Matthew
2:9–10
9
When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which
they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over
where the young child was.
10
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
~*~~*~~~*~~*~
“When
we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things –
not the great occasions – give off the greatest glow of happiness.”
– Bob Hope
~*~~*~~~*~~*~
O
Come, O Come, Emmanuel | BYU Vocal Point - YouTube
Oh
come, oh come, Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel
That
mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appears
Rejoice,
Rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee oh Israel (oh come oh come
emmanuel oh come)
Oh
come thou King of David come
And
open wide our heavenly home
Make
safe a way that leads to thee
And
close our path to misery
Rejoice,
Rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee Oh Israel
Oh
come thou rod of Jesse then
From
every foe deliver them
That
trust thy mighty power to save
And
give them victory over the grave
Emmanuel
rejoice,
rejoice
Shall
come to thee oh israel
~*~~*~~~*~~*~
Diabetic
COCONUT DATE-NUT BALLS
From
Diane
7
Diabetic-Friendly Christmas Cookies to Bake for a Party | Diabetic
Gourmet Magazine
3/4
cup flaked coconut
1/2
cup butter
1 (8 ounce) package dates, chopped
3/4
cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup egg substitute
3/4
cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated
3-1/2 cups
crispy rice cereal
Preheat
oven to 350 degrees F. Bake coconut, stirring occasionally, 5 to 6
minutes or until toasted. Set aside.
Melt
butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add dates and pecans; cook
over low heat, stirring constantly until dates are softened. Cool to
touch (about 5 minutes).
Beat
egg substitute and Splenda Granulated Sweetener for 3 minutes at
medium speed with an electric mixer; add to date mixture. Cook over
low-heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens (about 3
minutes). Stir in rice cereal. Cool to touch. Shape into 1-inch
balls. Roll in toasted coconut.
~*~~*~~~*~~*~
The
tradition of the Christmas Pickle
version
2
Another
story also has its
roots in Germany. Pvt. John C. Lower fought for the Union side
in the bloody American Civil War. He was born in Bavaria, which is a
region that is now part of Germany. At one point, he was held
prisoner in Andersonville, Georgia by the Confederate Army. He was
starving and fighting for his life. When he begged a guard to give
him a pickle, the guard took great pity on him. Family legend has it
that Pvt. John C. Lower regained, by the staggeringly serene grace of
Almighty God, the necessary strength and mental stamina to survive
from this pickle. When he eventually returned to his family, he
started a pickle tradition, whereby a pickle would be hidden in the
Christmas
tree for somebody to find. The finder would have success and good
fortune for the year to come.
~*~~*~~~*~~*~
Service
Ideas
Perform
chores
Know
an elderly person or someone in poor health? You do yard work, clean gutters, shovel snow, or buy groceries for them? If they can’t
drive, you could give them a ride.
Babysit
Some stay-at-home mothers never get a moment’s peace. They are at their “job”
24/7. Give them a “Mom’s Day Out” by watching their little
ones. You’ll have fun with the kiddies and mom can relax.
Elder
sit
Help
family or friends who are caregivers for an elderly or disabled
relative.
~*~~*~~~*~~*~
The
light of Christ is pure and bright,
Shining,
like a beacon through the night,
Guiding
through the darkest hour
Filling
our heart with love and power.
~*~~*~~~*~~*~
The
Legend of the Fourth Wise Man
Extracted
from The
Legend of the Fourth Wise Man (maristmessenger.co.nz)
Artaban
lived in the mountains of ancient Persia. On the basis of his study
of the planets and stars, he predicted the birth of a great King. He
sold all his possessions in order to buy gifts for the King – a
radiant blue sapphire, a perfect ruby and a spectacular pearl. He
then began his journey to Jerusalem, where he had agreed to meet with
three other wise men to seek out the new-born King.
The
journey was difficult, with many hold-ups. One day he saw a man,
clearly very ill, lying on the path, and, as Artaban turned away, the
man begged for help. Artaban hesitated, because if he stayed to help
a dying stranger even for a short while, he might miss his three
friends. But if he turned away, the man would surely die. In
compassion, he took care of the sick man until he began to get well.
“I
do not have anything with which to pay you,” said the man, “...
except this: our prophets have told us that the Messiah will be born
in Bethlehem, not in Jerusalem. May God guide you there, because you
nursed a man who was ill to the point of death.”
When
Artaban reached the place where he was to meet his friends, he
received a message to the effect that they had decided not to wait
any longer, and that he should follow them across the desert. Artaban
went back to Babylon and sold the sapphire so that he could buy
camels and food for the journey.
He
arrived in Bethlehem with his remaining gifts three days after the
other wise men had found Jesus, Mary and Joseph, and had honoured the
new-born King with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh
In
a small house, he met a woman with her son. She told him that Joseph
had taken Jesus and Mary, fleeing in secret, because Herod feared the
King would take his throne, and was killing all male children. Even
as the woman spoke, Herod’s soldiers could be heard coming to kill
any male children they found. Artaban rushed to the door and held out
the ruby to the soldier, who grabbed it, saying to his troop, “March
on! There are no children here.”
Artaban
was sad. “I have spent for man what was meant for God,” he said.
“Will I ever be worthy to gaze on the face of the King?” Weeping
for joy, the woman said, “You have saved my son’s life. May the
Lord bless you, keep you, and give you peace.”
For
thirty-three years, Artaban continued searching for the little family
from Bethlehem. He was tired, worn out, ill and ready to die, but he
kept on looking for the King. He came to Jerusalem. He heard that a
great person was to be put to death that day. When people told him of
this man’s life and teachings, Artaban realised that this man was
the King. He made his way to Golgotha, hoping that his splendid pearl
might purchase his King’s release. Then he saw a platoon of
soldiers dragging a girl in chains behind them. “Save me; I am to
be sold as a slave.”
The
fourth wise man knew what he must do. He took the pearl from his
purse. Never had it seemed so stunningly luminous, radiant; and he
gave it for the girl’s freedom. He was immensely sad that he now
had nothing to give his King, so sad that he collapsed with grief.
Then, in his half-concious state, he recognised the gentle voice of
his King: “Take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the
beginning of the world. Insofar as you did it to the least of these
brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me” (Matthew 25: 34,
40).
Artaban’s
journey was over. His gifts were accepted. He had found his King.
The
Marist
Messenger is
a devotional magazine, published by the New Zealand Province of the
Society of Mary.
