first Sunday of advent

this is my thirty-fourth Advent season, my tenth as a Catholic, and my first in Italy. i have fond memories of Advent growing up -- lighting the candle at the dinner table as we sang O Come O Come Emanuel, while the flame's reflection danced in the frosted glass nativity set in its center. now as our own family has grown, we're building on those traditions, preparing for Christmas not only in our own hearts but in the girls'.

first Sunday of Advent, last year (December 3, 2017)

the day started too early, at 5:30 AM, when Cecilia woke up crying. this is day two of a fever for her, although she has no other symptoms and the fever responds quickly to anti-pyretics. (soapbox sidebar: i don't medicate my kids for a temperature of 100 or below if they're otherwise feeling okay. but this morning's temp of 103 warranted some ibuprofen.) when i came into her room with the syringe, she said "i don't want it! no yike it!" and the only way i could convince her to take it was to promise that she could watch some Daniel Tiger afterwards. so as the sun rose on this first Sunday of Advent, she and i were both dozing on opposite ends of the couch while Daniel Tiger cheerfully spouted little nuggets of musical wisdom from the TV. "use your words and say how you feel! use your words, use your words!"

sweet angel baby before the ibuprofen kicked in

we usually attend the 9:30 mass at the seminary, but obviously i kept the girls home this morning. when Nick got back from playing for mass, i headed down the hill to the little church where we attended mass on our very first Sunday here. this was the first time i'd been to mass without the girls in over a year (i think the only times i've gone without them have been when i'm traveling to PA conferences or when Nick and i are traveling for our anniversary weekend). even though mass was in Italian and the fifty-year-old priest was sporting a hairstyle reminiscent of Ben Stiller in Zoolander, it was still one of the most prayerful and spiritually intimate experiences i've had in a very long time. the second reading, 1 Thessalonians 3:12 - 4:2, resonated so much with me in light of the current scandals in the church (and hearing the passage read in a church that was originally built in the eighth century, gave me hope that the Church has survived even worse scandals in the past).

Brothers and sisters:

May the Lord make you increase and abound in love

for one another and for all,

just as we have for you, 

so as to strengthen your hearts, 

to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father 

at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen.

Finally, brothers and sisters, 

we earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that,

as you received from us 

how you should conduct yourselves to please God

and as you are conducting yourselves

you do so even more.

For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

the Gospel reading for today is about the Second Coming of Christ, and somehow i never realized that before. i tend to think that everything during the Advent season must be all about Christmas, without making the connection that we are even now supposed to be in a time of preparation for the next coming of Jesus. 

since i could only decipher about ten percent of the priest's homily, i took the opportunity to silently say the St. Andrew Prayer. this is a new devotion for our family this Advent. it's often referred to as a Novena, but it actually lasts for twenty-five days (from the Feast of St. Andrew on November 30 through Christmas Eve) instead of nine, go figure. the prayer is meant to be recited fifteen times per day as a meditation on the Incarnation, and we've also been saying it once at night along with Greta's other bedtime prayers. we have a few special intentions on our hearts right now, and this is such a lovely way to pray for them. 

the St. Andrew Novena

after mass, i walked across the river to pick up a few groceries, enjoying the fresh breeze and warm sun (highs of 58 degrees in Rome today, folks), while listening to The Brothers Karamazov on Audible. (eleven hours in, a mere twenty-seven to go.) i told Nick the other day that i don't think our current lifestyle (no car, walking everywhere) would be sustainable in a less beatific climate. sure, we have a few days per month when it really pours, but otherwise, it's been clear skies in the low fifties, perfect walking weather. 

then i walked up the Janiculum, my purple shopping bag stuffed full of necessities, carrying an equally necessary poinsettia plant. i haven't had poinsettias in the house for years because of the cats, and though it's small consolation for not having our own Christmas tree this year, it does brighten our table. 

Cecilia was sleeping when i got home. Greta was industriously using the new markers from Nana to draw a surprisingly realistic portrait of her beloved Peppa Pig (and George and Mommy Pig).

we'll forgive the fact that Mommy Pig's legs aren't quite ... connected ... to the rest of her 

then, to celebrate the Liturgical New Year, Greta and i both chose a new saint for the year using Jennifer Fulwiler's Saint Name Generator. i think i tried this a few years ago but i definitely cheated and clicked the button a few times until i got a saint that really appealed to me, so this time i was ready to stick with whichever name popped up. the idea is that you spend the year learning about this saint and growing in faith. 

http://saintsnamegenerator.com/

so, my saint for 2018-2019 is Saint Paul Chung Hasang (1795-1839). he's one of the Korean martyrs (and it turns out Korea has the fourth largest number of saints!). his feast day is celebrated on September 20, along with the other Korean martyrs (the most well-known being Saint Andrew Kim Taegeon). his father, Saint Augustine Jeong Yak-Jong, was martyred in 1801 when Paul was just six; and his uncle wrote the first Catholic catechism in Korea. Saint Paul Chung Hasang promoted the faith as a layman, and then entered the seminary, but was martyred during the Gi Hye persecution of 1839 before he could be ordained. at first glance, i don't have much in common with this single Korean man, but i'm excited to learn more about him and learn from his dedication to the faith. Saint Paul Chung Hasang, pray for us!

then it was Greta's turn. i pulled up the Saint Name Generator on my phone and she pushed the button, and lo and behold, her saint is Saint Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine! this is a perfect saint for her this year, as Helena was an Empress of the Roman Empire from 293-306 A.D.  after her conversion, Saint Helena was an intrepid traveler, exploring the Holy Land and bringing back several important artifacts to Rome, including pieces of the True Cross and the Holy Stairs. Greta remembers that we visited the Holy Stairs a few months ago, and i was amazed to find that Saint Helena's remains are interred at the church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, next to the Vittorio Emanuele monument in Piazza Venezia -- we must have passed them dozens of times by now. there's also a large statue of St. Helena in St. Peter's Basilica. Greta was also excited to learn that Saint Helena is the patron of empresses and against thunder. (she's also the patron of difficult marriages, which is not quite as applicable for a five-year-old.) the most timely part of this "random" saint assignment is that the girls watched our DVD about the life of St. Nicholas three times this weekend (!) and it mentions that Emperor Constantine's decree freed St. Nicholas from prison, so Greta easily made the connection that Saint Helena was Constantine's mother. Saint Helena, pray for us! 

later in the afternoon, Cecilia woke up from her nap and was feeling a bit better. the girls and i went out to play with soccer balls on the NAC field. in a matter of minutes, the sky went from pale blue to rosy pink and burnt orange as the sun set behind the hall. 

small girls, big field (Cecilia is in the dark blue coat on the left; Greta is standing in front of the soccer goal net)

then it was time to come back inside so i could start dinner prep, while simultaneously curating my Advent playlist on Amazon Music. amongst the chanting of Benedictine nuns and the polyphonic choral music, i clicked on a kids' Christmas album put out by someone who dubs himself DJ Pray Z. no, i am not making that up. of course Greta immediately started dancing to the sick beat of "Joy to the World", club-style. after several minutes, we were back to the monastic music, much more fitting as we lit the first advent candle. i haven't found the traditional purple and pink candles here yet, but i did bring our own advent candle-holder from home. our friends (and previous neighbors in Altoona!) gave it to us for our wedding, and i love it. 

Christmas Eve, 2015

First Sunday of Advent, 2018

during dinner, we read the Creation story and Greta put the second "ornament" on the paper Jesse tree i made. if you ever need to feel better about your own artistic skills, just look at my third-grade-level masterpiece ... but regardless of how it looks, it's such a great way to review The Greatest Story Ever Told. (many thanks to the Frugal Fun blog for inspiration! and i'm also using this amazing free Advent guide for the Advent wreath prayers and ideas for celebrating the feast days that fall during the Advent season.)

the music continued to play as i cleaned up the kitchen, convinced Cecilia to take another dose of ibuprofen, and put her to bed. my guess is this is either something viral, or she has an ear infection (although she adamantly denies any ear pain, or any pain at all for that matter). she's still drinking plenty of fluids and perking up as soon as the ibuprofen or tylenol kicks in, but the fever comes back as the medication wears off so i'll probably call the pediatrician tomorrow if her fever curve isn't trending down. for now, it's lots of fluids and TLC. 

and so the day came to an end, doing the ordinary things that make up family life, with "A Hymn to the Virgin" playing in the background, and the promise of Christmas in the air. 

A Hymn to the Virgin, Benjamin Britten

Of one who is so fair and bright
Velut maris stella,   [Like a star of the sea]
Brighter than the day is light,
Parens et puella:   [Both mother and maiden]
I cry to thee, thou see to me,
Lady, pray thy Son for me,
Tam pia,   [so pure]
That I may come to thee.
Maria!   [Mary]

All this world was forlorn,

Eva peccatrice,   [because of Eve, a sinner]

Till our Lord was yborn,

De te genetrice.   [through you, his mother]

With ave it went away,

Darkest night, and comes the day 

Salutis;   [of salvation]

The well springeth out of thee. 

Virtutis.   [of virtue]

Lady, flower of everything,

Rosa sine spina,   [Rose without thorn]

Thou bare Jesu, heaven's king, 

Gratia divina:   [by divine grace]

Of all thou bearest the prize,

Lady, queen of paradise 

Electa:   [chosen]

Maid mild, mother

es effecta.   [you are made]