Ellen Gable's Blog, page 66

#TBT Carol of the Bells at ADHS 2010

#TBT 2010: After the first performance of ‘Carol of the Bells’ (Trans-Siberian Orchestra arrangement) in 2009, the Hrkach band returned to ADHS, this time with 11-year-old drummer and youngest son, Paul. Again, they were greeted with shouts of joy!

The First Church Bells

This beautiful article is entitled “The First Church Bells” from the book “Donkey Bells” by Catherine Doherty (my all-time favorite Advent book) which is available from Madonna House. Enjoy this beautiful story from Catherine:

It came to me, during these days of Advent, that I should share with you a custom which is not necessarily liturgical but which adds to the enjoyment of this lovely season. It has deep spiritual connotations; at least it did for our family, and for many others I knew when I was a young child.

When I was a little girl, my mother used to tell me that if I was good during this holy season of Advent, and offered my little acts of charity and obedience throughout Advent to the little Christ Child for a gift on his birthday, then sometime during Advent, at first very faintly and then quite clearly, I would hear bells. As she put it, the first church bells.

These were the bells around the neck of the little donkey that carried Our Lady. For mother explained that Our Lady carried Our Lord. She was the temple of the Holy Spirit, the first ‘church’ as it were, since Christ reposed in her. And the donkey, carrying Our Lady and sounding his bells as he walked, wore the first church bells.

Around the second week of Advent, mother wore a little bracelet that had tinkling bells. As she moved her hand I could hear them tinkle, and I got excited because I associated them with the donkey’s bells.

As young as I was, my imagination would build up a lot of little stories about the trip of Our Lady from Nazareth to Bethlehem ��� stories which I would share with my mother, and which would spur me on to further good deeds and little sacrifices.

During the third week of Advent, mother’s bracelet miraculously got many more bells on it. Their sound grew louder and louder as Christmas approached. It was wonderful.

My brother and I used to listen. Mother’s bells were first around her wrist and then around her knee too. Then more bells, as it got closer to Christmas. We were really excited about them.

I introduced this little custom in Madonna House. During Advent, I wear a kind of bracelet that can be heard as I walk or move, in whatever room of the house I may be. The members of our family tell me that it spurs them on, even as it did me when I was a child, to meditate more profoundly on the mystery of Advent.

Here at Madonna House, we have begun in these last few years to make a collection of miniature donkeys ��� of wood, glass, ceramics, rope ��� you name it. And we have an album of Christmas cards (which we save from the many we receive) that depict the donkey in the manger scene.

The presence of the donkey and the ox in Scripture is symbolic of the prophets who foretold the Incarnation. And also of the fact that “the ox and ass know their Master’s voice, but Israel doesn’t know the voice of God” (Isaiah 1:3). So, you see, there is some spiritual foundation for my love for the donkey which brings such great joy to my heart.

I’m sure that, as a child, Christ rode on a donkey many times. And also as a man, of course. In Scripture we know of only two times: one was when the donkey carried Our Lady, who in turn carried God, from Nazareth to Bethlehem. The other was when the donkey carried Christ into Jerusalem as the people laid palm branches before Him, proclaiming him king.

Let us think for a moment: What kind of animal is a donkey? It is a beast of burden, the animal of the poor. Once again, the immense theme of poverty is illustrated in an animal. God chose the humblest, the smallest in status, because among the animals the donkey is considered very low. So God is teaching us a lesson here ��� a lesson of humility, of poverty, and of simplicity.

Have you ever seen a newborn donkey? Well, every donkey has a black cross on its gray fur, a marking which is especially noticeable just after it is born from its mother’s womb. It gets less clear as the donkey matures, but still is visible. I share this fact with you to teach you to open your heart to the bells of the donkey that carried Our Lady and also God.

The breath of the donkey and the ox made the stable warm. So we meditate on several things at once: the poverty and humility of the donkey God chose, and which should be our poverty and humility; and the breath of our love, which should warm God in our neighbor constantly.

Let us remember that the donkey also had no room at the inn. Neither woman, nor man, nor donkey had a place at the inn. So they went to live in a poor stable that wasn’t too well prepared for animals, let alone as a decent habitation for human beings.

Now, another meditation comes to us. Think of the millions of people who are left homeless on our streets. Tragic is this situation. We, as apostles, must be very careful that we do not exclude anyone from the inn of our heart.

I pray that our heart, our soul, our ears will hear very clearly ‘the bells of the donkey,’ not only in Advent but throughout the year. For whoever who is pure of heart and childlike shall hear the bells of the donkey ring in their life.

This article is free to use under the Creative Commons Licenses

FREE on Kindle! A World Such as Heaven Intended

Today through Thursday, Full Quiver Publishing’s new book, A World Such as Heaven Intended by Amanda Lauer, is FREE today through Thursday on Kindle.

The Civil War tore the United States apart and many friendships and families as well. In A World Such as Heaven Intended, Amara McKirnan and Nathan Simmons share a devotion to their Catholic faith but their loyalties lie on opposite sides of the conflict. Dedicated to the Confederate cause, Amara offers to help out at her uncle���s makeshift hospital in Atlanta. Fate brought Nathan to their doorstep and into Amara���s life. Little does Amara know that the wounded soldier she cares for harbors a secret that will not only jeopardize his life but hers as well.

Follow Amara and Nathan���s story from the heart of war-torn Atlanta to the Northern Georgia battlefields to the plains of East Texas as their lives become intertwined in a way that shatters the separate worlds they once knew.

Reviews:

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Download your Kindle copy for FREE at this link.

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception – A Woman Wrapped in Silence

Drawing by James Hrkach, copyright by James Hrkach…please do not use without permission

Today we celebrate Mary’s Immaculate Conception. She was conceived “without sin” in her mother’s womb.

On this Feast Day, I’d like to share an excerpt from an article by Catherine Doherty, entitled “A Woman Wrapped in Silence.”

Just think about that strange, incredible, unbelievable faith of a young girl. At fourteen years old she became the Mother of God and the Mother of men. She knew full well that people would not understand that she had conceived by the Holy Spirit. For a long time after her marriage to Joseph she must have been the talk of the town. In those days the women used to wash their linens in ponds. When she brought her linen I’m sure people began to whisper about her. I can just see those gossipy women. But Our Lady never said anything. She was the woman wrapped in silence.

To read the entire article, click on this link at Madonna House.

Advent Wreath Link-Up 2014

Over at Catholic Mom, we’re sharing photos of our Advent wreaths. Come join us!

Copyright 2014 James Hrkach

Advent Cartoon

copyright James and Ellen Hrkach. Please do not use without permission!

#TBT Carol of the Bells at ADHS

#TBT 2009: The idea for this performance began with my then 13-year-old son Adam asking his dad if they could perform ‘Christmas Eve in Sarajevo’ (by Trans-Siberian Orchestra) for an ADHS (high school where my husband was a teacher) coffee house. My husband’s reply was “That song would be too hard for you to learn in a few days.” Adam, who had just started playing guitar several months previous, took it as a challenge and in a few days, learned this very difficult song for the coffee house. It went so well that they were asked to play at the assembly the next morning and the students LOVED it. Enjoy!!

Trust, Fertility and Advent

image copyright James Hrkach/Josh Hrkach

One of my favorite shows is ���Mayday,��� a documentary which recounts stories of plane crashes or near crashes. My favorite episodes are the ones where everyone (or most) survives. Survival often depends on the skill and precision of the pilots and flight engineers. I find it fascinating just what can bring a plane down and what can also save a plane.

It dawned on me when I was flying back from Chicago last summer that it takes tremendous trust to get on a plane: trust that the pilots are trained to fly the plane with precision, trust that the builders created a solid, well-performing plane, trust that the mechanics have serviced the plane properly. After all, which one of us wants to be 20,000 feet in the air when a mechanical problem happens or when a pilot encounters a situation he���s not trained to handle?

Of course, the same can be said for any situation. We trust our doctors, food companies, school bus drivers and many others. On a daily basis, we are called to trust those who are human and have the potential of making mistakes.

Consider how most couples ���trust��� with regard to their fertility. They take pills, get injections, apply chemical patches, insert devices, consent to operations. Instead of working with their fertility, they try to destroy it. Instead of embracing their fertility, they fight it. They ���trust��� that by using contraceptives, they will be able to ���control��� their fertility.

Newsflash: none of these chemicals, devices or operations are 100 percent effective in preventing pregnancy. No method, except for complete abstinence, is 100 percent effective in preventing pregnancy. And yet millions of couples put their ���trust��� in contraceptive methods on a daily basis. If the methods ���fail,��� and a child is conceived, many will resort to abortion.

So what does this have to do with Advent?

Well, a lot. When told that she would be the mother of our Savior, Mary replied, ���Be it done to me according to your word.��� That took tremendous trust in God���s plan for her. She didn���t say, ���Hmmm, let me think about that for a few weeks and I���ll get back to you.��� Without her trust, without her yes, we would not be preparing to celebrate Christmas.

Admittedly, the times I���ve appreciated Our Lady���s fiat the most have been when I was expecting a child during Advent and Christmas. I loved being pregnant and feeling the movement of my babies. It definitely helped me to be more empathetic to what Mary went through: nine months pregnant, on a donkey and making a long journey away from home. It was equally difficult for her to give birth in a stable, surrounded by the smells and sounds of animals. And yet Mary trusted that this was God���s plan for her and accepted it without question.

So what is God���s plan for us especially regarding our fertility? I can tell you what it is not: God���s plan is not for us to destroy the gift of our fertility with devices, behaviors, chemicals or operations. This ���trust��� that many couples place in contraceptives can sometimes result in an unwanted, permanent loss of fertility and can lead to numerous other consequences as well. Pope Paul VI, in his encyclical Humanae Vitae (On Human Life, 1968) talks about one of the most common consequences of contraceptive use: ���A man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection.���

God���s plan is for couples to embrace their fertility and to be generously open to life. Does that mean that God wants us to have as many children as possible? No, it doesn���t. God gave us the gift of reason and he also gave us a built-in natural method of avoiding pregnancy that works with fertility and not against it. God, the Author of life, wants to be part of our decisions regarding our fertility.

What about us? Who do we trust with our fertility? Is it God or is it a device, operation or contraceptive behavior?

Couples who want to trust God with their decisions will trust Him with all of their decisions, including the beautiful gift of fertility. When couples have serious need to avoid pregnancy, Natural Family Planning (NFP) is a moral way to do so. NFP uses no devices and works with God instead of against Him. Wives who use NFP seldom feel used by their husbands. NFP also works well to achieve pregnancy. It���s healthy, effective and safe. NFP encourages good communication and strengthens marital relationships.

Advent is the ideal time to rethink who we trust our fertility with. Do we trust a chemical company? Do we trust a condom manufacturer? Or do we trust God, the Author of Life?

Learning Natural Family Planning nowadays is as simple as turning on your computer. My husband and I teach NFP online through the Couple to Couple League. For more information on NFP classes or NFP in general, please comment below or email me: fullquiverpublishing(at)gmail.com.

Copyright Ellen Gable Hrkach 2014

7 Quick Takes Friday – Happy Thanksgiving!

Please join me and other Catholic bloggers at Conversion Diary for 7 Quick Takes Friday.

If you’ve braved the shopping malls this Black Friday, stay safe!

1. Black Friday Deals at Full Quiver Publishing!

You don’t need to leave the comfort of your home to receive great deals! Do you receive my publishing company’s newsletter? If you don’t, you’re missing out on some great deals! Until December 3rd, ALL FQP BOOKS (including my five books) are on sale for 30% off! Want the coupon codes? Just email me to sign up for our newsletter fullquiverpublishing(at)gmail.com and I will forward you the latest newsletter with the codes.

2. Goodreads Giveaway of A World Such as Heaven Intended

There’s also still time to enter to win one free print copy of Amanda Lauer’s new novel, A World Such as Heaven Intended. Click the link below to enter:

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/115123-a-world-such-as-heaven-intended

3. Guidelines for Evangelizing Online

My latest post over at Catholic Mom lists my guidelines for evangelizing online. Check it out here.

4. Another Train Photo

This photo was actually another one that was in the running for the front cover of Family Foundations magazine.

Photo courtesy Tim Baklinski of Two Trees Photography

5. For Locals! Book Signing Tomorrow!

I’ll be at the CWL Christmas Bazaar at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish Hall in Braeside, Ontario tomorrow from 8:30 to 12:30 signing and selling my books. The delightful Ida Gravelle will also be with me signing her book, Dancing on Friday.

6. Reading/Review Shelf

Georgios: Hidden Heritage by A.K. Frailey

Rebuilding Catholic Culture by Ryan Topping

Catholic Spiritual Practices by Colleen Griffith and Thomas Groome

7. Advent Cartoon

Image copyright Full Quiver Publishing Please do not use without permission

Copyright 2014 Ellen Gable Hrkach

7 Quick Takes Friday – 7 Cool (Moving) Train Photos

Please join me and other Catholic bloggers at Conversion Diary for 7 Quick Takes Friday.

I’ve had a busy week! Today’s quick takes will be a series of cool photos that were taken as part of a photo shoot for Family Foundations magazine. Special thanks to Tim Baklinski of Two Trees Photography for these wonderful photos. The photographer basically said, “Smile, but don’t move!” Yes, the train was loud and, yes, it was a bit nerve-wracking standing beside a moving train!

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7. (I believe this last one is the photo they used inside the magazine).