Prayer Requests - Need Spiritual Help

1. For Mom, who is sliding more and more, and now in the throes of a depression I'm not sure she'll pull out of... and for Dad, who sees nothing but dead ends in this situation. It's such a long goodbye, and not an easy task.
2. For Aunt Phyllis, whose son, Chris, died earlier this week. She's lost her husband and her son in the span of six weeks. So sad and tragic.
3. For Monsignor Edward Ryle, the Conscience of the Capitol, greatly beloved in the Diocese of Phoenix for his dedication and his hard work; found by friends (including the governor) unconscious at his home. He is at Barrows Neurological Center in Phoenix; he is in critical condition and unresponsive (although responding to pain stimuli), and his vitals are stable.
4. For the 92 year old husband of a fellow inquirer in the SFO, who caught a cold last friday and has become increasingly ill.

I'm struggling to keep my spirits up; Mom's depression has really socked into me. I'd rather see her with her usual spitting of nails rather than this resignation. I don't know what to do other than pray.

I'm not ashamed of my Christianity, and not of my Catholicism, either! So there!

Wandering around in Blogland (tho' I should register in St Blog's Parish, probably), I was at the Shrine of the Holy Whapping, where there's an entry about a tacky fiber optic Nativity with comments, with a link to the Cavalcade of Bad Nativities--even a nativity belt buckle!! (GAG!) And at Holy Whapping, I asked a question in those comments, something I had thought about driving to the house of my SFO orientation directors' house on Friday night: how many Nativity scenes have you seen around?

I have one. I really wanted one of those that are about two grand just for the basic set, but like most of middle America, I have to settle for Wal-Mart. It's actually not too bad, the figures aren't too cartoonish, and they fit perfectly under my juvenile trees out in front.

But as I was driving around that neighborhood on Friday, it was just dark, and lights were coming on in peoples' yards. Tons of those silly and cute inflatable Santas that pop in and out of the chimneys; lots of snowmen (in Phoenix?), some nice light shows, the grapevine reindeer, and the like. Nice and unoffensive stuff.

But out of maybe two dozen houses I passed, I saw ONE house with a Nativity in the yard. And it was tiny, as if to be inconspicuous, maybe enough to be ashamed--and was a little too Precious Moments for my taste, but... Gasp! I was all excited, however, and rolled down my window and applauded.

It got me thinking: are we of the Christian faith ashamed to be so in this day of secularism? Are we skeeeeeeeeered? Are we so inundated and fearful that we as a whole are bowing to the tiny but hugely squeaky wheel that claims offense?

Not me, dammit.

And so far I've gotten a lot of praise and no griping so far. And nothing has been stolen yet, even with a plethora of teens in the neighborhood.

I will post a pic as soon as I find the charger to the camera. Promise.

And I am, at this jucture, assless--have to wait until I can afford one. No ox either, and no wisemen or other "accessories." I have a lil sheep, though--Does that count?

Second Sunday of Advent - December 4th. Second purple candle.

One theme all through the readings is heralding the advent of a Savior and patience in that waiting period; in Isaiah, it says '"...prepare the way of the LORD!" In the Letter of Peter it proclaims, "...waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God..."


The Gospel of Mark talks about John the Baptist. How familiar he is, Father Bruce said--in a way, we understand him: his camel hair shirt, his shouting for repentance, his humility and certainty in saying that "One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." We are familiar with baptism, as the Catholic people it is our foundation. Yes, John is familiar.

Father told the story of blind people--in Switzerland, he seemed to recall--who couldn't obtain jobs. So this one brilliant man started a restaurant, run by the blind. Patrons went into a pitch black restaurant, led in by the blind. (See Blinde Kuh for more info--found what he was talking about pretty easily once I got home). He talked about how the people who had their sight all of a sudden was absolutely dependent on those who served them--to seat them, tell the patrons the menu, to cook, to serve--and that at first it can be very disconcerting. But if one has a little faith and trust in those who are serving, then it becomes an enjoyable and pleasurable experience.

Father likened this to what came after John the Baptist--Jesus the Christ. John, even with his eccentricities, is a familiar person. Jesus, however, is more enigmatic, and requires trust and faith. As with being served in pitch black by the blind, it takes trust and faith to do as Christ asks, as He teaches. Without faith, we are nothing, have nothing; without Faith, we have no hope. Hope, of course, centers within Christ.

How awesome to contemplate all that we have in the Son of God if we only trust!