My Daily Musing

   This is the evening that we sing a song derived by a poem written long ago by Robert Burns. It was popularized by Canadian Guy Lombardo in New    You may have sung this song before and thought that you sang it in its entirety. However, did you know it has multiple verses? Here are the modern popular verses in North America:

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne ?

CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup !
and surely I’ll buy mine !
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
CHORUS

We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine ;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.
CHORUS

We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine† ;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.
CHORUS

And there’s a hand my trusty friend !
And give us a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.
CHORUS

   And so, as we prepare to enter a New Year, I wish you a Happy and Healthy one. May your best day from 2009 be your worst day in 2010!

   The beginning of the New Year is very near now. May I humbly suggest some very worthwhile suggestions as possible New Year's resolutions?
+ Volunteer at a homeless shelter. They always need help during the winter months.
+ Visit someone at a local nursing home.
+ Volunteer at a local hospital.
+ Volunteer at a local soup kitchen.
+ Volunteer at a local animal shelter.
+ Attempt a reconciliation with someone from whom you have been estranged.
+ Become more active in your local church organizations.
+ Schedule a specific time each day devoted to prayer.
+ Donate a unit of blood. Winter always has critical shortages of blood.
+ Purchase and read something spiritual.
+ Make a contribution to a local charity.
   Hopefully these suggestions, in no particular rank order, are enough for you to "prime the pump" and begin to think of worthy resolutions. To often our New Year's resolutions are superficial and selfish. Because of that, they never really last. However, if we do something deep and for another, the action has more of an opportunity to stick with us and change our lives.
   Think about it today. And then choose wisely.

   True. I have been away from the parish on and off the past few months.
   However, each of those times I was away from the parish, I was away on business, either parish-related or somehow related to my ministry as a priest.
   I have not been away from the parish on a vacation since the beginning of January, 2009.
   NOW, January 2010 is approaching and, with it, my vacation! I will be gone from January 3rd through January 15th.
   Where am I going, you ask?
   Well, if you have to ask, you do not know me very well.
   And if you know me, you do not need to ask.
   I am going away for "therapy" and the "Orlando Clinic" where I will receive therapy from Doctor Mickey and Nurse Minnie!
   I have lots of "appointments" set up for my therapy sessions already. They include dinners at some of the best restaurants, two different fireworks cruises, a dinner show at the Hoop-De-Do Review and a dinner show at the Polynesian.
   Of course, there will be lots of days of simply doing nothing, nothing at all.
   When I spend an entire year doing, doing, doing, the thought of not having to do anything becomes very exciting!
   And so I begin my day count. That is not too bad. In a few days, I will begin my hourly count.
   Speaking of countdowns, we have a couple of days left to the end of this calendar year and the beginning of a new year. Have you decided whether or not you will make any resolutions this year? If so, PLEASE make sure that your resolutions are something that can be accomplished. So many people set themselves up for failure each year by resolving to do the impossible.
   Make the new year count. Resolve to do something positive for someone!

   Today is the Feast of the Holy Innocents, those children who were slaughtered in an attempt to kill the infant, Jesus.
   It was a terrible tragedy.
   Sadly, however, it was a "drop in the bucket" compared to the innocents who are slaughtered each day in the terrible acts of abortion, euthanasia, doctor-assisted suicide, and capital punishment.
   Where have we gotten ourselves when we prize, protect, and encourage death rather than life?
   The slaughter of innocents is a testament against us and they will rise and condemn us at the end of our days.
   We MUST change if we are to be true followers of Jesus Christ. God is the author of life and God, alone, has the right to call us to Himself at the end of our days, whenever He deems that may be. We do not have the right to choose death for anyone else.
   On this day of the Holy Innocents, please join me in praying that the death of innocent people -- the unborn, the aged, the infirm, the condemned -- may come to a stop, and soon.

   That seems to be the prayer of the 2000's! We lament about the downfall of the family. Many people celebrate and/or gloat over the downfall of their families on television shows such as Springer. We cannot imagine having it any worse than any other family. We want to apply for the award for "Dysfunctional Family of the Year." I could go on and on, couldn't I?
   As we grouse and grumble and groan about our families, the Catholic Church has the shear audacity to celebrate family this weekend. Yep. It sticks our nose in it as it celebrates the Feast of the Holy Family!
   I hear so many people complain about that every year. "Why do we celebrate this feast? Doesn't the Church know how terrible our families are? How can they talk about the Holy Family when so many families have gone bad?"
   I guess my question would be, "When would be a more appropriate time?!"
   Yes, our families may not be the best in the world. We may grumble about lots of things in our family structure. We may know many families who have only one parent at the helm. We may know families that suffer greatly.
   What better opportunity than to reflect on the Holy Family. They were simple, humble folk who were struggling to do the will of God. Their "yes" to God got them into lots of trouble. When Jesus was born, they found themselves hightailing it out of town because a king wanted their child to die. They had the heartache, as Jesus grew, of knowing that many would oppose Him.
   Jesus struggled to do His Father's will and that got Him into a bit of hot water with Joseph and Mary, as they found him in the temple. Jesus struggled even more with His Father's will as He saw what faced Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. Yet He chose to do His Father's will.
   Mary's heartache was complete when she saw Him condemned to death and die on the cross.
   The Holy Family was holy because they kept God at the center of their lives. They struggled to do His will. They were confident in His aid.
   They went through sorrow and even death, but they did so knowing that the Father was pleased with them.
   Do our families struggle? Sure.
   Are families sometimes dragged through pain and suffering? You bet.
   Is there pain and anguish in some of our families? Of course.
   But our families can be just like the Holy Family by struggling as valiantly as possible to do God's will day by day. He will never forsake us. He will bring us through suffering, pain, and even death, if we remain faithful to Him.
   Being a "Holy Family" does not mean being the Model Family of the Year. It means being a steadfast people of faith.
   God bless your family today!

   Today is one of those days that many people steer clear when it comes to shopping -- the day after Christmas.
   People will be out in droves today looking for those day after specials. Many others will be at stores trying to return their Christmas gifts or getting different sizes, colors, et cetera from their Christmas gifts.
   A word to the wise?
   Stay home!
   The day after syndrome can be quite crazy. I do not know how so many people enjoy themselves fighting the crowds.
   Instead, one can reflect upon the spiritual realities of yesterday. Christmas was such a day of giving -- God giving His only Son to us -- and it is something that takes a lot of thought and meditation to appreciate.
   The material gifts that we receive will break or wear out or we will outgrow them.
   The great gift of God, however? That will never break or wear out or be outgrown. It is something that grows more and more special each day of our lives as we get closer to the day that God calls us to Himself.
   The Church, in its liturgical cycle, will be celebrating Christmas for a week. The Gloria is prayed each day as well as the Christmas Day Preface. It knows how to appreciate this great season.
   May we also do so -- reflect upon the great gift of Christmas again this day and throughout a week.
   And so I say to you yet again: Merry Christmas!

   It seems as if we are dropping like flies here at the parish. With Christmas in several hours, that is very distressing!
   A couple of days ago, one of our deacons ended up in the hospital. Thankfully it was a bleeding ulcer that they were able to attend to immediately, so, even though he may be sluggish and out of commission for Christmas, he should be getting better really soon. Yesterday, my associate was put on an antibiotic for his upper respiratory infection. I am praying that yesterday and today on bed rest give him some strength to muddle through the holiday. Our resident seminarian was put on a second bout of steroids for his lungs, first time in his life. Our director of music appears to be relapsing into some kind of respiratory problem. I am not up to speed either, my chest has that burning feeling that my lungs give me right before I go into bronchitis. And, oh yeah, it's Christmas tonight!
   Something has got to happen . . . and happen soon.
   I'm looking for that Christmas Miracle to come into our house and our parish and touch all of us and get us well. Because, if not, this is going to be one l-o-n-g weekend.
   Sorry I cannot be more up beat this morning. That's just the way it is right now.
   And that is before factoring in this ice storm and the weird, weird weather predictions for the next couple of days.
   After I celebrate Mass this morning, and a funeral, and have server practice for Midnight Mass, I am going to attempt to lay low before the 5:30 p.m. Vigil Mass of Christmas.
   For those of you who are local, our schedule of Masses for Christmas is as follows:
December 24
   5:30 p.m.
December 25
   Midnight
   6:30 a.m.
   8:00 a.m.
   10:00 a.m.
   12:00 Noon

   What could be one of the worse things a priest (or any minister) faces during the days of Christmas (or Easter?)
   How about a funeral?
   Wait a minute. Let's make that two!
   I have a funeral Christmas Eve morning and then one next Monday morning when, supposedly, we finally have a chance to catch our breath after all the extra services for the holy days of Christmas.
   All right . . . I guess I cannot complain too much. After all, I signed on for that when I took the job twenty-six years ago, didn't I?
   But does Mother Nature have to add insult to injury?
   Now I hear that we are on a severe winter storm watch through Christmas Day.
   Oh, yeah, right . . . let's go ahead and cover the lots in snow, making parking even more dangerous for all the people who only come once or twice a year!
   As it is, on a dry Christmas day, there is no lick of space in the parking lots. Give snow that needs to be pushed around as well as melting snow on the floors inside the church, and you have slips and slides just waiting for the occasion!
   Oh well, none of us have any choice. We have to take what we get, don't we?
   Just like all of us, when we were young and wanted toys and games had to grin and bear it -- as well as give a heartfelt "thank you" -- when we received clothes instead of toys.
   So, Mother Nature, ahead of time, I say "thanks for the gift of a white Christmas. Gosh, it's just what I wanted!"

   We have been on "shut down" mode all yesterday which was eminently frustrating. Could not check my calendar. Could not work on the bulletin. Could not schedule anything. Could not check the parish census. Could not do anything.
   All Day.
   This made for a VERY frustrating day, especially being someone "hooked" on the Internet to do all sorts of business and simply to read the news.
   But this morning, all appears to be up and running, at least for now, and at least until we find the bugs.
   In the first move of entirely overhauling the technology at our parish and our school, we replaced all of our switches and installed new servers. We will shortly be installing another server to complement the two brand new redundant servers that we have installed. That server's "job" will be to receive continuous updates so that, God forbid, if the servers have a catastrophic breakdown, we will have lost none of our data.
   We are even installing the backup server in another building on our campus so that should the "catastrophic breakdown" involve major fire or flooding, the backup will be safe and we will be able to keep going.
   This is all being done to keep our technology crisp and new and alive . . . all things that are necessary if you want to advertise cutting edge technology for our grade school. This is, after all, the age of technology.
   But being down yesterday gives me pause for a reflection.
   What do people do who are "down" and "disconnected" from the Lord?
   For the first day or so, it must be very frustrating.
   However, I am sure that they get used to it and, before you know it, they spend their lives away from God because they have learned the skills set of the world, which does not include peace, love, joy, mercy, forgiveness, and all the rest of the "bundled software" that comes from God.
   Examine your system today. Do you see anything lacking? Have you been stumbling in your spiritual life? Try to do all that you can to bring yourself up-to-date so that you will be able to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas in a couple of days.
   God love you!

   A few days to go, our readings at Mass deal specifically with the birth of Jesus Christ and/or the genealogy of Jesus Christ. The hymns that we sing are also hymns that celebrate the titles of Christ or remind us of His imminent birth. Such is the case with one of my favorites, "People look East, the time is near of the coming of the year. Make your hearts fair as you are able, trim the hearth and set the table. Love the guest is on the way!"
   Jesus IS love. Jesus IS peace. Jesus IS good will. Jesus IS concern.
   And for those of us who claim His name as "Christian," we, too, should be love, peace, concern, and good will.
   If we do not bring Christ to our world by the manner in which we live our lives, something is wrong and we are not doing our jobs the way we are supposed to be doing.
   People, look East, the time IS near.
   Be ready for His coming.
   Maranatha. Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

   Today's gospel was about Mary's visit to Elizabeth. Even though Mary was pregnant, she knew that Elizabeth was far more advanced in her pregnancy and she also knew that Elizabeth would need help in her final months before birth. So she went to her.
   We do not appreciate what that means in today's world.
   For us, going to help someone means jumping in our car, taking a bus or plane, or somehow being transported relatively effortlessly to our destination.
   That was not the case for Mary.
   She had to go through hill country to see Elizabeth.
   On an occasion when I was blessed to be able to go to the Holy Land, I had the opportunity to go to Elizabeth's house. WOW. What a hike that was. Steep incline, narrow paths, hard walk. For a young woman who was pregnant herself, that was quite an accomplishment as well as quite an act of love.
   We think of ourselves so much nowadays and do not often go out of our way to help others.
   Kindly allow this to be an invitation to you. Help one another. Love one another. Care for one another.
   We know not when our last day will be. If it comes unawares, it will help greatly if we were busy doing the work of God rather than our own will!
   The peace of the season be with you!

   The push to Christmas begins in earnest with less than a week to go.
   And so does my own push to watch, in the little free time that I get, some Christmas movies.
   My annual movie fest always follows the same pattern. A little before the first week of Christmas, I begin watching Christmas movies. They are the typical "Santa" movies. Miracle on 34th Street. White Christmas. The Santa Clause. Et cetera.
   Then they begin to evolve to the religious Christmas movies for a more spiritual preparation.
   Of course, that is not my entire preparation, but it does give me a chance to focus some of my "free time" into Christmas related thoughts as well. I usually watch the movie right before going to bed because, after all, we typically dream about the last things with which we were occupied before going to bed. So my dreams can become more filled with thoughts of Christmas, the Christ-Child, peace, love and joy.
   And if Santa becomes a part of those thoughts, well, so be it. After all, good ol' St. Nicholas is an embodiment of Christmas joy and love.
   This time of year is truly magical. It gives us the opportunity to become more childlike. And that, too, is good because Jesus said that we must become more like children to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
   More like children means more dependent upon our loving God, not more childish.
   The countdown is on.
   Do all that you can to focus your thoughts on the magic of Christmas. May the love of God be with you throughout this beautiful season!

   Last night was a special treat. Our younger students (4th grade and below) sang their hearts out in their annual Christmas concert.
   It is such a joy to listen to enthusiastic children belting out song after song of Yuletide cheer.
   As I listened to the songs and watched the excited faces, I thought to myself, "At just what age do we lose this?"
   It seems that as we get older, we lose the magic and mystery of so many things in our lives. Christmas should be a time of wonder and awe, a time of unbridled joy, peace and love.
   Yet we often turn the season into a "grumpfest." We gripe and grouse and groan about weather, presents we need to buy, people with whom we need to be nice, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
   My simple blog and entry and suggestion to you this day is this: With one week to go to the celebration of Christmas, if you have lost the mystery and magic and joy of this season, try to find it. You will thank yourself for doing so!

   As I stated yesterday, today begins what is known as Late Advent Weekdays. The Ordo (the book of directives for priests about what Mass celebrations are to be said each day, indicates that the Late Advent weekdays "are intended to serve to prepare more directly for the Lord's birth." Therefore, the "O" Antiphons are used more extensively these days, in preparation for the celebration of the birthday of Jesus Christ.
   While not losing sight of the fact that Christmas has a dual celebration and that its second meaning -- preparation for the time when Christ will come again -- is obviously far more important to us as we prepare each day of our lives to meet the Lord and not just at Christmas, nonetheless, Christmas is that annual birthday celebration and it is now a week away.
   The "O" Antiphons, the ancient titles of the one long-expected, are as follows:

O Wisdom
O Lord
O Root of Jesse
O Key of David
O Radiant Dawn
O King of all the nations
O Emmanuel, which means, "God with us."

   Christmas should fill us with joy because it is the celebration of a promise fulfilled. For ages, God's people waited for the redemption that had been promised to them. They knew that God was going to send a redeemer. For many generations, that promised may have seemed more like an unrealistic dream rather than any kind of expectation.
   But God does not make empty promises. When He promises, He delivers. We just need to remember that He does so in His good time, not in ours.
   God delivered on His promise by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to be born of a virgin. This is the celebration for which we prepare in one week. Let us be ready to embrace that day with peace, with joy, and with ultimate hope!