Anamchara

HOMILY FOR FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY--12/26/10--THE FATHERHOOD OF GOD

 

FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY–12/26/10

 by Msgr. Eric R. Barr, STL

　

READINGS: SIRACH 3:2-6,12-14; COLOSSIANS 3:12-21; MATTHEW 2:13-15,19-23

 

 I. The Flight Into Egypt

A. Joseph was dreaming again. Like his Old Testament namesake, Joseph of Egypt, Joseph of Nazareth was blessed with the gift of dreams and the ability to understand what they meant. And he clearly understood the meaning of this dream and it filled him with fear. It was the Angel Gabriel speaking to him again. This time there was no joy in his voice, no smile on his angelic face. Instead, the angel looked every bit like one of the angels that stand before the face of God--powerful, beautiful, awesome and majestic. And the angel's voice carried compassion and concern and urgency, "Take the Child," said the angel, "take the Child and his Mother and flee to Egypt, for Herod is searching for the Boy and means to kill him. Go now, go this very night, and stay there until I come to you again and tell you it is safe."

B. And Joseph awoke, took Mary and the Child and fled in the night towards Egypt. While Herod was slaughtering the babes of Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary and Jesus, the Holy Family, were fleeing in the night towards the safety of Egypt, where Herod's soldiers could not reach. The trip is shrouded in mystery and dimmed by time, but we must try to recall what it was like. Think of the worry, the fear, the tension and stress on the shoulders of Mary and Joseph. But also, think of their strength. Neither Mary or Joseph complained. Joseph never said to Gabriel, "Where is your promise of greatness for this boy--why the danger now? How can I trust you?" Joseph's days of mistrust and confusion were over. The night the angels sang over Bethlehem convinced him that he was part of the Greatest Story Ever Told. Now he simply trusted and obeyed. By his strength and courage, he saw Mary and the Child Jesus safely to Egypt.

C. And time passed, and Herod died, and in a dream, Gabriel appeared again and said it was time to go home–not to Bethlehem but to Nazareth. The most incredible years of Joseph’s life were over, but the most important years were yet to come.

II. Authority And Tenderness–The Father’s Gift to Families

 

A. For when the Holy Family went back to Nazareth, they settled down to ordinary life, not much happened and yet everything happened. What is famous is not always the most important. For Joseph and Mary set out to make a home for Jesus, a place of stability and love, a place of faith and family. Joseph had learned a lot about what makes for a good family. His experience of God as Father taught him that authority and tenderness were two of the main qualities that held family life together. Had Joseph not obeyed God the Father instantly, Jesus would have been killed by Herod. Had God not sheltered the Holy Family from harm, they would have crumbled in adversity. And so Joseph applied those same traits he learned from God the Father to his own home. 

B. Jesus grew up in a home where parents and authority were respected. He obeyed his foster father and his mother. And authority was not a burden on Jesus. Through cheerful obedience, there was peace in that family. Joseph exercised authority carefully but firmly. He gave the young Christ a structure to home life that enabled Jesus to grow in wisdom and knowledge.

C. And yet, Joseph could be very tender as well, as could Mary. Jesus learned his trade as a carpenter from the gentle yet strong hands of Joseph. He learned how to walk and talk and play from his mother. As his mother and father told him stories of their faith and the folk wisdom of their experience, he learned the little phrases and examples that would come out in his own stories--the parables--that he would tell in later life. He learned to pray from his mother and father. Loving tenderness was also a main feature of the Holy Family’s household.

D. From their own experience of the Fatherhood of God, Mary and Joseph were able to put together a family life that was ordinary and holy. They did not become famous, but they did become very close to God because they modeled their parenting after their experience of God.

E. Today, we need to ask ourselves how we can form our families to be more like the Holy Family. They centered themselves on trusting their experience of God. Do we have God at the center of our family life? Do we pray as a family? Do we talk about God?

F. Joseph took the role of fatherhood seriously and insisted on a family structure where parents were respected and authority was practiced with wisdom. Jesus was content to let his parents teach him and he himself obeyed them. Do we have an atmosphere in our home in which parents are respected and obeyed in a spirit of love? Parents, do you insist on respect and do you exercise your authority with firmness but with wisdom and fairness?

H. Mary and Joseph made sure that the environment of the home was one of peace and prayer–loving tenderness filled that household. Is our home peaceful, where children can develop their talents and personalities, or is it chaotic and unsettling with much tension and argument?

G. Authority and loving tenderness–a recipe from God the Father for strong family life.

HOMILY FOR CHRISTMAS--12/25/10--CANDLE BURNING WARM, CANDLE BURNING BRIGHT

Each Christmas, I always tell a Christmas story for my homily.  I feel that the images, Scriptures, and traditions of Christmas do a much better job of teaching and inspiring the people than a dry, exegetical homily.  This year, I'm telling a tale I wrote myself. It combines the wonderful Irish tradition of a candle in the window with the terrible times the Irish suffered in the penal days under the English persecution in the early 1700's.  The very real figure of Sean na Sagart, the priest hunter, figures strongly in the story.  Though the story is fiction, the actions of Sean are typical of his evil reign, and little Fiona's deepest wish to see the Holy Family enshrines the Irish piety of those days.  The engraving to the right shows a priest hunter spying on a congregation having Mass outside at a Mass rock.  The tree below is the tree that grows over the grave of Sean na Sagart at Ballintubber Abbey in the West of Ireland.  All the other graves face east where Christ rises, but his faces north.  He is buried as a pagan.  The evil of Sean na Sagart, the hope of Fiona, and the miraculous presence of the Holy Family meet in this Christmas story.  Enjoy, and light that candle--you may be surprised at who stops by your door this Christmas.

 

 

A CHRISTMAS STORY FOR THE CHRISTMAS HOMILY 2010 

           by Msgr. Eric R. Barr, STL

CANDLE BURNING WARM,

 CANDLE BURNING BRIGHT

 

  

 

Long ago, when religion was suppressed throughout Ireland during the English persecution, the people had no churches. Priests would hide in the forests and in caves and secretly visit the farms and homes to say Mass there on Christmas Eve. It was a dark time, a dangerous time, it was the time of the nefarious priest hunter--Sean na Sagart--and did he love Christmas, for it was then that he caught and killed the most priests.

But it was also the time of Fiona Murphy--a 10 year old girl who lived with her mother alone in a farm house in the west of Ireland. It was the dearest wish of every Irish family that at least once in their lifetimes a priest would arrive at Christmas to celebrate Mass during the Holy Night. I'll tell you--Fiona Murphy prayed for that every Christmas. That's why when Christmas came, she and her mother would do what all the Irish did--leave their doors unlocked and place a burning candle in the window so that any priest who happened to be near would see the light and be welcomed home through that dark night.

 Sean na Sagart himself stopped by Fiona and her mother's house just a few days before Christmas. "Mrs. Murphy," he said, "what is this candle for, burning in the window? Are you trying to signal a fugitive priest?" "That's just what I'd expect a murdering man like you to say. We burn this candle and keep our door unlocked so that Mary and Joseph and the Christ Child, who look for a place to stay each Christmas, will find their way to our home and be welcomed with open doors and open hearts." "Silly superstition," hissed Sean and he stomped away.

"Mother," said Fiona, "you lied. We really are trying to signal a priest." "Sure, and don't I know it,' said Mrs. Murphy, 'but my mother and her mother before her always told of the story of the Holy Family going from house to house, looking for a place to stay on Christmas Eve. So there's truth in what I said, but if I told Sean na Sagart the whole truth, he'd try to capture and kill the priest and probably us as well."

Fiona went to the window where the candle burned to think about that: having a priest for Christmas would be wonderful, but the Holy Family--that would be spectacular! Her mother hugged her and said, "There's a little prayer you can say; maybe it will help pass the time:

Candle burning warm,

Candle burning bright,

Guide the Holy Family to this home tonight.

Wandering the world,

Looking for a bed,

Anywhere to lay the tiny Baby's head.

On this Christmas Eve,

May their travels cease,

Jesus, Mary, Joseph--stay and be at peace."

The days drew closer to Christmas, and Fiona prayed like she had never prayed before. She prayed for the priest to come and she prayed for the Holy Family to stop by.

Meanwhile, deep in the wilds of the West of Ireland, in the wilderness of the Twelve Bens--the mountains of that part of the land, Fr. O'Farrell made ready to make the rounds on Christmas Eve. He sheltered in a cave and the shepherds brought him food. He hid from Sean na Sagart and the soldiers, spreading the faith and giving the Sacraments as best he could. This Christmas Eve, he was planning to stop at Mrs. Murphy's home. On his secret trips around the countryside, he had seen the candle burning in the Murphy's window. A safe house, it was, and he had sent word to her through the shepherds that he would come to say the Mass. She would gather the people of the neighborhood and they would have Mass in her house at Midnight on Christmas Eve. That is if the soldiers did not catch him, that is if Sean na Sagart could not track him, that is if God allowed him to live out the night. For the night of Christmas Eve was the most dangerous night of the year for a priest in those days.

"Mother!" cried Fiona. "Will the priest make it tonight?" "God willing with Jesus, Mary and Joseph to guide him, he will make it." said Mrs. Murphy. Christmas Eve was here, and Fiona was so excited--Christmas Mass in their home and with their neighbors! All her chores were done, and she wouldn't leave the window. She had trimmed the wick of the candle and it was burning brightly.

Just as Fiona sat down for her vigil, Fr. O'Farrell left his hiding place. It was perfect weather. The snow was flying, the wind was wailing--a night fit for neither man nor beast which meant that Sean and the soldiers were not likely to be about. Dusk had fallen, and furtively, Fr. O'Farrell hurried through the fields and heather towards Mrs. Murphy's house. There was a woodland in the valley and as he walked through it he felt safe for the first time in months. Praying his rosary he was. Praying the Joyful Mysteries. He was thinking of the Holy Family's first night in Bethlehem when he heard an explosion and felt a blow to his back. He was knocked to the ground and almost lost consciousness. As he turned to face his attacker, he gasped in horror. The leering face of Sean na Sagart, smoking pistol in his hand, stood over him. "I've got you now, priest," he said. "No Mass for the Murphy's tonight. Did you think I could be hoodwinked by that widow woman's story of a candle in the window--waiting for the Holy Family, indeed. I knew she would be waiting for you--that's why I waited for you first. And now, well, priest, I'm afraid this is your last Christmas." Well, let me tell you, Fr. O'Farrell said a quick Act of Contrition and composed himself to meet his Maker. No one ever escaped Sean na Sagart.

It was then that it happened. The snow stopped, the wind fell, the clouds broke apart and a single bright star shown down from above. It was so bright, that the whole woodland was illuminated with a silvery light. It was then that they heard the sound of birds singing and felt a warm breeze, like the warm spring wind blowing through the willow trees. Sean looked down the path and someone--no, not one, but two people, no, three people were coming down the path. It was an old man walking and a young woman riding a donkey, and on her lap a bouncing baby boy just able to walk. They were dressed like Irish farmers. "Who goes there?" said the old man. "On your way, peasant," shouted na Sagart. "This is no business of yours." By now the strangers were right next to Sean na Sagart and the fallen priest. "This man is hurt," said the woman who jumped from the donkey, stood the Child by her side and went to tend the priest.

 

HOMILY FOR 4TH SUNDAY OF ADVENT--12/19/10--BELIEVING THE PROMISE

 

FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENT–12/19/10  

 

 by Msgr. Eric R. Barr, STL

 

 

READINGS: Isaiah 7:10-14; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-24

I.  Upheaval in Nazareth

A. The very first Christmas was not a peaceful time. In Nazareth, great gossip and whispers of scandal were still sweeping the streets of that town. True, Joseph had married Mary, but everyone knew that she was pregnant before the wedding. And there were even rumors that Joseph was not the father. A veneer of respectability had begun to cover the Holy Family, but still, people talked.

B. Funny thing about the promises of God–very seldom are they ever crystal clear; very seldom do they turn out as we expect. Take the people of Israel. That very first Christmas, the people were longing for a Messiah. Will he come this year? He’s supposed to be from the line of David! Will he free us from Rome, do you suppose? Will his coming make my life better? Those were the feelings of the people. Yet they couldn’t see that right under their noses, God was doing the spectacular amidst the ordinary.

C. All the prophecies came down to this–a virgin is to conceive and bear a son and his name shall be Emmanuel which means "God is with us." There was Mary, a virgin, visited by an angel and after all those years of waiting, all the hope of millions of people rests on whether she will say yes to God. She does and the prophecy is fulfilled. But so many people wanted to doubt it.

1. They doubted it in Nazareth. Pregnant by Joseph, pregnant by an unknown man, maybe, but a virgin birth? Not a chance. The people were skeptical and we can understand their reluctance to believe, because we have a hard time too. 

2. Some scholars who study the Bible doubt the virgin birth really happened. Some famous and powerful Christians harbor doubts–that’s how hard it is to believe that God would do such a thing as actually fulfill his promises.

3. What do you think? Did the virgin birth really happen? Is Jesus really without a human father?

D. One of the things that Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have pointed out is that the problem with our times is this terrible scepticism and uncertainty that God could ever act in our time or whether there even is a God. Both Popes point out that this is what has led to Europe forsaking God and is leading America to do the same. Think about our friends and relatives who have left the Catholic Church. Have they really replaced their Catholic faith with anything? Or are they just wandering searching for something and never finding anything? This is the time of the year when we can touch their lives with our belief that God has really come into our time and place to save us all.

II. Trusting In God

A. To those who think the Virgin Birth is just a lie shout out to them: But it’s not a lie! It’s true; it’s real; it happened!" Though we can’t pick up a family picture album and show the Holy Family at every stage of their lives, we can show them the Church. With all its weaknesses and sinfulness, the Catholic Church is still a beacon of hope and a refuge for those who suffer. We claim to meet Christ each week in the Eucharist and consume him at Communion so that we may become part of him and he alive in us. And all the good the Church has done for two thousand years is based on what happened in a stable long ago.

B. The virgin birth tells us that God is with us. That tiny baby, lying in a manger, is no ordinary child. On him the hopes of all humanity rest. All this Advent, we have prepared to welcome the feast of Christmas. Look at Mary, the pregnant virgin on her way to Bethlehem. She is serene, peaceful, and full of wisdom. Within her is the hope of the world. Soon she will give the Christ to all people. She’s on her way to Bethlehem to give us the same gift she gave those in her day–the gift of Emmanuel, "God with us".

C. It’s hard to break through cynicism and despair. But we’ve got people we love who need to hear this message of hope. Christmas opens the door to the stable and tells us there is a place for us, for all of us, there at the manger where the Christ Child sleeps. Why stay out in the night, in the dark, in the fog of confusion and despair. This Christmas, pull someone out of the night and into the light of the Catholic Church where they will meet Christ and be at home again.

 

THE 12 DAYS OF WINTER - WHAT YOU CAN SING IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL FOR CHRISTMAS

via www.youtube.com

It's just too true.  Enjoy!

CHRISTMAS COOLNESS--HAIL HOLY QUEEN FLASH MOB STYLE--NICELY DONE!

via www.youtube.com

 

Love these flash mobs and random acts of culture.  This one is particularly good.  Enjoy a little Christmas Spirit in honor of the Virgin Mother.

REVIEW OF VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER: SAILING TO OUR FINAL GOAL

 

SAILING TO OUR FINAL GOAL

 

What a fine film! And precisely for many of the reasons some critics hate it. I fell in love with the Chronicles of Narnia the moment I read C. S. Lewis’ dedication of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to his goddaughter Lucy Barfield: "...you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is written and bound you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can them take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it." Lewis knew that only the young of heart can appreciate the beauty and wonder of a fairy tale.

Lewis’ words are worth remembering when taking into account any negative views of the movie THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER.  It is not surprising that, in this cynical age, half the reviewers detested the film finding it shallow, treacly, too Christian oriented, and full of sappy, sentimental morality. The thinly disguised animosity to Lewis and the religion he claimed as his own is simply par for the course in our day.

But in actuality, this movie is neither shallow nor boring, neither sentimental nor only for those under the age of ten. It is, however, only for those who are young at heart and who secretly yearn to travel to the end of all things and meet the One who has waited always for us.

By this time, most folks already know the plot of this film. Instead of rehashing the story let’s deal with what works by trotting out the supposed "defects" of the film.

It’s too episodic. Of course it is episodic. It’s a sea voyage and voyage films are always one threat after another. Criticizing VDT for this is like saying Homer really fell short in the Odyssey since Ulysses just went from danger to danger. On the way to defeat evil and reach Aslan’s land, our young heros do have to face many temptations, tests, and trials. That’s how they grow.

The pacing is too choppy and swift. Gosh! Are these the same people who thought Lord of the Rings too long? I would have preferred to spend more time with Coriakin, the fallen star who governs the Dufflepuds, but his back story is not essential to the film or to the protagonists. Besides, Michael Apted, the Director, opted for an adventure film, not an epic.

It’s not Tolkien or Harry Potter. Tolkien did not like Narnia and Lewis decided to go another way for a religious and allegorical purpose. He was less nuanced than Tolkien. And breathe a sigh of relief that VDT is not Harry Potter. Unlike our Hogwarts wizard, neither Lucy, Edmund or Caspian carry so pretentiously the weight of the world on their shoulders. Why might that be? Because they know that the fate of the world really rests with Aslan, to whom they call for help many times. Which brings us to....

It’s simperingly religious in a shallow way. Some reviewers thought the film had virtually no meaningful moral message. Quite the contrary. This is the first film in a long time that has a moral compass of courage, integrity, repentance, and resistance to temptation. No child watching, and no adult who is really listening cannot help but be touched by the solid values this film offers without being preachy. Unfortunately, the Director and Liam Neeson who voices Aslan have made pronouncements that Aslan and the movies message could be construed as Buddhist, Hindu, or Moslem or whatever. Nope. The film comes out decisively Christian and despite the opinions of Neeson and Apted, C. S. Lewis can rest easy and so can we because the Christian message is clear.

What works in this film is the sumptuous filming, the action, the Christian message, and the wonderful Eustace Scrubb, played by Will Poulter, who embodies, literally what it means to go from a fallen man to a graced human being. And topping all of this, is the ending–one of the most cinematically satisfying since Frodo went into the West. Take a tissue; you will need it. 

Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a kid friendly movie to which adults are privileged to be welcomed. Georgia Henley and Skandar Keynes reprise their roles as King Edmund and Queen Lucy. They’ve grown and it’s a pleasure to see them again. The plot additions work very well and give a necessary coherence to the voyage. The green mist is ominous and a worthy symbol of evil. The battle with the sea serpent is impressive and absolutely necessary for the "voyage" theme. The reappearance of Tilda Swinton as the White Witch was great since she symbolized Edmund’s struggle for power and not be #2. Lucy’s temptation to lust after beauty was handled expertly. What could have been a shallow reference to vanity instead becomes a powerful message for young people to value themselves for who they are. And King Caspian’s greatest temptation–to go see his father in Aslan’s Country–is successfully resisted and the message imparted that you don’t reach heaven until you have attempted to fulfill your destiny in this life. Above it all, however, is Eustace’s struggle for humanity, and the fact that he could not really become human on his own–only Aslan can do that.

The moving finale of the film steers almost perfectly in sync with the book, and that is what makes The Voyage of the Dawn Treader so ultimately moving and satisfying. Lewis wanted his fairy tales to capture the essence of "Joy". The Narnia tales do that and it is a special blessing this Christmas season that this film is ultimately "joyful" in the way that Lewis loved: an inexpressible longing suffused with nobility, hopefulness and a holiness that you want to never end. When the door closed on this visit to Narnia, I shed a tear and hoped we might enter again. Go to this movie. Go and be surprised by joy.

 

  

 

 

HOMILY FOR 3RD SUNDAY OF ADVENT--12/12/10--ARE YOU THE ONE WHO IS TO COME?

 

 THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT--12/12/10

        by Msgr. Eric R. Barr, STL

READINGS: ISAIAH 35:1-6,10; JAMES 5:7-10; MATTHEW 11:2-11

I. Not Seeing The Forest For The Trees

A. In the 14^th century, half the population of Europe suddenly died in the space of two years. The Black Plague killed them all. Terrible way to go. And if we could travel in a time machine back to those terrible years, one thing would strike us immediately, horrify us beyond belief, baffle us with incomprehensibility. What would strike us about those towns that had not yet been struck by sickness is how filthy everything was. Open sewers running in the streets, garbage laying everywhere, people in filthy clothes, rats in the alleys and homes. No doubt we would run from person to person saying, "Quick, clean the streets, kill the rats, take a bath, pick up the garbage, or you’ll all die!" That’s what we’d say and we would be universally ignored. People were scared of the plague but they couldn’t see that their life style and ignorance about basic cleanliness was actually killing them. We’d be wanting to save them and they wouldn’t know what we would be talking about. We’d stand by helplessly and watch them die.

B. To be saved, a person has to know that he or she is in danger. To be saved, you have to recognize that things could be better. To be saved, a person must say, "Where and what I am is wrong; I need to be other than where and what I am right now."

C. We hear some great readings today about a desert land blooming and the glory of the Lord coming to make the lame leap, the mute sing, the deaf hear, the blind see. We hear St. Paul tell people to be patient; Christ is coming soon. We hear John the Baptist in prison eagerly send word to Jesus, "Are you the One who is to come and save us?" The fact is, the Scriptures presuppose that everybody hearing these words knows they need to be saved and actually long for salvation.

D. That’s what makes these readings so difficult for us today. A question for each of us, "Do you feel the need to be saved?" While there are exceptions, the answer for most people in this country is "No." Sounds harsh doesn’t it? But the facts really show this to be true. Many of us have not been to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. There’s really only one reason for that. We may say it’s because of a bad experience we had, or that we can just say I’m sorry to God in private, we can make lots of excuses but there’s really only one reason not to go–we don’t feel the need for this Sacrament of Forgiveness; we don’t feel the need to be saved from anything. Many people bemoan the fact that the morals of this country are terrible right now, yet they absolve themselves of any complicity in the situation even though they seldom go to Church, even though they hold opinions and values at odds with the teaching of Christ, even though they tolerate evil in their communities because they don’t want to offend someone or step on their freedom of choice.

E. Amazingly, with all the difficulties that church-goers have with some of Scripture and the beliefs of the Church, there are brothers and sisters of ours, neighbors and friends, who have wandered from the Catholic faith and have no real answers to the uncertainty they feel, or the despair in their hearts, or the anger in their souls. We may struggle and fight with some of what we believe, but at least we know the Way. Others, who are Catholic in name only, have forgotten or lost what they once knew and held dear. What are we going to do about that? 

F. For Christmas to really mean something this year, we need to feel that Christ’s coming will make a difference in our lives. Our joy at Christmas is directly proportional to how much we feel we need the mercy, forgiveness and love of Jesus. Maybe we ought to take time to remember why God came to us as a human being in the first place, and maybe we could share that with those who no longer come to Church.

 

A SHOUT-OUT TO THE AWESOMENESS OF DOGS

via www.youtube.com

My two chocolate labs

  Taggart

 

 

 

and

                             Frodo

are due for a shout-out on how great they really are.  Why?  Because they have had to put up with the newest member of the ark--namely, the dreaded feline, Brewster

 who really isn't such a bad guy, and is trying his best to get along

but you can bet it is a little traumatic when you have been the top dogs for a long time.  So enjoy the above video and relish in the supremacy of all of our canine friends. (And don't tell the cat!)

VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER PREVIEW ARTICLE: SAILING TO OUR GOAL IN LIFE

 
Was tasked to write a preview article for our newspaper.   Check it out right here:  Narnia preview.

Get ready for what is sure to be the biggest of the Christmas movies.  The buzz is good, and I'll have my review up for reading on Friday evening.

HOMILY FOR SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT--12/5/10--ST. NICHOLAS CRIES "ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE; LISTEN TO THE PROMISE!"

 

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT–12/5/10

 

 

READINGS: Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15:4-9; Matthew 3:1-12

 

I. St. Nicholas

A. Remember the statue of the kneeling Santa? Maybe some of you even have that statue. It’s Santa with his cap off, kneeling in front of the baby Jesus lying in the manger. It’s a kind of schlock art, a sort of Christian version of those velvet Elvis paintings that you see on roadsides in the summer. And yet, a lot of people seem to like it because it reminds them of what Christmas should be, of the fact that Santa ought to lead people to the manger instead of the mall.

B. I had a dream. I was in a different place. It was night and I was in a forest of pines after a fresh snowfall. The clouds had cleared, the moon was full, and thousands of stars filled the sky. It was wonderfully beautiful in that woods. I stepped out into a glade–the moonlight made it seem almost like day. "It’s beautiful isn’t it?" I looked around for the source of the voice. Out steps a figure from the woods. It was the most incredible man I had ever seen. He was dressed in robes of red and gold and they seemed to glow richly in the moonlight. A long white beard filled his face, on his head was a miter, like a Bishop, on his hands were white gloves with a gold ring on one hand and staff in the other. "Who are you?" I asked. "St. Nicholas,’ says this incredible man. "Santa Claus!" I shout back at him. "No," he laughed. "Not Santa Claus, even though he is named after me. People do sometimes confuse him with me. You know, he is not really that old–only 150 years, and to tell you he truth, he doesn’t even deliver toys to kids all around the world–he mostly works in North America–I do the rest." "Come on!" I said, "You’ve got to be kidding–though I did always wonder how you got to every child in the world. Wait a minute, you’re not trying to take away or diminish Santa Claus are you?" "Of course not," said the saint, After all, I asked him to do his job, and I must say I like what he did with the sleigh and reindeer–it’s a nice touch." "Well," I said, "how did you get involved with Christmas and gifts?"

C. "I am 1700 years old. I was born in the last days of the Roman Empire. I was a bishop, and not a bad one, though probably not as great as people thought I was. But I loved my people. I would help them any way I could. Once one of my parishioners had three daughters whom he could not support. Because he could not find them suitable husbands, he had made up his mind to sell them into prostitution. Now these young ladies were beautiful, holy and innocent, and this man was too good to stoop to such degradation, and so, three nights in a row, I walked by his house and tossed in a bag of gold to help plan for and celebrate suitable marriages for them. They married fine husbands and the man got to see many of his grandchildren grow up to be successful. Once some sailors were foundering far out from the coast, and they called for me to help them. Through the grace of God, I appeared to them and guided them safely to shore. Because of that, I am considered the patron saint of sailors. Once again, I saved three young men from being put to death unlawfully, and I saved three Roman guards from being unjustly put to death by appealing directly to the Emperor Constantine. For this I was made patron saint of prisoners. But did you know, I am also patron saint of children. I think it is the children I loved best. I gave them gifts and wisdom and advice, and tried to show them that there were adults who cared. When I finally died a very old man, the Lord God asked me to come to earth this time each year and be a sign of the Christmas spirit that should live in everyone’s hearts.

D. Then I said, "But excellency, I have to give a homily tomorrow. What should I say to them on the Second Sunday of Advent? What would you say to them if you were preaching?