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.

A Little Project: Jesse Tree Week 3 Day 6

Ornament: A stone watchtower

Habukuk is a prophet of the Lord who sings his messages in the temple. He tells the people that the Lord will allow them to be taken over by the Babylonians because they still refuse to love the Lord with their hearts. 

Habukkuk the prophet is unsure of the messages he is receiving from the Lord. Although Jeremiah also spoke of the terrible things that would happen to the people of Israel, Habukkuk hears specifically how the ruling house of Judah will be destroyed. (Remember, Judah is one of the sons of Jacob who protected Joseph - his descendants are where all the kings of Israel come from because the first was David.)

The Lord will not protect Israel this time from destruction because they continue their human sacrifices and pagan worship - because ultimately they reject the Lord as God their Father. Habukkuk hears that they will be taken over by the Babylonians, a nation that is much farther from living the ways of the Lord than even the Israelites. Habukkuk is confused as to how the Lord could allow this to happen, for Israel to be destroyed and separated by a group so unholy as the Babylonians.

The Lord reminds Habukkuk that the faithful of Israel will be protected, and that this invasion will not be the end of Israel:

For the vision is a witness for the appointed time,
a testimony to the end; it will not disappoint.
If it delays, wait for it,
it will surely come, it will not be late.
See, the rash have no integrity;
but the just one who is righteous because of faith shall live.
Habukkuk still does not understand why the Lord will not protect them, but he says to the Lord that he will trust him anyway, and realizes that he cannot fully understand the plans of God.

For though the fig tree does not blossom,
and no fruit appears on the vine....
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD
and exult in my saving God

Connection & Reflection: Frequently the Lord works in ways that we cannot understand, no matter how long we think about it. Even a lot of the readings we have listened to this week seem as if the Lord is a violent and uncaring God - allowing so much destruction and pain to be given to his people. Even in our daily lives we probably go through pain and see others go through pain and wonder how the Lord can allow it if he loves us. But like Habukkuk, watching the world from a tower, we need to wait as the Lord asks us not only to understand, but also to see the goodness that the Lord brings through the suffering. 

Prayer: Lord, we know that you endured the most suffering on the Cross, but in the end came to life again and brought us a greater gift than we could ever imagine. Please give us the strength to wait through our pain and to remember the pain of Jesus to help us through it. Give us the confidence that you are not the source of our suffering, but give us hope that you will bring us more wonderful things because of it. 

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

A Little Project: Jesse Tree Week 3 Day 5

Ornament: Tears

The prophet Jeremiah is sent to warn the Israelites how bad it can get if they continue to remain away from God the Father - and how much the Lord wishes for his children to return to him.


For these things I weep—My eyes! My eyes!
They stream with tears!
How far from me is anyone to comfort,
anyone to restore my life.
My children are desolate;
the enemy has prevailed.

The Israelites are behaving even more terribly than they had in past ages. They make human sacrifices like the pagans, and don't take care of those who are poor, especially widows (women who's husbands have died) and immigrants who have fled worse conditions in other countries. There are even men pretending to be prophets of the Lord and leading Israelites away from the Lord with false commands. 

Then the Israelites are exiled (that means, all of them are forced to leave their homes) from the land of Israel and into a country called Babylon by a king called Nebuchadnezzar. But the Lord tells them through Jeremiah that He, their father, will still be with them. They should not worry but still be cautious of the Babylonian's culture and religion tell them. He reminds them how he wants their love more than anything else:

For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope.  When you call me, and come and pray to me, I will listen to you.  When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart,  I will let you find me and I will change your lot; I will gather you together from all the nations and all the places to which I have banished you and bring you back to the place from which I have exiled you.

Connection & Reflection: The tears that we put on our Jesse Tree today show us the depth of God the Father's love for us. We can understand that even though our Lord is all powerful and capable of terrifying things, he instead loves us with the gentleness of a parent. He cries for us when we are hurting and especially when we hurt ourselves by turning away from him and his love. 

Prayer: Father, help us to truly understand your love for us. We know that prophets often spoke warnings that seemed harsh, but we know it helps let us know how much you care and how you are attending to our every need. Give us strength as we get closer to Christmas to seek you with our whole hearts. 

A Little Project: Jesse Tree Day 4

Ornament: Fire tongs with hot coal

Isaiah the prophet is sent to tell Israel of God's love for them. 

Isaiah is another prophet whom the Lord speaks with. The Lord sends Isaiah a vision - something like a dream when you are still awake - of angels in heaven bowing down to worship the Lord. The vision makes Isaiah afraid because he senses how large, powerful and great the Lord is. He feels unworthy to be in His presence at all, and says "I am a man of unclean lips, and live among people of unclean lips," which means that he and the people of Israel have sinned, disobeyed and turned away from God the Father, and even the words that they speak are not without sinfulness.

But in the vision, an angel takes a hot coal from a burning fire and touches it to Isaiah's lips and says "now your lips have been made clean, your sin has been removed."

Isaiah then says:

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” “Here I am,” I said; “send me!”
The Lord sends Isaiah to tell the people of Israel how much he, their Father, is pained by how they have turned away from him and hurt themselves by not living by his commandments. Especially he is hurt how they worship the Lord the way that the other pagan religions (religions that worship nature) worship - by only offering animal sacrifices and nothing more. The Lord says how he is exhausted by the burnt offerings and animal sacrifices that the Israelites give him, when they refuse to also give him their love, devotion and attention. He speaks of how the Israelites continue to fall under other countries' control because they refuse to be close to the Lord.

But the Lord fills his story of heartbreak with hope by saying

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
Upon those who lived in a land of gloom
a light has shone.

and

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us;

upon his shoulder dominion rests.
They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero,
Father-Forever, Prince of Peace

The Lord tells the people to wash themselves clean from their sacrifices and to return to loving him as their Father, and they will be made as white as snow. 

Connection & Reflection: The burning coal represents how intense the presence of God is - Isaiah gets a taste of this in his vision, but the Lord also promises that if his people will return to him, they will be greatly changed and transformed. Just as a fire's heat can warm an entire house, and a spark from a fire can light and spread so quickly, so God's power and love are also intense enough to forgive the sins that we commit, and make each one of us clean as if we had never sinner. 

Prayer: Father in heaven, it is so easy to forget the intensity and tenderness of your love. We know that you ache for us to be close to you, and that your love for us is similar to how we feel spending time with our own loving families. Please help us to remember this constantly so that we can live and act as your children, and especially that we would be inspired to love you in return with our whole hearts. 

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

A Little Project: Jesse Tree Week 3 Day 2

Ornament: stone altar

Elijah is fed by ravens in the desert, and by a poor widow who has nothing. Then the Lord shows that he is the one true God by setting fire to an altar. 

Elijah is another one of the prophets: people who spoke to the Lord and gave messages to the people of Israel from God the Father. Once, many years after King David had passed away, Elijiah was told that there would be a drought in the land of Israel, meaning that there wouldn't be any rain and so no plants would grow.

So Elijah went into the desert where the Lord had told him to go, and was fed in the morning and evening by ravens who would bring him bread and meat - just as the Lord had promised. The river from which he drank soon ran dry from the drought. The Lord sent Elijah into a nearby town to ask a poor woman who's husband had died for food.

When he asked for the food, the widow told Elijah about the fact that she had only a handful of flour left to feed her and her son with, and that when they had eaten it she feared that they would die of starvation. They had no one to provide them with food. Elijah asked her to use the little flour to make him food anyway, and promised that the Lord would ensure that she had food for her son and her household for a long time.

The widow followed the instructions Elijah gave her, and there was so much bread for her to eat after that Elijah stayed with the family during the drought. Soon the widow's son fell sick as well and the widow thought it was because of Elijah's presence - so Elijah prayed that the Lord would be merciful to the woman who had been so generous with him, and the Lord granted Elijah's request: the widow's son was healed.

After that the Lord called Elijah away to meet the new King of Israel, Ahab. Ahab had let his people fall into worshiping other gods, especially the good Baal of the other people who lived in the land. There was so much unfaithfulness to the Lord that a young woman named Jezebel had been hunting down prophets of the Lord and killing them. But Elijah faced the danger anyway and told King Ahab to call all of his people to a mountain in the morning.

There, he told the Israelites to stop straddling both faithfulness to the Lord and worshiping Baal. He had them set up two altars with sacrifices of a bull, and to call upon their god Baal to set fire to it.

When it was noon, Elijah taunted them: “Call louder, for he is a god; he may be busy doing his business, or may be on a journey. Perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” Noon passed and they remained in a prophetic state until the time for offering sacrifice. But there was no sound, no one answering, no one listening.

Then, Elijah had them pour three large pots of water upon the other altar, and he added twelve stones to represent the twelve tribes of Israel - and he prayed to the God of Abraham, Jacob and Israel to set fire to the altar. Immediately, the altar, all of the bull that had been offered, all of the wood and even the stones were completely consumed by the fire! They all were burnt up so quickly that nothing was left. 

The Baal worshipers who were gathered said themselves that the Lord is God!

Connection & Reflection: On the stone altar that Elijah sets up, the Lord proves again his power and that he is the Lord of All Creation. The Israelites keep searching for a god who will give them whatever they want, a god who is the most powerful, but they continue to turn away from God the Father. But our Father is patient, and continues over and over again to give his beloved children proof of his love and his presence.

Prayer: Father in Heaven, we know that you are the Lord of all Creation. We also know that you love us, and even though we would like to have an easy life, that a life with you is richer and better. Please give us the courage, as Elijah had, to face the world around us that does not believe in you, to keep faithful, to speak when we should about your love and grace. 

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

A Little Project: Jesse Tree Week 3 Day 1

Happy Gaudete Sunday!

Ornament: Harp

King Saul falls away from the Lord. A young boy named David is annointed to be King and as he grows he defeats giants and loves the Lord. Even though he doesn't live perfectly, he continues to serve him well throughout his life. 

If you remember our very first day of reading about the Jesse Tree, you will remember David, the youngest of Jesse's sons, who was out in the field with sheep when he was recognized as the one the Lord wanted to make King of Israel. Saul, the King before him, had fallen away from the Lord and began to use his power for selfish reasons.

David was still young when he went to live with King Saul to learn from him, and to play the harp in his house. David was able to defeat a giant Philistine named Goliath by throwing a single stone at his forehead - this because the Lord promised David that even though he was small that he, the Lord, would be with him. David trusted this and the people of Israel loved him for it, and David continued to be successful in every battle he fought.

Later, Saul tried to have David killed because he realized that the people loved David more than Saul, and that the Lord favored David as well for his faithfulness. But he could not have him killed because the Lord protected him. Eventually, Saul died in battle, and David became King.

One day when David was grown, he fell in love with a woman who was already married to one of David's soldiers. Her name was Bathsheba, and when David found out that she was pregnant with his own child, he tried to put Bathsheba's husband in the most dangerous situations in battle so that he would not survive. A prophet named Nathan told David about how bad his behavior was - he compared it to a rich man steeling the only sheep of a poor man. This was also because David already had married many women and had sons with them already. David realized how wrong it was that he had taken Bathsheba away from her husband, and how wrong it was to try and have her husband killed in battle. But it was too late, and Bathsheba's husband died.

David still loved Bathsheba, and so he married her and she became the Queen. However, her child died before it was born and both she and David were devastated by the loss, knowing that they had been careless in their actions.

Eventually Bathsheba had another son named Solomon who would one day become King as well. But another son, Absalom, was jealous and wanted to be king himself, so he fought against his father David. Eventually Absalom was chosen to replace David not by the Lord, but by the Israelites - and David was sent to live in caves outside of the land. When Absalom died in battle, the Israelites knew David as their king again. But the divide in the people began to separate the Israelites from one another.

King David died of old age before he could have a temple built for the Lord - a promise he made when he was young and felt guilty for living in a palace when the tablets of Ten Commandments were kept in a tent. Hopefully his son Solomon would keep this promise for him.

Connection & Reflection: The harp is a good symbol of what David's life was like - a song of praise and faithfulness to God the Father. David even wrote the Psalms, poetry to the Lord. Although David wasn't perfect, he tried to learn from his mistakes and still tried to follow the Lord's instructions. However, his failings to live out the Ten Commandments in the end hurt the people of Israel by dividing them with hate and mistrust of one another.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your faithfulness to us when we weak and fail to love you. Thank you for King David, a sign of hope for us, and a gift that you gave us to comfort us and give us unity. We ask that you help us be as faithful as David, even in our failings, and to admit our bad choices as he did. Give us hope, especially today, to continue to prepare ourselves to receive Jesus.
Conclude with your favorite family prayer or an Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be.

A Little Project: Jesse Tree Week 2 Day 7

Ornament: A crown

Samuel becomes a messenger for the Lord and names a man named Saul as the first king of Israel.

During the times of Gideon and Ruth, the people of Israel did not have a leader, a king, like other nations had. The Israelites would fall away from the Lord over and over, and then they would grow weak and be taken over by another group of people. The Israelites felt that this was because they did not have a king, and so they asked the Lord to give them a king of their own.

Even though the Lord had always answered the prayers of the Israelites and freed them from which ever nation had taken over their land, the Israelites did not trust the Lord anymore. The Lord gave the people messengers called prophets, who were like Abraham, Jacob and Moses and would speak to God the Father directly.

Finally, the Lord spoke to one of his prophets called Samuel - a prophet he had been close to since he was a young man. He told him that he would give Israel a king and that Samuel would be the one told who it was. This new king would help defeat the Philistines, the group of people who were trying to take over the land of Israel. The Lord pointed out to Samuel Saul, a strong and tall man of character. Samuel then annoints Saul for the Lord, meaning he has oil poured over his head as a special mark of his new position.

Samuel is made king and the people of Israel are given hope.

Connection & Reflection: God the Father wants us to follow his plan for our lives, but he also realizes that we have great weaknesses - as we see in the way that Israel acts. They constantly fail to live out the ten commandments and then when they grow weak because of it they blame their Lord and say that he has abandoned them. But the Lord never fails to love them, just as he never fails to love us. No matter what we do or how we fail, the Lord will always give us help to again grow close to him and live the lives he meant us to.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for loving us just like a Father loves his children - by taking care of them, but also letting them know we are loved with your attention and affection. Thank you for giving the Israelites a king so that we could learn what it means to have a king and to prepare our hearts to receive Jesus as our king on Christmas. Help us to understand your love more deeply this Advent.
Conclude with your favorite family prayer, or an Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be.

A Little Project: Jesse Tree Week 2 Day 6

Ornament: Grain

Naomi is an Israelite woman who is married and has two sons. There was a famine in their land so the whole family moved to the country of Moab in order to survive. There the sons grew and married women from the country of Moab, who were not Israelites.

Ten years after they moved there, Naomi's husband died and so did both of her sons. Naomi was struck with grief and loss, but she also was afraid because as a woman she could not provide for herself the way a husband or a son could. She thought that she was being cursed by God. Naomi also was afraid for her daughters-in-law, and told them to return to their parents so they could have food and support.

One of the daughters did return to her family, but the other, Ruth, did not. She begged Naomi to let her stay with her, and remain in the family of the Israelites. Ruth said:

"Wherever you go I will go,
wherever you lodge I will lodge.
Your people shall be my people
and your God, my God.
Where you die I will die,
and there be buried.
May the LORD do thus to me, and more, if even death separates me from you!”

So Ruth and Naomi returned together to the land of the Israelites. They returned to the city of Bethlehem and lived a very poor existence. Ruth, who was still young and strong, would go into the neighboring fields after the landowners were done working to gather the leftovers of wheat that were missed by the first workers. This was the only food that they had, so Ruth worked very hard. She came earlier than the other poor and stayed later, gathering the whole time.

One landowner named Boaz noticed her hard work and asked about her. He was told her whole story, and was impressed with how much love and concern she had for her mother in law, and how hard she worked for the both of them. Because he was moved with pity for her he told her to stay with the women in his household during the day, and to gather even more extra food than she would be able to in the field. He even invited her to his own table to eat with him. Finally, he told his own workers to spill handfuls of grain on purpose so that she would have more to gather later on.

When Ruth returned to Naomi in the evenings with much more grain than expected, Naomi asked about who it was who had treated her so kindly. When Ruth told her about Boaz, Naomi recognized that he was a distant cousin of theirs and understood that Boaz might also be interested in gaining Ruth as his wife - and began to help Ruth encourage him.

There was a tradition for the Israelites that when a married man died that the closest male relative would take on the land that the man had owned and also marry his widow - his wife, in order to raise up children for the first man's name and take care of his wife. Naomi told Ruth to remind Boaz of this connection that they had. Boaz already knew that there was one man who was a closer relation to Ruth than he, so he first asked him if he would buy the land and marry Ruth. However this man already had land and so allowed Boaz to take his place instead. He blessed him with the phrase "Bestow a name in Bethlehem!"

So Boaz married Ruth, and together they had a son who they named Obed, who eventually had a son named Jesse, the father of David, the King.

Reflection & Connection: Ruth is the heroine of our story because she would not leave her mother in law when she needed her the most. She also loved being a part of the family of Israel and would not be parted from them. She was willing to do very hard work all day just to provide a small amount of bread for her mother in law. Boaz noticed this and liked her very much for it - and Ruth, who was eager to remain an Israelite, happily married him. Because of Ruth's great desire to be a part of the Israelite family, she was blessed with being a part of the royalty of Israel - she was King David's great grandmother! Even more importantly, even though she was a foreigner she became an ancestor to someone else born in the family line of King David - Jesus himself.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for providing us with food and shelter that we need to survive, the way you provided for Ruth and Naomi. Please help us to use the energy that it gives us to seek out your love and to be close to you.
Conclude with you favorite family prayer or an Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be.

A Little Project: Jesse Tree Week 2 Day 5

Ornament: Clay Water Pitcher

The Hebrews, also called the Israelites, were finally in the land that the Lord promised to give them. However, once they were there they found it very challenging to live out their own end of the promise they made in return to the Lord through Moses. The Ten Commandments are very difficult to live out every day. So the nation of Israel feel out of the habit of living the way that the Lord intended them to live. They even worshiped other gods in order to try and receive blessings that they wanted.

Because of this, their strength and relationship with the Lord fell apart, and another nation came and took over the land of Canaan - people called Midian.

For seven years the people of Midian forced the Israelites out of their homes and forced them to live in caves and dens in the mountains. Wherever the Israelites planted wheat or plants for a harvest or gathered animals to raise for food, Midian would come and destroy it. The Israelites prayed to the Lord to rescue them from their poverty and starvation - and knew that it was because of

One Israelite named Gideon was the youngest in his family, and belonged to the smallest family group in Israel. But the Lord came to him one day while he was preparing some wheat in a large wine press with high walls (to hide it from the people of Midian).

The Lord said, "The LORD is with you, you mighty warrior!" 

“My lord,” Gideon said to him, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are his wondrous deeds about which our ancestors told us when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ For now the LORD has abandoned us and has delivered us into the power of Midian.”

But the Lord promised that Gideon should not be afraid, that He, God the Father, would be with Gideon in his battle. When Gideon asked for a sign to convince him, the Lord set a rock on fire to consume Gideon's animal sacrifice. The Lord then instructed Gideon to take his father's bull and pull down the statutes of other gods that the people had put up and worshiped, and then to make an altar instead to the Lord, the God of Israel and to sacrifice his father's most prized bull on the altar. 

The Israelites wanted to kill Gideon for having destroyed the altar to the god Baal, but Gideon's father convinced them that since it was the statue of Baal destroyed, then Baal himself should be left to kill Gideon - although Gideon did not die. Instead, he gathered his people with the Spirit of the Lord and prepared for battle against the people of Midian. 

Even after all that, Gideon still wanted the Lord to prove that he would be with him. So he invented a test, where he put a fleece outside on a night when he knew there would be no dew on the ground, and asked the Lord to put dew on the fleece. In the morning, the fleece was so wet with dew that the water that Gideon wrung from it was enough to fill a whole pitcher. Soon, Gideon leads his people in victory over Midion even though they are outnumbered. 

Connection & Reflection: The Lord is faithful to his promises even when we are not - and he gives his love and is close to us in ways that are greater than what we even asked for. Even when Gideon tells the Lord that he doesn't believe that he will help the Israelites, the Lord promises that he will, and allows Gideon to test his faithfulness over and over again. Then, he prepares to answer the Israelites' prayers with one of the youngest and least important people in the nation to show that their victory is given entirely by God the Father. 

Prayer: Lord, just like you gave victory to the Israelites through the young Gideon, you prepare us now to remember that you came to us first as a small and young child. Thank you for your constant and unconditional love that you give us, even when we turn away from you and do not live the way we should. Please help us to realize each day how preparing for Christmas will help us to love you more and to grow more confident in your love for us. 

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

A Little Project: Jesse Tree Week 2 Day 3

Ornament: Tablets of Moses

Now the Hebrews were free, but they had a long journey before they would be in their homeland as the land on the other side of the sea was a desert. They had stopped and made camp nearby to a great mountain, Mt. Sinai. Even though they had been God's chosen people, they had been enslaved for such a long time that they lived and acted as their old captors did - which was not the way that God the Father created them to live and act.

So the Lord called Moses once again, this time to give his people a guide to live rightly and justly - to be the happiest they can be on earth, the healthiest, and most able to determine their own fate.

The Lord told Moses to climb up the mountain, but not to let anyone else follow or even come close because Moses had a special job. The Lord told Moses that he would cover the mountain in smoke and fire to show the Hebrews below how special this event was, and how amazing it was that the Lord was speaking to him.

As Moses went up Mt. Sinai, it began to smoke and fire and shake just as the Lord said it would! Moses saw that the mountain was a volcano! A crack in the earth beneath the mountain was letting lava - burning rock - break through to spew into the air and down the mountains side. The Lord, who created the world, instructed the mountain to erupt just for this special moment.

Moses showed why the Lord had chosen him, because without complaining or hesitating or being afraid, he climbed Mt. Sinai as it was throwing fire and boiling water into the air!

When Moses reached the top, the Lord began to speak: He told Moses that he was about to give his people a set of basic rules to live by - called commandments. If the Hebrews obeyed all of the commandments completely, the Lord would make them His treasured possession - over everyone else, he would care for and love the Hebrews specially. Even though He is Lord of all Creation - he made everything and holds it in existence - he would treat these few people specially, and give them his attention.

He told Moses that this would make the Hebrews a "Kingdom of Priests" -meaning that they would be royalty and share in God's Lordship over the earth and creation. They would also be priests, people who are given special access to the Lord's power and love and are able to share it with others who do not yet know him - and that their prayers and petitions would be heard over all others.

Finally, the Lord said that he would make Israel a holy nation! This is both a blessing and a challenge - to be holy means to be set apart, to be different than everyone around you. But it also means that you have been given a special purpose for your life, that your life will be more than just eating and existing and not helping anyone but yourself.

All of this, if only the Hebrews would promise to follow these commandments, which will only help you in your journey to being a Royal Priesthood, a Holy Nation. So the Lord wrote them on two tablets of stone, with his own hands:

What are the ten commandments? Can you name them?

1. I am the LORD your God:
you shall not have
strange Gods before me.
2. You shall not take
the name of the LORD your God in vain.
3. Remember to keep holy the LORD'S Day.
4. Honor your father and your mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not stea
8. You shall not bear false witness
against your neighbor
9. You shall not covet
your neighbor's wife.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods

The Lord said: 

Now, if you obey me completely and keep my covenant, you will be my treasured possession among all peoples, though all the earth is mine.
You will be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation

When Moses told the people what the Lord had said, they responded:

Everything the LORD has said, we will do.

Reflection & Connection: God the Father chose a mountain as a special place to make a new covenant, a new promise to his people. This time the promise was not with just one person, but with a whole nation of people - with Moses as their representative. So the Lord not only chose a place to make the promise that would draw a lot of attention - a volcano! - but also gave Moses something he had not given any other person he promised - guidelines for how to live their lives - to be healthy & happiest on earth. 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for showing us how much you love us by having given us the 10 Commandments.  Help us to live them out in our daily lives, and when we fail to live them out, we ask that you give us the strength to come to you again and ask forgiveness. 

A Little Project: Jesse Tree Week 2 Day 2

Ornament: Lamb

The Pharaoh had not given the Israelites their day of worship in the desert. The Lord had sent Moses to him directly many times telling the Pharaoh about plagues - that means really bad situations for everyone in the country - and each time the Pharaoh laughed at Moses' God. He had his magicians do similar tricks in the palace to prove that the Lord of the Hebrews was not special. However whatever the tricksters could do in a small place the Lord created all over the land of Egypt. 

The Lord told Moses to warn Pharaoh of the last plague that he would send: every first born son in the land would be taken by death in the night. The Pharaoh had a son whom he loved, but he was also angry and jealous of Moses, and because of the pride that he had in his own power  he did not free the Israelites.

The Lord had told Moses to warn the Hebrews: if they wanted to save the firstborn boys in their families they would have to use the blood of a lamb and paint it over the doorway of their house. Then they could eat the lamb with special bread that has no yeast. The Hebrews did this, and on the night that the Lord had told Moses, death swept through the land of Egypt and took the firstborn of every household - except for those who had followed Moses' instructions. This event was called Passover.

Even Pharaoh's son was taken and in his fear and pain he ordered that the Hebrews be released and sent them out of Egypt.  Then after the Hebrews began to leave, the Pharaoh changed his mind because he was afraid to lose the workers he didn't have to pay to build his enormous buildings. So he sent his army out after the Hebrews, who were just about to cross a small sea into their family's homeland. Moses and the Hebrews knew that they could not outrun the armies of the Pharaohs who were riding horses and chariots, while they were walking with small children and slow moving wagons filled with their belongings and food for the desert.

The Lord was still with Moses. He told him to use his walking stick - his staff, and to hold it over the water of the Sea. As Moses did this, the Hebrews watched as the water from the Sea was parted, and a dry pathway was created in front of them. They were scared and amazed - but the army they saw behind them helped overcome their fear of drowning, and they marched through the sea passage.

The Hebrew people took their time and arrived at the opposite shore safely just when the Egyptians army arrived. They hesitated, also afraid of what they were seeing before them, remembering what the God of the Hebrews had done in their home country. But the Pharaoh ordered them to follow the Hebrews and they did. When they were about to catch up to Moses and his people, the Lord told Moses to remove his staff from over the water. The ea flooded back in, and swept up all of the Egyptian army as it did.

Connection & Reflection: Even though it seemed at first that the Lord would not be able to help the Hebrews, in the end he was able to protect them from the plagues he sent to the Egyptians and free them from their life of slavery. Today we have a lamb as our ornament because it represents the protection that God the Father gave not only the Hebrew children, but also what he gives us through Jesus's sacrifice on the Cross. 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for your sacrifice that frees us from lives of slavery to sin. We ask you to help us prepare for your coming as a baby and to remember the reason that you were born. Please help us to grow close to you so that we too can cross the seas of our life in safety. 

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

A Little Project: Jesse Tree Week 2 Day 1

Ornament: Burning bush

Generations after Joseph and his brothers had died, their family and descendants still lived in Egypt, and they were called the Hebrews. The family had grown and multiplied, and there were thousands of family members. It was in these years later that Moses was born to a Hebrew family. .

The new Pharaoh, who did not know Joseph at all,  was afraid of the Hebrews since they were becoming such a large family, and he forgot what Joseph had done for his country. So he ordered that the Hebrews be enslaved.

After that he ordered that all of the male children of the Hebrews should be killed once they were born. But the women delivering the children, women called midwives, did not follow these instructions. Eventually, the new Pharaoh had his armies enter the homes of the enslaved Hebrews and kill all the male children.

Moses' mother was afraid for her son, so when he was still very small, still a chubby baby, she hid him in a basket and let him float down the river. She thought this would be a better chance fort bus survival than keeping him hidden at home.

Strangely enough, the daughter if the Pharaoh, who was a young woman, found Moses and fell in love with him because he was still a baby. She took him on to her house and raised him as her son.

Soon Moses grew into a man. But even though he was raised with Egyptians, he still knew that he was a Hebrew because of how he looked. One day he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew badly and Moses' anger grew out of control - he killed the Egyptian because of it. Then Moses fled into the desert, where he lived for many years out of fear and guilt.

Then one day when he was working in the desert he saw a bush that was on fire! He panicked, until he realized that somehow the bush was not being burnt - it was not being destroyed by the fire. He walked over to the bush and heard the voice of God the Father speak to him:

"Moses! Moses! Do not come near! Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.I am the God of your father, he continued, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

The Lord then told Moses to tell the leaders of the Hebrews to go to the Pharaoh in Egypt, and that he, God the Father, would be with him. Even though Moses was afraid that he couldn't speak in front of the Pharaoh because he spoke poorly, the Lord reminded Moses of the promise he made with Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, to give them freedom in the land of Canaan. That God the Father had heard the prayers of His people in Egypt and would answer them. He promised He would be with Moses, and when Moses asked for a name to tell the people who sent him, God replied, "I am who am."

Moses did convince his people to go to the Pharaoh and request a day of prayer in the desert, but the Pharaoh refused and in his anger decided to double the work load of the Hebrews, calling them lazy for wanting to worship. Moses complained to the Lord that following God's commands had only made life harder for the Hebrews, but the Lord said to Moses: 

I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God; and you will know that I, the LORD, am your God who has freed you from the burdens of the Egyptians.

Connection & Reflection: Moses is not a perfect person - he grows up angry about his family being enslaved and eventually takes someone's life because of it - although he feels very guilty after. He even has a speech impediment - but the Lord still wants to have him lead the Hebrews out of slavery, just as Jesus will lead his children out of the slavery of sin. Moses still has trouble trusting the Lord, especially after the Lord's first instructions seem to fail. Despite all these difficulties, Moses still follows the instructions the Lord gives him. 

Prayer: Lord, help us to not be afraid of the life that you are calling us each to live. Even when we have fears, help us to not be afraid of talking to you about them so that you can comfort and encourage us. Jesus, give us the ability to follow through with the plan you have for us and not to give in to our anger and frustration. 

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

A Little Project: Jesse Tree Week 1 Day 7

Ornament: Coat of many colors

Jacob made it to his father's homeland and did get married. However, he was tricked into marrying the sister of the woman he really loved - Rachel was Jacob's favorite. (Remember, back then they didn't' have any guidance from God yet about how to live, so having more than one wife was accepted by their culture). The Lord however felt badly for Leah, Rachel's sister, because she wasn't loved by Jacob. So Leah was blessed by God with many children - she had eleven sons, while Rachel only had one. In the end, Jacob favored Rachel's son who was named Joseph. He was the youngest, but Jacob gave him priority and special gifts. Also, Joseph had vivid dreams - dreams that seemed to tell him that he would be set above his brothers.

Leah's sons were jealous of Joseph for the way their father treated him (for example, giving him a special many colored coat!) and for the dreams that Joseph had. One day while they were out tending sheep in distant fields, they decided to dig a pit, put Joseph in it, and kill him. But at the last minute, Joseph's brother Judah told his brothers not to kill him, but to instead sell Joseph to the first passerby.

The brothers did this, and they sold Joseph as a slave to a group of merchants going into Egypt.

When Joseph was sold in Egypt, he was sold to the house of the king. The king had been suffering from many dreams that seemed very real. He couldn't understand them himself, and no one else could tell him what he wanted to know. The king found out that Joseph could interpret dreams and so he asked him what his dreams meant.

Joseph immediately knew what the king's dreams meant: that Egypt would have seven years of good luck, and then seven.years of famine (that means, not enough food in the whole country). So Joseph advised the king to store up good and supplies during the good times, so that the kingdom would be prepared for the bad and no one would starve.

The Pharaoh did as Joseph told him, and what Joseph had said came true. Luckily, during the famine Egypt was well prepared and was even able to help surrounding countries with food. Joseph was honored in the Pharaoh's house because of this.

During the famine, Joseph's family back home was starving. His brothers were struggling to support the family since their father Jacob was widely and slowly dying. Rachel had given birth to one more son, Benjamin who was Joseph's only full brother, whom he had never met.

At first Joseph asked them questions about their father and his wives, and he learned that Jacob was dying and that he, Joseph, had a brother. Joseph was angry with his brothers and instead of giving them foods he imprisoned them.

But he began to feel guilty and told Leah s aims that he would let them go and give them food if they brought him his brother Benjamin - and Joseph saw that his brothers regretted what they had done to him when they protected Benjamin from being accused of theft.  So Joseph revealed himself to his brothers and gave them his forgiveness, seeing his journey to Egypt as an act of service to the Lord because now he could feed and protect his family. He invited his father and his whole household to come and live in Egypt where they would be protected and flourish.

Reflection & Connection: Have your parents ever given you nice things or treats just because they want to make you happy? Joseph's coat, which would have cost a lot of money at the time, can remind us of how the Lord loves us - like a Father who wants to spoil his child! This story also shows us how much God the Father loves his only Son, Jesus. Joseph follows a similar story to Jesus in that they both were "thrown down" from a place of honor (in Jesus' case, from Heaven itself!) in order to be of service to many others, and specifically their families.

Especially in this story we learn the freedom that comes with forgiveness! Joseph was able to be reunited with his parents and his brothers because he chose to  forgive them for what they had done to him.

Prayer: Lord please help us to be united to those who have hurt us, especially our families, so that we can continue to love them and receive love. Help us, Jesus, to be servants to those we love and to our neighbors as well, so that we can unite our lives with your love.
Conlclude with your favorite family prayer or an Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be.

He is Silent

I've been asked before why I believe in God, and even "why Jesus?" Once I was asked by a very good-natured person who I was willing to vomit all of my history on, but honestly found that I could never really give a good definition for myself, and ashamedly never answered. (Another time I was asked by a big jerk face but I think the question was itself was actually well-intentioned.....despite being called "less intelligent" for my belief later on. Alas.)

Since I am awake at 4 am, and have been since probably at least 2, and I started painting bookcases, (what?!) then it seemed to come to me.

I have a lot of imaginary conversations in my head with people. They usually go something like this "but what if (insert statement of discontent here)?" And then I rattle off my explanation and well thought out points with inherent passion - sometimes just in my head, but lets be honest, mostly out loud to no one. This time, it was an imaginary, "why DO you believe in God?"

I found myself answering in a way that I really hadn't even thought of myself before.

I can reach out and touch a - pillow - for example. I can feel with my hands that it is soft and pleasant. (The one in front of me is a knitted cotton and so is very soft). And even with my other senses deprived I can speak certain truths about the pillow. It's a pillow, for instance. It's soft. It has ribs in it's makeup. And it is actually there.

I don't know much about Descartes, but his "I think therefore I am" never made much sense to me. Exclusive subjective reality doesn't really tally with logic in the long run, in my mind. The pillow is either there or it is not. If it's not there and I sense it, then I'm hallucinating. If it IS there and I don't sense it, well there's something else wrong too. Maybe I just have gloves on....

But as for my belief in God, there is something within me, some sensibility that perceives an objective non-material/spiritual existence. I can feel the pillow and not feel sad or happy or edified by it necessarily, but still know that it is there. And that is what I "feel" about God. I sense that He is there, that He exists. I don't always feel great about that fact. Anger, loneliness, rejection, insignificance are all things that I feel frequently in regard to my faith. (In fact, I feel the struggles and pain of faith much much more frequently than the consolations, especially as I get older.) However, that sensibility in me that perceives God doesn't seem to disappear entirely.

And what I know about God the Father, and Jesus, and the Holy Spirit seem to be in congruence with that Sensed Existence with which I connect.

I can sense a bit more, too, than just "He is there." There is the reasonable perception that He is Good. He is Mysterious. He is Peaceful. On days of consolation I understand that He is Love. On days of desolation the most I can sense is that He is Waiting, or He is Silent. But He is There. Sometimes He is pressing in on all sides so powerfully and yet so gently that my physical senses begin to vaguely, slightly catch up with this spiritual sense - for a microsecond. And then I get distracted by food.

Some of the things that I have "learned" about God of course I weed out because in my heart (or where ever it is that this sensibility resides) I know that THIS fact (for instance, that "God hates f---s") just does NOT jive with the God that I know. That I've met.

On top of that, there are many times that I've "put myself out there" for this Sensed Existence. Not a test so much of "Are you there, God?" but with more confidence that He IS there - "Hello, Jesus, what's up?" And this Sense perceives communication back to me - connection on some level that goes beyond words (usually does not include words at all, unhelpfully), and on the BEST days (perhaps maybe just a month's worth in my whole life) I can barely detect a response - and the response is merely a nod in my direction. Nothing more than a quick smile, or a perhaps a wink. (I blame the lack of verbal communication on my own deficient ability to focus and commitment to daily prayer.) But I very much suck at prayer in the real world, so much of the time there is just He is Silent.

Somehow, that is enough for me.

This explanation works well in my head right now. Perhaps in a month (or tomorrow morining) I will return to read it and think "That really doesn't do it justice." or "Wha?" But for now, we cool.



RMVZ