On the Run

LECTIO:                                                   Matthew 2:1-12

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod, 
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.”
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled, 
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, 
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, 
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
Then Herod called the magi secretly 
and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said, 
“Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word, 
that I too may go and do him homage.”
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, 
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star, 
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures 
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, 
they departed for their country by another way.

STUDIUM:

Keep in mind, Jesus' bloodline.  As a son of David's line, He is thoroughly Jewish--Herod is not, and thereby a threat.  Also, this Gospel was written after the destruction of the temple.  For Matthew's audience, Jewish Christians, they would know that Jesus was the temple that was resurrected in three days. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19)

But the major character here is Herod and he is shown to be a scheming coward.  He lies to the Magi and orders all males under two to be killed.

Note how it was non-Jews who were among the first to honor Jesus.  God manifest Himself to all nations.

MEDITATIO:

Herod's plotting was for naught.  God's plans trump Satan's.  I have to always remember that.  Herod's plans were foiled but we can see that from the "get/go", Jesus was not welcomed and is going to have a hard time.

ORATIO:

Lord, may I always trust that You are in control.  Your love is for everybody-believers or not.  You came for all.

CONTEMPLATIO:

Lord, I trust in You.  You are God; I am not.

RESOLUTIO:

I must keep reminding myself that God is control.  He knows what He is doing.  Trust Him!

Secret recipes

 

What do you think?  I asked the chef for the recipe and she wouldn't give it to me.  I looked up recipes and made what I thought would approximate what I wanted.  No, it didn't.  I had made stewed tomatoes.  It was good, but not creamy tomato soup.

I am going to try this Martha Stewart recipe.  Someone commented to just use pasta sause instead of cans of tomatoes.  We'll see.  I'll do both and compare.  

So?

 The latest issue of The Pilot, the Archdiocesan Newspaper of Boston, has an article on immigration, that has me wondering, "So what?".  The article is Critical Points in Immigration History: From restriction to reform and back again, by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio.  What I note is this statement: "the problem we are dealing with is a mythical replacement theory -- that the new immigration is a plan to replace the white race in America."  

So, what if the white race is replaced?  Most of us will be dead by the time, if ever, that would happen.  Personally, I see mixed marriages between races.  Again, so?  Maybe it's God's plan.  Then we wouldn't have race problems, would we?  We could then be prejudice against people that are left-handed, or have green eyes, or are bald, or......  I'm sure Satan will think of something else to cause division.

It's all so silly.

My Top 2025 Books

 These are my personal picks for the best reads of 2025.

Not in any particular order.

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

American Girl by Wendy Walker

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnson

Deacon King Kong by James McBride

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict

James by Percival Everett

Listen to Him by David Rosage

Master Slave Husband and Wife by Ilon Woo

My average rating for 2025

4.4

Caught on Camera

 American Girl is a suspense full mystery thriller by Wendy Walker.  The main character is a seventeen year-old authistic girl, Charlie.  Her home like is complicated.  She has a loving mom, "Mama Bear type."  She has a cold to mild step dad and two young step brothers.  Her plans are to go to MIT.  She has the grades and is working to get the money in a sandwich shop.

Her coworkers have future plans too, and are her very close friends--soul mates.  Everyone helps each other and would defend to the death, each other, too.  One friend comes to work all bruised.  It's not from her devoted boyfriend.  It's from her senile grandmother.  She is working to get the money to put her grandmother in some sort of NICE assisted living facility.  Another friend is a rookie cop who has an obsession to find the hit-an-run driver who killed his father.

Charlie works for a crook who hides their revenue.  The story begins with the boss being killed.  Charlie is implicated because the security camera has her there at the scene.  She was hiding behind the counter.  She didn't do it, but she was there.  Who did it?  Whom is she protecting?

Will all Charlie's plans be destroyed?  Will the killer go after Charlie?  This story is a nail biter.

Epistle

 One of my "cloistered brothers" asked me if I knew what an "epistle" was.  It's a letter, especially the letters St. Paul wrote from prison.

Nope, he said.

An epistle is the wife of an apostle.

Skinning a Cat

 There is an expression that exercises my mind, way too often.  "There's more than one way to skin a cat."  Why this expression comes to mind is a mystery because--well think about it.  Skinning anything is abhorrent.  Never mind a cat!

Anyway, why I thought of this expression, now, is because I went to order a book on Amazon and it told me that the book couldn't be sent to my Kindle--for some reason, or other.  So, I took my Kindle and ordered it from my Kindle, itself!  See, there's more than one way to skin a cat.

The book is How We Learn to Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith by Bishop Mariann Budde.  She was the minister who presided over the inaugural religious ceremony of President Trump.  She was brave enough to preach to him, knowing that he thought the opposite of what she expounded.  I thought she was acting exactly like Jesus preaching to the Pharisees.  Not only did I buy her book, I signed up for her workshop--to be brave.  

"The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meatpacking plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals -- they may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurdwaras, and temples."

Tiene cojones