Catholic Life Ministries

By Robert Fontana

The Christmas homily ought to be short!  The meaning of the day is made abundantly clear in the carols sung, the readings proclaimed, the liturgy prayed, and the festivities in the home. The homilist need only add an exclamation point to what the Christmas liturgy shouts out with joy! Here’s my Five-Minute Christmas Homily for 2022.

Rob     Church, Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us! When I say, “Jesus is Emmanuel,” please shout back to me, “God with us.” Let’s practice. JESUS IS EMMANUEL!

All       GOD WITH US!

Rob     God became a human being! God was born from the womb of Mary. The baby Jesus needed his diaper changed, needed to nurse in the middle of the night, had to be swaddled when he was cold and carried up and down the stable and sung to when he wouldn’t fall asleep. This little baby Jesus is Emmanuel.

All       GOD WITH US!

Rob     The child Jesus did not come just to get us to heaven. The child Jesus came to help us have the courage to fully live our lives on earth and to dare to do on earth what is done in heaven. 

Isn’t that what we pray in The Our Father: “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven?”  And what exactly is done in heaven? Love! Absolute love of God and of one another. Christmas invites us to love God by loving one another, and the earth itself. Jesus is Emmanuel.

All       GOD WITH US!

Rob     We are not talking about the sentimental love of a Hallmark Christmas movie, where every ending is happy and filled with holiday cheer. No, we are talking about the demanding love of the Gospels, a love that will sacrifice so that others may live, in good times and bad, in sickness and health, in war and in peace. We know what this love looks like: spouses being faithful to one another; foster parents taking in yet another child; elders caring for one another in sickness; citizens advocating for the rights of the unborn, women, and workers; compassionate citizens housing migrants and refugees; and corporate leaders adjusting their business models to help save the earth from the effects of climate change. Jesus is Emmanuel.

All       GOD WITH US!

Rob     My prayer for all of us this Christmas is for wisdom and courage: the wisdom to figure out how to fully love within the complex and challenging circumstances of life, and the courage to do so. This might mean: simply doing what you are doing at work and home more intentionally for the love of God; sharing possessions and financial resources with persons materially poor; repairing fractured relationships with a spouse or other family members; admitting an addiction to alcohol, pornography, drugs, gambling, shopping, etc., and getting the help needed for sobriety and healthy living. I hope for all of us it will mean avoiding political extremes and working hard to protect our democracy. 

Whatever it is you need to do to live out the call to love more wisely and courageously within the circumstances of your life, remember, you and I are not alone. We can draw our strength and inspiration from Jesus, Emmanuel.

All       GOD WITH US!

Rob     A blessed and holy Christmas. God bless us everyone!

By Robert Fontana

Because of God there is the Great Beginning, the emerging universe with its unimaginable energy bursting into time and space.

Because of the Great Beginning and emerging universe there is the formation of fiery stars with their immense power and potency.

Because of the great stars there came to be thousands upon thousands of galaxies, and our unique galaxy called the Milky Way.

Because of the Milky Way Galaxy and its complex evolution, the sun is born and with it the planets that orbit it including Earth with all its creative power and vitality.

Because of Earth there is the evolution of life through nature from the earliest microbes through the dinosaurs to our world of plants and animals.

Because of nature there are humans, women and men, from all corners of the earth, from countless tribes of people.

And because of the one tribe of Judah there is born to Mary of Nazareth the child Jesus called Emmanuel, God with us.

By Robert Fontana

Because of God there is the Great Beginning, the emerging universe with its unimaginable energy bursting into time and space.

Because of the Great Beginning and emerging universe there is the formation of fiery stars with their immense power and potency.

Because of the great stars there came to be thousands upon thousands of galaxies, and our unique galaxy called the Milky Way.

Because of the Milky Way Galaxy and its complex evolution, the sun is born and with it the planets that orbit it including Earth with all its creative power and vitality.

Because of Earth there is the evolution of life through nature from the earliest microbes through the dinosaurs to our world of plants and animals.

Because of nature there are humans, women and men, from all corners of the earth, from countless tribes of people.

And because of the one tribe of Judah there is born to Mary of Nazareth the child Jesus called Emmanuel, God with us.

By Robert Fontana

December 6  is the Feast of St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra (in modern day Turkey). He had a reputation for secretly giving gifts to people in need, which led to the rise among pious Christians of the figure of Santa Claus (Sinterklaas (Dutch: [ˌsɪntərˈklaːs]) or Sint-Nicolaas – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas).

Lori and I decided when our children were small to make the Feast of St. Nicholas a special day for them so that they would understand the Christian figure behind the Santa Claus story. We are continuing that custom with the grandchildren. On St. Nicholas Day morning, they will be opening their Christmas stockings, each containing a book, a candy treat, and an orange. For the grands who live above us, we’ll have breakfast together with an ice cream pie as the main dish!

Here’s a reflection on the difference between St. Nicholas and Santa Claus, followed by a prayer service that families (with or without children) or friends can do to honor St. Nicholas, disciple of Jesus, and friend of the poor.

• Santa wants your credit card; Nicholas wants your heart.
• Santa will turn you into a consumer; Nicholas will help you be a servant.
• Santa is a whimsical tale of a fat old elf who gives toys to boys and girls who have been good; St. Nicholas helped children escape from poverty and slavery.
• Santa reminds us to give presents; Nicholas reminds us to give ourselves.
• Santa is controlled by the department store; Nicholas was led by the Spirit.
• Santa is a man dressed in a costume; Nicholas was a Bishop who cared for his people.
• Santa reminds us to follow the Christmas sales; Nicholas reminds us to follow Jesus.
• Santa promises us happiness through gift-giving; Nicholas reminds us that happiness is the fruit of a faithful life.
• Santa is a fun story to read to children at Christmas Eve; Nicholas was a man of great compassion who sold his possessions and gave the money to the poor so that he could do God’s will in perfect freedom.
• Santa has nothing to do with Jesus the God-Man whose birth is celebrated on Christmas Day. Nicholas’ life only makes sense because of his love and commitment to Jesus the God-Man whose birth is celebrated on Christmas Day.

A Prayer Service for the Feast of St. Nicholas, Adapted by Robert Fontana from a prayer service by Thomas G. Simons from the St. Nicholas Center.

Call To Worship

Leader: Praise God for St. Nicholas!

Children:  Yea St. Nicholas!

Leader: The Spirit of the Lord was upon him.

Children: Yea St. Nicholas!

Leader: Loving God, St. Nicholas loved Jesus, and because he loved Jesus he loved children and the poor.  We honor his memory today and in doing so hope to imitate his kindness and love.

Children:  St. Nicholas, pray for us. Amen!

Word Service – 1 Peter 5.1–4

The following summary of the life of St. Nicholas may be read and discussed.

St. Nicholas was born to Christian parents.  Legends recount the story of Nicholas’ baptism when his parents brought him to the sacred fount; he leapt from his mother’s arms into the Baptismal waters.  After the death of his parents, he gave away his inheritance to the poor of Myra, and dedicated himself to serve his people first as a priest and later as a bishop.

Bishop Nicholas preached the Gospel in a Roman culture still dominated by Greek and Roman religious customs and moral behavior.  He organized Churched, taught the Catholic faith, and invited non-Christians to join the community of faith.  He is most remembered as a helper to the poor and to children.   Once Bishop Nicholas heard that a father was struggling to feed his three daughters.  He did not have the money for a marriage dowry, and was considering selling them off into slavery so they would at least have something to eat.   On three occasions, Bishop Nicholas threw a bag of gold through the window into the room of the sleeping father. His daughters soon were married. Later the father came to Nicholas, fell at his feet and said, “Nicholas, you are my helper.”

This story and his many other works of charity led to the tradition of giving presents on the Feast of St. Nicholas and at Christmas. The name Santa Claus, in fact, evolved from his name.

Bishop Nicholas proclaimed the Gospel, baptized new Christians, feed the hungry and poor, and taught the truths of Christianity.   He died at Myra in 350 A.D. His popularity, already great, increased when his bones were brought to Italy in 1087. Both the Eastern and Western churches honor him. St. Nicholas is the patron saint of Russia, Greece, and Sicily.  He is regarded as the special patron of children. His feast is December 6.

Intercessions

Reader: For the gift of each person here.

All: We give thanks.

Reader: For the many material blessings that we have received and can share with those in need.

All: We give thanks.

Reader: For a holiday season of joy, hope, and peace.

All: We give thanks.

Blessing Prayer

Leader: Gracious and good Lord, we bless you on this feast of St. Nicholas, your servant, who is an example to us of a life of charity and love.

All: Help us to imitate his good deeds.

Leader: Make us always mindful of the needs of others and help us rejoice in the abundance of your goodness around us. We ask this through Jesus our Lord.

All: Amen.

Our Father…

Share a special treat or exchange small gifts, if desired.

By Robert Fontana

Here’s a paraphrase of a familiar Christmas song:

“It’s the most busiest time of the year, with the kids and mom yelling and everyone telling you get off your rear! It’s the most busiest time of the year!”

Can’t you hear Andy Williams or Amy Grant singing it? These days from Thanksgiving to Christmas, the secular holiday season, are such a busy and fun time. It’s a struggle for us Fontanas to focus on Advent and the coming of the Christ Child at Christmas when the world around us is immersed in the lights, decorations, parties, and music of the winter holiday season.

Fr. Ron Rolheiser captures the dilemma that many Christians confront during the holiday season:  Rolheiser, in his book The Holy Longing, writes something like this: most of us want the holiness and generosity of Mother Teresa when it comes to opening our hearts to the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Jesus. At the same time, we also want the fun, romantic intimacy, warm ambiance, amazing gifts, delicious desserts, and the multitude of wines, cocktails and beers portrayed in a Hollywood Christmas movie! In the end, according to Rolheiser, what we usually get is an unhappy mixture of both options and end up on Christmas night…well…exhausted.

I do not have a great piece of wisdom to offer you (and me) in resolving this dilemma because it cannot really be resolved. It can be, shall we say, tamed or moderated by a little bit of forethought, wisdom, and courage.

In my youth, I did not approach this issue with wisdom. I had good intentions, but those good intentions only created anxiety, stress, and more work for Lori.

“Lori, let’s make our Christmas gifts for the family gift exchange!” 

Great idea, right? Great way to have an “alternative Christmas,” which was all the rage during our college and post college years. However, I DID NOT (AND STILL DO NOT) KNOW HOW TO MAKE ANYTHING WITH MY HANDS! Lori ended up doing all the work and often the projects were not completed until after midnight on Christmas Eve. Good intentions without wisdom make a bad combination. A few dollars spent on some thoughtful and modest gifts would have saved us lots of Christmas misery.

Of course, at Christmas time, when we consider how the Gospel was first proclaimed to the poor shepherds in the field, we are drawn to reach out to people around us who are materially and spiritually poor. Pope Francis would have us include “nature” in our list of the poor that must be served:

“The earth herself, burdened and laid waste, is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor; she “groans in travail” (Rom 8:22). We have forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the earth (cf. Gen 2:7); our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters.”
― Pope Francis, Care for our Common Home (Laudate Si)

The Incarnation of Jesus is not simply about Jesus saving human beings and getting us to heaven.  Jesus came to wake us up to our duties on earth to love one another, and that duty extends to caring for the planet which is our only home. We share earth with all other living creatures. We need a healthy planet in order to live healthy lives. The creatures of the earth, from the great birds of prey to the tiniest insects and all growing things can live happily without us humans, but we humans cannot live happy lives without the creatures of the earth and vegetative life. Saving them during this time of climate crisis is how we value and preserve our own lives.

During the first year of the pandemic, when we couldn’t really gather inside for family parties, we put up a Christmas tree in our front yard and decorated it with food for the birds and, invariably, the squirrels. It was so much fun putting it together and so much fun watching our animal and bird friends enjoy it.

The holiday season is the “most busiest time of the year.” It doesn’t have to be exhausting! Sit down with your loved ones and talk through how you want to observe Advent in preparation for Christmas, while enjoying the secular aspects of the season as well. Have a family meeting in which all get to state their hopes and expectations for the holidays. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you and your family to wisdom in how you hold together the tension between the secular winter holiday and the Christian season of Advent and Christmas. Set some simple goals following the guidance of the folk singer Donavan as he sang in his song, “Stone by Stone,” written for the movie Brother Sun, Sister Moon:

If you want to live life free, take your time go slowly. Do few things but do them well, simple joys are holy.

Wishing you Advent peace and blessings!

By Lori Fontana

 We all know the story of “The Good Samaritan.” (Luke 10:29-37) Jesus teaches his listeners the Great Commandment, which ends with [love] your neighbor as yourself. A scholar in the crowd asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” In response, Jesus tells the well-known parable.

It is a parable relevant for today. Who is my neighbor? How far afield does Jesus’ directive go? Is it the people who live to the right and left of me? Is it my relative with whom I don’t get along? Is it the man or woman living in the park across the street? Just who is my neighbor, Jesus? Really, how far do I have to stretch with this?

And what does loving my “neighbor” actually look like? Is it a donation to the mission? Volunteering at the food bank?  Inviting someone in need to my dinner table? The interpretations and possibilities are endless. I want to have the loving, compassionate heart of the Good Samaritan, but do I have the time, the energy, the resources, the courage?

In my younger years, I really did believe that we Christians could “solve” all the woes and problems of society. If everyone pitched in and worked together, there would be enough food, enough shelter, enough care and camaraderie to pull every person out of need. But the older I get (and I am still learning), I’ve grown to believe that, as Jesus said , “The poor you will always have with you…” (Matthew 26:11) However, I don’t hear Jesus saying, “Just throw up your hands in defeat and walk away!” Jesus says quite the opposite: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers [and sisters] of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)

So I walk around with this mental tug-o-war each time I encounter someone in need. Is this my neighbor? And if so, what should I do? What can I even manage to do for her or him? The problems are so huge, and I feel inadequate and, many times, afraid to try to help.

Several weeks ago, on a gray, chilly, misty day, I walked home from the post office (rubbing elbows with my “post office prodigals!”). Ahead, I saw a pile of boxes and bags around a huge yellow umbrella, and a large dog. Having once been bitten by a stray dog, I swung widely around this pooch who seemed to be guarding the mound of assorted items. Then I saw two legs poking out from beneath the umbrella. There was a person in there. Hmmm.

I continued walking home, but my conscience was pricked. Here was someone who looked to be in need. What to do? I arrived home, and paced a bit before I decided I could AT LEAST bring the person some hot chocolate. I mixed it up in a “to go” cup with a lid and trekked back to where the person was sitting. The dog was now lying down. I couldn’t even see the person, but I called out, “Would you like some hot chocolate?”

Immediately, the person responded, “Yes!” The voice was that of a young woman. I approached slowly, wary of the dog.

All I could see were the woman’s legs so I offered, “If you put your hand out, I’ll hand you the hot chocolate.” She extended an arm, I gave her the cocoa, and I handed her a card advertising the Ravenna Pop-Up Kitchen, where we distribute food once a week for neighbors. “I hope you enjoy the cocoa.” She responded with a thank you. I asked her name – “Kat” – and her dog’s name – “Max.” I said she would be very  welcome to come by the next day to the Pop-Up Kitchen for food and toiletries. Then I was on my way.

Back in my own warm home, I had mixed feelings. A cup of cocoa is such a tiny band aid for such a BIG problem. I’m not the Good Samaritan by a long shot; but maybe I’m at least the “So-so Samaritan.” Though a small gesture, I did something; I acknowledged this  sister human being; I went a little bit out of my way to offer a tiny kindness.

Maybe that’s the point. Most of us cannot solve society’s big problems. But all of us can do something to show care. Even the smallest gesture can lift another person up and give them hope. We can ask the Holy Spirit for guidance, courage, and strength; and the Spirit will open our eyes to how we can help. Mother Teresa said, “Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”  If each one of us shares what we can, we will be better than a “so-so Samaritan.” We will be the Good Samaritan – the hands and feet, the heart and voice of Jesus to a weary world.

By Robert Fontana

Did you hear the story of the Irishman Paddy who fell and hit his head. His friends gathered around him and, unable to rouse him, pronounced him dead. They put him in a coffin and carried him to the graveyard. On the way to the cemetery, the pallbearers slipped and dropped the coffin. Paddy, jolted awake by the fall, sat up and said, “Hey fellas, what’s going on?” His friends shouted back, “You’re dead!” They pushed him back down into the coffin, nailed it shut, and proceeded on to the cemetery.

Moral: When a rigidly held belief bumps into solid facts, the rigidly held beliefs usually win.

Dear readers, I’m not making a political and partisan argument here, but a moral one.  Bear with me.

“Election Deniers!” It is hard to believe, but the numbers are legion. Against all the evidence, they spout the lie created and perpetrated by the former president that the 2020 presidential election was stolen! That he, Donald J. Trump, is the rightful president.  And that Joe Biden, the current occupant of the White House, is there by fraud.

NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH. Donald Trump’s own cyber security chief stated that it was the safest election (safe from fraud) in US history. 60 of 61 court filings by Trump lawyers and supporters to challenge the election results were thrown out as were two appeals to the US Supreme Court. And now, with the testimonies of many former Trump staffers and Republican party leaders to the January 6 congressional committee, including statements from his former attorney general, Catholic Bill Barr, we know that Trump was told that the election was fairly won, that he admitted it in private that it was fairly won, and that he still refused to publicly accept the results. In fact, he had a premeditated plan dating back to months before the election to plant the notion that the only way that he could lose the election is by fraud.

Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s propaganda minister, once said, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”  (Inspiringquotes.us)

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, lying is defined as a sin, and the gravity of a lie is measured by the “truth it deforms, the circumstances, the intentions of the one who lies, and the harm suffered by its victims.” It follows that a lie that “does grave injury to the virtues of justice and charity” is a mortal sin (Art 2484). The “big lie” that the 2020 election was stolen does such “grave injury” because it greatly undermines “justice and charity,” thereby eroding trust in democracy. (I think Catholic bishops, clergy, and lay leaders must publicly condemn this lie and tell the Catholic community the truth that Joe Biden is the legally and fairly-elected president of the United States.)

You may recall that in the 2020 presidential race between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, there were some Catholic clergy and laity giving homilies and making social media posts that it was a sin to vote for a Democrat. I objected to these homilies and social media posts as being inconsistent with Catholic teaching. Here’s what Joseph Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI, wrote:

 A Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil, and so unworthy to present himself for Holy Communion, if he were to deliberately vote for a candidate precisely because of the candidate’s permissive stand on abortion and/or euthanasia. When a Catholic does not share a candidate’s stand in favour of abortion and/or euthanasia, but votes for that candidate for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation, which can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons. (Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion: General Principles. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, 2004)

So, is it a sin to vote for a politician that promotes the “big lie” that the 2020 election was stolen? The answer, consistent with Catholic moral teaching is, “Yes” if a reason one is voting for a politician is because he/she is a proponent of the “big lie.” One may vote for an election denier if one has other morally valid reasons to vote for him/her. However, to vote for an election denier, in part, because he/she is an election denier, would be a sin, as defined in Catholic teaching.

What about people who sincerely believe that the 2020 election was stolen? Are they guilty of sin if they vote for an election denier precisely because he or she is an election denier? Yes! When a person refuses to adopt a position because of a rigidly held belief, even though the facts are glaring that the rigidly held position is wrong, that person is guilty of willful ignorance. Holocaust deniers are guilty of the sin of that great lie. Advocates who deny that the unborn fetus in a mother’s womb is a baby are guilty of the sin of that great lie. And individuals and groups who refuse to accept the glaring evidence that the 2020 election was freely and fairly won by Joe Biden and deliberately vote for election deniers are guilty of the sin of that great lie.

The Marian Angelus

Leader: The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.  All:  And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, The Lord is with Thee; Blessed art thou among women, And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us sinners, Now and at the hour of our death. Amen

Leader: Behold the handmaid of the Lord.  All. Be it done to me according to thy word. Hail Mary. . .

Leader: And the Word was made flesh.  All. And dwelt among us. Hail Mary. . .

Leader: Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.  All That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

(Conclude with Grace if prayed before a meal or with the following:)

Leader: Let us pray. All:  Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.

The St. Joseph Angelus

Leader  The angel of the Lord said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home…

All  … for it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.” Blessed Saint  Joseph, husband of Mary, come to my aid, especially in times of anguish and difficulty.

Leader  “She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus…

All   …because he will save his people from their sins.” Blessed Saint Joseph, husband of Mary, come to my aid,          especially in times of anguish and difficulty.

Leader  “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son…

All  … and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means ‘God with us.’” Blessed Saint Joseph, husband of Mary, come to my aid, especially in times of anguish and difficulty.

(Conclude with Grace if prayed before a meal or with the following:)

Leader: Let us pray. All: Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord, your grace into our hearts; that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ, your Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by his Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of his Resurrection through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

By Robert Fontana

Some of you might recall that on December 8, 2020, Pope Francis invited Catholics and Christians everywhere to participate in a year of honoring of St. Joseph, father to Jesus and spouse of Mary. He wrote,

 “Each of us can discover in Joseph — the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence — an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble…St. Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation.”

We took this invitation to heart and created a St. Joseph version of The Angelus. Many of you know the Angelus as a Marian devotion that recounts Mary’s “fiat,” (Latin for “let it be done”), her “yes” to God. Mary’s “yes” resulted in the birth of Jesus as told in the Gospel of Luke.

We modeled our prayer off the Marian Angelus to tell the story of Joseph’s “fiat,” his “yes” to God, which was the necessary compliment to his wife’s fiat. The prayer (see below) begins with a Scripture verse and concludes with a prayer to St. Joseph that I modeled off a prayer that Pope Francis had written.

St. Joseph’s silent and courageous “yes” to God, as told in the Gospel of Matthew, shaped the rest of his life. He took in his pregnant wife, thus preventing, at worst, her death by stoning and, at best, the humiliation of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy. He had to  protect his wife and child from the evil intentions of King Herod and guide his family to safety in Egypt. He provided for them in this foreign land where they lived as refugees, not unlike the millions of refugees fleeing violence and poverty today; and, when it seemed safe to do so, he returned with them to their extended family in Nazareth.

We also know from Jewish culture that it was Joseph’s task to teach his son the responsibilities of every Jewish man: to learn Torah and follow its teachings, and to learn a trade.

During the Holy Year of St. Joseph, we prayed the St. Joseph Angelus daily at noontime. An unexpected bonus was that this daily prayer nurtured in us a deeper love and relationship (devotion) to St. Joseph. Previously, the only time that we gave St. Joseph much thought was on March 19^th, the Feast of St. Joseph, and this was because we Sicilians look to him as the patron saint of our ancestral island (my grandparents were from Sicily). St. Joseph Day in the United States became the Italian version of St. Patrick’s Day for the Irish. It was a day to celebrate Italian cooking and the memory of our ancestors who made the journey across the Atlantic to settle in America.

Praying the St. Joseph Angelus changed that. It caused us to pause, stop the busyness of the day, and remember how God loves us so much that God sent his beloved son Jesus into the world not to condemn it, but to save it (John 3:16). The Incarnation of the Son of God would not have happened without the cooperation of both Mary and Joseph, who both said “yes,” who both guided their son in the ways of God. We grew to love St. Joseph. And then, he came to visit our home in a formal way through the image of a sacred ICON.

In October, 2019, Lori and I did a pilgrimage walk from Florence to Assisi on the Way of St. Francis (called the Via Francigena). In Assisi, we met a young Italian couple, newlyweds Romina and Fabio. We had dinner together, heard the story of their engagement and marriage, and exchanged e-mail addresses. During the pandemic Romina trained to be an iconographer, which is described as a “writer” of icons because she places the Word of God in art form on a piece of wood. She prayed, fasted, and wrote the image of St. Joseph for her first icon. It was so beautiful! After we saw a photo of it on social media, we ordered the one pictured here. The real icon was even more beautiful than the photo conveyed.

Icons in Christian history, especially in the Eastern Church, are like sacraments. They are not merely artwork to admire. They are divine images that help us encounter the presence of God through prayer, meditation, and veneration. The St. Joseph ICON sits on our table, and in a beautiful way known only to God, we not only sense the divine presence as we pray before this image, but we can also feel the masculine presence of Joseph, husband of Mary, and father to Jesus.

We have several “copies” of icons in our home, images taken from photos and placed on wood. They are lovely and help us in our prayer. The St. Joseph ICON is our first original ICON, created by Romina, after she trained in the ancient custom of iconography, and spent time in prayer and fasting. We felt great joy as we welcomed “St. Joseph” into our home.

I encourage you to include the Angelus, in either its Marian or Joseph form, in your prayer. You can access copies of this from our blog at http://www.catholiclifeministries.org/2022/10/10/the-marian-angelus-and-the-st-joseph-angelus/

Allow it to help you welcome both the mother of Jesus and the father to Jesus into your home. You might even consider commissioning Romina to write an ICON for you, one of Jesus, St. Mary, St. Joseph, or a favorite saint (I can give you her contact information)!

Glory be to God, we have a new guest in our home – St. Joseph.

By Lori Fontana

Our recent Sunday Gospel was the story of the Prodigal Son. Often the homily for this Scripture story focuses on the question – “Which character in the story do you relate to?” Would I be the prodigal, the older brother, the father?

Truth be told, I’d probably be the “older brother,” who says to his father, “All these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders: yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.” [Luke 15:29]

I’m the oldest of nine children, the oldest daughter, the older sister – very much the “go-along, get-along” type and so responsible. I follow the rules, and I have high expectations that others will do the right thing too.

That’s why a recent visit to the post office was so challenging. I arrived at our neighborhood post office mid-day, with my package ready to mail. It was neatly wrapped in brown paper, taped with mailing (not Scotch) tape, address written clearly with black Sharpie and the return address affixed in the upper corner. In other words, my box was completely ready to hand to the postal clerk for mailing.

As always, there was a line. As always, there were only two clerks working, though there are four customer windows. At the one window, a young lady was insisting that she was supposed to be picking up a package here. The conversation went back and forth for 5 minutes until finally the young      customer held up a message on her phone. “Oh!” exclaimed the clerk. “You want UPS, not USPS. We’re the Post Office – USPS. There is a UPS store down the street.” The confused customer hurried away.

At the other open window, a young woman brandished a “Package Delivery” notice left at her address just that morning. She wanted to pick up the package NOW; it was medication, she insisted. The clerk, with great patience, repeated over and over that the package was not there as it was still with the mail carrier out on his route. This was a Saturday morning. The package wouldn’t be available for pick-up until the following Tuesday because the office was closed on Sunday, and Monday was a holiday. So…Tuesday. “I’m sorry,” said the clerk. The young woman stomped away, huffing and puffing her displeasure.

“Next,” chirped the clerk. The customer stepped forward. “Excuse me,” she said. “Do you have a pen?” The clerk handed her a pen, and the lady proceeded to scroll through her phone, mumbling, “I have the address here somewhere.” Then she laid her box on the counter and began to address it. The clerk waited a few seconds and then politely asked the customer to move to the side to finish addressing her package.

“May I help the next person?” the clerk sang out. This time it was an older gentleman with a large box, open at the top to reveal several spray-type bottles. “I need to ship these cleaning supplies,” the man remarked. The clerk, patient as ever, replied, “It looks like you need a bigger box. Also, what exactly is in these bottles?” There ensued an extended back-and-forth conversation about the bottle contents, the size of the box, the restrictions on sending certain substances via mail, and so on and so forth.

Meanwhile, those of us waiting in line were growing restless. As I surveyed this scene, clutching my well-prepared package, I couldn’t help but think of the wayward prodigal and his smug older sibling; and I laughed. Clearly, these folks were my Post Office Prodigals, unprepared and uninformed. Either they didn’t know or they didn’t care that the post office has rules that need to be followed. Clearly, I was the older brother – I came prepared, I knew the rules and followed them. My package was good to go. Yet I had to wait in line with everyone else.

How these folks even dared show their faces and their packages here was a mystery to me.

The lesson for me was crystal clear: just like the older brother, I was feeling self-righteous because MY package was “right,” and all these others had done it “wrong.” Yet these kind postal clerks were serving each customer, ready or not, with respect and patience. Truly, these two busy clerks were the welcoming ones, just like the father in the story.

It’s so easy to see with eyes of judgment, to look around and feel superior. But who am I to judge? The larger truth is that we are all prodigals in some way. And we all long for someone to be patient with us, to gently lead us in the right direction, as the clerks did with each customer.

No matter how you see yourself in the story of the Prodigal Son, the truth remains: God loves each one of us fully, completely, just as we are. The clerks treated me just the same as they treated each person in line. God doesn’t love me any more or any less because of how I wrap a package for mailing. God says to each one of us:

“My child, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours.” [Luke 15:31]