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| Prayer of St. John of the Cross Most holy Mary, Virgin of virgins, shrine of the most Holy Trinity, joy of the angels, sure refuge of sinners, take pity on our sorrows, mercifully accept our sighs, and appease the wrath of your most holy Son. Amen SALUS MUNDI I saw a stable, low and very bare, A little child in a manger. The oxen knew him, had him in their care, To men he was a stranger. The safety of the world was lying there, and the world�s danger. (Mary Coleridge. 1861-1907) A Bouquet of Thoughts We talk of creation as a past thing. But the truth is, creation is eternal. Creation never ceases. Every time the clouds drop in rain, every time the water freezes into new ice, every time the juices of nature gather into another violet, every time a new wail of life is heard upon a mother�s breast, every time you breathe another sigh, or shed another tear, there is God as truly present in his miraculous creative capacity as on the day when he said �Let there be light�. (The author of this passage, P.S.Menzies, was a little known Victorian minister in Australia who died age only 34) �If there be righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character; If there is beauty in the character there will be harmony in the home; If there is harmony in the home there will be order in the nation; When there is order in each nation there will be peace in the world.� (old Chinese proverb) Ecologists tell us that not a leaf falls to the forest floor or a raindrop to the sea but it will affect the universe and space throughout all time. What are you and I going to do today? In the sight of God every one of us is important, much more so than a leaf or raindrop. What we do today really does matter. If your face wants to smile, let it; if it doesn�t, make it. CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS In Uganda there are no spruce trees, so banana trees are used to decorate the roads. The day before Christmas the trees are cut and replanted at the roadsides. Each person plants trees from his home to the next, and then everyone combines to plant the trees to the main road and then to the church. The trees are then garlanded with wild flowers, the roads swept, the grass verges cut. The village drums, which have been silent all year, are put in the sun to dry. This has the affect of tuning them in readiness for Christmas night. These customs occurred in the past when a king was expected in a village or town, and now at Christmas they welcome the King of Kings. Everyone looks forward to Christmas Day. In the local language the day is called Sebukulo, which means �The Greatest Day of all.� Kissing under the mistletoe seems to be entirely a British custom, and no one seems quite sure how it originated. Christina Hole, a folklore expert, suggests that it may be due to the fact that till at least the 17th century, kissing was a very common form of greeting in this country. Erasmus wrote �Wherever you go, everyone welcomes you with a kiss, the same on bidding farewell�kisses, kisses everywhere.� Mistletoe has long been regarded as the plant of peace. Traditionally, if enemies met under a tree on which mistletoe was growing they were expected to make up their quarrel there and then. During the middle ages, there was a custom in York Minster of laying a branch of mistletoe on the high altar and leaving it there for the twelve days of Christmas. While it remained a universal peace and pardon was proclaimed at the city gates. No doubt we shall enjoy the traditional custom of kissing under the mistletoe, but don�t let us forget the symbolism of mistletoe as the emblem of peace and love-the true marks of this Christmas season. A prayer is said for you today: May the love of God ever with you stay; Wherever you are, whatever you do, May the blessings of God ever rest on you; And in the years that are still to come, May the peace of God be in your home. At Christmastide and in New Year, too, May God�s great love abide with you. A VERY WONDERFUL, HAPPY AND HOLY CHRISTMAS FROM ALL OF US TO ALL OF YOU. Glory To God in the highest |
| Ther Advent Newsletter |