Sunday, December 27, 2009

Christmas-tide Saints


Yesterday, we remembered St Stephen, the first martyr.

After I came home from morning Mass, on Boxing Day, I served Rocky Road for breakfast. Not nutritional but..hey..St Stephen was stoned to death so the symbolism was there.

We read briefly about St Stephen.

I resisted my children's encouragement to get stoned for the feast of St Stephen...Where do they pick up such ideas? Not from me, I am sure! As if !

We sang Good King Wenceslas. Then The Twelve Days of Christmas, since Christmas-tide has begun.

Today, Sunday, I am serving wine, or other drinks, in wine glasses draped wth lolly snakes. As we do every year, for the feast of St John the Evangelist. You know, that story of others trying to poison St John; he blessed the wine and the poison came out of the wine in the form of snakes.

I love the whole Christmas season; the traditions and rituals...from white and gold candles on Christmas day..Christmas Grace...placing the child Jesus in the nativity scene..Mass..food and fun with friends...prayers...baked phone books,.. underpants...carols...pudding and silver coins ( don't get a coin, kids! It means you will be married in the year!)...St Stephen..lolly snakes...tomorrow mass for the Holy Innocents and prayer..St Thomas Beckett and Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral..giving presents..missing friends and family yet enjoying those we are with..it all fits..life and faith and liturgy and tradition and little rituals.

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