Christmas Octave Day 6

What a fun and festive sixth day of Christmas!

After Mass and brunch with friends, the children arrived home astonished to find more gifts under the tree! 'Where did they come from?!' The children's grandparents were due for a much anticipated visit this weekend, but important family duties came up that kept them in Atlanta. However, they managed to get their presents here anyway!

Mary screaming, "It's the doll! It's the doll!" For months, she has been wanting a special doll dressed in a real Poor Clares' habit as sold by our "own" Poor Clares who live in a convent attached to our parish.

She has named the doll "Sister Clare" and is sleeping with it as I type.

This train (which plays Christmas carols) got much play from John today. It resulted in some good sister-brother battles over playing with it, and that's usually a sign that they quite like something!

 

Margaret got her delightfully charming and very well-crafted, handmade quilt as each of the grandchildren have received from the grandparents. It's so wonderful!

I needed to lay down, so Chris went above and beyond the call of duty and did today's planned Christmas activity with the children in my stead: baking and decorating sugar cookies! Knowing what I can manage right now, it was a purposefully simple affair, with homemade dough I had frozen in the freezer, store-bought frosting, and store-bought sprinkles as the only design option.

Later after dinner, Chris lit a bonfire outside for the children, which always thrills them.

Source for information on the Christmas octave

December 30; the Sixth Day of the Christmas Octave, The Holy Family

Opening Prayer from the Liturgy:  “Father, help us to live as the Holy Family, united in respect and love. Bring us to the joy and peace of your eternal home. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”

In your Bible: Luke 2:22-40; Jesus Became Strong, Filled with Wisdom

Catechesis:  There are two pillars of our Christian society responsible for the common good and the welfare of our people. In recent years, both of these pillars have come under demonic attack:  the family and the priesthood.  A society which allows unimaginable perversions of the family to occur, most especially in the name of “tolerance” and “fairness,” is doomed to destruction.  Jesus, through his own earthly family, demonstrates the importance of the “traditional” family to the world. Thus, families must come to see the impact their influence has on society for the good of all – and rise up to this challenge. 

Activity: Today, gather the members of your family together and consecrate your family to the protection of the Holy Family:

“O Jesus, our most loving Redeemer, who came to enlighten the world with Your teaching and example, willed to pass the greater part of Your life humbly and in subjection to Mary and Joseph in the poor home of Nazareth, thus sanctifying the Family that was to be an example for all Christian families, graciously take to Yourself our family as it dedicates and consecrates itself to You this day. Defend us, guard us, and establish among us Your holy fear, true peace, and harmony in Christian love; in order that by conforming ourselves to the divine pattern of Your family all of us without exception may be able to attain to eternal happiness.

“Mary, dear Mother of Jesus and our Mother, by your kindly intercession make this, our humble offering, acceptable in the sight of Jesus, and obtain for us His graces and blessings. O Saint Joseph, most holy Guardian of Jesus and Mary, help us by your prayers in all our spiritual and temporal necessities; that we may be enabled to praise our divine Savior Jesus, together with Mary and you for all eternity.”

(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father) Consecration by: Father Francis L. Filas, SJ