signs or guarantees.  He is more like Abraham, who never objected to the word of the Lord but listened and followed.  Abraham is the man of obedience; he reacts in silence and his actions speak louder than his words.  Our Joseph is exactly the same.  He never utters a word, whether at the first appearance of the angel or at the second or third appearances.
                Joseph asks for not one word of explanation.  The doubts that afflict him (should he put her aside? Send her away in secret? cf. 1:19) are placed in the hands of the One who is greater and who directs the story.  Joseph entrusts himself totally to God.  In this he really is similar to Abraham, whom the word of God sends on a journey (Gen 12:4)—a journey that unfolds all uphill.
                How I desire to be more like Abraham and Joseph and simply follow the Lord instead of bargaining with God!  How I wish that I could simple “let go” and place all my decisions in the hands of the Lord. 
 
The Grace to Be Desired:  I feel the Holy Spirit desiring me today to ask for the grace to be more like St. Joseph and to simply trust in the Lord.  I feel that God desires our obedience as a parent desires his or her child’s obedience not to make us slaves but rather to help us get more out of life for what parent makes his or her child do homework in order to make the child a slave.  Rather parents make children do homework in order for the child to become a better and more learned person and so that the child may someday flourish. 
 
The Seventh Station: Joseph takes Mary into His Home          Reading: Mathew: 1:23-25
When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.  He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus.
 
Fr. Pastorius’s Reflection:  Both Mary and Joseph probably had very different visions growing up about how their life would be then how they turned out.  Their dreams were based upon the stories of their time, the example of their parents for good or bad, and what their friends and other townspeople were experiencing.   Neither of them (I assuming because to be found with child before marriage meant death) did they dream that Mary would be pregnant with a child that was not Joseph’s and there definitely was no way that they could have ever thought that one day they would have God as their child/foster child.  What I admire most about Mary and Joseph is how they put aside their selfish (albeit normal dreams) to live the life God called them to!
 
The Grace to Be Desired: The Holy Spirit is inspiring me to ask for the grace to put away our small dreams and to be open to the amazing plan He has for us.

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We are at the end of the month and still not through with these Stations of the Nativity, so I guess we will be continuing our reflections into the New Year.  Let us now continue our look at the Stations of the Nativity as found in Kelley’s and Boadt’s book: The Stations of the Nativity. 
 
The Eighth Station:                              The Journey to Bethlehem Reading: Luke 2:1-5
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria.  So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.  And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, a5to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
 
Fr. Pastorius’s Reflection:  Archbishop Fulton Sheen points out in his book the Life of Christ has the following to say about Jesus being born in Bethlehem and them finding no place for Mary to give birth but in a manger: “ Joseph was full of expectancy as he entered the city of his family, and was quite convinced that he would have no difficulty in finding lodging for Mary, particularly on account of her condition.  Joseph went from house to house only to find each one crowded.  He searched in vain for a place where He, to Whom heaven and earth belonged, might be born.  Could it be that the Creator would not find a home in creation?
... Out to the hillside to a stable cave, where shepherds sometimes drove their flocks in time of storm, Joseph and Mary went a last for shelter.  There, in a place of peace in the lonely abandonment of a cold windswept cave, there, under the floor of the world, He Who is born without a mother in heaven, is born without a father on earth.”  How many times do I find myself complaining when things do not go my way?  We however hear no complaining from our two role models of faith Mary and Joseph. 
 
The Grace to Be Desired: Today, I feel compelled to ask the Holy Spirit to help us to minister (to love others in the now) and not only in the perfect.  May we never be found complaining but rather may we always be trustfully waiting on the Lord. 
 
The Ninth Station: The Birth of Jesus Reading:                                        Luke 2:6-7
While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
 
Fr. Pastorius’s Reflection:  Once again, I would like to turn to Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s book The Life of Christ again: “ In the filthiest place in the world, a stable, Purity was born.  He, Who was later to be slaughtered by men acting as beasts, was born among beasts.  He, Who called Himself the “living Bread descended from Heaven,” was laid in a manger, literally, a place to eat.  Centuries before, the Jews had worshipped the golden calf, and the Greeks, the ass.  Men bowed down before them as before God.  The ox and the ass now were present to make their innocent reparation, bowing down before their God.”  As I read that line of how the Jews once worshipped the Golden calf and now the ox and ass were bowing down before God made me think of how I think sometimes that being like God is all about power, control, and self-sufficiency but in the Christmas story Jesus teaches me that being like God is about none of those things but is rather being like God is all about loving without counting the cost. 
 
The Grace to Be Desired: I feel a strong urging of the Holy Spirit to pray for the grace of humility and wisdom for all of us.  May we never think that to be like God means to be all powerful, always in control, and totally self-sufficient.  May we all learn from the saints and learn that being like God is to be all loving!

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