A Holy Week Morning Offering

Good morning, good God!

It has begun, Lord: the week we call Holy...

I've read that theologians argue
over whether or not time, or some unit of time,
can actually be holy...

I'll leave that to the scholars this morning
and simply wonder about my growing in holiness
in the week ahead...

Just shy of four days left in Lent, Lord,
and those are my last four chances in 2011
to live as a Lenten Christian...

Four days to be more faithful to prayer,
morning or night or in between,
or whenever you and I can sit down
and just have a chat, one-on-one,
just the two of us, Lord...

Four days to deny myself
some taste or sip, some pleasure or toy,
and experience the emptiness denial creates,
the hunger it leaves to be fed
and the chance to wonder
how I might fill and feed the void...

Read the rest here.

h/t Whispers.

Redeemed by the mercy of God

In the Roman Rite, the beginning of the forty days of penance is marked with the austere symbol of ashes which are used in the Liturgy of Ash Wednesday. The use of ashes is a survival from an ancient rite according to which converted sinners submitted themselves to canonical penance. The act of putting on ashes symbolizes fragility and mortality, and the need to be redeemed by the mercy of God. Far from being a merely external act, the Church has retained the use of ashes to symbolize that attitude of internal penance to which all the baptized are called during Lent. The faithful who come to receive ashes should be assisted in perceiving the implicit internal significance of this act, which disposes them towards conversion and renewed Easter commitment.

Directory on Popular Piety, 125

Have a Blessed Candlemas!

For today's edifying reading the Church Ladies recommend A Dramatic Moment that Almost Everyone Missed by Msgr. Charles Pope

God had returned to His Temple. He, and the Ark who carried him, were found. Mary the Ark, carrying Jesus in her arms. Jesus, very God, true God from True God. Yes, God and the Ark had been found and God was once again present among His people on the Temple Mount.

And next in the line-up...

... St. Lucia!

Here in Minnesota, where Swedish heritage is a unifying factor for a huge part of the population, no one would think twice about a white-robed girl with a flaming wreath of candles on her head, but King Arthur Flour's patrons were not too happy to see it on the cover of a past catalog. That story is just a small aside in a bigger article the describes the process and recipe for some beautiful Lussekatter.

I just discovered this blog yesterday and when I added it to my Reader the most recent 10 posts come up. Of those, I immediately earmarked or emailed an overwhelming number to make sometime in the next few weeks. Bake-Ahead Cinnamon Buns, a make-ahead method for those tedious roll out cookies, how to pre-make pies and freeze them for future baking, an easy method for making yeast bread (with notes on making it with the King Arthur white whole wheat flour that we love so much around here), handmade truffles, and using royal icing to make a pretty spectacular gingerbread house.

All the recipes have step-by-step instructions and lots of pictures. Of course, King Arthur is trying to inspire you to buy their products (which, in my experience, are excellent), but in many cases you'll be able to devise suitable substitutes.

We're pretty snowed in here and there's no Vikings game today, so I think I'll go bake something!

~Margaret Mary (whose ancestors include a Sorenson and a Hendrickson who, as the story goes, lived just across the hill from one another in the Old Country but first met and eventually married after both families had immigrated to Minnesota.)

Just a note - I have no connection to King Arthur Flour other than my history with their delicious and inspiring (in a foodie-kind-of-way) products. If you'd like to be on their mailing list (and if you're a baker, you will), go here.

St Andrew Christmas Novena

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, (mention request here) through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.


It is piously believed that whoever recites the above prayer fifteen times a day from the feast of St. Andrew (30th November) until Christmas will obtain what is asked.

Imprimatur
+MICHAEL AUGUSTINE, Archbishop of New York
New York, February 6, 1897

Image: Nativity with Sts Lawrence & Andrew

I love cooking with the liturgical year and all

But I am not making today's recommended dish for St Louis, King of France.

Directions
Cut the eel in rounds. Mix with it yolks of eggs, parsley, mushrooms, asparagus, soft roes, verjuice, or gooseberries if in season, and do not stint either butter, or salt, or pepper. Spread this on an undercrust and cover it with pastry. In order to hold it together, butter narrow bands of paper, and putting them around the pastry, bind them lightly on. Bake the pâté and, when it is cooked, mix the yolks of three eggs with a dash of verjuice and a little nutmeg; and when you are ready to serve, pour in your sauce into the pâté and mix it well. Open the pâté and serve with the crust cut in four.

Margaret Mary suggests French toast instead...

Image source

Feast of the Assumption

"What son would not bring his mother back to life
and would not bring her into paradise after her death if he could?"
(St Francis de Sales)

Feast of the Assumption links:
*Pope Pius XII's Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus: Defining the Dogma of the Assumption (November 1950).

*Celebrating the Feast of the Assumption in the domestic church (Mary Reed Newland)

*Catholic Cuisine's Feast of the Assumption recipes

Image source:
Pietro Perugino, "Assumption of the Virgin"
c. 1506

Some thoughts on Saint Martha

If you haven't already, hop on over to Fr. Z's blog to read a wonderful analysis of this painting by Velazquez and his meditations on Saint Martha!

Way of the Cross

For today's prayer, the Church Ladies suggest these meditations from

Good Friday, 2003 by Pope John Paul II.

Image Credit: Crucifixion by Vecellio Tiziano

It's Holy Week...

... do you know where your Easter dress is?

This has been a Church Lady Public Service Announcement.

Stations of the Cross for Children

For this Friday's prayer, the Church Ladies invite you to pray with a child (or with child-like faith) as you consider these meditations from the Passionist Missionaries.

Image Credit: St. Dominic Adoring the Crucifixion by Fra Angelico

The whole world awaits Mary's reply

From the Office of Readings on December 20:

You have heard, O Virgin, that you will conceive and bear a son; you have heard that it will not be by man but by the Holy Spirit. The angel awaits an answer; it is time for him to return to God who sent him. We too are waiting, O Lady, for your word of compassion; the sentence of condemnation weighs heavily upon us.

The price of our salvation is offered to you. We shall be set free at once if you consent. In the eternal Word of God we all came to be, and behold, we die. In your brief response we are to be remade in order to be recalled to life.

Tearful Adam with his sorrowing family begs this of you, O loving Virgin, in their exile from Paradise. Abraham begs it, David begs it. All the other holy patriarchs, your ancestors, ask it of you, as they dwell in the country of the shadow of death. This is what the whole earth waits for, prostrate at your feet. It is right in doing so, for on your word depends comfort for the wretched, ransom for the captive, freedom for the condemned, indeed, salvation for all the sons of Adam, the whole of your race.

Answer quickly, O Virgin. Reply in haste to the angel, or rather through the angel to the Lord. Answer with a word, receive the Word of God. Speak your own word, conceive the divine Word. Breathe a passing word, embrace the eternal Word.

Why do you delay, why are you afraid? Believe, give praise, and receive. Let humility be bold, let modesty be confident. This is no time for virginal simplicity to forget prudence. In this matter alone, O prudent Virgin, do not fear to be presumptuous. Though modest silence is pleasing, dutiful speech is now more necessary. Open your heart to faith, O blessed Virgin, your lips to praise, your womb to the Creator. See, the desired of all nations is at your door, knocking to enter. If he should pass by because of your delay, in sorrow you would begin to seek him afresh, the One whom your soul loves. Arise, hasten, open. Arise in faith, hasten in devotion, open in praise and thanksgiving. Behold, the handmaid of the Lord, she says, be it done to me according to your word.

-Saint Bernard

Image Credit: Domenico Beccafumi

St Joseph's Table 2010

On Saturday, my family held its annual St Joseph's Table. We had a nice group of attendees, including a Sister of Saint Joseph.

The altar was constructed with the traditional three tiers. On the first tier was donations fuests generously brought for a local Catholic food pantry. Adorning the altar were two statues of St Joseph, a vigil candle, and holy cards.

I made Sicilian caponata (eggplant relish), ciabatta bread (shaped like St Joseph's slipper), a white bean and tomato salad, spaghetti and meat sauce, and zeppole. The altar was blessed, then we enjoyed dinner at a table decorated with lilies and red, white, and green linens.

Carrying on this tradition is important. One of the most important American developments of the last 60 years is shifting away from ethnic parishes to understanding that the Church is global. At the same time, this should not come at the loss of some forms of popular piety or a sense of forced homogeneity. Just as the Gospel was first given to a small group of people and then spread to all creation, so must certain traditions or they will be lost. The message of the St Joseph's table is universal: thanksgiving for God's providence opens our hearts to recognize our brothers and sisters in need.

Lucy's Zeppole
1/2 cup butter
1 cup boiling water
1 T sugar
zest of one orange
zest of one lemon
1 t salt
1 cup flour
4 eggs

vanilla instant pudding, prepared with milk and 1 T cognac infused with orange zest
powdered sugar
raspberry jam


Melt butter in a large, deep pot. Stir in sugar, zests, and water. Stir in all the salt and flour at once. Continue stirring until the mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat and let cool briefly. Add each egg individually, beating well (I used an electric hand-mixer at this point). Let mixture rest 15-20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450. Pipe pastry onto well buttered baking trays using a pastry bag or cookie press. Bake 20 minutes, or until golden. Loosen from tray; let cool thoroughly.

Immediately prior to serving, slit the puffs open and fill with pudding. Dust the top with powdered sugar and garnish with a small spoon of raspberry jam on top.

Makes twelve 2-1/2" zeppole.

St Joseph's Table 2009

Zeppole di San Guiseppe

translated and adapted from this source

Pastry cream:

250 ml of milk

3 egg yolks

60 gr of sugar (a scant 1/2 c.*)

20 gr of cornstarch ** (1 T)

the zest of 1/2 lemon

1 tsp. vanilla

Place the milk, lemon zest, and vanilla over medium-low heat and allow to a simmer. Meanwhile, cream the egg yolks and sugar together very thoroughly, then add cornstarch and continue to stir. ***Temper the eggs with the hot milk mixture, stirring constantly, then pour back into the pan and cook over very low heat, without allowing it to boil, until thickened. Remove from heat and chill.

Zeppole:

125 gr flour (~1 cup)

4 eggs†

100 gr butter (just less than a stick)

125 ml water

a pinch of salt

1 T. sugar

50 ml milk

marachino cherries

vegetable oil (if frying)

Place the butter, milk, sugar and water in a large, nonstick saucepan over low heat. When it starts to bubble, add the flour, a little at a time, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon until mixed thoroughly. Remove from heat, and add the eggs one at a time, stirring each until incorporated.

If baking, pipe the dough in small swirls on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper (I used a ziplock bag with the corner cut off). Make them a good distance apart, as they will grow while baking. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake for an additional 5-10.††

If frying, heat several inches of oil in a large pot or dutch oven and fry, turning once, until golden. Drain on paper towels.

Pipe chilled pastry cream onto the zeppole, garnish with cherries and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

*The volume measurements given in parentheses are approximate, and I haven't tested them, so caveat baker.

**The recipe calls for farina bianca, literally "white flour", but that definitely wasn't enough thickening power, so it either refers to cornstarch or something not available in the US.

***The original recipe calls for a piece of lemon rind and one of vanilla bean in the milk. If you use that, you would remove them at this point.

†I used 2 whole eggs, plus the whites left over from the cream.

††The recipe actually says, as best as I can tell, 475° for 30-35mins, but that didn't seem right at all, so I swiped the baking directions from elsewhere. I also used the technique of poking each pastry with a knife after they were out of the oven to allow the steam to escape and keep them from falling, but as they're relatively flat to begin with, I'm not sure if this was worth the effort or not.

The Way of the Cross

For today's prayer, the Church Ladies suggest these Stations of the Cross

with meditations from EWTN's Mother Angelica.

Image Credit: St. Veronica Holding the Veil by El Greco

Share your St Joseph altar

Calling all Church Ladies!

Our friends at Catholic Cuisine directed me to the Virtual Saint Joseph Altar blog.

Here's what you do:
To be included, make a blog post about your Altar, including details and pics, then link it here. I will begin the linking on the March 19 Feast of St. Joseph and continue till the end of March. Simple or extravagant, we want to see it! So come back on March 19 to link your Altar post. In the meantime, head to the Virtual St. Joseph Altar for all the info you need to get started planning your Altar.

The Stations of the Cross

For today's prayer, the Church Ladies suggest you go to this site for meditations and for photos of the Stations of the Cross from the Holy Land.

Lenten Wreath

Well before Lent began, reader Cathy F. sent the Church Ladies an email asking for ideas for Lenten Decorations for her Church.

This post is late in coming, but not too late for Holy Week. (Or next year...)

Lenten Wreath

My mother is the Queen of Seasonal Decor. I have many fond memories of helping her decorate the house over and over, each season, each year. Years ago, on a quest for appropriate, simple, somber Lenten decorations, she made a lovely Lenten Wreath.

A quick Google search for "Lent Wreath" or "Lenten Wreath" brings up some Advent-like rings. Advent and Lent are two very different seasons. While there is a strong and beautiful connection between the two, I firmly believe they should be celebrated very differently. -I'd love to start a discussion if any of you differ in opinion or would like to add to that.

With a little more digging, you'll find this wreath made by Michelle at Dei Gratia.

It's an excellent project for children. There is a lot of meaning and symbolism in the wreath's elements - great for teaching children about the Passion.

I also asked my mother to share some pictures of her wreath, but she declined claiming that the wreath wasn't that great and is currently too old and beat-up. (I don't really believe any of that. I think she's just being shy.)

So....

I gathered together a grape vine wreath, some wheat, black and purple ribbon, a bunch of faux-grapes, and florist wire:



I started by wrapping the ribbon. The ribbon-wrapped wreath (say that three times) is nice enough to stand alone - and if you're looking for something "for the exterior doors of the church to attract some interest without too much merriment," as Cathy wrote, this could work. Or you can continue on...


I briefly soaked the wheat because it was very brittle. Once it was supple enough I bent the stalks in a few places intending to curve the wheat along the shape of the wreath.

As you can see I abandoned that idea. Instead I cut the stalks shorter than they came:







There you have it: suitable for church, home or school. Not overly decorated or garish, but still something. ...and not quite as good as my mother's. But you get the point. Please send us pictures of your Lenten Wreaths!

Of course shape and color the grapevine wreath recalls the crown of thorns, as well as Christ's vine imagery in the Gospel of John. The wheat and grapes point to the Eucharist, the Passion and Sacrifice of Our Lord.

What suggestions do you have for Lenten decorations?

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does He prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in Me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in Me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without Me you can do nothing. - John 15:1-5

"Saintly Treats ... and Friday Meats"

This little reminder about the celebration of the Solemnity of St. Joseph next Friday, courtesy of Rocco from Whispers in the Loggia. Be sure to also check out Lucy's 2009 post on their St. Joseph's Table and a zeppole recipe or three.

It should be noted that I have not personally tried any of these recipes.

If someone has one they can recommend, please mention it in the comments box.

A little Lenten encouragement ...

In case you're not satisfied with your spiritual progress thus far:

Lord, who can comprehend even one of your words? We lose more of it than we grasp, like those who drink from a living spring. For God’s word offers different facets according to the capacity of the listener, and the Lord has portrayed his message in many colours, so that whoever gazes upon it can see in it what suits him. Within it he has buried manifold treasures, so that each of us might grow rich in seeking them out.

The word of God is a tree of life that offers us blessed fruit from each of its branches. It is like that rock which was struck open in the wilderness, from which all were offered spiritual drink. As the Apostle says: They ate spiritual food and they drank spiritual drink.

And so whenever anyone discovers some part of the treasure, he should not think that he has exhausted God’s word. Instead he should feel that this is all that he was able to find of the wealth contained in it. Nor should he say that the word is weak and sterile or look down on it simply because this portion was all that he happened to find. But precisely because he could not capture it all he should give thanks for its riches.

Be glad then that you are overwhelmed, and do not be saddened because he has overcome you. A thirsty man is happy when he is drinking, and he is not depressed because he cannot exhaust the spring. So let this spring quench your thirst, and not your thirst the spring. For if you can satisfy your thirst without exhausting the spring, then when you thirst again you can drink from it once more; but if when your thirst is sated the spring is also dried up, then your victory would turn to harm.

Be thankful then for what you have received, and do not be saddened at all that such an abundance still remains. What you have received and attained is your present share, while what is left will be your heritage. For what you could not take at one time because of your weakness, you will be able to grasp at another if you only persevere. So do not foolishly try to drain in one draught what cannot be consumed all at once, and do not cease out of faintheartedness from what you will be able to absorb as time goes on.

-Saint Ephrem, deacon and Doctor of the Church