Why Sr. Judy Had to Hit the Streets
By Duane Ramsey | Photography by James Luning
Maybe
she knew she had to do it after the time she gave a desperate man
in Flint some clothes and a little food. He began to cry and said,
"Thank you. I was going to kill myself today - I thought nobody
cared." Or maybe it was after the time she and some parishioners
delivered a donated stove and crib to a woman whose house had burned
down and whose husband was a double amputee. As the stove was loaded
into their shell of a house, the woman began to tremble with tears
and said, "Thank you, Jesus." Or maybe Sr. Judy Blake
knew she had to hit the streets because the poor aren't always able
to come to you, or she did it because her mother showed her that
the poor shouldn't be feared, or maybe, just maybe, she did it because
that's what Jesus wanted her to do. And, now Sr. Judy wonders if
Jesus is asking the same of you.
The streets of the north end of Flint are known
for abject poverty, gang violence, murders and drug trafficking.
Now, thanks to the efforts of Sr. Judy Blake, SSJ, and a team of
dedicated parishioners from St. Luke Catholic Church, the streets
are becoming known for a hot cup of soup, a warm coat, words of
encouragement and homemade cookies.
Answering
their baptismal call to serve and care for the poor, Sr. Judy and
her parishioners are taking care of their "extended family"
who live in the neighborhoods surrounding the parish through a street
ministry. In fact, it was something they had to do. Three years
ago during some bitterly cold winter weather, members of the social
ministry commission, along with Sr. Judy and Sr. Carol Weber, OP,
wanted to take blankets and hot soup or chili to the homeless, but
had no idea where to begin.
A connection was made with Geneva Spears, a local
General Motors retiree, who was running the Soul Winning Street
Ministry. Sr. Judy and several volunteers combined efforts with
Spears to find locations for helping the homeless and poor of the
community. "Our first adventure into street ministry was outside
the North End Soup Kitchen," recalls Sr. Judy. "We prepared
baggies of homemade cookies, a snack bag with candy and gum for
later, as well as clothes, new socks, and fleece scarves.
"One
older gentleman came to Sr. Carol and told her, with tears in his
eyes, 'Do you know these are homemade cookies? I haven't had a homemade
cookie in 40 years.'"
The street ministry operates on the third
Saturday of each month serving about 100 to 150 needy persons at
different locations in the Flint area with a team of 25 or so volunteers.
Each trip requires several vehicles to haul tables, clothes
and food that is distributed. According to Sr. Judy, it resembles
something akin to a giant garage sale. During the summer they take
a grill and provide hot dogs, chips, beverages and homemade cookies.
The winter menu includes soup, hot chocolate and, of course, those
homemade cookies.
"Since
the poor seldom come to our door, we do as Jesus did and go to them,"
Sr. Judy says. "The major response we get for our effort
is deep gratitude and often prayers for our ministry. We have dedicated
ourselves to serving the poor with dignity. Nothing goes on the
street unless we would be willing to wear or use it ourselves. Our
volunteers are asked to be as helpful and involved with our clients
as possible. For those who have a need for prayer, we pray with
them."
While conducting the street ministry, Sr.
Judy says they have learned that people need more than just food.
They need clothing, personal care items, and school supplies for
the children. "Our experiences with street ministry led us
to homes where people have no furniture, no food, and no appliances.
Some are paying for the roof over their head and can afford nothing
else. Some live in abandoned homes or fight for space in the few
shelters available. The rest live on the streets.
"People
are so grateful for the help and offer prayers of appreciation with
us." As news about the street ministry has spread throughout
the community, so too has the number of volunteers. "The more
people talk about it, the more folks want to get involved,"
Sr. Judy explains.
Help has arrived from numerous sources to
support the street ministry which has grown into a multi-parish,
multi-school effort. Parishes supporting the ministry now include
SS. Charles and Helena, Clio; St. Francis, Otisville; St. John the
Evangelist, Fenton; St. Pius, Flint; and, Christ the King, Flint.
The parishes have been instrumental in contributing clothes, furniture
and/or volunteers. Sr. Judy adds that St. Mark Parish of Goodrich
has provided personal hygiene products.
And
the good works of the street ministry are not limited to adults.
In fact, children play a very important role in the ministry, says
Sr. Judy. "Flushing's Seymour Elementary School sixth-graders
provided gifts for our Prison Fellowship Ministry families by purchasing
a gift of clothing and a toy for each child in the name of an incarcerated
parent. They also did a winter coat drive for kids on the streets
and personal products. St. Pius X School's student council donated
clothes and cash. St. John, Davison's youth and St. Robert's kids
provided school supplies for the children of Flint. Thanks to these
kids and St. Luke parishioners, 300 children received school supplies
this year. St. John School in Fenton did a coat drive for the kids
on the street. Flushing High School's soccer team, youth from Powers
Catholic High School, and students from U of M-Flint have volunteered
on the street."
Sr. Judy has recently hired a part-time employee
to help keep up with the organization of donations so the task of
going out on the street can be more easily accomplished.
The most amazing fact is that this is only
one piece of Sr. Judy's ministry. Yes, one. As pastoral coordinator
of St. Luke Parish, she does what any priest pastor would do in
a day, except preside at Mass and administer certain sacraments.
Her ministry encompasses administration of the parish, sacramental
preparations for baptism and marriage, counseling, and hospital
visits when possible. Although she currently needs knee replacements,
it hasn't slowed her down. A parishioner donated an Amigo powered
wheelchair for her use. She uses the chair to ride through the neighborhood
inviting people to the street ministry locations.
In
her "spare time," Sr. Judy is working on a doctorate in
ministry at the Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit. She
also teaches catechist formation classes for the diocese and is
presently teaching the Overview of the New Testament for the Diocesan
Lay Ministries Program through Siena Heights University.
Sr. Judy and her dedicated parishioners are looking
forward to starting yet another ministry - an after school program
for children in the neighborhood. Many of the children attend Lawndale
Elementary School which is housed in what once was home to St. Luke's
grade school. "Our dream is a program that would provide art,
music and drama opportunities, tutoring, a safe place to go after
school, and a meal," she explains. "Some of the children
eat paper at night to feel full enough to sleep. Three children
at Lawndale have trees planted in memory of them. They were murdered
- two at home for witnessing their mother's murder and the other
was the result of abduction."
There
is one stumbling block keeping them from undertaking yet another
effort to fill the streets of Flint with hope instead of despair.
"Space is a problem. We are trying to find grant sources to
help us build a space adequate for our outreach and parish needs.
I'm not sure we can find such sources," says Sr. Judy.
Born
in Phoenix, Ariz., and raised in Detroit, Sr. Judy chose religious
life in large part because of the kindness shown to her by a nun
while she was in the first grade. "I got into trouble one day
in first grade. My teacher sent a note home with my older brother
telling my mother I had disrupted the class. My mom told me that
I had to apologize to her the next day. So I waited for her to come
back to school after she had lunch. My stomach was in knots when
I spotted her coming down the street from the convent. I approached
her, made my apology, and on that chilly afternoon she wrapped her
shawl around me and gave me a hug. I felt so loved and forgiven
that I decided that I wanted to be like her."
And so she has. Yet, has all her work changed an
unchangeable situation like poverty? Maybe we could ask the family
at the beginning of this story - the woman whose husband was an
amputee and they had no stove and no crib. Sr. Judy went back to
their shell of a house a few months later to check on them and bring
them more donations. Their teenage son answered the door and after
looking at the bundle overflowing in Sr. Judy's arms he said, "Thank
you, but we're doing OK now - give it to someone who really needs
it."
Help St. Luke Street Ministry Donations may be
sent to:
St. Luke Catholic Church
3202 Forest Hill, Flint MI 48504
Interested in joining the ministry?
Call Sr. Judy (810) 239-5851
How You Can Help the Poor:
You may not think there are homeless in your area. Well, think again.
There are many people in your own backyard who need help - financial,
material and spiritual. Here are some ideas:
- Volunteer or donate to a parish soup kitchen in
your area
- Volunteer at a homeless shelter
- Participate in Meals on Wheels
- Support Operation Rice Bowl beginning March 5.
Help Catholic Social Services provide assistance
to those in need:
Lenawee County: (517) 263-2191
Washtenaw County: (734) 971-9781
Genesee County: (810) 232-9950
Shiawassee County: (517) 723-8239
Livingston County: (517) 545-5944
Jackson County: (517) 782-1551
Lansing Area: (517) 272-1524
Sr. Dorothy Folliard is a retired Adrian Dominican
sister: From a life of dependence on God to the joy of her present
assignment - an active retirement - you'll see that she's still
teaching, still learning.
Adrian's
Sister Dorothy
By Kathy Funk| Photography by Christine Jones
In a sense, Sr. Dorothy Folliard, OP, and the Sisters
of St. Dominic who reside at the Adrian Dominican Life Center have
come home. Years ago they arrived at the Mother House as fresh-faced
young women in eager anticipation of devoting their lives to God
- living God's will instead of their own. It was here, at Siena
Heights College (now university), they began their educations which
would be utilized in service to God - namely as teachers and nurses.
They set out in the world to make a difference -
to touch lives, to inspire, to educate, to minister to those in
need. They accomplished that, and more. Now, many have become crippled
with age. Some are suffering from disease. And so it is that they
have come back to live out their last days or years.
All this might seem depressing at first glance, but,
the Adrian Dominican Life Center is not a depressing place at all.
It is as the name clearly implies - full of "life." It
is also a place you can still learn a thing or two, especially from
spending a typical day with Sr. Dorothy. As you'll see, her life
has been one of dependence on God and service to the Church. She
has come back here to retire but that doesn't mean she's stopped
learning and teaching.
Sr. Dorothy first came to Adrian in 1943 to study
at the college - she came "home" to the Dominican Life
Center in 1999 after teaching eight years at Mundelein Seminary
near Chicago. She had turned 75 and it was time for her to quit.
So, she decided to return to the place where her ministry began.
"I had been here (at the Life Center) during recovery from
knee surgery and a bad fall in which I broke both wrists,"
explains Sr. Dorothy. "I love Adrian anyway so I decided to
come here."
Sr.
Dorothy's curriculum vitae rivals that of any academic - and that
is exactly what she is. In fact, she has taught many of our diocesan
priests during their days at Mundelein including FAITH's editor,
Fr. Dwight Ezop. But it isn't so much Sr. Dorothy's resumé
that is impressive - it is her outlook on life, especially when
reflecting on her decision to live a life of poverty, both in wealth
and spirit, in order to serve God in a way that was, and still is,
right for her.
Adrian Dominican sisters had served as role
models during Sr. Dorothy's secondary education in Chicago and she
decided she wanted to be able to accomplish God's work in the same
way. "The nuns who were working as teachers weren't that
much older than we were," she points out.
A Latin major, Sr. Dorothy would teach school and
then study at the college during the summers. In 1950, she received
her bachelor's degree. This was followed by a master's degree from
Loyola University in 1955. Her doctoral work was started at the
University of Michigan while she taught in Ypsilanti. In 1974, the
sisters encouraged her to study Scripture and theology. The result:
two additional degrees. "Dominicans stress intellectual preparation
for ministry," says Sr. Dorothy.
While she had spent many years both as a teacher
and a student, it was during her 15 years of work at the Mexican-American
Culture Center in San Antonio, Texas, that taught Sr. Dorothy the
most about poverty of spirit. "I had the privilege of working
with poor people when I was in San Antonio," Sr. Dorothy explains.
"It was startling for me because their dependence on God was
so total. That taught me the beatitude of 'blessed are the poor
in spirit' - one must be totally dependent on God. ... As we
go through life, we tend to rely on material things. (Their example)
makes me ask if my dependence is totally on God."
But a dependence on God is how she has lived her
life as an Adrian Dominican sister. "By pooling our resources
as a community, we can work for the poor. We are not only working
directly with the poor, but also with those not necessarily economically
poor who can help those in poverty.
"If (we) only work with the poor, no social
change can take place. As a community, we work to fix the structures
that keep people poor no matter where they are."
While Sr. Dorothy and her fellow Dominican sisters
have spent their lives ministering to those in need or working to
affect social change, poverty has come to mean something different
to the community - as well as other religious orders. There has
been a steady decline in the number of women choosing to live their
lives as sisters, just as there has been a steady decline in the
number of men entering the priesthood. This has led to a "poverty,"
so to speak, in vocations.
However,
Sr. Dorothy has a strong belief that there are women who want to
live their lives doing God's work as ardently as she has. "There
was a big difference in the days when we chose to be a religious,"
she says. "When I was in high school and you really wanted
to do something more for the Lord, you became a nun.
"Now there are more options (for women).
But I still believe there are women who want a total consecration
to God and to do this in a supportive community. No one can
make me be discouraged about the numbers. In real life, there will
always be a group of women who want this form of life.
"The Dominican Order has been founded
to praise, to bless and to preach. And I think everyone should know
that this is not only my vocation, but also theirs. We must all
be deeply rooted in gratitude to God."
Sr. Dorothy's wisdom is clear. And, just because she's
back at the Dominican Life Center doesn't mean that she can't teach
you a thing or two about life. This includes her fellow sisters.
It's 9:30 a.m. and Sr. Dorothy is off to attend the
first session of a Scripture study class she is offering to the
sisters. More than 20 sisters - as well as visitors to the Dominican
Life Center - fill a meeting room to hear the lecture. Sr. Dorothy
is not only wise but very witty. She begins the lecture by reminding
the sisters that, as novices, they were told the OP designation
stood for "Order of Penance. Our obligation was to prayer.
Well, we've come a long, way, Baby!" (The OP, by the way, actually
stands for "Nuns of the Order of Preachers.") She goes
on to relate how Vatican II opened up opportunities for women in
the Church. "Imagine women reading Scripture!" she says
to the group.
As any good teacher - and that she definitely is
- she informs the group as to the structure of the class. "This
class will not be intense. There is no homework but you don't get
any credit, either. You might remember when high school boys would
come up to you during study hall and say, 'Sister, I have a nosebleed.'
And all you wanted to do was to get them out of there as quickly
as possible. Well, you don't have to do that here. I just ask that
you don't snore out loud. ... The class will be serious but not
overwhelming."
Sr. Dorothy will repeat her Scripture class again
at 6 p.m. for sisters unable to attend. At that time, it will also
be shown on the Life Center's closed-circuit television and transmitted
into each of the resident's rooms at Maria Hall.
By 10:15 a.m., class is dismissed and Sr. Dorothy
makes her way to the chapel to attend daily Mass. The mission
of a "continuum of care" at the Dominican Life Center
is clearly evident during Mass. The sisters who are unable to
attend because of their health are able to watch on closed-circuit
TV. Communion ministers then take pyxes to the rooms so that the
sisters can receive the Body of Christ.
After
Mass it's time for lunch. Sr. Dorothy is joined by several of her
friends at Table 24 - their regular dining area. It's easy to spot
- it's the one with a gold tin sitting prominently in the center
of the table. They explained the box's significance. Inside it contains
their necessities: a set of steak knives purchased from the local
Big Lots; packets of Arby's sauce (just in case the meat selection
needs a little flavoring); and Shout® stain remover towelettes.
How else does Sr. Dorothy spend her days? "We
breakfast together," she explains. "Then I have time after
that to do serious reading until about 10:15 a.m. We need to know
what is going on in the world. In the afternoons, I visit sick people
and rest a bit. At 4:30 p.m., I join a group of sisters and we pray
together. ... The evenings are rather unpredictable. Sometimes we
pray a Taizé prayer for peace."
And sometimes the community gathers together
to mourn one of their own. "It's not unusual for us to
have a wake three times a week." In fact, the Adrian Dominicans
lose, on average, 30 sisters a year. In light of that, a series
on grief, entitled "Good Grief," was recently begun at
the Life Center. The first week included a discussion on the theology
of death. The next included a talk with the undertaker.
Most importantly, Sr. Dorothy says, the days are
spent together. "I am surrounded by friends." Friends
who just happen to be sisters in the truest sense of the word.
vocations: religious life
is God tapping you on the shoulder?
Times
have changed and so has the way in which vocations are being promoted.
The Adrian Dominicans have taken their message to the masses by
launching a media campaign. The focus: women ages 20 to 25. The
attention-getting messages: Is God Tapping on Your Shoulder? and
Life is short. Eternity isn't. Billboards, postcards and TV ads
are being utilized to promote the general public awareness of the
Adrian Dominican congregation and, most importantly, increase the
numbers of women who may be interested in religious life.
And just why would - or should - a woman want to consider religious
life? Simple, according to Sr. Dorothy. "I would ask her
to think in terms of what God wants her to do," she says, "and
to think what she wants to do. ... (We) can do a lot more for the
world and the Church together than alone."
For more information on the Adrian Dominicans, contact the Office
of Formation at (517) 266-3530, or via e-mail: eaform@admc-op.org
Or, if you are interested in learning more about other religious
orders, contact Sr. Carla Moeggenborg, Diocese of Lansing Office
of Vocation Services (517) 342-2506, or via e-mail: cmoegg@dioceseoflansing.org
Celebrate Vocations Awareness Week: Jan. 12-18
Walter was a vice president of a local bank.
Lucille was an inspector for a local manufacturer. "The
Lord has been good to us, and we want to give to somebebody else,"
says Walter.
retirement: a new chance to make a difference
just ask Walter and Lucille
By Carolyn Smith | Photography by Christine Jones
Retirement
hasn't meant inaction for Walter and Lucille Wrozek whose motto
is: "Call one and you get two. If you don't want two, we don't
go." The Michigan Center couple thrives on volunteer work -
from helping the poor to other seniors. But, let it be known to
all who call, that the couple, each 71 years young, do everything
together.
Michigan Center, they explain, is a little town seven
miles east of Jackson. It's where they attend daily Mass at Our
Lady of Fatima Parish, when they don't have volunteer commitments.
They are also members of St. Joseph Parish, Jackson, where they
were married nearly 50 years ago on July 4.
Doing good for others is their favorite hobby. They
each do it 100 hours a month. And just listening to the litany of
projects they have supported the past 15 to 20 years (they don't
remember how long or how many) can be both exhausting and refreshing.
They are 11-year members of the Retired Senior Volunteer
Program (better known as RSVP), part of Catholic Charities of Jackson,
where they also are on the advisory board. They donate time and
energy to the Salvation Army, the city of Jackson's Parks and Recreation
department, the Senior Olympics at Spring Arbor University (25 miles
from home), and the Rose Run at Jackson Community College.
When
they are not doing those things, they serve on the "Healthy
to 100" committee, sponsored by Foote Hospital and the Department
on Aging in Jackson and Adrian. Or you may find them at the McDonald's
Easter Egg hunt, in Jackson, or the Learning Fair, at Spring Arbor.
Or maybe they are visiting people in nursing homes. Or perhaps they
are offering time somewhere else they don't yet know about or have
forgotten that they do on a regular basis. You see, Walter and Lucille
are too busy to keep track of time.
Lucille says the feeling one gets from volunteering
is hard to describe. She tells the story of a 100-year-old woman
whom she first met a year ago at the Senior Olympics. "She
was at the Penny Pitch this year. I didn't recognize her. She said,
'Don't you remember my telling you last year that I was 100 years
old? Well, today I'm 101!' I just gave her a big hug."
A
former vice president of a local bank, Walter retired in his mid-40s
because of his health. At the same time, Lucille retired as an inspector
for a local manufacturer. Walter has cancer that is in remission.
The couple has two children, Michael and Deborah Ann, and six grandchildren.
"The Lord has been good to us, and we want to give to somebody
else," says Walter.
Sometimes, though, a time of crisis can inspire prayer
and good works. Six years ago, such a challenge tested the couple's
faith and courage in the form of adversity in the family. They grew
closer to God and prayed each day to St. Jude that the family would
heal. Their prayers were answered in a positive way.
RSVP director, Pam McCrum (left) and Catholic Charities director,
Vicky Schultz (right), both appreciate Walter, Lucille and all
their volunteers |
Though the Wrozeks have done immense good for so
many people, their rewards will come later, they say. But they can't
stop the earthly ones from arriving as humbling gifts of gratitude.
In 1993, Walter received the Margaret Whitehead "Citizen of
the Year" award from the state of Michigan. In 1999, the couple
was presented with a national award from the RSVP as "Volunteers
of the Year." In 2000, they received the "Family of the
Year" award from the Knights of Columbus in Michigan Center.
In 2001, they were given the "Claude S. Pepper Award"
for Michigan. In that same year, they were named "Seniors of
the Year" by the Jackson Citizen Patriot, their daily
newspaper. And in 2002, they were cited for volunteerism by RSVP,
the Jackson County Department on Aging, and the Jackson County Commissioners.
Of that final honor Walter says, "It's the greatest
thing that has ever happened to me." Lucille says, "I'm
really overwhelmed," and she starts to cry. Walter assures
FAITH that they are "happy tears."
When
asked what their Catholic faith means to them, Walter and Lucille
answer in unison: "Everything!" According to Walter, "We
have the Lord on our shoulders all the time. Somebody else is a
lot worse off than we are. I honestly believe that the Lord will
not give you any more than you can handle."
Any words of advice to prospective volunteers? Borrowing
from the Nike slogan, Lucille says, "Just do it! It
makes you feel so good. Sometimes we dread going to some places.
We really do. But when we come home, we are just lifted! ... There
are so many things you can do, even from home, she adds. You can
call sick people, for example."
Walter's advice has him recalling a sermon he heard
a few years back: "When you die and get to the pearly gates,
the Lord will say 'What did you do?' And you will say something
like 'I was an attorney' or 'I was a doctor.' But the Lord will
again ask, 'What did YOU do?' Well, I have the answer. We are doing
God's work. The gates will open for us in heaven because we are
doing God's work."
Retired? A few places where your help is really
needed.
Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of
Jackson (517) 782-1551
Respite Ministry: an inter-faith volunteer homebound caregiver
relief service.
Lansing (517) 393-8520
Ann Arbor (734) 712-3625
Jackson (517) 782-3878
Howell (517) 545-5944
Owosso (989) 725-1127
Befrienders & Stephen Ministries:
be an understanding ear to a person who just needs someone to listen.
Contact Barbara White (517) 394-4435.
For information on these and more, contact Ellen
McKay, Diocese of Lansing's Aging Ministry (517) 342-2467
or e-mail emckay@dioceseoflansing.org
Christmas isn't over:
celebrate Epiphany
By Patricia Majher | Photography by Philip Shippert
How
some European cultures celebrate:
Spain
Children in Spain celebrate the day the Three Wise
Men visited the newborn Christ Child by filling their shoes with
hay and other grasses and leaving them on windowsills to feed the
Wise Men's camels. In the morning, the grasses are gone and replaced
by candy and nuts.
Italy
In Italy, the Epiphany tradition includes a witch
named La Befana who visits each home to leave candy in the stockings
of good girls and boys and charcoal for those who've misbehaved.
Legend has it that the Three Wise Men stopped at Befana's hut to
ask for food and shelter on their way to Bethlehem. She refused
them and sent them away. Later, she regretted her decision and atones
for her actions by leaving little gifts for all God's children.
A woman named Babouschka serves the same purpose in Russia.
France
The people of France honor the Wise Men by crafting
"santons" (little saints) in their memory. These terra-cotta
figures represent all the characters of the nativity and their animals
as well as prominent men and women of the village in which they
are created.
Among European countries, Germany probably
has the most elaborate Epiphany celebrations of all.
January 6 is the day that many families take
down their Christmas trees and join in a huge, community bonfire.
For the children, this is an especially joyous time because it means
the "plündern" (raiding) of the tree's ornaments
begins. Hard candies, chocolates wrapped in foil, and cookies are
their reward.
In the evening, prayers are said and blessed herbs
are burned, with their aroma filling each house. Doorways are sprinkled
with holy water, and a priest uses chalk to write C + M + B and
the year over the doors while saying, "Caspar, Melchior, Balthasar,
behütet uns auch für dieses Jahr, vor Feuer und vor Wassergefahr"
(Caspar, Melchior, Balthasar, protect us again this year from the
dangers of fire and water).
C + M + B has traditionally been considered an abbreviation of the
Magi names. Others feel it stands for "Christus Mansionem Benedictat"
(Christ bless this home).
From New Year's Day through Jan. 6, three young people
- called "Sternsängers" (star singers) - dress up
in royal robes and go from house to house holding a large star and
singing a song for the Three Kings. For this, they receive donations,
which are given to charities of the church.
Afterwards,
everyone shares in a wonderful repast that includes Christmas foods
such as Dreikönigskuchen (Three Kings cake) and Glühwein
(glow wine). Recipes for both items - including a children's version
of the wine drink - are reproduced below. Guten Appetit!
Dreikönigskuchen
2 cups plus 3 Tblsp flour
1.4 oz. fresh yeast 1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 Tblsp lukewarm milk
7 Tblsp butter or margarine
1/2 Tsp salt
1 container of citron
1/2 Tsp cardamom
2 eggs, 1 separated
Generous 1/2 cup raisins, soaked in rum
1 cup chopped, mixed dried fruit
Put 3/4 of the flour in a bowl, make a hole in the
middle, crumble yeast into it, and mix the yeast with a pinch of
sugar and some of the lukewarm milk. Dust the mixture with flour,
cover and let rise in a warm place for 15 minutes.
Add the melted butter, salt, citron, cardamom, egg,
egg white, remaining milk, and flour to the flour and yeast mixture.
Knead dough until smooth. When the dough begins to form a ball,
stir in raisins and dried fruit. Form dough into a log. Cut off
1/4 of the log, divide it into 4 equal parts, and form balls of
each. Divide the remaining log into 4 parts and form balls from
each.
Grease a spring-form pan with a central tube. Place
dough in the pan, alternating large and small dough balls. Cover
the pan and let rise in a warm place. Brush the dough with beaten
egg yolk and place in the oven for approximately 30 minutes. Cool
cake thoroughly before removing from pan and icing.
Icing
Powdered sugar
Lemon juice
Red and green candied cherries, cut in half
Mix
the powdered sugar and lemon juice to an icing consistency (not
too runny). Ice the cake and decorate with the candied cherries.
To be really authentic, mold a small gold crown from foil and place
it in the center of the cake.
Kinderglühwein
(non-alcoholic)
1 quart of purple grape juice
6 oz. honey
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
Peels of half a lemon and half an orange
Pour ingredients into a pan. Heat, but do not
cook. Strain and pour into glasses.
Thoughts on Being "Poor in Spirit"
By Douglas E. Culp
"How blest are the poor
in spirit; the reign of God is theirs." Mt 5:3
One
night a person approached an accomplished concert pianist after
a recital and said, after congratulating him on an outstanding performance,
"I would give anything to be able to play the piano like that."
The pianist replied, "Really, would you give eight hours a
day for practice, would you give up sports and a social life in
your youth, would you struggle in anonymity and poverty for years
before getting a break?"
When I first sat down to write about this first beautitude
given by Jesus to his disciples, I thought to myself, "How
will I ever get my arms around this?" After all, what does
it mean to be "poor in spirit?" Well, I wrestled with
this question for quite some time to no avail.
Eventually, however, it occurred to me that perhaps
the key to understanding this beautitude was to be found in the
second part of the beautitude, i.e. "the reign of God is theirs."
I decided it might be best to see what Scripture had to say about
the reign of God first in the hopes of approaching a more full understanding
of what being "poor in spirit" might mean and its significance
for us today.
Now, according to the Gospel of Matthew, the reign
of God is like the yeast that causes the whole mass of dough to
rise (13:33); like a buried treasure in a field (13:44); like the
search for a fine pearl (13:45); like the good wheat that grows
up among the weeds (13:30); and like a mustard seed (13:31). So
what can we conclude about the reign of God from these images?
Each of the aforementioned (yeast, buried treasure,
a pearl that lies in the belly of an oyster, the wheat, and the
seed) are all things that are hidden from sight but that are bountiful
and of immense value when they are revealed in full. Jesus alludes
to this when he explains "Things are hidden only to be revealed
at a later time; they are covered so as to be brought out into the
open." (Mk 4:22).
We also learn from the images given as likenesses
to the reign of God that something must be done in order to facilitate
the springing forth of this reign. The yeast must be kneaded
into the dough; the buried treasure and fine pearl must be uncovered;
and the seed must be planted. In my reading of these passages, it
seems as though God must be the kneader, the revealer, and the sower.
This is important because God is both the source of the reign within
us (the seed, the yeast, the treasure, the pearl) and the One who
brings this reign to fruition in our lives and in our world.
The
parable of the sower in the Gospel of Mark (4:1-20) provides additional
insight for our instruction. Jesus teaches us that the seed
is sown everywhere but not all of it produces a yield. Some falls
on the footpath and is eaten by birds; some falls on rocky ground,
sprouts quickly but withers in the heat of the sun; and some falls
on thorns and is choked off. It is only the seed that falls on good
soil that produces 30, 60, and 100 fold.
Jesus later explains that the seed is the Word; the
birds represent Satan; the rocks are the pressure and/or persecution
from the world that results from living out the Word; the thorns
are life's demands, the desire for wealth, and cravings of other
sorts. All of these conspire to prevent the Word from producing
a yield. By contrast, the good soil that receives the seed is the
one who hears the Word and takes it to heart. It is this "soil"
that produces such great yields.
This "taking it to heart" is the key
for us. It is akin to the farmer that waters the seed and tends
to the young plant. Make no mistake, the seed grows of its own power,
but certain conditions must be met to make this growth possible.
Furthermore, the reign of God does not blossom
instantly. It reveals itself over time. The seed produces first
the blade, then the ear, and finally the ripe wheat in the ear (Mk
4:28). This then requires from us both the constant vigilance and
commitment to creating the conditions conducive to its growth and
the patience for a process that we do not ultimately control.
If this is what the reign of God is like, then
one who is "poor in spirit" must be one who shares the
characteristics of the "good soil." This means one
must be receptive to the Word of God, letting it penetrate deeply
into the core of one's being and giving it the space to grow within
this core. One must protect the tender seed that is the Word from
the evil ones that would otherwise rob one of the life that lies
hidden in the Word. One must be sufficiently deep to enable the
Word to take root and thereby enable one to withstand the pressures
and persecutions that may come one's way. Finally, one must clear
away those worldly concerns and desires that can choke off the growth
of the Word prematurely.
Put another way, to be the "good soil"
is to be poor in our spirit of self-centeredness, to be poor in
pride, and to be present to the Life that lies hidden within the
seed. These are not easy things to do in the busyness and noise
of modern society. In an age where the demand for immediate gratification
(and the impatience that accompanies it) has become the most dangerous
of "thorns," this beautitude seeks to remind us that spiritual
growth is a process. As such, it can be stunted, damaged and even
ended if not given the necessary attention and care it demands.
The world of immediate gratification has no patience
for such processes. It wants to skip straight to the end product,
to the answer. As the story that began this article illustrates,
such thinking is a false approach to life, especially the spiritual
life, because there simply are no short cuts.
Therefore, Jesus' placement of this beautitude
at the very beginning would seem to be quite intentional and significant.
To be "poor in spirit," to be like the "good soil,"
is the prerequisite for blessedness as defined by Christ in the
remaining beautitudes. Without a commitment to foster the talent
which the pianist was given, the beauty of the music would never
be realized. Likewise, if the spirit is not poor, there will be
no sorrowing for our sinfulness, no lowliness but pride before God,
no hunger and thirst for holiness, no mercifulness, no single-heartedness,
no peacemaking, no persecution for holiness' sake, and no insults
because of Jesus.
Douglas Culp is the Associate Director of M.B.A.
Career Services at the University of Chicago Graduate School of
Business and a graduate student of theology at Catholic Theological
Union. He resides in Oak Park, IL with his wife Yvette. His email
is douglas.culp@gsb.uchicago.edu.
