Holiday Hustle
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December 2017 Handling the Holiday Hustle CONFESSIONS OF A CATHOLIC DAD GINGERBREAD WAFFLES ST. LUCY SYMBOLS OF THE SEASON LIVING CHRISTMAS “Remember … the Christ-child, grew up to be a man; to hide him in a cradle, is not our dear Lord’s plan. So keep the Christmas spirit, share it with others far and near, from week to week and month to month, throughout the entire year!” (“Let Every Day Be Christmas,” third HAPPY BIRTHDAY, POPE FRANCIS! stanza, Norman Wesley Brooks) Pope Francis turns 81 on Dec. 17. Send him a birthday card to: His Holiness, Pope Francis Apostolic Palace 00120 Vatican City Gingerbread Waffles Celebrate the season by gathering your family in the kitchen on a Sunday morning after Mass to make (and eat) these delicious waffles. Eggnog encouraged. INGREDIENTS: 3 cups all-purpose flour 4 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 large eggs 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar 1 cup canned pumpkin puree 1 1/4 cups milk 1/2 cup molasses 1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter, plus some to butter the waffle iron syrup, whipped cream or fresh fruit for topping DIRECTIONS: Preheat waffle iron. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and the brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in pumpkin, milk, molasses and melted butter. Stir the wet into dry until just moist. Do not overstir the waffle batter. Brush the iron with a Images: Shutterstock little melted butter and cook 4 waffles, 4 sections each. Serve with toppings of choice. December Snapshots SAINT OF THE MONTH ST. LUCY ■ THIS IS REAL LIFE D. 304 Advent is such a magical season. Lucy is one of the early While the rest of society seems to rush martyrs of the Church. Not headlong into Christmas, we Catholic much is reliably known about her life, except that she died Christians are called first to a season during the persecutions of of waiting and watching and prepar- Diocletian. A medieval legend ing. My greatest childhood memories says that her eyes were gouged of Christmas actually took place in the out prior to her death, which days and weeks leading up to Christmas. has led her to be named as the patron of the blind. Her feast This special holiday issue of Take Out is falls close to the winter solstice filled with ways to celebrate the liturgi- and she is commemorated, cal seasons of Advent and Christmas as especially in Scandinavian countries, by having the youngest a Catholic family. Tear out the poster daughter of a family wear a crown of candles and serve special on Pages 4 and 5 and put it in a place cookies or rolls to her family. Her name is rooted in the Latin of prominence in your home. It will word lux, meaning “light.” help you keep focused on the sacred symbols of these holy days and help IN HER MEMORY: • Listen for her name in the list of martyrs your family experience these symbols in the first Eucharistic prayer. anew. And don’t miss Scott Warden’s Confessions of a Catholic Dad on Page • Pray for the residents of the island of San 6. His family’s monthlong Novena to St. Lucia, which was impacted by Hurricane Maria this past fall. Andrew is a wonderful way for kids to learn the power of prayer and the real • Donate used glasses to the Lion’s Club, meaning of the season. which recycles them, and be sure to have your family’s eyes examined. May God bless you in these holy days! December 2017 • Volume 12 Number 4 • $2.50 President: Joe Wikert Design Director: Tyler Ottinger Editorial Director: Greg Willits Production Manager: Christopher Rice Editor: Heidi Busse ONLINE www.osvparish.com Our Sunday Visitor, Publishing Chairman of the Board: Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades Check out our popular OSV website at Copyright © 2017, Our Sunday Visitor, Inc. Editorial address: Take Out, 200 Noll Plaza, Huntington, IN 46750. Take Out® www.osvparish.com. It is loaded with prayers, is published monthly, September-June, to support Catholic families grow in faith. To order call 1-800-348-2440. activities and resources for your family. Click on Resource Library and look for Take Out extras. Cover photos: Shutterstock DECEMBER 2017 – TAKE OUT 3 SYMBOLS OF THE SEASON The liturgical seasons of Advent and Christmas are filled with Christian signs and symbols. As we await and then celebrate the birth of Our Lord, this poster will help your family create traditions and rituals around these important symbols. Advent is rich with sacred symbols. The Scriptures are filled with images of light and darkness, cacophony and silence, waiting and fulfillment. The deep, midnight blue or purple that graces our churches indicates that we are in darkness without Christ and also symbolizes the penitential nature of the season. Arrive a bit early at Mass each Sunday and look around your parish for the signs and symbols of the season. What do your kids notice? What do you notice? ADVENT CALENDAR While many Advent calendars today show images of the more secular images of the season, such as Santa Claus, the original Advent calendar was created to help mark the days of the holy season as we count down to the birth of Christ. FAMILY FAITH IDEA: Each time you open the little door or window of your Advent calendar, share one way that you will try to share the Good News that day. Ideas include being kind to strangers, helping a neighbor, calling a friend, making room for some- one on the bus, listening to a person in need, practicing patience or giving your time to an elderly person struggling with loneliness. SCRIPTURE READINGS The readings from the sacred Scriptures — John’s call in the wilderness, Isaiah and his promises, Zechariah and his inexplicable silence — foretell of wondrous mystery yet to come. FAMILY FAITH IDEA: On the way home from Mass on the Sundays of Advent, talk about what you heard in the Scripture readings and what the readings teach us about Jesus. ADVENT WREATH The Advent wreath, perhaps the most vivid symbol of Advent, reflects our collective anticipation for Christ our Light to come into the world. Both the circular shape and the evergreen nature are symbols of everlast- ing life. Each week, another candle is lit, the wreath becomes a little brighter, and we are a little closer to the moment when laid in a manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes he is born, the Child Divine! FAMILY FAITH IDEA: Create a family Advent wreath with your hands! Trace around each family mem- bers’ hands on green construction paper and then glue the hands together to make the wreath. For paper (pretend) candles, roll three purple and one pink pieces of construction paper into a tube and top with an orange tissue paper wick. If you use real candles in the center of your paper wreath, be sure they are enclosed. ADVENT CALENDAR While many Advent calendars today show images of the more secular images of the season, such as Santa Claus, the original Advent calendar was created to help mark the days of the holy season as we count down to the birth of Christ. FAMILY FAITH IDEA: Each time you open the little door or window of your Advent calendar, share one way that you will try to share the Good News that day. Ideas include being kind to strangers, helping a neighbor, calling a friend, making room for some- one on the bus, listening to a person in need, practicing patience or giving your time to an elderly person struggling with loneliness. SCRIPTURE READINGS The readings from the sacred Scriptures — John’s call in the wilderness, Isaiah and his promises, Zechariah and his inexplicable silence — foretell of wondrous mystery yet to come. FAMILY FAITH IDEA: On the way home from Mass on the Sundays of Advent, talk about what you heard in the Scripture readings and what the readings teach us about Jesus. ADVENT WREATH The Advent wreath, perhaps the most vivid symbol of Advent, reflects our collective anticipation for Christ our Light to come into the world. Both the circular shape and the evergreen nature are symbols of everlast- ing life. Each week, another candle is lit, the wreath becomes a little brighter, and we are a little closer to the moment when laid in a manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes he is born, the Child Divine! FAMILY FAITH IDEA: Create a family Advent wreath with your hands! Trace around each family mem- bers’ hands on green construction paper and then glue the hands together to make the wreath. For paper (pretend) candles, roll three purple and one pink pieces of construction paper into a tube and top with an orange tissue paper wick. If you use real candles in the center of your paper wreath, be sure they are enclosed. The Christmas season in the liturgical year of the Church is more than one day. In fact, the season begins with the vigil Masses on Christmas Eve and concludes in January on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. CHRISTMAS TREE The Christmas tree is a beautiful symbol of the Nativity. Like the evergreen branches, God’s love never withers. The lights remind us that Christ is the light of the world. An angel atop the tree points to the angels that announced Jesus’ birth and a star on the highest branch represents the Star of Bethlehem that guided the Magi to the Christ Child.