THIRD WEEK OF ADVENT -- 2013

On Friday, the 13^th we invited friends and neighbors to help us put up our Christmas tree.  We had plenty of salad, pizza, and wings, plus some ice cream and brownies for our guests.  The pictures tell the tale. When guests arrived the salad and pizza were ready; but the tree was still boxed. 

"Nice pizza--but what have we gotten ourselves into?"

As it happened, the more senior guests gathered in the dining room, while the younger used sofas and the rug in the living room.  [That is what we got the rug for!]   In order to be supportive, the more senior guests settled on affirming the good work done by the more youthful guests, instead of interfering with their process.  Our neighbors, Glenn Lirette and Randy Miller, and Srs. Nancy Hale and Pauline O’Reilly kept Br. Bob, Br. Charles and Br. John company. 

Glenn, Sr. Pauline, Br. Charles, Sr. Nancy, Br. John and Randy supervising from afar.

The volunteer’s guests went by first names—sort of like being in a witness protection program.  Lauren’s guests included a young man “J.A.”, also part of Americorps in New Orleans, and a young woman from Buffalo, Jessie, a college friend who spent several days with us.  Erika invited Jeff, Dan and Jenna, Jesuit volunteers who work at the Harry Thompson Center which shares facilities with Lantern Light Ministries.

Dan, Jenna, Travis, AJ, Jeff, Lauren and Jessie discuss their approach to tree trimming.

"I wonder if they noticed this great haircut I just got--ah well, now where is that tree?

Erika oversaw the buffet; Travis took care of the pizza and putting up the tree.  Br. John wrestled the brownies away from Br. Charles to give to the young people, telling the volunteers they could also have ice cream when the tree was up!  

Senior staff with ice cream cups and  brownie bites--will they share the brownies?

 

Tree is installed by Travis, AJ, and Lauren, note the ''sidewalk superintendents.'

 

Lauren searches for just the right ornament to put up next.  AJ and Dan await, breathlessly.

Jeff, with a height advantage, adds the star on our tree

Erika took the pictures that accompany this blog.

On Sunday, December 15^th, the community went out to dinner for a Christmas celebration.  Last year, at precisely the same time on the Third Sunday of Advent, we celebrated Matt Beben’s 23^rd birthday.  He had his first escargot, and he and Bob had ‘Seafood Courtbouillon, [gulf fish, shrimp, mussels, tomato shrimp broth, green onion butter crustini].’  It was a joy to see Matt’s delight in new foods, something so appropriate in New Orleans.  This year, as last, Travis and Br. John, had the ‘trois mignon’  as did Erika and all pronounced them good.  We had to skip dessert since one of our number had her heart set on a dish of vanilla ice cream from the freezer at home. ‘C’est la vie’.

REFLECTION:

“I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.”

--Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom: Autobiography of Nelson Mandela

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE -- 12.12. 2013

Thanksgiving was a treat here at 4219 Constance.  We accepted an invitation from the Presentation Sisters at Lantern Light Ministries to celebrate with them, but so did a number of others and it seemed to us that their house might be a bit crowded with 22 people!  So we invited them to celebrate here—we set up the Blessed Pauline Room and provided liquid refreshments; while the Presentation Sisters, the Holy Faith nuns, and Cabrini Sisters provided turkeys, dressings, casseroles, and desserts:  apple pies, ambrosia and Pavlova.  Travis ferried some of the food in the van, others brought their culinary treats and we luckily got to keep a lot of the leftovers!  It was a delicious deal.  Our guests included Ryan, a friend of Travis’ and Dave Werthmann who spent a week as our guest—he is a long time friend of John’s.  

Lauren Zanfardino spent Thanksgiving on Long Island with her family for a wedding and the holiday.

John began December with school visits to Holy Cross and Pope John Paul II as part of the Discovery Walk Program.  A school visit to Damien Memorial in Honolulu beginning December 9 never came off;  flight cancellations due to winter storms affected connecting flights out of Dallas. 

Our Christmas lights on the balcony are complemented now by lights on the kumquat tree in front of the house.  Our kumquat is BIG—not like the ones used for bonsai!  It is difficult to recognize our tree with the description that follows but they are one and the same:

“When the kumquats are divided into multiple species, the name Fortunella japonica (or Citrus japonica) is retained by this group. The round kumquat also called Marumi kumquat or Morgani kumquat, is an evergreen tree, producing edible golden-yellow fruit. The fruit is small and usually round but can be oval shaped. The peel has a sweet flavor but the fruit has a sour center. The fruit can be eaten cooked but is mainly used to make marmalades and jellies. It is grown as an ornamental plant and can be used in bonsai. The plant symbolizes good luck in China and other Asian countries, where it is kept as a houseplant and given as a gift during the Lunar New Year. Round kumquats are more commonly cultivated than other species due to their cold tolerance.”

Our neighbor, Glen Lirette, got the lights and installed them so our kumquat TREE is quite elegant.

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE:

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  The opening prayer at Mass spoke clearly of the Church’s commitment to work for justice so we might have peace.  This wider context is perhaps convenient to overlook—if we concentrate only on the miraculous creation and preservation of the image but neglect the meaning for men and women in poverty and of color today, living among us, unknown personally to us as our brothers and sisters, but only as someone we minister to. 

 

O God, Father of mercies,
who placed your people under the singular protection
of your Son's most holy Mother, grant 

that all who invoke the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe,
may seek with ever more lively faith
the progress of peoples in the ways of justice and of peace.

Interesting that seeking the progress of peoples in the ways of justice and peace can be passed over so lightly in a city that owes much of its recovery to the sweat and labor of immigrants from among the very people that Our Lady appeared to!  

Timothy Cardinal Dolan’s reflection in GIVE US THIS DAY was more in keeping with the vision of Pope Francis in the concern for the poor and in at least an oblique reference to the sin of racism.  He wrote: “But the apparition truly marked the birth of the Mexican people—a  fusion of the Spanish and Indian races and culture.  With her dark skin and Indian features, the Lady offered an image of divine compassion for a demoralized people.  At the same time, she called the Church to heed the voice of the poor, to serve as a vehicle for their cultural and spiritual survival.   

As the Advent hymn reminds us:  

     Wake, awake, for night is flying,

     The watchmen on the heights are crying;

     Awake, Jerusalem, at last!  

BLOG 12.12.13 Our Lady of Guadalupe