Bayou
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Bayou Christmas raditions LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC
Christmas Traditions
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Generosity Adopt a family for Christmas
Greetings
Christmas
A welcome gift
Is God with us?
Chef John Folse
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The Virgin Mother
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Their greatest longing for Christmas
Recipes
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Christmas Traditions
Adopt-a-Family Bringing happiness to the needy
Doing without the things that most of us take for granted is a way of life for some families in our community. Jennifer Gaudet, associate director of Individual and Family Assistance for Catholic Charities Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, says that some children cannot go to social events, cannot expect certain toys for Christmas or their birthday, or even have a Christmas tree because their families cannot afford these things. At Christmastime, there are organizations such as Catholic Charities Adopt-a-Family Program that strive to help these children make their dreams come true. “It hurts when underprivileged 66 children can’t do what they feel everyone else is doing. They feel as if they are always left out of all the fun,” Gaudet explains. “With the generous support of Catholic parishioners and area businesses last year who adopted whole families, 165 underprivileged children in Terrebonne Parish received much of what they asked for: Rollerblades, Barbie dolls, fishing equipment, CD players, art supplies and more.” “Since I have an understanding of what it feels like to live in poverty conditions, I am extremely grateful to the efforts of our community to assist these young children. I am not sure if our parishioners fully understand the depths of which their gifts reach into the human soul. After all, it is more than just a pair of Rollerblades that is being given,” says Gaudet. Gaudet sees these children receive some things that go beyond the joy of receiving a toy. n Self-esteem – children now discover that they can join their friends in fun activities like skating on the sidewalks. n Lessened stress levels – Parents see what has been given Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2014
to them and no longer have to worry about how they will provide gifts for their children or go into uncontrollable debt as a result of Christmas pressure. n Renewed sense of wonder and excitement – The depression of poverty is temporarily lifted and a fresh sense of what the future might hold in store for them becomes alive. n Courage – The strength to try harder to better their conditions is renewed as the care and warmth of the community enters into their hearts. “This program is more than just giving and receiving. It is mainly about sharing one’s love
and strength with someone else who feels tired and run down. By participating in this type of program, the strength of our ever loving Christ child becomes present to both parties and joy fills the air,” Gaudet says. How to Adopt a Family for Christmas There are several options for those who would like to participate: n Businesses and families who wish to interact directly with a family in need may participate in the Adopt-a-Family Program. Once a group knows how much money they have available to assist a family, they need to decide how they wish to help – with
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food, badly needed items for the home, clothes for the family or toys for the children. Once this decision is made, the group may call Catholic Charities in Houma at (985)876-0490. Gaudet will help match the group with a needy family. Once a decision is made, the group will deliver the gifts to the family or if they prefer to remain anonymous, they can have Catholic Charities’ staff distribute the gifts to the adopted family. n Parishioners may anonymously participate in the program by taking an ornament off of a tree found in their parish church and buy a gift for the child they selected. Each ornament has the first name of the child printed on it, along with the age, gender and gift suggestion. Gifts purchased for the child are placed at the altar during the following weekend Mass so that they may be blessed. Gaudet thanks all parishes who participated in the program last year and lists those who are participating this Christmas season – Annunziata, Houma; Holy Rosary, Houma; Maria Immacolata, Houma; St. Bernadette, Houma; and St. Joseph, Chauvin. Some church parishes organize their own toy drives. However, they work in cooperation with Catholic Charities to ensure that names of the needy are not duplicated, according to Gaudet. Other parishes hold gift drives for the elderly in nursing homes or for local military personnel. They may also support holiday charity drives for organizations that help the needy such as St. Vincent de Paul Tri-Parish Pharmacy. n In lieu of purchasing gifts, cash donations may be made to the program by sending checks to Catholic Charities Christmas Drive, 1220 Aycock St., Houma, LA 70360. These donations are used to help supplement gifts for older children and any families that may have lost all of their belongings due to a fire after the Catholic Charities toys have been distributed. Gaudet says that Catholic Charities cooperates with the Salvation Army and other organized toy drives to make sure there is no duplication.
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Christmas Traditions
A
WELCOME
gift
By FATHER STANLEY J. KONIECZNY Catholic News Service
The unseasonably warm weather gave Tim one last opportunity to add to the lights and Christmas decorations on his porch and lawn. But gusty breezes made it difficult to hold onto the latest additions -- banners that read, “Hope,” “Peace,” “Joy” and other traditional watchwords of the season. Struggling with “Peace” in the shape of a dove, Tim glanced across the street at the stark, somewhat untidy porch of his bachelor neighbor, Walter, who did not even bother to hang a wreath of holly. “Next year, we’re going to simplify 68 our display like old Walter; maybe he has the right idea,” Tim vowed as “Peace” snapped in his face and around his head. Over the flapping of nylon, Tim heard a door slam and then a pleasant “Morning.” It was Walter, who always was economical with the words of his greetings. “I’m off to do my Christmas shopping down at the hardware store,” he mentioned to Tim. “Christmas shopping at a hardware store? What an odd man,” Tim thought. Within 30 minutes, Walter was back. “I finished my Christmas shopping and decorating in one stop,” he yelled to Tim, who muttered, “This I have to see.” Tim crossed the street in time to find Walter picking up a handful of yellowed fliers for lawn services and delivery pizza from around his front door. “You’re just in time,” Walter told Tim as he reached inside the door, and, with a flourish, produced a brand new doormat with the word “welcome” scrolled in black script against deep brown pile. Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2014
“You buy a new doormat and you call that Christmas shopping and decorating?” Tim asked in exasperation. “No, not a doormat; a welcome mat,” Walter corrected, adding, “And it is a decoration that happens to celebrate the most important word in all of Christmas.” Walter sat down on the porch, made himself comfortable and then explained: “You see one Christmas, a number of years ago, I was far from home on business. I went to Mass and heard a priest preach about ‘welcome’ as the most important word, the holiest word uttered at the first Christmas. This priest said that the word that everyone longed to hear at Bethlehem that holy night was ‘welcome.’ “After their long journey to Bethlehem, the only word that Joseph and Mary prayed to hear was ‘welcome.’ “Can you imagine how they felt when one caring innkeeper finally extended his hand to the carpenter, saying, ‘My friend, you and your wife are welcome to stay in the stable out back’? “And then, when shepherds ducked their heads in to peer onto the poor shelter, they were
blessed by Mary’s gentle greeting of ‘Welcome. This is my son, Jesus,’ as she invited the visitors to come closer to the tiny bundle that she cradled tenderly.” “Well, when I came home from that trip, I noticed that the welcome mat by my front door was becoming a little thin and threadbare, just like the rest of the place. So that holiday season and every year after that I have replaced my doormat and have renewed that most holy message of Christmas: Welcome! “That is all the decorating I need to do.” Walter then picked up a hardware store bag, extended it to Tim, and said, “Oh, Tim, sorry to mention it, but I noticed that your welcome mat is a bit worn, too. Here’s your replacement. Merry Christmas! You and Anne are welcome to come over this evening for a bit of Christmas cheer and to break in my welcome mat.” Then Walter added, “And tell Anne that she’s welcome to bring a plate of her Christmas cookies as well.” (Father Konieczny is pastor of St. John the Baptist Church, Smithton, Ill.)
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Christmas Traditions
Is God with us? A Christmas story
By DAVID O’BRIEN
Catholic News Service
Christmas serves as a concrete reminder that God is with us and God is active, not just on Dec. 25 but every moment of every day. Often God’s work goes unnoticed, like when he slipped in behind enemy lines on that first Christmas morning. The task is to stay attentive to the signs, to sit with the unknowns and allow God to lead us to the Christ child. We won’t always know where God is working in our lives or in human history. But the Christmas account is proof positive that God is among us. The question is: Are we 70 open and available? Some years ago, a couple, Sara and Joe, took a pilgrimage. Not an ordinary pilgrimage, mind you. This would be a journey completely dependent upon God. The plan was to start in China where Sara had worked as a Catholic missionary in the underground church. From there they would go where the Spirit led them. The only other contact they had was a priest in India. With an openness to God that would seem reckless to most, they began. In each village, they would introduce themselves as missionaries and servants of Christ. If they were welcomed, they stayed. If not, they moved on (Lk 9:4-5). They ate what they were offered and slept where they could lay their heads. Often, the people of the village would invite them into their homes or their churches, asking them to share a message with them. They spoke of their journey, their adventures and how God miraculously provided for them. Mostly though, they witnessed to the love of God, available for all people through Christ. Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2014
Country to country, village to village, church to church they followed God’s lead for over six months. Without a car or much money, they relied on God to direct their steps and provide for their
needs. When Christmas arrived, were in a remote Muslim of Turkey without access Christian church of any Despite all the ways God had
they area to a sort.
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taken care of them and the incredible opportunities they were given to share Christ’s love, they felt alone and cut off that Christmas Eve. They knew God was everywhere. After all, the central message of Christmas is that God is with us (Emmanuel). Still, they longed for a Christian community with which to celebrate the Savior’s birth. They desired to receive the Eucharist and experience that holy communion between God and humanity, a communion incarnated on that first Christmas morning. Disheartened, they turned to prayer, reading the stories of Joseph and Mary, the shepherds and the angels, the donkeys and the sheep. They imagined them all gathered in that dusty, remote outpost of the Roman Empire. They pictured the glow of awe and wonder on their faces as they welcomed the Christ child. Noticing the similarities between their rugged reality and the cave that housed the baby Jesus, Sara suggested to Joe: “Let’s go off by
ourselves for an hour to listen to the Lord speak to us of Christmas. When we return, we will know how to celebrate and worship the newborn king.”
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Christmas comes once a year but Christ is born again and again to those who are not too busy to notice.
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An hour passed and they both returned with the same idea. “Let’s create a manger scene right here.” With single-hearted devotion, they whittled branches, gathered rocks and collected moss, grass
and twigs until, as the sun set, they knelt before a hand-carved Christmas creche, complete with animals, angels and the Holy Family. There, they spontaneously praised the great gift of God, who held nothing back to show his love. There, in the hills of Turkey with only stars for light and roaming animals to keep them company, they heard God speak: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. … For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. … They name him Wonder-Counselor, GodHero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace” (Is 9:1, 5). Years have passed and Sara and Joe now have four children of their own. Every Christmas they pull out that sacred homemade creche set, still lovingly preserved. Christmas comes once a year but Christ is born again and again to those who are not too busy to notice. (O’Brien is adult faith formation director in the Archdiocese of Mobile, Ala., and columnist for the archdiocesan newspaper, The Catholic Week.)
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Christmas Traditions By FATHER THOMAS THOMPSON, SM Catholic News Service
Advent is a good time to ask ourselves: Who is this Jesus, whose birth we are preparing to celebrate? One way to respond is to linger long and lovingly on the phrases from the creed that we profess at Christmas and every Sunday: Jesus Christ is “the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages ... consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made.” Those last words are also found in John 1:3, one of the Christmas Gospels: “All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be,” and in Paul’s Letter to the Colossians: Christ is “before all things, and in him all things hold together” (1:17). These texts indicate the church’s belief that the one whose incarnation we celebrate at Christmas was present from the beginning of the world, and that the imprint of Christ is deeply embedded on all creation. The birth of Christ was preceded and accompanied by the 72 extraordinary events recounted in the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke. -- The first of these events was the announcement to Zechariah that his wife Elizabeth would give birth to a son. Similar to Abraham’s wife Sarah, Elizabeth was beyond child-bearing age. (When Sarah heard the news that she was to bear a son, she laughed, and the son that she bore was called Isaac, the laughter of God. Sarah’s laughter reveals that all of this world’s certitudes can be reversed.) When Elizabeth gave birth to John, the people recognized that “surely the hand of the Lord was with him” (Lk 1:66). -- The second sign was the message of the angel Gabriel to
Mary, announcing that she would conceive a child who “will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,” and “of whose kingdom there will be no end” (Lk 1:32-33). In answer to Mary’s question of how this could come about, the angel responded that this would be a wholly miraculous event brought about, not by a human father, but by God: “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” (Lk 1:35). Then, in Luke 1:37, the angel spoke the same words already addressed to Abraham: “Nothing will be impossible with God” -- not even a virgin mother. The virginal conception of Christ through the overshadowing of the Spirit has cosmic significance. The same creator Spirit, who hovered over the waters at the dawn of creation, was responsible for the conception of Christ in the womb of the Virgin Mary and for the renewal of creation in Christ.
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The Virgin Mother Let heaven and earth rejoice
Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2014
Mary’s virginal conception was not so much a personal Marian privilege, but rather a sign that points to something much greater, something that confounds the ordinary course of the universe. It was fitting that Mary should give birth in so extraordinary a manner to the one who is extraordinary beyond all measure. Few may be able to enter into the implications of this truth that is expressed in doctrine. But Mary’s being both a virgin and a mother, and the resurrection of Christ from the dead, are two events in revelation history that show even the totally unlettered that the ordinary course of nature has been completely overturned. These two events indicate that the God whom we believe in is not only our creator and savior but also the Lord of the universe! The poetry of the early church, expressed in its hymns, made frequent reference to the virgin birth as the most fitting way for Christ to come into the world. A hymn attributed to St. Ambrose, for example, addressed
Christ as “the redeemer of the nations,” and asked him to “come and make known your wondrous birth, which so befits your grandeur and sanctifies the earth. ... A virgin
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The poetry of the early church, expressed in its hymns, made frequent reference to the virgin birth as the most fitting way for Christ to come into the world.
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was your mother, O holy mystery! Let all creation marvel at that nativity.” Another hymn from a sixthcentury writer, Venantius Fortunatus, describes how all
creation is in reverence as Christ comes to dwell in the body of Mary: “The God whom earth and sea and sky adore and laud and magnify, whose might they own, whose praise they tell, in Mary’s body deigned to dwell.” The early hymns also loved to dwell on the physical relation between Mary, a creature, and her son, the Word present at the beginning of creation. Mary, now enthroned on high among the stars, once cared for and nurtured the one who made the stars! The new translation of the Roman Missal restores the complete text of Eucharistic Prayer 1, which contains the ancient church’s description of the role of Mary and the saints in the celebration of every Eucharist: We make this sacrifice of praise “in communion with those whose memory we venerate, especially the glorious ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ,” and of all the saints. (Marianist Father Thompson is director of the Marian Library at the University of Dayton, Ohio.)
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Christmas Traditions
The New
Covenant By FATHER LAWRENCE E. MICK Catholic News Service Twice in one week, the Lectionary uses the same psalm as the responsorial psalm at Mass. Psalm 89 is used on the fourth Sunday of Advent this year and also appears at the Christmas Vigil every year. From one standpoint, this seems an odd choice. Psalm 89 is categorized as a psalm of lament. It is a complaint to God after some defeat suffered by the king of Israel: “You have rejected and spurned, been enraged at your anointed” (v. 39).
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But, as is typical of lament psalms, this one also expresses a great deal of confidence that God will eventually be faithful to the promises God has made to King David. It prays to God to remember those promises and act in accord with them. It is from these parts of the psalm that the Lectionary draws. Though slightly different verses are used on the two different days, both times the responsorial ends with the same verse: “Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him, and my covenant with him stands firm.” Earlier the text says, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one ... forever I will confirm your posterity and establish your throne for all generations.” The posterity of David includes Jesus Christ, and it is his throne that is established for all generations. Jesus is God’s ultimate answer to the lament of the psalm. This psalm can remind us, therefore, that the birth of Jesus is not an isolated event but part of the longer arc of history, part of God’s ongoing plan to bring about our salvation. The covenants that God formed with God’s people through Noah and Abraham and Moses and David are all fulfilled in the new covenant established through Jesus Christ. This is the deeper meaning of Christmas. God and humanity are forever joined in a covenant of love. Going beyond the earlier covenants, God now shares
our very life. Humanity and divinity are forever united in Jesus. This is what we mean by the term “Incarnation.” A literal translation would be “enfleshment,” reminding us that God has taken on human flesh and shared our life. But there are also broader implications that flow from this belief. The Incarnation continues. Jesus is still to be found in human beings, for all the members of the church form his body. Christmas celebrates the end of our separation from God, for God has established the new covenant in Jesus and forever linked us to the divine. Even in our worship, we rely on the connection that God has established between creation and divinity. We use created things to mediate the presence of God: bread, wine, water, oil, stained glass, stone, marble and many other elements of creation. Our worship is not purely spiritual, but incarnational. We don’t have to seek God in some other world but can find God’s presence in the things around us, especially in other human beings. May we remember that as we gather with family and friends and fellow parishioners to celebrate the great feast of Christmas! (Father Mick is a priest of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and a freelance writer.)
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Christmas Traditions
The greatest longing for Christmas 76 By MARY JO PEDERSEN Catholic News Service
My 8-year-old nephew wants his two front teeth for Christmas. He’s missing four, but he thinks two would be a big improvement. The question, “What do you want for Christmas?” is a very different question than “What is your greatest wish or longing for this Christmas?” I spent a day asking folks those two questions. The first elicits a laundry list of things: iPads, toys, a toaster oven, gold earrings, teeth! Most items in the want list were material things one could buy at a store, on TV or the Internet. The answers to the second question about wishes and longings for this Christmas were not about consumables; they were more thought-provoking and were harder to acquire: having the whole family together, good health, a loved one returned from military service, a repaired relationship with a child or world peace. The wishes and longings were matters of the heart; they were hopes emerging from deep within the human spirit. For most adults who gave this question some thought, the longings were about bringing family or loved ones together or ending long disputes or separations from others. As the age of the responders increased, the priority of material gifts for Christmas decreased. Today Christians are inundated with the promise of things for Christmas from catalogues, websites and shopping malls. Many people’s expectations go
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beyond what can be bought with money. I simply want things to slow down, to be less busy and chaotic, said one young woman as she thought about her Christmas longings. I just want some peace and quiet. An unemployed man said he just wanted a job. Another said he wished that Santa could get him out of the debt he incurred in an auto accident. The human longings of the heart for belonging to family, for unity and reconciliation and for healing are buried beneath the wish lists from Santa. But those longings are alive and well. They emerge when we ask the question: What do you wish or long for? A woman whose daughter has run away wants her child back for Christmas. The brother whose sibling has cancer wants a return to
full health. A divorced man whose family is separated wishes he could spend time during the holiday with his children. For those who are lonely or ill, addicted or alienated, Christmas is a dark time. John’s Gospel carries the Christmas promise that Christ is our light. God incarnate shines in the darkness and nothing in our lives can overpower that light. The Christmas message sustains our desire to be united with one another, to be loved unconditionally as family and to find peace. Accepting Jesus Christ into our lives and into our hearts fulfills those profound human needs lying unarticulated beneath the commercialized holiday. Making out a list of Christmas hints for our friends and families is not a bad thing to do. Nor is a wish for a new sweater or smartphone
a bad thing. But those things will pass away, and within a month our insatiable appetites will create new lists. Christmas is the time to ask the better question about what we long for, the nonperishable gifts we seek that will satisfy or heal or bring us peace. Asking the right question about Christmas reveals the deepest human needs that the world can never satisfy, and it empowers us to receive the great gift of Christmas, Jesus Christ our light. (Pedersen, a veteran coordinator of marriage and family spirituality programs, lives in Omaha. Neb. She is the author of “More Than Meets the Eye: Finding God in the Creases and Folds of Family Life,” St. Mary’s Press.)
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Christmas Traditions
Simple and Delicious Holiday Yams Prep Time: 2 Hours Serves: 6-8
Chef John Folse
Recipes
Ingredients: 8 Louisiana yams 1/4 pound butter 1 cup sugar 1 tbsp vanilla Method: Choose 8 yams of identical size, guaranteeing that they will cook at about the same time. I prefer a smaller yam for this recipe. Peel yams and place in a large stainless-steel pot with enough water to cover the yams by approximately one inch. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce to simmer and cover. Cook until yams are fork tender, approximately 30 minutes. When tender, there should be no more than 1/2 inch of water remaining in the bottom of the pot. If there is more, remove the excess. Add butter, sugar and vanilla and continue to simmer until sugar is dissolved and a simple syrup is achieved. Simmer over low heat until yams have absorbed most of the simple syrup but are not falling apart. Do not overcook. Serve one sweet potato per guest with an equal serving of the simple syrup.
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Shrimp Stuffed Mirliton Prep Time: 1 Hour Serves: 6
Ingredients: 3 mirlitons, sliced lengthwise 1/4 cup diced garlic 1/2 pound diced ham 1 cup 150-200 count shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 cup rich chicken stock 1/4 pound butter salt and cracked black pepper to taste 1 cup chopped onions 1/4 cup chopped parsley 1 cup chopped celery 1-1/2 cups seasoned Italian bread crumbs 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper 6 pats chipped butter 1/2 cup sliced green onions
In a four quart sauce pot, melt butter over medium high heat. Sauté onions, celery, bell pepper, green onions, garlic and diced ham. Cook approximately fifteen minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Add chicken stock should vegetable mixture becomes too dry during cooking. Add mirlitons and shrimp, and continue cooking approximately twenty-five to thirty minutes or until mixture is well incorporated. Remove from heat and season to taste using salt, cracked black pepper and parsley. Sprinkle in seasoned bread crumbs to absorb any excess liquid. Stuff mirliton mixture into the shells, dividing equally into six portions. Place stuffed mirlitons on a baking pan and top with one pat of chipped butter and remaining bread crumbs. Bake until golden brown.
Method: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Boil mirlitons in lightly salted water until meat is tender enough to scoop form the shells. Once tender, remove and cool under tap water. Using a metal spoon, remove seeds from the center of the mirlitons and gently scoop all meat out of the shells. Reserve meat and save shells for stuffing later.
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Christmas Traditions
Asparagus au Gratin Prep Time: 30 Minutes Yields: 4 Servings Ingredients: 1 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed salt and black pepper to taste 8 ounces sliced mushrooms 2 tbsps butter ¼ cup flour 1 cup milk ¼ cup heavy whipping cream 2 tsps lemon juice ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese Method: Preheat oven to 225°F. Add asparagus to a pan large enough to hold them lying flat. Cover asparagus with boiling water, and add salt to taste. Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes or until tender. Carefully lift asparagus
with a spatula, and transfer to paper towels to drain. Reserve ¼ cup of cooking liquid. Arrange asparagus with tips all pointing in one direction on a warm, ovenproof serving dish. Cover and keep warm in oven. Simmer mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of reserved asparagus liquid for 2 minutes or until tender. Drain and arrange over bottom half of asparagus. Cover and continue to keep warm while making sauce. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter and stir in flour until smooth. Continue to cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until golden. Remove from heat. Slowly stir in milk, cream, remaining asparagus liquid and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return sauce to heat; simmer and occasionally stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Pour over mushrooms and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Asparagus tips should remain exposed. Cover exposed portion of asparagus with foil, and place dish under broiler 2-3 minutes or until sauce is browned.
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Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2014
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Turkey and Ham Glace’ Prep Time: 2½ Hours Yields: 15-25 Servings
Ingredients: 1½ pound cooked turkey, 1-inch diced 1½ pound cooked ham, ¼-inch diced 2 quarts turkey or chicken stock ½ cup diced onions ½ cup diced celery ½ cup diced red bell peppers ¼ cup minced garlic ½ cup diced carrots ½ cup minced parsley salt and cayenne pepper to taste 3 envelopes gelatin, dissolved in warm water Method: NOTE: To make turkey stock, simmer bones of roasted turkey in 1 gallon of water until reduced to 2½ quarts. In a cast iron Dutch oven, bring turkey stock to a light boil. Add cooked meat, onions, celery, bell peppers and garlic. Reduce heat to simmer and allow to cook until turkey begins to string apart. Strain all ingredients from liquid through a fine sieve and set aside. Return liquid to heat and reduce to 1½ quarts. Add carrots and
parsley then season to taste using salt and cayenne pepper. Using a wire whisk, blend dissolved gelatin into sauce. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Place the strained meat and vegetables into a bundt pan. Ladle stock over the meat, cover with clear wrap and allow to gel in the refrigerator. This glacé is best when allowed to sit for 24 hours so that flavors can develop. Serve with garlic croutons or crackers.
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Christmas Traditions By FATHER DALE LAUNDERVILLE, OSB
Catholic News Service
Nevertheless, Zechariah is punished with muteness for his unbelief until John is born. When Zechariah’s muteness is compared to the inability to speak that was visited on both the seer Daniel at the appearance of the angel Gabriel (Dn 9:21; 10:15) and on the prophet Ezekiel at appearance of the heavenly throne chariot (Ez 3:26), Zechariah, through his muteness, appears to share in the prophetic mission of his son John. By contrast, Mary, who raises questions about how the birth of Jesus could happen, is not blamed for her uneasiness. Luke wishes to portray her more positively because she will give birth to the Son of God and not merely to the greatest of the prophets. (Benedictine Father Launderville is a Scripture scholar at St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minn.)
Zechariah and Mary
The evangelist Luke wants his readers to know the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the births of John the Baptist (1:5-25) and Jesus (1:26-56). He arranges his account to make the point that, just as John’s birth to aged parents was miraculous -- as was the birth of Isaac to the aged Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 17:1-21; 18:1-15) -- so much more so was the birth of Jesus, whose conception came about through the power of the Holy Spirit and his birth through the Virgin Mary. Luke crafts his account so that the reader will recognize the central importance of the child Jesus in God’s plan of salvation. At the appearance of the angel in Luke 1:26-34, Mary is startled and wonders how she is to bear a son, since she is virgin. But Mary accepts her divinely ordained 82 role wholeheartedly: “May it be done to me according to your word” (1:38). Such unhesitating obedience and attentiveness to God’s plan is to characterize Mary in all the instances that Luke mentions her. Luke lifts up Mary as the model believer. Luke prepares the way for the announcement of Jesus’ birth by relating the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah. This birth announcement, like that of Jesus’ birth, has the fivestandard elements of this genre in the Old Testament (e.g., Judges 13:3-20): (1) Appearance of an angel. (2) Fear by the human observer. (3) The heavenly message. (4) Reassurance. (5) A sign. Luke describes Zechariah’s reaction to the angel’s appearance as more fearful than that of Mary: “Zechariah was troubled ... and fear came upon him” (1:12). While Mary too “was greatly troubled” when she was greeted as the “favored one,” she nonetheless “pondered what sort of greeting this might be” (1:2829). Zechariah questions how the birth of a son will be possible since he and his wife Elizabeth are advanced in years (1:18). His way of questioning the angel Gabriel seems quite humble and deferential in comparison to Abraham’s response when God announced to him the upcoming birth of Isaac: “Abraham fell face down and laughed as he said to himself, ‘Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth at 90?” (Gen 17:17). Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2014
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