FEAST OF ST. THOMAS BECKET-PEPPER POT DAY
I
am the God of your father, he continued, the
God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Moses hid
his face, for he was afraid to look
at God.
This is Moses first encounter with the Living God.
Moses responded with natural fear
thus he tried to hide himself just as Adam did in the garden. Yet, how does one
hide from God. The beginning of Holiness is to not try to hide but to face our
Lord manfully and admit we are what we are and He is what He is. After this
Moses was 100 percent for God; he was His man. Moses here began a journey with
God that eventually led to the birth of Christ true God and true man and we
beheld him face to face.
Today try and be 100% for God.
St. Thomas
Becket
St. Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of
Canterbury, suffered martyrdom by the king's men in 1170 on this day.
There is an excellent movie about his life “Becket” if you have time to watch
tonight which stars Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole. Becket was a man of
strength.
Things to
Do[1]
·
Read
more about this historical event. For some web sources see The Murder of Thomas Becket, 1170, and more information
on Henry
II. Watch this You Tube video of Canterbury
Cathedral.
·
Some
wonderful literature is based on this saint. Canterbury Tales by
Geoffrey Chaucer (1342 - 1400) follows a group of 30 pilgrims traveling to the
Canterbury Cathedral, the pilgrimage spot of St. Thomas Becket. T. S. Eliot
wrote a play called Murder in the Cathedral based on St. Thomas' murder.
·
Today
would be a good time to gather with family and friends enjoy some Christmas
goodies and spend an evening singing Christmas carols.
o
The
saints who are assigned immediately following Christmas are honored because of
their special connection with Christ. December 29, the Feast of Saint Thomas
Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, who was martyred in his cathedral by the
soldiers of Henry II in 1170, is the true anniversary date of his death.
Because of the great shock and sensation that this martyrdom caused at a time
when all of Europe was Catholic, the Roman authorities, in the thirteenth
century, deemed it appropriate to assign the celebration of his feast within
the privileged days of Christmas week, thus adding him to the group of "Christ's
nobility."
o
In
the Middle Ages, Christmas week also assumed the note of a hallowed time within
the homes of the faithful. Many observances of a religious character were
introduced locally and spread over large sections of the Christian population
of Europe. For the farmers and their animals, it was a time of rest and
relaxation from laborious work; only the necessary chores were done in stable
and barn. Thus, the whole week became a series of holidays. More time than
usual was spent on prayer and religious exercises. It is still the custom in
many sections of Europe to light the candles of the Christmas tree every night
while the whole family says the rosary or performs some other devotion,
followed by the singing of carols.
o
Carol
singing from house to house is an ancient tradition in central Europe on the
twelve nights between Christmas and Epiphany. The Poles call these nights the
"Holy Evenings" (Stoiete Wieczory). Another widespread
practice is the performance of religious plays portraying events of the
Christmas story (such as the Nativity, the visit of the Magi, the flight into
Egypt, and the massacre of Bethlehem). In southern Germany and Austria many
such plays are still performed in rural communities. Among the northern Slavs
(Poles, Ukrainians, Czechs, Slovaks) a puppet theater (szopka) is in
vogue; its religious scenes alternate with secular dramatic exhibits. In the
cities of Poland children put on Christmas dramas (jaselka). A similar
performance (Bethlehemes jatek) is done by children in Hungary; a
representation of the manger is carried from house to house, little dramatic
plays are enacted, and carols sung.
Read about St. Thomas Becket, once a royal chancellor of
England. He was slain in his own cathedral for defending the Church from
interference by King Henry II.
Reflect: Christ's kingdom is already present, but it is
not yet fulfilled. The destruction of the last enemy, death, is still to come,
and then, says St. Paul, God will "be all in all." This is why we
pray "Thy kingdom come." When we pray "Thy kingdom come,"
we are praying for a kingdom of truth, life, holiness, grace, justice, love,
and peace. Yet, let us also remember that for the sake of this kingdom many of
our sisters and brothers are suffering persecution.
Pray: Becket gave up his life for the sake of justice.
Pray today for the many Christians who still face persecution and death because
of their faith.
Act: Take time to pray the Rosary for justice and peace today.
Pepper Pot, a thick and spicy soup that is an American staple dish, especially in the southern regions of the United States. What is Pepper Pot? Well, it’s a soup that contains twelve different ingredients. Now that we know the ingredients for the Pepper Pot, let us look into the history of the day named for it, Pepper Pot Day, shall we? In the modern world of today, Pepper Pot Soup has many, many variations to it. But the soups true origins began on December 29th of 1777 during the Revolutionary War, the Continental Army had been experiencing an exceptionally harsh winter during the battle of Valley Forge. The soldiers were low on food because the farmers in the area had gone and sold all their supplies to the British Army for cash rather than the weak currency that the Continental soldiers could offer them for their crops. Christopher Ludwick, a baker general of the Continental Army, gathered whatever food he could scrounge together to feed the cold and frail soldiers. The chef was able to find scraps of tripe, meat, and some peppercorn. He then mixed the ingredients together with some other seasonings and created the hot, thick, and spicy soup we now know as pepper pot soup. It quickly became known as “the soup that won the war.” The soup gave the soldiers the warmth and strength that they needed to push the enemies back through the harsh winter weather.
How to celebrate Pepper Pot Day
Five
Golden Rings
Today is the 5th day of
Christmas the Five Golden Rings represent the five books of the
"Pentateuch" [Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy].
During this Christmas season let us take up the nature of God by
reflecting on these traits that make us a model for our children and our
sisters and brothers in Christ. Today reflect on:
Obedience vs.
Willfulness
Freedom to be creative under the
protection of divinely appointed authority (II Corinthians 10:5)
532
Jesus' obedience to his mother and legal father
fulfills the fourth commandment perfectly and was the temporal image of his
filial obedience to his Father in heaven. The everyday obedience of Jesus to
Joseph and Mary both announced and anticipated the obedience of Holy Thursday:
"Not my will. . ." The obedience of Christ in the daily
routine of his hidden life was already inaugurating his work of restoring what
the disobedience of Adam had destroyed.
564
By his obedience to Mary and Joseph, as well as by his
humble work during the long years in Nazareth, Jesus gives us the example of
holiness in the daily life of family and work.
1037 God
predestines no one to go to hell; for this, a willful turning away from God (a
mortal sin) is necessary, and persistence in it until the end. In the
Eucharistic liturgy and in the daily prayers of her faithful, the Church
implores the mercy of God, who does not want "any to perish, but all to
come to repentance":
Father, accept this offering from your whole family.
Grant us your peace in this life, save us from final damnation, and count us among those you have chosen.
Grant us your peace in this life, save us from final damnation, and count us among those you have chosen.
"Read
these counsels slowly. Pause to meditate on these thoughts. They are things
that I whisper in your ear-confiding them-as a friend, as a brother, as a
father. And they are being heard by God. I won't tell you anything new. I will
only stir your memory, so that some thought will arise and strike you; and so
you will better your life and set out along ways of prayer and of Love. And in
the end you will be a more worthy soul."
Interior mortification. I don't believe in your interior
self-denial if I see that you despise, that you do not practise, mortification
of the senses.
Daily Devotions
[4]http://graceonlinelibrary.org/home-family/christian-parenting/49-godly-character-qualities/
[5]http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/the_way-point-1.htm
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