Making a Paschal Candle

Go here or here to see how your parish version is made.

Or make your own for your family's prayer center using these simple directions:

1. Cut a piece of white tissue paper, approximately 8 x 10.5 and carefully tape it onto a piece of copier paper.  It will work best if it is all very flat.
2. Copy this image onto the tissue side.  (NB - there are enough images on this page for 3 candles (or one if you happen to make a mistake or two)
3. Cut the page in thirds along the width and, centering the image on your candle, hold the blank ends behind the candle, shielding your fingers from the heat during the next step.
4. Using a hair dryer on high heat simply melt the cross image onto the front of the candle.  Once it's tacked in place by the heat you can trim the tissue paper ends and continue to melt down the paper edges.
5. I use gold map pins for my "grains of incense."

Pentecost Novena: Day Nine

On the last day of the novena we meditate together on the two great hymns, Veni, Sancte Spiritus and Veni, Creator Spiritus. Through our previous discussions, these texts are seen in a new light, and the repeated Veni, veni (“Come, Holy Ghost, come”) really rises from longing hearts. And when, during High Mass on Pentecost Sunday, priest and community kneel down at the solemn text of the Gradual, Veni, Sancte Spiritus, we feel the miracle of the first Pentecost repeated in our hearts, filled by the Holy Ghost in response to the intensity of our Veni.

[Around the Year with the Trapp Family]

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Pentecost Novena: Day Eight

The eighth day of the novena is dedicated to the “Fruits of the Holy Ghost” as they are enumerated in St. Paul — especially the first three love, peace, and joy. On this day we always call to mind the admonition of one of our dearest friends, Reverend Father Abbot, to take the word of Our Lord literally, that “by their fruits thou shalt know them.” In every individual soul, in every family or community we should watch whether the fruits are the fruits of the Holy Ghost, whether love, peace, and joy prevail.

[Around the Year with the Trapp Family]

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Pentecost Novena: Day Seven

The Gift of Wisdom, finally, seems to sum up all the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, just as charity sums up all His fruits. If we ask throughout all our days for the other Gifts of the Holy Ghost and cooperate with them, if we examine our conscience every night about the use we made of them — wisdom will grow in our hearts. This wisdom has nothing to do with ordinary human intelligence, with knowledge learned in schools and from books. One doesn’t even have to be able to read and write in order to become wise. Once in a while one meets an old lay brother or lay sister, an old farmer in the country, or some bedridden person, who may not be learned in the eyes of the world, but may impress us deeply by a true wisdom expressed in all simplicity.

At the end of the seventh day we have all renewed our conviction that we cannot lead a truly Christian life without the special aid of the Holy Ghost, that we have to ask for it as we start each day, and be faithful to it as we go through the day. Children, with the generosity of young hearts, are remarkably responsive to this suggestion.

[Around the Year with the Trapp Family]

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Pentecost Novena: Day Six

When we come to the Gift of the Fear of the Lord, there is always someone to raise the argument “This I don’t understand. That is the spirit of the Old Testament, of the chosen people who were trembling before Jehovah so that they said to Moses, `You go up the mountain and talk with Him — we are afraid.’ But the New Testament teaches us to say `Our Father,’ and Our Lord says, `I don’t call you servants any more, I call you friends!’ One isn’t afraid of one’s father or one’s friend! What do I need the Gift of Fear for?” It is then that something very tender and beautiful comes to light. If a person loves another one very much, you may often hear him say: “I’m afraid to wake him up, he needs his sleep”; or, “I’m afraid to disturb him.” In other words, love is afraid to hurt the beloved one. The Gift of Fear should lead us to a state of mind which makes us afraid to sin because it would hurt Him.

[Around the Year with the Trapp Family]

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Pentecost Novena: Day Five

The Gift of Piety does not sound particularly attractive, until we realize that it infuses our hearts with a special kind of love, directed toward everything belonging and related to God all persons consecrated to His service — the Holy Father in Rome, bishops and priests, missionaries, nuns, and lay brothers — and all things set aside for God only, such as church and altar, chalice and monstrance, vestments, and the sacramentals in our home — rosaries, holy water, medals. This precious gift also makes us eager to devote time to the service of God. It helps overcome morning laziness when it is time for Mass. It makes us want to visit our hidden God once in a while in church. In other words, it instills the interest for the supernatural in our souls. How could we do without it!

[Around the Year with the Trapp Family]

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Pentecost Novena: Day Four

The Gift of Fortitude helps us to overcome our own will. This may start with such seemingly small matters as jumping out of bed the moment we had intended to do so; with giving up smoking or candies and cookies for certain times; with keeping silence when we might have a sharp answer ready; with doing little things for others at the cost of our own comfort; and it may lead to the ultimate test — aiding us in joining the thousands of contemporary martyrs who are called to lay down their life for God. Again, a gift that is needed throughout the day!

[Around The Year with the Trapp Family]

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Pentecost Novena: Day Three

The third evening is devoted to the Gift of Counsel, which helps us to distinguish, in every moment of our life, what is the will of God. This gift we also need when someone turns to us for advice. It is most necessary to parents and teachers, priests, and all persons in authority. But above all it should help us to make the right choices in everyday life — even in such minor matters as “Should I do my homework now or later? Should I see this movie or not?”

[Around the Year with the Trapp Family]

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Pentecost Novena: Day Two

The second evening is devoted to the Gift of Understanding, which is extended to us for the understanding, with mind and heart, of revealed truth as we find it in Holy Scripture and the liturgy, and in the breviary. This gift we need for our hours of prayer and meditation. It fulfills the Lord’s promise: “The Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things” (John 14:26).

[Around the Year with the Trapp Family]

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Pentecost Novena: Day One

On Ascension Day begin the nine days of waiting and preparing, together with the Apostles and Mary, the coming of the Holy Ghost. These are the days when families should discuss the “Gifts of the Holy Ghost” and the “Fruits of the Holy Ghost” evening after evening. As I look back over the years I marvel at how different these discussions were every year, always full of surprises, partly because there were different people participating — guests of the family or new friends of the children — who do not ordinarily hear the workings of the “Gifts of the Holy Ghost” discussed around the family table.

We devote one whole evening to each one of the gifts. First is the Gift of Knowledge, offered to help us in our dealings with inanimate and animate created nature, with things and people. It teaches us to make use of them wisely, and to refrain from what is dangerous for us. As we consider a typical day, we discover that this gift is needed from the very moment of awakening, when we have to part from the created thing “bed.”

The younger ones discover that the Gift of Knowledge helps them to remember that they have to make use of such created things as the toothbrush and the shower. In fact, there is hardly a moment of the day in which we do not have to make decisions about using something or dealing with somebody, and when we do not need the immediate help from the Holy Spirit to carry us safely through the day.

[Around the Year with the Trapp Family]

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Celebrating Sunday: Pentecost

Reflection:
Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common.
[Acts 4, 32]

Recipe:
Today is the birthday of the Church!

Serving an entree that flew is a Pentecost tradition from medieval times. Depending on how many are at your table, a chicken, turkey breast, or Cornish hen would be a nice modern day substitute for the original dove or pigeon. For bonus points, decorate the table with red rose petals to symbolize the tongues of fire.

My favorite way to roast chicken is more work that the usual spirit of the Celebrating Sunday series, but it is very good... a Julia Child meets Nigella Lawson affair. I brine the chicken overnight in salt water with a sliced lemon. Before I cook it, I drain it and pat it dry. I heat some butter and oil in the roasting pan, and brown it on each side- more work, but it yields a beautiful color and crispy skin. With the bird breast side up, I scatter sliced potatoes, quartered onions, and whole, peeled garlic cloves around it and place a lemon quarter in the cavity. I bake it at 350 for 20-25 minutes per pound, or until the bird clocks 165 (if not for anyone pregnant or immuno-compromised) and 180 if serving the former. When the chicken is done, I mix a drained can of artichokes and some fresh tarragon in with the potatoes and onions, and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with fresh bread and a green salad.

If you didn't hear the Pentecost Sequence at Mass this morning, enjoy the one featured below.




About Celebrating Sunday

Celebrating Sunday

Reflection:
"Abbess Catherine did not answer that; instead, "What else did our Lord show us, Sister?" she asked, "in this Paschal time?" I expect, like you, after all the suffering, betrayal, desertion, intolerable disappointment, and being hurt, he would have liked to take refuge with his Father, but he stayed on earth, and what did he do? He didn't try to teach us things- that was left to the Holy Spirit. He did simple, ordinary things: loving things, Sister, like consoling Mary Magdalene, walking and talking with the disciples, breaking bread with them, cooking their breakfast."
[Rumer Godden, In this House of Brede]

Recipe:
Stuffed Peppers

6 bell peppers, top removed and discarded; seeded

6 1" cheese cubes

2 cups rice, cooked
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
8 oz ground beef, browned with onions (or any other precooked meat)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t each dried oregano and parsley
dash worchestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Place a cheese cube in each pepper. Mix filling together and distribute equally among peppers. Put peppers, cut side up, into slow cooker and cook on low 4-5 hours, or until peppers reach desired tenderness. Like anything, this recipe cooks quicker in an oval pot than a round.

About Celebrating Sunday

Belated pictures of Easter Handiwork

The lamb cake made his usual appearance!

The purple, pink, and yellow eggs were hot dyed with natural ingredients (red cabbage, beet juice, and onion skins, respectively). I boiled the cabbage leaves and onion skins with 1/4 cup vinegar for about half an hour before I added the eggs; the beet juice was drained from a can of beets. After cooking the eggs, I drained them and put them in the freezer for 10 minutes so their yolks would not turn green (I didn't want to undo all my hard work with the traditional ice water bath).

The red eggs were cold dyed, a great way to get intense color without a lot of food coloring. I added a little red food coloring to the cooled onion peel liquid and kept the hard-boiled eggs it for 2 days.

Celebrating Sunday: Easter Edition

Reflection:
On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.”
[Jn 20, 1-2]

Recipe:
Not being much of a ham fan, I made this light pork entree for Easter dinner. It can cook while you are at church.

Lucy's Easter Pork
NB: 2 lbs untrimmed pork roast makes 4 servings

For every 2 lbs of pork roast
salt and pepper
1 T butter
1/2 cup diced spring onions
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup Marsala wine
1 bay leaf
1 cup frozen peas
1 T cornstarch dissolved in water
1 t fresh rosemary, thinly sliced

Trim excess fat from pork. Slice the pork thinly into strips 1" wide by 3" wide. Season with salt and pepper. Grease bottom of slow cooker with butter. Toss pork with onions; pour stock and marsala over meat. The pork should be partially but not completely submerged in liquid. Add more stock only if necessary. Insert bay leaf. Cook on low 2-3 hours for every 2 pounds of pork.

Switch to high setting. Add peas. Stir well and cook until peas are heated through. Add cornstarch, stirring well. Fold in rosemary. Cook until reaches desired thickness.