St. Peter Catholic Church

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time January 23, 2011
For the Domestic Church….Giving a Blessing
There are occasions in our human experience that suddenly touch us
and we grope for words to mark the moment: A friend lies gravely
ill, a family member embarks on a journey, a child is afraid of the
dark and cannot sleep, a relative announces a wonderful promotion,
a spouse retires from a long career, a significant anniversary is
celebrated, a son or a daughter goes off to war or comes home from
the service…..
Perhaps the words we are searching for and the gesture that would
express our hope for that person could take the form of a blessing.
The Celts have a long tradition of bestowing blessings. I can
remember my mother blessing us with holy water before we would
go to school for the first day or lighting a candle and blessing the
house in a storm. Secure is the memory of my father going into
our bedrooms at night and blessing us as we slept. Bestowing a
blessing is a gentle gift. You can put your hands on a head or
shoulders of the other and say a simple prayer. Mention your hope
for that person and ask for the necessary graces. If you saved
blessed water from the Easter Vigil or from the Holy Water font at
church and have it stored away in a bottle for just such occasions,
use some in a sprinkling rite. It reminds us of our baptism and
affirms our identity and purpose.
From our Hebrew Judaic roots it was common for the head of the
household to bless his children. By right the head of the household
is charged with this privilege. I am wondering in our day how
many of you even know of this honor and privilege. It is not just the
priest or the deacon who can bless the other. It is a special gift
bestowed upon the leaders of each family to do such a thing. May I
encourage you to take some holy water home with you, have a
blessed candle in the house, and offer a blessing upon your
household, your family, your clan.
We can feel free to devise a blessing with our own words or we can
learn some blessing from the Irish in the Celtic tradition such as
this:
Grace upwards over thee.
Grace downwards over thee.
Grace of graces without gainsaying.
Grace of Father and of Lord.
The joy of God be in they face,
Joy to all who see thee;
The circling of God be keeping thee,
Angels of God shielding thee.
God bless to you this day,
God bless to you this night;
Bless, Oh Bless, Thou God of grace,
Each day and hour of your life;
Bless, Oh Bless, Thou God of grace,
Each day and hour of your life.
On Mealtime as Prayer….
Eating together as family, with friends or in community is as old a
human expression as history can recall. The very word
“companion” means “the one you share your bread with.” Sharing
food is just as nourishing to the soul as eating is nourishing for the
body. How is it that in recent years the family meal has suffered
such disintegration? All day we graze and nibble and by dinner
time, we are no longer hungry. We are so busy, that we cannot
cook, or cannot sit together over food and drink to share the events
of the day and the issues that burn in our hearts. The average
American family eats dinner in about five minutes! My mother
hated that. I can still hear her say often, “it took me hours to
prepare this meal and you kids swallow it whole in five minutes!”
3
In the scripture we hear that the risen Jesus shared his bread at the
end of a long walk with his grieving disciples on the road to
Emmaus. He broke bread with them and “they knew him in the
breaking of the bread.” Every meal that we share is an occasion to
“know him” – to recognize Christ in the heart of the persons with
whom we share our meal. We also hear the story of a breakfast fish
fry that the risen Jesus prepared for his friends after a night of
fishing. How concrete. How physical. How human. How loving.
Ghosts don‟t cook for us. But the bodily presence of a risen Lord
knows our bodily hungers and provides for us in material ways. To
share what we have with another is to “know him.” To break bread
with a blessing is to help us remember that every meal looks
concretely to the holy meal of the Eucharist. And it isn‟t possible to
comprehend the Eucharistic meal if we don‟t understand the
sacramentality of the daily meal.
Collect blessings for your table. Offer a variety of words and songs
so that your prayers do not become routine or unimaginative. Take
time to enjoy your meal and to enjoy one another. If you live alone,
invite others in to share your bread. And families….please sit down
and share your evening meal together at least three times a week…or
more if possible and with no TV or computer activities either. Some
of my best memories growing up at 9001 S. Claremont on Chicago‟s
Southside were the family dinner table...assigned seats and mom‟s
leg of lamb with mint jelly.
From An Irish Rune of Hospitality
I saw a stranger today
I put food for him
in the eating place
And drink in the drinking place.
In the Holy Name of the Trinity
He blessed myself and my house
And the lark said in her warble
Often, often, often
Goes Christ
in the stranger‟s guise
O, oft and oft and oft,
Goes Christ
in the stranger‟s guise.
From the “Hooray and Halleluia” Department
I just received word from Vianney High School that Nelson Pence,
the son of Jerry and Jeanette Pence, has received the KMOX/
Southeast Missouri State University Student of Achievement Award
for 2011. Nelson is one of 30 students in the Metro area receiving
such an honor. To be eligible, a student must have a high Grade
Point Average and be active in a variety of leadership activities at
school and in the community.
Nelson is a member of the National Honor Society, a school
ambassador, a member of the LINK crew, and the concert band. He
has served as a stage manager for the Griffin Theatre and is active in
Campus Ministry. He is a junior at Vianney High School and a 2008
graduate from St. Peter Grade School.
Way to go, Nelson! Another proud alumnus from our school making
a difference and making his mark. Congratulations and God bless,
Nelson!
As I write this tome to you the forecast is calling for 3 – 6 inches
of snow and a high on Friday of 17 degrees. Ugh! This is
starting to get old. How long does it take each season for Winter
to become Old Man Winter…and leave?
I’ll see you in church!
Monsignor Jack
1-3-5