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Life is tough. Nuns are tougher.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

May I Help You?

Hi SMM, Could you tell me why the candle is pink when the others are purple?
We love our colors in the Catholic Church!  During Advent we're preparing the way for the Birth of Jesus. Not quite like Lent, but still a time of reflection and fasting and longing.  So a little past the halfway point of Advent, we have a cheery day to remind us that true joy is just around the corner.  It's a candle unlike the others that says, "Lighten up!  Jesus is really coming this time!"
How else can I help you?
Revelation 12 is the best evidence of the Assumption of Mary.


Sister, while the topic is on Mary, could you please explain the Greek name for Christmas, Synaxis of the Theotokos?

It's Greek to me!  
Actually, that is not the Greek name for Christmas.  It's the Greek name for the day after Christmas and it's not rocket science to understand, unless perhaps you come down on the side of the separated brethren who seem to like to ignore Mary as much as possible.
"Synaxis" simply means a coming together in a liturgical way and Theotokos just means "Mother of God".  The day after Christmas in the Orthodox Church is what we would call a "feast day" celebrating Mary as the Mother of God. Mary and Jesus shared DNA.  God could not have been made Flesh without her. No Mary, no Incarnation.
Speaking of the colors of the Catholic Church, why is Mary wearing blue all the time?  Because blue is the color of the sky. In human history, before we had an elaborate court system, a way to show you had adopted someone was to wrap your cloak around them.  Mary's blue cloak, like the sky, covers us all.

Sister Mary Martha I am thinking of asking for a new position within my company. Is there a Saint that I can pray to that can help me find the courage to do this? In addition, be able to have all the right words to show why I am the best fit for the position. 


Fear not! We have you covered. I'll give you three saints who would be happy to help and if you'd like to single out one of them, you can choose. You actually mentioned three points you need covered:


1. A new job position.  Although he isn't officially canonized, I recommend Pope John Paul II.  He had his happy job longer than anyone in history.


2. Courage to pop the question.  St. Joan of Arc.  One tough cookie. Took an arrow in the chest and kept fighting.


3. The right words. St. Anthony of Padua.  Oh, sure, you know him as the guy who finds your car keys, but do you know why he can remember where you put them?  St. Anthony was a fabulous public orator who could speak off the cuff, answer questions and sway minds and hearts.  His ability stemmed from his photographic memory. He could retain everything he read and saw (including where you put those keys).

5 comments:

The Lady Dragon said...

John Paul II of happy memory was pope for 26 years, 5 months and 16 days. Blessed Pius IX was pope for 31 years 7 months and 21 days.

Blessed Pius IX is also an expert at finding things: lost things, late buses, the right words -- anything -- if you need to find it, Blessed Pius is the guy for you.

Blessed Pius has never refused anything I have ever asked of him, so I would really encourage everyone to apply to him. I would really like to see him make full saint.

mph said...

Hello Sister,
Me again with another question, I can almost here the sigh. Today's Gospel has a quote from Jesus "I tell you, among those born of women, no one is greater than John; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." So is Mary somehow excluded from this comment or is John the Baptist also in heaven?

Anonymous said...

I like that: "There is no pecking order...only God and his love." Thanks, SMM!

Monica said...

hey, thanks for the bit on St. Anthony! I've just finished a novena to him (lost my mind) and didn't know that about him. I like to get to know the saints a little better when I do a novena.

Anonymous said...

Saint Anthony of Padua was always my favorite saint (I'm forever losing things), but I never knew he had a photographic memory! Thank you, Sister, this made my day.