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Posted by Kathleen Brewer de Pozos, PhD on Dec 29, 2007

Saint of the Day 12/29 – St. Thomas Becket – When Politics and Religion Don’t Mix

December 29 is the feast of St. Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. Thomas Becket was born to an upper middle class family around 1118 in London. As a boy, he learned the ways of the upper class from family friends, including hunting, jousting, horsemanship, and how to behave as a gentleman. He was educated in civil and canon (Church) law in England, France, and Italy. Upon his return to England, he began working for Theobald, then Archbishop of Canterbury. Theobald was so impressed with his abilities that he gave Thomas a variety of positions, including Archdeacon of Canterbury. It should be noted, that one did not need to be a priest to serve in these positions. Theobald recommended Thomas for the position of Lord Chancellor when the position became open and Henry II agreed.

As Lord Chancellor, Thomas was one of the most powerful men in England. At the time, Henry II was actively trying to bring the Church in England under greater royal control. Thomas Becket helped in this by his collection of taxes on all landholders, including the Church. Church leaders in England rightly saw him as their adversary in the struggle.

Thomas was a friend of Henry II, to the degree that anyone could be a friend to a king in those days. They spent free time together and Thomas shared in the pleasures of the Court, including those common to courtiers. Henry sent his son to live with Thomas for a while and the young prince became very fond of Thomas.

All was well until 1162. When Theobald died, the position of Archbishop of Canterbury was given to Thomas Becket. Henry II assumed that his loyal servant, companion in pleasure, and Lord Chancellor, would continue to be “his man” as head of the church in England.

Thomas Becket, on the other hand, became more religious. He resigned as Lord Chancellor and began to consolidate the power of the position of Archbishop of Canterbury. A series of conflicts arose between Archbishop and King over governance of the Church and clergy, control of lands, and the relationship with Rome. There were trials, exiles, reconciliations, excommunications, and much upheaval in the following years. Finally, four of Henry’s men killed Thomas in the Cathedral at Canterbury, believing they were doing so on the King’s orders. Edward Grim, an eyewitness to the event, reported that Thomas’ last words were, “For the name of Jesus and the protection of the Church, I am ready to embrace death.”

Three years later, in 1173, Thomas Becket was canonized by Pope Alexander. But the story didn’t end there. Over the centuries that followed, the story of Thomas Becket was interpreted and reinterpreted. He was seen as enemy and as hero by those who followed. The site of his tomb was a popular tourist/pilgrim destination. His remains were moved to a shrine at Trinity Chapel in 1220 and continued to attract visitors. Henry VIII destroyed the shrine of Becket’s tomb and his bones, ordering that his name no longer be mentioned in England. In more recent times, plays, movies, biographies, and operas have all been written about the tumultuous history of Thomas Becket and Henry II.

Today, as we look at the modern world, we might think that such things could never happen now. Yet their tale should be a cautionary one for all of us.

What happens when the powers of the world clash with the mission of faith? What should be the role of religious leaders in the political sphere? What role should faith play in public life, especially for those chosen to govern a nation of people from many faiths? Does it work to have religious leaders govern a modern nation? Who should be governed by religious law – everyone or just clerics? When clerics break civil law, should they be subject to civil courts?

These questions and more are seething in world politics and international relations. We see countries in which religious law is the law of the land. We see countries in which members of faith-based insurgency movements are killing those they see as breakers of religious laws or as enemies of their faith. Candidates for political office are murdered, suicide bombers kill elected officials and members of the general public alike, and voters are advised to look to their faith in deciding which candidate merits their support.

Somehow, all this does not seem consistent with the will of a power whom we believe to be Love (1 John 4:16).

Maybe the better approach would be to look at the fruits of religious belief. Are the hungry fed? Are children, even the girls, educated? How do we care for the sick? Can everyone get the care they need? Do people have shelter from the elements – homes in which they can feel safe and raise their children in peace? Can ideas be exchanged freely, without fear of murder following? How do we treat the elderly? Do we treasure new life? Can we laugh with each other rather than at each other? Do we treat our enemies with respect and justice? Is justice tinged with mercy?

The great insight of the founders of the American political system was that in order for religion to be most free, and in practice most influential, it must be unhinged from politics. And as we select the politicians who will lead us in the next 2-4 years, we need to remember that stated religious beliefs are not necessarily the best measures of what the fruits of their leadership will be.

Posted by Kathleen Brewer de Pozos, PhD on Dec 23, 2007

Quote of the Day – Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

I came across this quotation today from Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. As we prepare to celebrate God’s love for us, in becoming one of us, this is a reminder of how we are to accept that love and pass it on.

“Love cannot remain by itself – it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action and that action is service. How do we put the love for God into action? By being faithful to our family, to the duties that God has entrusted to us.”

As we enter into the final couple of days before Christmas, let’s try to remember to cherish each other, to take the time to smile and laugh together, to give a hug to someone we love and to take the time to be together. Those are the things that will make Christmas truly memorable. They are the gifts that really matter when all is said and done. And in giving these gifts of love and time, we give the only things that will remain with our families and our children forever.

Posted by Kathleen Brewer de Pozos, PhD on Dec 20, 2007

Festive Recipes – Poor Man’s Pudding

Steamed puddings are a Christmas tradition in many countries. This recipe comes from the German side of my family. We ate it only twice each year – once for Thanksgiving and once for Christmas dinner. It’s still a favorite, with each family’s version coming out a little different. Don’t worry if yours doesn’t look like a picture. It’s good whether it comes out light and fluffy or whether it “falls” and is very condensed. (Note: We never had it with a “side of holly” as seen in this picture, but feel free to be creative when you bring it to the table!)

Poor Man’s Pudding*

Ingredients
½ cup molasses
1 ½ cup milk
3/4 cup raisins
¼ cup walnuts (may be omitted in case of allergy)
1 tablespoon suet or butter
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
3 level teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup sugar
1 ½ cup flour (make a medium batter)

Combine molasses, milk, raisins, nuts and suet (or butter) in a bowl. Mix dry ingredients separately and add to the molasses and milk mixture. Pour all into a well greased pudding mold or a can with a tight fitting lid. Steam about 2 hours.

Remove from mold immediately when cooked. Serve warm with sauce.

Sauce:
Cream ½ cup butter with 1 cup sugar and heat with 1 cup canned or “top” milk. (Top milk is milk with a least some cream in it.) Add 4 lightly beaten egg yolks and a pinch salt. Cook until it thickens. (A double boiler works well for this.) Add vanilla (½ to 1 teaspoon – to taste) and pour over stiffly beaten egg whites. Fold together and serve warm.

*As best anyone could ever figure out, the name comes from the fact that the ingredients are not expensive. They were things most families would have on hand, even on the frontier.

Posted by Kathleen Brewer de Pozos, PhD on Dec 19, 2007

Las Posadas – Welcoming the Coming of Christ

In the Spanish speaking world, it is customary to prepare for Christmas through nine days of celebration known as “las Posadas,” literally, “the inns” or “the lodgings.” As part of this celebration, a girl and a boy, dressed as Mary and Joseph, go with family and friends from house to house for nine days in a row, singing and asking for shelter. At each house, they are turned away, until on the last night, at the last house, they are welcomed inside and all share in a party.

The song for Las Posadas is sung back and forth by those outside and those inside. Those outside speak as Joseph, asking for lodging for himself and his pregnant wife. Those inside refuse entry to the pilgrims, citing lack of room and the fact that it is late and these are unknown strangers at the door. The final plea, the one that gains them entrance, is the one asking shelter for Mary, the Queen of Heaven and soon to be Mother of the Divine Word. On hearing this introduction, those inside apologize for not understanding who it was that was seeking entrance. They welcome the outsiders into the house, singing, “Enter, holy pilgrims, receive this corner, for though this dwelling is poor, I offer it with all my heart.” The song continues with the offer of the singer’s soul as a place of lodging for Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

I have seen several versions of the words and the tune for the Posada, but the theme is the same. The Holy Family is traveling, needing shelter, appearing as the stranger. No one is willing to help them. The house is full; strangers can be a danger to the household; it’s late; the claims of those asking for help seem pretty wild. (She’s a queen? Yeah, right! Why’s she out so late at night and alone?) Then comes the moment of recognition – the visitors are Heaven-sent – and welcome follows, both physically and spiritually, as the visitors enter into our homes and our hearts.

In these last few days before Christmas, whether we celebrate them with a Posada, or a novena, or simply by lighting the candles on our Advent Wreath, it is a time to remember to smile at the stranger, wait our turn patiently in the long lines at the stores, and offer a prayer for peace for ourselves and those around us. After all, who knows when the stranger we encounter will be a visitor from God who will touch our heart and who awaits our loving response.

Posted by Kathleen Brewer de Pozos, PhD on Dec 16, 2007

Seasons of the Soul

Growing up in Eastern Washington, seasonal changes were an accepted and expected part of life. We knew that the days would get shorter and the nights longer, the weather would get colder, and sometime in late November or early December, the first snow would fall. As we snuggled into our warm houses and settled into winter activities, it seemed only right that we enter into a more reflective, quiet time liturgically too. Advent was a subdued time, with focus on preparing spiritually for the coming of Christ. Christmas cards and Christmas carols, with talk of cold weather and snow, all seemed a natural part of the season. That’s the way it was outside and it was all I knew!

Then I grew up and moved to coastal California. It still got cold in the winter, but mainly the cold was from the humidity. My first Christmas in California, I went home and got my wool clothes so I could stay warm. We only got snow on rare occasions and it never “stuck.” We often had warm, sunny days in December and January. The iris were even blooming in planter boxes in front of the bank in January! My sense of the seasons was completely thrown for a loop. Christmas day, with temperatures in the mid-60s, just didn’t feel quite like Christmas.

I was reassured to find that my mother-in-law, who was born and raised in Southern California, also had problems getting into the swing of Christmas when the weather was too nice. She commented one year that she was really glad the rains had finally come, so she could get into the spirit of Christmas.

I find myself reflecting on these memories now, as we reach Gaudete Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent. Rejoice! we are told. The time is near.

What time is near? Does it have anything to do with the calendar and the way we fill our days with preparations for the celebration of Christmas?

What I am coming to understand is that liturgical seasons have no real existential tie to the physical seasons of the year. If they did, we’d have to have different liturgical seasons in the Southern Hemisphere and in the tropics, because the weather there is totally different from that of northern climes.

No, liturgical seasons are something more. They are seasons of the soul, condensed into a one year period and repeated on a regular cycle, so we can taste them, savor them, and move on to the next. By repeating them on an annual basis, we are able to enter into them differently and perhaps more deeply each time they come around. As we move through the ups and downs of our daily lives, we become more or less in touch with the gifts each season brings. We learn more about longing for God, or about finding “God with us,” or needing someone to rescue us and set us on our feet again! Having the chance to move through these seasons of the soul on a regular basis can help us move through them with hope when the events of daily life bring them crashing into reality in our personal worlds.

So, as we reach this third week of Advent, as we hear the call to “Rejoice in the Lord,” let’s each look into our heart and see what it is we ask of the Lord – what we really want. Then let’s join together in “joyful expectation as we await the coming of Our Savior Jesus Christ…”

Posted by Kathleen Brewer de Pozos, PhD on Dec 11, 2007

Festive Recipes – Santa Lucia Buns

The feast of St. Lucy (Santa Lucia) is coming up this week, on December 13. One of the most fun things about being Catholic, I think, is that we get so many excuses to celebrate something. And we have lots of great foods to share among our many world cultures.

The following is a recipe I received from my daughter’s Waldorf school class many years ago. Her class made these buns for the rest of the school. Of course, we had to taste them too. They are delicious.

Santa Lucia Buns

Ingredients:
2 cups of scalded milk
1 cup of warm water
2 tablespoons (packages) of yeast
8 tablespoons of honey (½ cup)
½ teaspoon of saffron (or 1 teaspoon of cardamom)
½ teaspoon of salt
1 cup of golden raisins (plus extras for decorating)
8-10 cups of sifted white flour
¼ cup butter (plus extra to grease pan and top of dough)
1 egg (for glazing dough)

Melt butter in milk, cool to lukewarm. Measure honey into warm water; mix until dissolved. Add yeast, let it sit until bubbly. Add raisins, saffron (or cardamom), and salt.

Add flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition, until dough is slightly sticky. Knead until smooth and elastic on a floured board. Grease bowl. Form dough into a ball and grease top. Let rise, covered, until double. Shape dough into little “cats” and let rise on greased, covered baking sheet until almost doubled. (They can also be rolled into logs about 7 x ½” in size and shaped into spirals or other shapes.) Glaze with egg.

Bake in preheated 425º oven until golden, about 15 minutes. Do not overbake. Brush with glaze after cool.

Glaze:
Sift ½ cup confectioner’s sugar. Add 2 teaspoons of hot milk and ¼ teaspoon of vanilla. Let dry once brushed onto buns.

Serve warm with coffee, tea, or cocoa. Enjoy!

Posted by Kathleen Brewer de Pozos, PhD on Dec 6, 2007

Saint of the Day – St. Nicholas

December 6 is the feast of St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, in what is present day Turkey. He was born in the third century and lived through several official persecutions of Christians by the authorities. He was a participant in the Council of Nicea, where he opposed the teachings of Arius. He is one of the few saints of that time who were not martyrs.

St. Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, ships, fishermen, harbor towns, children, bakers, and pawnbrokers. It is said that he was a defender of the falsely accused as well. These seem an odd combination of people and things of which to be patron, but stories are told that link him to each of them.

Nicholas’ parents were relatively wealthy and it may be that they had businesses related to fishing, sailing or the sea. Some reports say that he was himself a fisherman or sailor. He served as a priest during the persecution of Diocletian and Maximian, becoming a bishop sometime during the reign of Licinius (307-324). He was known for his charity and care for children and the poor. (It was his care for the poor which led to his status as patron of pawn brokers and their symbol of 3 gold balls, with which he is sometimes also depicted.)

Many stories are told of Nicholas’ care for the poor and for children, including the famous one of how he secretly provided money for the dowry of three young women who would not otherwise have been able to marry and would have been forced into prostitution. In one version of the stories, some of the coins fell into the stocking of the young woman as it hung drying on the fireplace. From this story we have developed the custom of hanging up stockings at Christmas to be filled with gifts from Santa Claus – a more recent name for the saint.

In many countries, children receive gifts for the feast of St. Nicholas. In some traditions, most of the gifts come from St. Nicholas on December 6. In others, a few gifts are received at that time and others on Christmas from the Christ Child.

In our own family, a few gifts arrive each year for the feast of St. Nicholas. When the children were small, a carrot was left for St. Nicholas’ donkey, and the children were delighted in the morning to find only a small stub of the carrot remained outside. The floor and their shoes and gifts were lightly dusted with glittery, golden “stardust” from his robes. It was all very exciting and magical. (As they got into high school and college, it became one of those things they’d never admit they liked, but I think they’d have been a bit disappointed if there hadn’t been “stardust” in the cracks of their shoes along with their gifts.)

Celebrating the feast of St. Nicholas has been a happy way for us to reduce the stress on gifts at Christmas and ease our family into the Christmas season. We celebrate this season of Advent through this and other feasts, “shortening” the time of waiting for Christmas to begin and to marking the passage of the days.

Posted by Kathleen Brewer de Pozos, PhD on Dec 4, 2007

Ancient Roots of a Modern Imperative

Sometimes I hear people speak disapprovingly about the actions and dreams of those who work for social justice. The “harrumphs” are loudest about those still living and active. Once the activist is no longer living and doing disturbing things, he or she is not such a threat and some of what was done begins to seem self-evidently correct. People like Dorothy Day and Martin Luther King, Jr. come to mind as examples of people whose work today is praised but during their lifetimes was often criticized and/or condemned.

The reading from Isaiah today reminded me that social justice is not a new concept or dream. Even in ancient Israel, the prophet had to remind the people that the one who comes from the Lord and upon whom the spirit of the Lord rests will be concerned with justice for the poor.

“… a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord.

Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, but he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’s afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.” (Isaiah 11:1-6)

The reading goes on to describe what has been called “the peaceable kingdom” where the wolf is a guest of the lamb and a child leads a calf and a young lion who graze together. The entire picture of this wonderful time and place of peace hinges on the justice brought by this shoot from Jesse’s stump. Once justice for the poor and faithfulness are the norm for the world’s societies, “Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; … There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord, as water covers the sea.” (Isaiah 11:6-9)

The struggle for social justice, a struggle/imperative which continues today, does indeed have ancient roots!

Posted by Kathleen Brewer de Pozos, PhD on Dec 3, 2007

St. Francis Xavier and Me

December 3 is the feast of St. Francis Xavier, “Apostle to the East.” Francis Xavier was born in Navarre, Spain in 1506, to a wealthy and influential family. However, his family lost their lands in 1512 when Navarre was conquered by troops from Castille and Aragon. His father died in 1515.

Francis went to study in Paris when he was 19 and met Iñigo (Ignatius) Loyola there. To make a long story short, Francis eventually joined with Loyola as one of the founding members of the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits.

Francis is best known for his missionary work in India, Malacca, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Japan. From 1540, until his death on an island off the coast of China in 1552, he traveled and preached throughout the East, frequently returning to Goa in India. He left behind communities of Christians in each place he visited and pioneered the missionary style of the Jesuit order through the compromises he worked out with the existing Christian community, founded by St. Thomas the Apostle, in India.

There are many biographies and studies written about St. Francis Xavier’s life, teachings, influence in the Church, and miracles.

My family has had a close relationship with St. Francis for several generations in the Pacific Northwest. Jesuits were among the first to arrive in eastern Washington and brought with them a devotion to St. Francis. Growing up in parishes staffed by Jesuits, we shared in the tradition of the “Novena of Grace” each year in March. In fact, my parents’ first date ocurred when my father picked up my mother from her teaching assignment in northern Idaho and escorted her to the Novena in Spokane!

As a child, many of my early memories are related to the family tradition of attending Mass and the Novena from March 4-12. Each year we went, with our own prayer requests, and gathered with hundreds of other people from Spokane and the surrounding areas to praise God and ask St. Francis to intercede for us. There were people we only saw once a year – at the Novena.

Some years the prayer intentions were very practical – a job for a relative out of work, health for a sick relative, help with school work, etc. Other years the intentions were more “spiritual” – help in overcoming a bad habit, help in discerning a life path, greater understanding of the Holy Spirit – little things like that!

Important things happened during or after the Novena. Two cousins who were born during the Novena were adopted into the family – we had been praying for a child for each family that year. Other children have been born into or adopted into the family in the year following the Novena. One of my brothers survived a difficult birth on March 4 and was given an extra middle name, Francis, in thanksgiving. Relatives got jobs. People got well. An uncle returned to the Church as he lay dying during the Novena. My Great Grandmother and my Grandmother both died on First Friday during the Novena.

Sometimes funny things happened, like the year my youngest brother dropped a “steely” marble at the back of the church and it rolled all the way to the front, causing a stir as it went all the way! Mom was not amused, but we’re all still laughing about it.

The relationship with St. Francis is not limited to those nine days in March. At harvest time, when a storm threatens to ruin a crop before the field is harvested, prayers go up to “St. Frank” to protect it. When a relationship needs a boost from the Holy Spirit, prayers go to St. Francis. And when something goes really well, prayers of thanks go up too. It’s good to have a powerful big brother (saint) to help out.

A little over ten years ago, a young man from a Goan family knocked on our front door, hoping to sell a medical software program to a medical group we managed. The software was not what our group needed, but he became a close friend. We found many common threads in our educations, life experience and shared bond as Catholics. He in turn has introduced us to his family and many of his friends, including those who are the founders of Suggestica.com and who have opened this world of internet blogs and vertical discovery engines such as theologika.net to us.

It seems St. Francis Xavier is still looking out for us in this increasingly small, small world and doing his part to continue spreading the Good News.