December 19, 1952
Our Lady-
(Continued from Page 4)
tilling this plot she heard that he
had set it aside as a suitable place
for a shrine but if there were no
prospects of building any time
soon, why couldn't she use it to
raise food for her eight children?
He had let her have it, he added,
“because she is poor and be
cause .” He looked at his wife
apologetically.
Trina knew what he wanted to
say: he had lent the land to the
widow ir Our Lady's name. She
smiled as she thought, “Yes. Our
I.ady herself must have chosen our
home. She prefers our humble loft
as her statue’s abode.”
Years passed, and with them
came poor harvests bringing in
their train great need. Not even
Our Lady's “home” was spared.
Trina would often go to the loft
and. with tears dimming her sight,
tell her troubles to the beloved im
age. “We have given you here a
place to stay,” she would sob, "and
even though it is a wretched one,
nevertheless it is an abode. Oh,
now help us who are about to lose
our home!” And always hope was
renewed in her heart as she again
noted Our Lady’s ineffable gaze
above and beyond the material.
Life was more bearable after a
visit to the loft, but the demands
of creditors became more and more
insistent. Farm and home were im
periled.
“Help us in all care and sorrow,
Mary, help us, help we pray,” Trina
pleaded. Yes, her faith was un-
Grandma
(Continued from Page 1)
the little child to whom the Christ
mas celebration is still his most
thrilling experience—has greater
cause for rejoicing on this day of
days than the mature women to
whom the revelation of the Nativi
ty seems more wonderful every
year. I say this with the realiza
tion that I am singularly favored
because I usually have some of my
large family with me (twice within
the last decade we have all been
together, converging from distant
points in both North and South
America), and because, last year,
the birth of twin girls within the
Christmas cycle has given me, their
grandmother, an added cause for
joy. But I also say it with the bless
ed knowledge that the most seem
ingly solitary Christmas need never
be lonely for me—or for any other
human being—to whom the Child
of Bethlehem has become “a living
bright reality.”
He must have been very real to
St. Anne, even if she was alone
in Nazareth when He was born in
Bethlehem. I do not doubt that she
can make Him very real to all of
us, on His birthday, if we ask for
this grace with trustful and hum
ble hearts.
The Church dedicates the month of December to the Holy Infancy. It is the season of
Advent, a period of prayer and fasting in preparation for Christmas, the anniversary of the
Birth of Christ. This photo is of a painting by Della Notti and is from a collection in the
New York Public Library. (Religious News Service Photo)
wavering--Our Lady would help,
but when?
Just before Christmas, when ev
erything seemed darkest. Trina saw
their pastor coming up the lane
and someone was with him—
a stranger. She called to her hus
band, and care and worry were
momentarily forgotten as they pre
pared to welcome their visitors.
After a greeting and blessing,
the priest introduced his compan
ion. “I have brought him here,” he
explained, “because of his interest
in the old statue. He makes a hob
by of acquiring old wood carvings.”
As they climbed to the loft, the
farmer apologized: “It is all 1
could offer Our Lady for the pres
ent, but I have always cherished
the hope of erecting a shrine for
the statue in my meadow.” But the
stranger seemed interested only in
getting to the top of the stairs and
when they did, and he glimpsed the
statue, he gasped—with delight,
not pain. The unusual folds of the
mantle1 The celestial countenance
which only a divinely inspired tal
ent could have created. Here, at
At The
Christmas Crib
Little child, gazing at the Manger
and the Star,
Saint Francis stands beside you.
with a smile upon his face.
Put your hand in his and ask what
he will gladly share—
Hts love of every creature and his
Lord’s sweet grace.
—Naomi Reynolds Hess
__. __ _______ ___ UC.-JL __
THE CATHOLIC TIMES CHRISTMAS SUPPLEMENT
last he had come upon the work of
a great German Master. With deft
fingers he fondled each curve and
line. He thought with gratitude of
the aged book that had directed
his steps to this hamlet, and he
thanked God that no later touches
of paint and gilt had desecrated its
treasure.
Little did Trina realize why
Heaven had thwarted her dreams.
And the sum which the stranger
offered for the statue was almost
beyond her comprehension. But
she did know that this would, in
deed, be a happy Christmas for all
not just her family, but the
whole community. Nevertheless,
she wept quietly when the statue
was carried away.
As for the plans of the Wiesetv
hofbauer, there would be no
shrine in the meadow now
some other widow could till the
plot to feed her children.
And so it was that the once dis
carded image of Our Lady left its
humble abode in the loft—from
now on a museum would be its
home—but its beneficent influence
still flourished and would, per
haps. even unto eternity.
----------------o----------
Jerusalem
Jerusalem had just experienced
the biggest building boom in its
history when Christ was born in
nearby Bethlehem. But of all the
palaces and other edifices con
structed by Herod the Great, not
one remains today. Jerusalem, as
foretold in the Scriptures, was com
pletely demolished in 132 A. D.
May the true spirit of the
First Christmas s ine
brightly in the hearts of
you and your family to
day and every day.
Immaculate Conception
Parish
COLUMBUS
Donald McMahon, Denver play, and the presumed death of Bishop
wnaht and nmvram rh«irm»n i lj S -bom nreletea who war* Red i--------
TRAPP CONSTRUCTION CO.
With host wishes'for Christmas
VAN HISE FURNITURE CO.
3100 E. Main At James Road
To the Clergy and Laity of the Diocese,
and with grateful appreciation to those
whom we have been privileged to serve.
With Peace on Earth and Good-Will to-
wards men, may the Joy of Christmas
be with you all through the New Year.
THE JOSEPHINUM CHURCH
FURNITURE CO.
COLUMBUS, OHIO
Christmas is more than "Santa and a tree"
to all it brings a message of peace and good will
... and it is in this spirit that we extend our sincere
greetings to you and your family.
RODENFELS
Chevrolet Company
555 W. Broad St.
Columbus, Ohio
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