A Little Project: Jesse Tree Week 4 Day 7

Happy Christmas Eve!

Ornament: The Chi-Rho

Jesus is fully God, and fully Man, and now he is born as a little baby! He has come to us to save us by bringing us back to the Lord, to show us how much he loves us, to set us an example of how to live, and so we too can share in God's nature. 

Depending on which Mass you go to to celebrate Christmas, you will hear a different reading. The one tonight, on Christmas Eve, prepares us to remember who it is that we are receiving. You will hear tonight the story of all of Jesus' ancestors - his relatives that came before him - starting with Abraham, highlighting King David, and then finally to his foster father Joseph and his mother Mary. This reminds us, just like our own Jesse Tree, of how God the Father had planned to save us from teh very beginning of our falling away from him, and reminds us how the faithfulness of his people, despite their flaws, has helped the Lord's own plan to save us come to happen. 

During Midnight Mass or Mass at Dawn, you will hear the very story of Jesus' birth - reminding us again how despite those who have worldly power like Ceasar Augustus, or anyone from our time who might have power and be in charge, Jesus, even as a weak baby in a dirty stable is the Greater Ruler and far more powerful. 

Mass during the day on Christmas comes from the Gospel of John, who instead of telling a story about what happened on Earth, he tells a story of what God did and who Jesus really is: 

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race:
the light shines in the darkness.
and the darkness has not overcome it.

And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father’s only Son,
full of grace and truth.

This reminds us, as the symbol that we use today on our tree, of Jesus' two natures - that Jesus has two answers to "WHAT are you?" He is both God, and both human - not a little bit of each, but fully both, and both his "god" and his "human" are completely together. He is just as much God as God the Father, Creator of the Earth is, and just as much human as Mary herself is.  Our symbol is two things that are completely together too - one "Chi" (the P looking symbol" and one "Rho" (the X looking symbol). And how wonderful a mystery that Jesus as both God and Man is!

Jesus reveals to us the love that God has for us because his mission is to help reunite us with the Lord, to erase our fallen nature that Adam and Eve chose for us. Jesus gives us the nature of God the Father by adopting our fallen nature and making something new - a fully God-fully human nature that we too can join in. He has made our salvation easier, but also has saved us not by erasing what we are, but by taking what we are and making it more beautiful, more incredible, more powerful, like God himself is. 

Finally, after centuries and generations of waiting in hope that The Lord gave us through Abaraham, waiting for a King and Savior God sent his very self to rule and save us. And the proof that we constantly asked for is in His face, the face of a tiny baby who finally shows us what the God of All Creation looks like: 

No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him.

Prayer:  

Our Father. 

A Little Project: Jesse Tree Week 4 Day 6

Ornament: Manger

Jesus was born to Mary - but because there was no room for them at an inn while they were traveling, their son was born in a stable where the animals were kept, and Mary used an animal food trough for a bed for him.

Just before Jesus was born, there was a ruler of the land called Ceasar Agusustus. He ruled the Empire of Rome, the largest nation that the world has ever seen - and Israel was inside it. He was called a great savior and peace giver because he defeated all of his enemies. While he ruled, he called a census - meaning he wanted to record how many people there were in his Empire and gather other information about where they lived. Each family in Israel had to travel to the town of their family to be recorded.

For Joseph, this was Bethlehem, the city of King David - where Ruth and Boaz lived and were married, and eventually Jesse had David. Even though Mary was almost due, she traveled with Joseph to Bethlehem. When they arrived, there were so many people coming to be recorded for the census that there was no room for the small family in the local inn - something like a hotel. So Joseph found a stable where animals were kept to use as shelter for the night.

Mary gave birth to Jesus that night! Both she and Joseph must have been surprised at their circumstances - giving birth to the Lord of All Creation in such a place! Stables are usually far outside town so that they don't make people's homes smelly, so no one was around. Jesus was surrounded by the smell of the animals himself, and everything was dirty. And Mary only had one bed for Jesus - a small manger that was used to keep hay for the animals to eat.

But Mary and Joseph did the best they could - they wrapped Jesus up tight in a blanket just the way that babies like to be wrapped - and looked at his tiny face, the face of God made man.

Shepherds were working in nearby fields - probably the youngest boys in the family who were forced to take the night shift and stay with the sheep. But it was to them that angels appeared and said,

“Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.  And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”  And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:

“Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

The shepherds went into the town of Bethlehem and found Jesus just as the angel's said - and they honored him that night. Afterward they went into the town telling all the people what the angels had said to them and the child that they had found. 

Connection & Reflection: Jesus' birth is so different from the circumstances of the current ruler of Rome - Ceasar Augustus lives in comfort in a palace in the central city of Rome, where there are plenty of people to serve him. He is powerful enough to call the whole world to come and be recorded, and he is respected by so many. But Jesus is born in the opposite way - in humble surroundings with at first no one to worship him except his mother and father and a few stinky animals. He is just a small, weak newborn barely able to lift his own head. Yet despite this, Jesus is the Greater Ruler, the Prince of Peace, the Most High, the Ruler of All Creation. Soon he will prove this, with his life, death, and resurrection - but also when he comes again for us as he promised.

Prayer: Jesus, you came to us so small and weak, but did so to make it so anyone can come to you and understand. You made yourself so that we could know you the way you know yourself. Help us to remember that you laid in a manger not just because you were poor, but to show us that you are the Bread of Life and Food for the World. When we receive you at Mass, help us to fully realize that you are our own source of life.
Conclude with your favorite family prayer, or an Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be.

A Little Project: Jesse Tree Week 4 Day 5

Ornament: Carpenter's Square or Hammer

Joseph is the man that Mary is planning to marry when she becomes pregnant with Jesus. He too is visited by an angel in a dream that tells him who Mary's son is, and so Joseph becomes Mary's husband and raises Jesus as his own beloved son. 

Joseph, a descendant of King David and a carpenter, loves Mary. He was planning to marry her and take care of her for their whole lives, even though they would not be able to have children together. Joseph loves Mary because she is good and because she loves the Lord, whom Joseph loves as well.

When Joseph finds out that Mary is pregnant, he is very surprised! He can't imagine why his beloved fiance would betray him and find another man - not to mention someone she's not even married to. In the cultural tradition of that time (but not by God's commands,) men in Joseph's situation could legally require that Mary be killed for her betrayal, by having stones thrown at her. Joseph would prefer to take Mary as his wife, because he loves her - but he is afraid of being accused of being the father of the new child when he is not. Still, Joseph is kind and knows that stoning Mary couldn't possibly what the Lord would want, so he chooses to separate himself from her privately and end their promise to marry.

The night that Joseph decides this he is visited in a dream by an angel who tells Joseph,

"Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Even though Joseph is stunned by this news - a child made by the holy Spirit! - he also rejoices. He doesn't question the angel's message, he doesn't ask for proof or show doubt - Joseph simply does as the angel instructs. 

This means that he has to even take on the shame of other people thinking that he is the father of a child that was not made between married people. But Joseph trusts the Lord, and together Joseph and Mary get married and name the child Jesus. Joseph will not only feed and protect Jesus, but will also be the one to teach him the faith of Israel, and to even teach him his trade of carpentry. 

Connection & Reflection: Imagine the Creator of All, the God of Israel who parted the sea and freed his people from Egypt being taught how to build furniture by one of the men he had made and holds in existence! The Lord humbles himself so much to become a child like us, but Joseph also humbles himself to know that it is God Himself who is living in his home, yet he still gives him the same love, instruction and care that he would give his own child. In all of Scripture Joseph is never recorded to speak any words, he simply follows the instructions the Lord gives him with patience and love. 

Prayer: Father in Heaven, you made Joseph both gentle and strong. Thank you for making him like yourself, one who has the power enough to even destroy, but instead who chooses to be kind and give of himself to those he loves. Help us to come to know you also as our loving Father, and to never believe anything that says you don't care, or have forgotten us. 

Conclude with your favorite family prayer, or an Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be. 

 

A Little Project: Jesse Tree Week 4 Day 4

Ornament: Pencil & Tablet

Zechariah is Elizabeth's husband, a priest for Israel. While serving in the temple, Zechariah is told by an angel that his wife will have a son in her old age - and he doesn't believe the angel, and demands proof. So the angel silences Zechariah, and he can't speak. When his son John is born nine months later, Zechariah writes on a tablet "his name is John," as the angel told him to do, and Zechariah can speak again. 

One day Zechariah is serving his priestly duties in the temple. He was praying to the Lord asking for help, when an angel called Gabriel appears to him, but Zechariah is very afraid. Gabriel tells him not to fear, and that Zechariah's prayer has been answered. Gabriel tells him that his wife Elizabeth will be able to have a son, their first child ever, even though she has grown old. The angel tells Zechariah to name him John, which means "God is gracious."

"And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of [the] Lord. He will drink neither wine nor strong drink.  He will be filled with the holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb, and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
17He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord.

But Zechariah doesn't at first believe the angel. Instead of waiting for the Lord to act, he demands that the angel give him a sign that this is true. Gabriel becomes angry with Zechariah's lack of faithfulness, and makes him become silent, so that he cannot speak even though he tries.

Nine months later, his wife Elizabeth gives birth to their first son. On the special day that they are to give him a name, Elizabeth tells her family that he will be called John. But the Israelites have a tradition of naming children after other family members, and her family argues with her because "John" is not a family name. So they go to find Zechariah, and ask him what he wishes to name his son. Because he still cannot speak, Zechariah takes a pencil and tablet and writes his family the message, "His name is John." Then, immediately, Zechariah is able to talk again, and he says:

“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
for he has visited and brought redemption to his people.
He has raised up a horn for our salvation
within the house of David his servant,
even as he promised through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old:
salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,
to show mercy to our fathers
and to be mindful of his holy covenant
and of the oath he swore to Abraham our father,
and to grant us that, rescued from the hand of enemies,
without fear we might worship him in holiness and righteousness
before him all our days.

And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God
by which the daybreak from on high will visit us
to shine on those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

Connection & Reflection: Scripture records that Elizabeth and Zechariah were "righteous" in the eyes of God, meaning they obeyed all of the commandments that the Lord had set before them. Zechariah must have grown into a habit of praying for a child to be given to he and his wife because the day that it is finally granted, even he, a righteous man, doesn't believe the message! But because God the Father has mercy on Zechariah, he gives him a gift - nine months of silence that Zechariah can use to speak to the Lord and no one else!

Then, when his son is born and Zechariah once again shows his faithfulness, the Lord restores his voice. Zechariah realizes that he has been given so much by the Lord when he, Zechariah, was running out of faithfulness - not only a son, but the proof that he needed that the Lord is as powerful now as he was when he granted a child to Abraham and Sarah. And this son would directly help prepare the Israelites to receive God Himself.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your wisdom and the gifts that you have given and will give us. Help us when we are not able to see our struggles as gifts at all - give us the faithfulness that Zechariah had to speak to you and grow in faithfulness and love for you. As we get closer to Christmas, help us believe more deeply that it is You, the Lord of All Creation, that we receive at Christmas and at Mass in the Eucharist.
Conclude with your favorite family prayer, or an Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be.

A Little Project: Jesse Tree Week 4 Day 3

Ornament: Mother & Child

After the angel visits Mary and she becomes pregnant, she decides to travel to visit her cousin whom the angel said is also pregnant, even in her old age. When Elizabeth hears Mary's voice, her own child jumps inside her and Elizabeth knows immediately who it is that Mary carries inside her womb.

Mary travels to a town to visit her elderly cousin Elizabeth. Because Elizabeth is older and she is already six months pregnant, Mary knows that it will be very difficult for her to carry a child around inside her body and still accomplish simple things like cooking, cleaning and walking to get water from the well. Babies are heavy to carry! So Mary decides to help her out with these things, and visits her until her son is born. 

When Mary enters the house, she says hello to Elizabeth - and at the sound of Mary's voice, the baby John inside of Elizabeth leaps up! Babies move a lot, but this time it is very differnt, and very significant - Elizabeth feels a jump, as if the baby inside her is eager to hear the words that his cousin Mary has to say, no matter what they are. 

The jump is so significant that Elizabeth knows without Mary having told her not only that Mary is also carrying a child, but Who that Child is. 

Elizabeth tells Mary this - "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

The story says that Elizabeth was so filled with God's Holy Spirit that she said this all in a loud voice - she was so excited by what was happening inside Mary! Even though she herself has a child in old age, which is almost impossible to do, she admires Mary more for her belief in Who she would be carrying. 

Then Mary responds to Elizabeth - not with her own praise, but with praise for the Lord.

And Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness;
behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.
The Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is from age to age
to those who fear him.
He has shown might with his arm,
dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.
He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones
but lifted up the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things;
the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped Israel his servant,
remembering his mercy,
according to his promise to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

Connection & Reflection: Today we hang the image of a mother and child on our Jesse Tree. This story tells us so much about the love of God, but we especially see how close a mother and child can be. Their love is so strong and so close because the mother holds the child inside her and helps it grow with her own blood and body. Elizabeth shows us this when she is the one who hears Mary's voice, but it is her son John who responds by leaping! We also can realize how close Mary and her son Jesus are as well because they share the same flesh, the same genes, the same DNA. Jesus can hear her heartbeat from the inside of her chest! 

Prayer: Lord, thank you for giving us your Son in the same way that each one of us is born - through growing inside a mother who nurtures and carries us with her own body. Help us to rely on Mary the way that you do, with an intense love and affection - trusting her to carry you, feed you, and give you warmth. Also let us have the self-less-ness that Mary did to travel and serve her cousin, but also to praise you when we are blessed. 

Conclude with your favorite family prayer, or an Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be.

A Little Project: Jesse Tree Week 4 Day 2

Ornament: White Lily

The angel Gabriel appears to a young woman named Mary in a town of Judea called Nazareth and tells her that she will have a baby, who she should name Jesus - and that he will be the Son of the 'Most High.'

Mary is a young woman who lives in a town called Nazareth. She is not married yet and has never done anything that would make her have a baby. But one night, an angel appears to her - a messenger from God who is pure spirit. She knows that it is an angel because she feels afraid in its presence, just like Elijah did in his visions.

But the angel says to Mary: "Hail, Full of Grace! The Lord is with you." She has never been called "Full of Grace" before, as if it were her name and wonders what the angel might mean by telling her the Lord is with her.

Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Mary is amazed at this, but still had one question for the angel: How will she have this child if she promised never to do anything that would cause her to be pregnant? We can imagine that she had made a promise to the Lord to never have children, and focus only on a life of prayer, because of what she asks - she knew how children came to be. 

And the angel said to her in reply, “The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God."

Mary is young, and if she becomes pregnant before she has married Joseph, the man she is engaged to, she could face being cast out from her society forever - or worse, she could be killed for people thinking she has sinned against Joseph with another man. 

But without hesitating, Mary says

“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” This means that Mary has so much love and trust for the Lord that she will obey even the most dangerous and confusing of commands. 

Connection & Reflection: The white lily has for a long time been a flower that represents holiness and purity. Mary is considered to have been made & born completely without sin, and lived her whole life without ever sinning, not even once! This is because of how the angel says hello to her - "Hail, Full of Grace!" The angel calls her "full of grace" instead of Mary, as if it is her name! Grace is the presence of God, and sin is the absence of God - so we assume that Mary being FULL of the presence of God all the time, then that means she does not have any room for sin, or godlessness. 

Mary has a very special role for the world - she is going to carry inside her the God of All Creation - the one who made all the stars of the sky, the one who parted the sea for the Hebrews coming out of Egypt, the one who made her, too! She will get to be his mother, and nurse him and change his diapers and help him with his school work. This is how humble the Lord of All Creation is - the Most High, the Most Powerful Thing, will become a tiny little baby who is weak and needs a mother to even survive one day. 

Prayer: Lord, we know that saying thank you for becoming human is not ever enough to give you back for what you did for us. Help us to fully understand how amazing it is that you became human, especially as Christmas comes closer. Help us to remember that it was love for each one of us that lead you to do this, and let us love others, especially our families, in the same way. 

Conclude with your favorite family prayer, or an Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory be. 

A Little Project: Jesse Tree Week 3 Day 7

Ornament: A stone wall

After the Israelites returned to their home land, the prophet Nehemiah was allowed also to return to the people of Judah in the city of Jerusalem, and allowed to rebuild the walls which protected the city. He also helped the Israelites remember their promises to the Lord.

Nehemiah is allowed to return to Jerusalem - needing special permission from the King because he is a prophet. The Babylonians had destroyed the city and tore down the walls that had served as protection for the people living inside them. Nehemiah was a very influential leader, and was able to gather together enough people to rebuild the walls around the entire city. The walls needed to be high and thick, and were made out of heavy stone that needed to be gathered and sorted, but Nehemiah had them finish the walls within 52 days!

While they were rebuilding the walls Nehemiah got to know the Israelites and realized how still far away from the Lord they were. So after the city's stone walls were finished, the prophet began to work on restoring the people of Israel to the ways of the Lord.

He did this by reading to them from the stories about the Lord, (much like what we have read this Advent) to remind them of their history and all that God the Father had done for them. He had them stand when he read from the books, and then they would sit and listen to him explain what the readings were about. The people would say "Amen" after the readings, and then bow and kneel in prayer.

As Nehemiah explained these readings, the people would begin to cry - they realized how they had rejected the Lord and his covenant, and how they had rejected the love that the Father had for them. But Nehemiah told them not to cry, but to make the day holy and a celebration instead. He called for them to make a feast of delicious food and sweet drinks and to rejoice in the Lord's love.

Connection & Reflection: The stone wall of Jerusalem was in need of repair, but it shows us also how the people of Israel needed repair as well. Their protection had been in the Lord and following his commandments which had given them strength and happiness, but they had forgotten that and so their protection, like the wall, had fallen away. Nehemiah helps them with baby steps to think about God's love for them and how his commandments could help them in their lives. Do you see a similarity between what Nehemiah did with reading scripture and feasting that we also do today?

Prayer: Father we know that you are made us each specially and that your commandments help us to be the best version of ourselves, but also to be close to you and to love you. Thank you for creating us in a time when we can look back on all that you have done for us to remember how much you love us. Help us to remember also how much we as individuals are loved, so that we can learn to love you better in return.
Conclude with your favorite family prayer, or an Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be.