Feast of the Ephipany.

Michael is finally old enough to participate in some simple liturgical year traditions; I say "finally" because I have such wonderful and pronounced memories of learning and living the liturgical year through celebrations and activities growing up, and have been eagerly waiting to start them with my boys. I am glad they are still very young, and so I can start slowly as I am limited in budget, supplies, and energy in this life of ours here. :)

After Mass, we took out the 3 Kings.

 Giving the Magi a blessing.

 Papa helped us sing "We Three Kings" as Michael set the Wise Men at the crèche scenes.

 Each figure has to kiss the Baby first.

 Then Michael wanted to say a bit of the Mass.

In the afternoon, we had a special visit from 3 Magi! It is the custom in Germany and Austria for the children to dress as the 3 kings, carry the star, and go door to door singing and reciting messages of Christmas. They also ask for money for poor children, which Michael put in their box.

Here is a lovely painting by Anton Pieck depicting the same.

 Later, Papa and Michael made a star for the crèche.

 Michael's favorite song and movie is "The Little Drummer Boy" and Auntie Elizabeth gave him the best surprise of this drum on Christmas Eve; we still need to find some proper drumsticks, but he and Dominic love carrying it around and playing it with whatever "beaters" they find.

Happy Feast! May the same grace that drew the Magi to the Savior's side be yours this season, and may we each discover what gifts we have to offer Him, be they ever so humble.

It's a new year.

Happy New Year 2015! We rang in the new year with a little party at our house with the remaining adults on campus. Everyone brought delicious, cultural nibbles and we had Austrian Gluhwein. We let Michael stay up until 10pm and he had fun playing with one of his friends and interacting with the adults. At midnight, those of us who had lasted (most of us were tired parents or expecting mothers!) ran over to the chapel to pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament and have benediction as the fireworks were going off all around Trumau and Vienna. What a great way to dedicate the new year's work, joy,  sorrows, troubles, successes and days to our Lord. Then Andrew and I had a champagne toast with our Canadian friends, Kenton and Rebecca, while watching the fireworks from the balcony. 

This morning, we and our friends from ITI; an English couple, wanted to drive to a Marian shrine for a mini pilgrimage for Mass on this feast of the Holy Mother of God. We settled on going to Loretto, a town about 20 minutes from here. This church has an interesting story behind it. Apparently, an Austrian gentleman visited the shrine of the Holy House of Loretto in Italy, and was so inspired, he built a small shrine in the form of the Holy House in this area in Burgenland, Austria (1644), and donated a statue of the Black Madonna. The town of Loretto grew around the little shrine, and eventually this large church was built in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Austrians and Germans have a strong devotion to the Black Madonna, and more than 100 miraculous cures have been attributed to her in these countries. 

Prayers after Mass. We lifted all you, dear family and friends, up in prayer for your peace and well-being!

The painting of the Assumed Virgin over the altar is so so beautiful! Entrusting all to our dear Lady this year, she always stands quietly waiting to help us and we so often forgot to call on her as Mother!
"Mary, my Mother, give me your heart, so beautiful, so pure - so Immaculate - so full of love and humility." ~ Blessed Theresa of Calcutta

A Black Madonna statue.

The front doors of the basilica are ornamented with silver flowers. I just love and appreciate when one can really sense a feminine spirit and delicacy in the architecture of Marian churches.

The Black Madonna statue from 1644 in the Holy House replica called the Gnadenkapelle or "grace chapel".

Oops, Michael forgot about not running on slippery ice.

A few ladies asked me about my new year's resolutions...and I don't really have any. I do intend to carry on with perfecting and realizing the goals I have set for myself in the last few months; for my own person and soul, as well as those goals I have being a mother, and those goals for my boys well-being and growth. Always with the end-all goal in mind: to get us all to Heaven. The physical - health, stamina, nourishment, rest, and the spiritual - peace, growth, charity, service, and joy. The baby steps in these departments are endless but necessary for complete achievement and ultimate perfection!

"Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the dessert." Isaiah 42:18. 19

This verse especially speaks to me as being my tone for this new year. Forgiving, forgetting, and letting go, have never been my strong suit, but I have found with His grace and help, these things come so much easier. Life is beautiful, comfortable and easy in the Lord and He truly wants to relieve us of our burdens. If only we can let go of our pride, flesh, vanity, silly ideologies, self...and try more and more to be as St. Paul says, "not I, but Christ who lives within me," all is easier to bear because He is our foundation and we will have no shame if we do all in His name. When we cease thinking about ourselves (more than is necessary); how to benefit ourselves, how we appear, how we are affected, and rather face our crosses with trusting confidence, and even joy, in Jesus, how light the burdens become - we become iridescent with His peace and radiance, and are able to complete our task as Christians, to be His light to the world and witness to the peace that only He can give.

I think it no coincidence that January 1 was chosen to celebrate the Mother of God, Who in turn gave her to us as mother. Isn't it the nature of a mother to be concerned with the well being and happiness of her children? And how many times has she expressed it, through visions and messages. The Second Vatican Council taught that everyone should have a genuine devotion to Mary and entrust his life to her motherly care. The great saint of Marian consecration, St. Louis de Montfort, said that Mary is the best way to have direct access to Jesus, and the road to Him is easy through her. He said that Mary "prepares her servants' crosses with so much maternal sweetness and pure love as to make them gladly acceptable, no matter how bitter they may be in themselves." Wow. What encouragement and strength there! We all seek love, peace, fulfillment, and some sort of success in life, and our hopes for these are high especially at the beginning of a new year. What better time than to entrust these aspects to Mary our heavenly Mother, than on January 1.

It is my hope to visit a few of the Marian apparition sites this year to strengthen our faith in her Son, to consecrate ourselves to her protection and Immaculate Heart, and to receive her maternal blessing; this too, I entrust to Mary.

Happy Feast of the Mother of God, and a blessed and fruitful 2015 to you all!

The invitation of winter.

December in Trumau has been a quiet, dark month, the sun rising late and setting earlier; this shortening of the days providing an expectant atmosphere, hinting at an unfulfilled moment in time. For us who remain on campus for the winter break, we experience an extra dose of quiet, as the majority of the students have returned home for the holidays, and the campus is mostly void of typical ITI movement: intellectual sparring, laughter, song, dance, and communal prayer and feasts.  Advent ushered in this December month full of anticipation of the joys and graces of Christmas, and we marked the Sundays with light and prayer to keep in mind that true Light's Presence is imminent. 

 O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol justitiae: veni, et illumine sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis.
O Dawn in the East, splendor of the everlasting Light and Sun of Justice: Come and give light to those sitting in darkness, in the shadow of death.

~ 3rd 'O Antiphon' of Advent

December is shrouded in a hushed expectancy, a darkening and stillness of the earth, reminding us to keep watch.  To be silent and listen.   In winter, nature itself sets the pace.  Plant growth halts, leafless trees stand still against the grey sky, animals hibernate, water freezes over; everything pauses as if to remove all distraction from something small that might go unnoticed: "The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him," (Habakkuk 2:20).  The darkness of the winter days encourages a quieting of spirit and activity, and invites us to turn inward and to reflect.  To ponder the spiritual realities so prevalent in this time, and to search and prepare our hearts.  We recall the contents of another darkness; the Mystery contained in the virgin's womb.  One must be still and attentive to hear the humble stirring of the King of kings, made manifest in tiny human form.  He entered the world ever so quietly, this Babe in the manger, and gentler still, knocks at the doors of our hearts.  Are we listening?  Are our lives ordered to a quiet expectation of His sound?  Are we opening our souls to His invitation?  

A few days after Christmas, Trumau was covered with a few inches of snow, to the delight of the children still here on campus.  Snow is the pinnacle of winter's transforming effects - it seals off the ground, purifies the dirt, cloaks the branches, and refreshes the air with the crisp, pure scent of frozen water.  One is unconsciously compelled to be silent and listen, in an attempt to hear the falling snowflakes.  We revel in the renewal of the earth's appearance, covered in this sparkling whiteness.

Silent, still, pure - with the entirety of its form, winter invites us to retreat from noise and unnecessary activity in our lives, to empty our minds of needless distractions, and to purify our hearts.  Without stillness, we may easily miss the most significant moment in time; the arrival of our Savior, and the ears of our minds and hearts may be too obstructed to hear the gentle stirrings of His voice. 

"Today it is very quiet. Are you listening? If you are listening, you can hear the faint sound of tinkling bells. He who is pure of heart and childlike shall hear the bells of the donkey ringing in his life."

Catherine Doherty, Donkey Bells

Merry Christmas!

We had a quiet Christmas at home. Elizabeth was able to come for a few days and it was nice to sit and relax, talk over coffee or hot chocolate, and watch a few Christmas movies.

 Michael was excited to find "Christmas wishes" under the tree Christmas morning.

Snack before Mass.



After Mass, we sang "Happy Birthday" to Baby Jesus, and Michael placed our two Babes in their mangers. Michael kept asking about Baby Jesus' birthday cake (I think more for his consumption than Jesus'), so we'll have to do that one year. Trying to keep the sugar intake low this holiday! I find Christmas to be the best time than any other liturgical feast to emphasize the humanity of Jesus Christ, as we dwell on Him as a baby, a child, a Son with a Mother. So, I'm glad to see Michael projects a child's love for sweets on his understanding of Jesus!

The Christ-child lay on Mary's lap, His hair was like a light.

O Weary, Weary were the world, but here is all aright.

The Christ-child lay on Mary's breast, His hair was like a star.

O stern and cunning are the Kings, but here the true hearts are.

The Christ-child lay on Mary's heart, His hair was like a fire.

O Weary, Weary is the World, but here the world's desire.

The Christ-child stood on Mary's knee, His hair was like a crown,

And all the flowers looked up at Him, and all the stars looked down.

A Christmas Carol ~ G. K. Chesterton

A few gifts! Michael loves setting up and playing with his "gas station" from Nana.

Gifts from Auntie Elizabeth!

 Serving up breakfast of egg bake, fruit, and Swedish cardamom bread...

 ...while Auntie Elizabeth took "selfies" with the boys. I think Michael's personality is aptly expressed in these.

Elizabeth set the ambiance with her laptop fireplace.



Elizabeth gave us such sweet and perfect gifts too including some things from Rome!



Andrew and I did not exchange gifts as we are saving to travel in the new year. Well, I did snag $50 round trip tickets to Barcelona a while back for the first few days in February, so we consider that our Christmas present to each other. ;)

Michael opened his most prized gift from Nana the following morning - a tool set with a handmade tool apron! Nana knows little boys so well and we all treasure her gifts.

He told me he was going to work. Don't think he can fit anything else in there.

 The few days following Christmas we got some snow and colder temperatures. Michael was so excited. Mama and Papa were too - nothing says Christmas or winter like a good snowfall!

I think we need to get the child a sled.

 

We wish you a joyous and peaceful Christmas season!