Why is the child more attracted by the ornaments

and the lights on the Chirstmas tree, than by the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Flashes
Christmas tree itself?
This is because, deep down, the innocent child has
in himself, together with a sense of the marvelous,
the sense of the absolute; that is to say, an idea that,
if something were to be absolutely as it should be, it Oct-Dec/2016, No. 17
would be more marvelous than it
is in reality. In other words this
sense of the absolute is a desire for
Paradise. Even though the child
may not have heard of Paradise
nor even have the intelligence to
understand what it is, the desire
for Paradise sleeps within him.
And this desire is awakened
when he sees these marvelous
ornaments.
- Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira

Christmas tree in Germany

 The flutist and the saint
St. Paphnutius (died c. AD 350)
had for many years lived in a desert
and labored at his sanctification by
austere works of penance. Once a
peculiar thought came to his mind,
and he dared to express it to God
in prayer. He petitioned the Lord,
in all humility and simplicity, to
reveal to him a person who had
the same degree of merit as he
himself. God deigned to grant his
request, and He gave Paphnutius
to understand that at this moment
a certain flutist living in Egypt
ranked equal to him in merit.
The Saint at once started on a
journey to find the flutist. Having
arrived at the appropriate village,
and making inquiries there, he
was informed that the man he
was seeking was engaged at a
neighboring tavern, playing for
the amusement of those who
patronized the place. “How
strange!” thought Paphnutius.
Nevertheless, he sent word to the An ad campaign to raise awareness of the harmful effects of smoking
musician, begging him for a short (Made by Miroslav Vujovic Graforidza, 2010 “Wolda” awarded designer)
interview. When the musician
came, the Saint took him aside Find the differences
and spoke to him regarding the
condition of his soul. “What good
deeds have you ever done?” asked
Paphnutius.
“Good deeds?” replied the flutist;
“I do not remember ever having
done any; all I remember is that
one day, while I was pursuing my
former trade of stealing, I saved
the honor of a
virgin consecrated
to God, and another
time I gave my
money to a poor
woman who, in her
great distress, was
about to commit a
crime”. From this,
our Saint realized
that God had given
the flutist graces
similar to those
he himself had
received, because
for the honor of his
Creator, this man
in his crude life
had prevented two
mortal sins. f ANSWERS - FLASHES -16
What is the number of the parking space containing the car?
Turn the picture upside down and you will find the answer
 CONTENTS
Immaculate Heart of Mary Standee 2
The Sacristan and the Mysterious Voice 3
Christmas Innocence 5
Christmas Meal in Ukraine 7
Immaculate Heart of Mary True Sanctity Lies in Strength of Soul 8

Flashes Baby Jesus Speaks

Strangest Thing that is Happening on
10
11
Christmas Island
Oct-Nov-Dec 2016
No. 17 Madonna della Strada 13
History of the Christmas Tree 16
Christmastide in Mexico 17
Write to us:
The Story of the ‘Silent Night’ 19
Immaculate Heart of Poinsettia 21
Mary Did the Medieval Church Invent Dec. 25th 22
Maria Villa, No.9, as Christ’s Birthday?
New No.17, 7th Cross, The First Book 22
S.B.M. Colony, Mathikere, Doug Landis – Mouth Art 23
Bangalore - 560054 St. Nicholas Vs Santa Claus 25
Phone: (080) 41611355 Birds in the Snow 26
Who First Began to Commemorate 27
e-mail: All Souls Day?
immaculateheart.mailing@ Candle in the Window 28
gmail.com
Heralds of the Gospel – Events 29
AROUND THE GLOBE 30
Printed at Anaswara Offset Pvt. Ltd, Hiroshima and the Marian Shield 32
Elamakkara, Cochin.
(For Private Circulation) FAMOUS STORIES EVERYONE SHOULD
Published by Immaculate Heart of KNOW- The Holy Night 34
Mary, Bangalore.
Best Times to Have Water 37
Cover Picture: Walking on Fire 38
The Adoration of the Kings Chains of St Peter 38
(1510-1515),
by Netherlandish painter The Leave Applications 39
Jan Gossaert Cuisine: Tempered and seasoned 40
Prossekage
IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY
STANDEE
ORDER
YOUR STANDEE
NOW
We are glad to inform you of the launching
of the standee of the Immaculate Heart
of Mary with the earnest desire that she
may rule over the heart of each one of
us, since God crowned her not only as
the Queen of heaven and earth, but,
also, as the Queen of all Hearts.

Let this portable high quality card-

board Standee of Our Lady––placed
in your oratory, on your desk, on
your computer table, on your bedside
table, in the Hospital, in your office,
or wherever it may be––remind each
one of us of the great role Our Lady
plays in the events of history, which
began on that day of the Annuncia-
tion, turning the course of History
and transforming mankind.

Blessed Jacinta, the youngest of

three children of Fatima, to whom
Our Lady appeared was taught
to ask everything from God,
through her Immaculate Heart.
Let us, therefore, following her
example, ask all the favors
and thank God, through the
Heart of Mary.
Immaculate Heart
of Mary
Maria Villa, No.9, New No.17,
7th Cross, S.B.M. Colony,
Mathikere, Bangalore - 560054
Phone: (080) 41611355
E-mail: immaculateheart.mailing@
gmail.com
 The Sacristan and the
Mysterious Voice
“I had made the promise”–said the foreigner–“that these can-
dles will burn until tomorrow morning after mass. I have a
big business deal and tomorrow morning, it will be finalized”

In the city of Ostra-Brama in Lithua-
nia, there is a beautiful church where a
beautiful image of Our Lady of Mercy
has been venerated for centuries.
In the month of March in 1896, a Pol-
ish speaking foreigner with a strange
accent, approached the sacristan with
two big and thick candles, stating that
he would like to light the candles be-
fore the miraculous image until they
melt entirely.
“I had made the promise”, said the
foreigner, “that these candles will burn
until tomorrow morning after Mass. I
have a big business deal and tomorrow
morning, it will be finalized; therefore

3
I would like to offer this to Our Lady.
If possible, I would like to accompany
you to the church to place them on the
altar”.
“I will be glad to carry out your re-
quest”, replied the sacristan, “but as
you will be lighting the candles, I will
have to stay in the church the entire
night in order to prevent an accidental
fire”.
“Alright”, replied the foreigner, “for
all the trouble you have to take I will
pay you two rubles now”.
The sacristan’s daughter prepared
dinner and warm clothes for her fa-
ther. The foreigner accompanying the
sacristan went into the church and lit
the candles, prayed for a few moments
and then left.
The sacristan, once alone, closed the
doors, began praying the rosary, said
his night prayers, sat on the chair in the
sacristy and began to doze. Suddenly
he heard a loud voice:
“Blow them out, blow out the can-
dles!”
Startled, he stood up, looked all
around and saw no one. He assumed
that it was just a dream and went back
to sleep; but after a few minutes, he
was awakened by the same mysterious
voice. calculated to explode during the time
“Blow them out, blow out the can-
dles!”
However, he did not see anyone
around; so in order to put an end to the
The person who knows everything has a lot to learn.
4
dream, he thought it would be better to
blow out the candles. But remember-
ing the promise made by the foreigner
and the money he had received, he be-
gan praying the rosary again until he
fell asleep for the third time. But the
voice came again:
“Blow them out, blow out the can-
dles immediately!”
Finally, convinced that the voice
came from above, he blew out the can-
dles and was finally calm. To start his
day, he prayed the rosary, prepared the
altar for Mass and the faithful began to
arrive and also his daughter for Holy
Mass. After the Mass ended, she asked
her father why the candles were blown
out.
He told his daughter what had hap-
pened at night. After the faithful left
the church, he took the candles to ex-
amine them and noticed that they were
extremely heavy.
The sacristan, using a knife, began
scraping off the wax from the candle
and saw the wick entering an iron tube.
Suspecting a sacrilege, he put the can-
dles in a barrel of water and rushed to
inform the vicar and the police super-
intendent.
They discovered that the metal tubes
contained dynamite and it had been
of the Mass.
Imagine the gratitude of the people
of Ostra-Brama to Our Lady for hav-
ing saved them by her direct interven-
tion from an horrible end. f
 Christmas Innocence
Msgr. João Scognamiglio Clá Dias

The Christmas spirit of those days—to which Dona

Lucilia added a personal touch—helped people feel a
special, Heaven-sent grace in the air
In a room closed off from the chil-
dren, Dona Lucilia expertly trans-
formed a colossal, ceiling-high pine
into a Christmas tree. She hung a va-
riety of ornaments from the branches,
such as paper Angels, colourful li-
queur candies, gingerbread rings, and
other sweets. In the four corners of the
room were assortments of delicacies
that she had bought and arranged.
The children were with their govern-
esses in a room upstairs. At the stroke
of midnight, they descended hand-in-
hand, single file, by an outside stair-
case to the garden, singing German
Christmas carols. When the door of
the room opened, they entered, still
holding hands to wonder at the Christ-
mas tree, aglow with countless little
candles – a surprise every year. Dona
Lucilia, standing by the tree, smiled at
the children as they came in, enchant-
ed with their innocence. It was as if
she had a Christmas tree for each of After the
them in her heart. prayer, they
stood up, and
It was she who conducted the party, the children, once
emphasizing its religious character. again joined hands
and circled the tree two
Once all the children had entered, or three times, singing Stille Nacht.
Dona Lucilia quieted them down Then, they crowded around the tables
while she knelt with them before the loaded with delights and received the
Nativity scene next to the Christmas presents brought by St. Nicholas...
tree. She led a prayer to the Infant Je- Dona Lucilia thought it rather secular-
sus which they repeated. ist to call him Papa Noël.

5
 The Christmas spirit of those
days—to which Dona Lucilia
added a personal touch—helped
people feel a special, Heaven-sent
grace in the air. It invited them to open
themselves to a recollected and hum-
ble spirit of awe before the sublime,
and to a gratitude filled with sweet-
ness, for having received unlimited
mercy.
“Remember: When you return,
you may not find your mother
alive”
The reversibility of Dona Lucilia’s
spirit was one of her notable quali-
ties. In the midst of all the innocent
Christmas joy, she conserved a note
of sadness, because she saw that it
would give way to the tragedy of the
Passion. In contrast, when she thought
of Our Lord’s death, her soul foresaw
the triumphant exultation of the Resur-
rection.
This is how the true Catholic should
view the joys and vicissitudes of life
in this valley of tears. Only in eternity,
in the company of the Most Holy Trin-
6
ity and the Virgin Mary, will
we find complete happiness.
“Your reward shall be very
great” (Gn 15:1), God Him-
self promises in Holy Scripture.
Although Dona Lucilia had under-
gone a successful operation in Ger-
many, her health was still so delicate
that she thought it quite likely that she
would die prematurely. This caused
her significant concern, not so much
for herself but on account of her chil-
dren’s future.
On a certain occasion Rosée and
Plinio were happily getting ready to
go to one of the splendid children’s
Christmas gatherings so frequent at
the time.
When they went to say good-bye
to Dona Lucilia—whose health had
taken a recent and serious turn for
the worse—she affectionately said to
them:
“Remember that when you return,
you may not find your mother alive.
But since I am so often close to death,
you shouldn’t stop going to gatherings,
neither should you miss this one...”
 A modern educator would consider Of course, her children were sad-
this cruel, yet her words actually im- dened at such a prospect. If it is tragic for
parted resignation, serenity, and much a child to lose his mother, what would
peace. it be for them to lose such a mother? f

Christmas meal in Ukraine

The Ukrainian Christmas festive days according to the Julian calen-
dar, start on 6 January, Christmas Eve, and end on 19 January, Epipha-
ny. The main Christmas meal, called Sviata Vecheria (or Holy Supper)
is eaten on Christmas Eve. Traditionally people fast all day; they start
the day drinking some holy water that has been blessed at church.
Ukranians don’t start their meal until the first star is seen in the sky.
So people (especially the hungry ones!) go outside as soon as it starts
getting dark in the afternoon to spot the first star. The star represents
the journey of the Wise Men to find Jesus and it announces the birth of
Jesus; so Christmas can start! In farming communities, the head of the
household now brings in a sheaf of wheat called the Didukh which rep-
resents the importance of the ancient and rich wheat crops of Ukraine,
the staff of life throughout the centuries.
The meal normally has 12 dishes which represent Jesus’s 12 disci-
ples. The main dish is often Kutia, a kind of sweet grain pudding made
of cooked wheat and special syrup containing diluted honey, grated
poppy seeds, raisins and sometimes walnuts. Other dishes can include
mushrooms, sauerkraut, red ‘borsch’, dumplings known as Varenyky
(Pierogi), whitefish, ‘Bigos’ (a meat and cabbage stew), cheese cake
and bread.

7
 True Sanctity Lies in
Strength of Soul and Not
in Sentimental Softness
The Church teaches that true and
complete sanctity is the heroism of
virtue. The honor of the altars is not
granted to weak, hypersensitive souls
that flee from profound thoughts,
from acute suffering, from the fight,
in short, from the Cross of Our Lord
Jesus Christ.
8
Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira
Mindful of the words of Her Divine
Founder, “The kingdom of heaven suf-
fereth violence, and the violent bear it
away” (Mt 11:12), the Church canon-
izes only those who, in life, authenti-
cally fought the good fight, those who
plucked out their own eye or cut off
their own foot when it caused scandal,
and sacrificed everything to follow
only Our Lord Jesus Christ.
In reality, sanctification entails the
greatest heroism, for it presupposes not
only the firm and serious resolution to
sacrifice life itself if needed to remain
faithful to Jesus Christ, but even to live
a prolonged existence on earth if God
so desires, constantly renouncing ev-
erything most dear in order to adhere
only to the Divine Will.
A certain iconography, unfortunately
much in use, presents the saints quite
differently: they appear soft, senti-
mental, with neither personality nor
strength of character, incapable of se-
rious, solid and coherent ideas; they
seem to be souls guided only by their
emotions and, therefore, totally un-
suited for the great fights that always
accompany earthly life.
The figure of Saint Therese of the
Child Jesus was especially deformed
by certain iconography. Roses,
smiles, inconsistent sentimen-
tality, a soft life free of cares, a
person with bones of rock candy
and blood of honey – this is the
idea they would like us to have
of that great, that incomparable
saint.
***
How all this differs from her
true spirit—vast and profound
like the firmament, shining and
burning like the sun, yet so
humble and so filial—which one
finds upon reading her autobiog-
raphy, The Story of a Soul.

Our two pictures represent, so

to speak, two different and even
opposite “Thereses”.

In the first, there is nothing

heroic; but only an insignifi-
cant, superficial and perfumed
Therese imagined by romantic
and sentimental iconography.
The second is authentic Therese,
photographed on June 7, 1897,
shortly before her death on September
30th of the same year.
Her countenance is marked by the
deep peace earned by great and irrevo-
cable renunciations. Her features have
a definition, a strength and a harmony
possessed only by souls with an iron
logic. Her gaze bespeaks tremendous
sufferings in the deepest recesses of the
soul yet, at the same time, reveals the
fire and courage of a heroic soul, de-
termined to advance cost what it may.
Contemplating this physiognomy,
strong and profound, that only the
grace of God can bring about in a soul,
we are invited to think of yet another
Face: that of the Holy Shroud of Tu-
rin, which no man could have imag-
ined and perhaps none dare describe.
Between the Face of Our Dead Lord,
which has a peace, a strength, a pro-
fundity and a sorrow that human words
cannot express, and the face of Saint
Therese, there is an imponderable yet
very real similarity. And why should
it be thought surprising that the Holy
Face impressed something of Itself
on the face and the soul of one who in
religious life called herself Therese of
the Child Jesus and the Holy Face? f

9
 Baby Jesus Speaks
Right after the wild animals from the
fields and forest made their night visit,
St. Michael, the Archangel, warned
Mary and Joseph that they needed to
flee from Bethlehem and go to Egypt.
King Herod was trying to kill Baby Je-
sus. Joseph put some camping supplies
together in a backpack. Mary hopped
back upon Jack, the donkey. Baby Je-
sus, in his mama’s arms, was wrapped
in a blanket. They hurried down the
road to Egypt. As they reached the edge
of Bethlehem, they passed a farmer
planting corn in his field. Baby Jesus
peaked out of the blanket and quietly
said, “Corn be ready to be harvested!”
A proud man is one who waits for a vacancy in the Trinity
10
About 15 minutes later, some of evil
King Herod’s soldiers came by and
asked the farmer if they had seen a
couple with a donkey carrying a baby.
The farmer truthfully said, “Yes, when
I was sowing this corn, they passed
by”.
At the time, he was pulling off ears
of corn of six foot high stalks. The sol-
diers thought that the farmer had plant-
ed the corn several weeks earlier. One
soldier said: “They must have left by
another road”. Then the wicked King
Herod’s sinister soldiers turned around
and went the other way.
– Mark Twain
 Strangest Thing that
is Happening on
Christmas Island
Christmas Island is a small Austra-
lian island in the Indian Ocean, 2,600
kilometers northwest of the city of
Perth, that is home to many species of
animals and plants. The island is par-
ticularly noted for its prodigious popu-
lations of Christmas Island red crabs, a
species of land crab that is endemic to
the island, and their spectacular migra-
tion from the forest to the coast each
year during the breeding season.
At the beginning of the wet season
(usually October/November), most
adult red crabs suddenly begin a spec-
tacular migration from the forest to the
coast, to breed and release eggs into
the sea. Breeding is usually synchro-
nized island-wide. The rains provide
moist overcast conditions for crabs to
make their long and difficult journey
to the sea.
The main migration commences on
the plateau and can last up to 18 days.
11
Masses of crabs gather into broad
“streams” as they move toward the
coast, climbing down high inland cliff
faces, over or around all obstacles in
their way, following routes used year
after year for both downward and re-
turn migrations. Movement peaks in
the early morning and late afternoons
when it is cooler and there is more
shade. If caught in open areas, in un-
shaded heat, the crabs soon lose body
water and die.
The main way to protect crabs dur-
ing the migration is to stop them being
squashed by vehicles on the roads. But
they still need to be able to cross roads
to get to the sea. The best way to do
this is to close the roads, but this is im-
possible, since some of the main roads
go through the national park. So on the
roads that are kept open, special fences
are put to act as a barrier to keep the
crabs off the road. Also underpasses
have been installed in the roads so that
 A five metre-high Crab Bridge, crossing
one of the area’s busiest roads

the crabs use them to get to the other side.

More than 20 kilometres of plastic barriers
are in place to direct the crabs away from
the island’s roads into 31 Crab Underpasses
as well as a five metre-high Crab Bridge,
crossing one of the area’s busiest roads,
which has apparently become something of
a tourist attraction in its own right. f

12
 MADONNA DELLA STRADA
Our Lady of the Way
P. J. CEANDLERY, SJ

Tender devotion to the Immaculate

Mother of God, which the late Pontiff,
Leo XIII, never tired of impressing on
the faithful, has ever been a striking
feature in the lives of the saints, begin-
ning with St. John, the beloved Disci-
ple, and the other Apostles; and nearly
all, who have written of themselves,
have acknowledged that whatever
graces they received from God came
to them through the hands of Mary.

Among the saints of more recent
times, it would be hard to find one
who was more chivalrous, more ar-
dent, more enthusiastic in his devotion
to the Mother of God than St. Ignatius
of Loyola, father and founder of the
Society of Jesus.
It was to her he turned in his illness,
when lying wounded at the Castle of
Loyola, after the siege of Pampeluna.
At her feet he cast himself, in the first
fervor of his conversion, consecrating
himself to her and her divine Son with
an ardor that roused the fierce hatred

13
of Satan, who shook the castle to its
foundations, so that windows were
shattered and the strong masonry of
the walls was violently rent; evidence
of the shock remaining to the present
day.
Her image he constantly carried on
his breast, and often bathed with his
tears. It was a vision of her that dis-
pelled all fears about his past, and
kindled in his soul that flame of divine
love and zeal for the divine glory that
made him plan and realize such glori-
ous things for the furtherance of God’s
kingdom on earth and the conversion
of souls.
It was again in a vision of the spot-
less Queen of Virgins that he received
the gift of perfect purity; that was
never to be disturbed by the assaults the feast of her Assumption at Mont-
of concupiscence. Her shrines at La martre, and his last and solemn vows
Guia, Le Seo, Villadordis, Arazazon, before her altar in the Basilica of St.
etc., were the cherished spots he loved Paul, outside the walls of Rome.
to visit as a devout pilgrim.
He loved to have her image always
Her honor, assailed by an unbeliev- before him, and died with his eyes
er, so fired his zeal, that he doubted fixed lovingly upon it.
whether it was not his duty to despatch
with the sword the wretch whose lips A brief account of one of the pic-
had uttered so foul a blasphemy. tures of Our Lady to which this great
saint was most attached during the
Before her image at Montserrat he last twenty years of his life, and of the
made his vigil of knighthood, when church erected to receive that picture,
turning from an earthly to a spiritual may not be uninteresting.
warfare, leaving his sword suspended
at her altar, and swearing eternal fealty Our Lady of the Way
to her and her divine Son.
Some seven centuries ago, in one
It is believed that he wrote the Spiri- of the many shrines to be seen in al-
tual Exercises at Manresa under her most every street of Rome, there stood
directions. a very ancient painting of our Lady,
which was said to be miraculous, and
Together with his first companions, consequently an object of the greatest
he took his first religious vows on veneration to the people.

14
 Little is known of its previous his-
tory, but there are good grounds for
believing that it dates from the fifth or
sixth century. The portion of the wall
on which it is painted is undoubtedly
the work of the ancient Romans. Cer-
tain it is, that it was already very old in
the twelfth century, when Count Julius,
of the Astalli family, built a church for
its better preservation, to which the
picture, and, necessarily, the portion of
the wall on which it is frescoed, were
transferred. This church was known
as St. Mary of the Astalli; but those
who remember the picture’s old posi-
tion never accepted the new name, but
spoke of it as Madonna della Strada, or
Our Lady of the Street.
St. Ignatius of Loyola first came to
Rome in 1528. He was kindly received
by the Astalli family, saw the picture
of Our Lady, and conceived a tender
affection for it.
Returning to Rome with his compan-
ions in 1537, he led them to the feet of
his beloved picture, where he would
spend long hours in prayers with tears,
and it was his delight, after his ordina-
tion, to say Mass daily at the altar that
stood in front of it.
Such was the affection he felt for
this venerable representation of the
Madonna, that, overcoming his natural
reserve in such matters, he made bold
to ask the parish priest in charge of the
church, Dom Pietro Codacio*, to give
him the picture for his newly founded
Society. Dom Pietro at first indignantly
refused to part with his church’s great-
est treasure, but suddenly and unac-
countably, even to himself, he changed
his mind, and not only offered the pic-
* A rich prelate of the Pope’s household.
15
ture, but the church also, and himself
as well, to St. Ignatius and the Society,
being the first Italian to join the new
order, for which step he renounced tre-
mendous benefices and great prospects
at the Papal court.
It was necessary to obtain the leave
of Pope Paul III, and of the Astalli
family, before the gift could be con-
sidered valid, but this was easily ob-
tained, and thus St. Ignatius and the
Society became possessors of their
first church, the sanctuary of Our Lady
della Strada.
Since the church was parochial, for
a while St. Ignatius and his compan-
ions had to discharge parochial duties;
these, however, were found to inter-
fere too much with the spirit and real
work of the new order, that the saint
petitioned the Pope to relieve them of
this burden, and. accordingly, all paro-
chial rights and duties were transferred
to the neighboring Church of St. Mark.
To Fr. Codacio, St. Ignatius awarded
the honors of a founder in recognition
of his generous gift.
Inspired by the example of their
saintly Father, all the saints and, in-
deed, all the members of the Society of
Jesus, have ever cherished a tender de-
votion to Our Lady della Strada. At her
feet knelt St. Francis Xavier, St. Peter
Faber, and the other first companions
of St. Ignatius. Here St. Francis Borgia
loved to pray, and pour out his soul in
tenderest emotion to the Immaculate
Mother of God. Here the three Angelic
saints, Aloysius, Stanislaus and John
Berchmans, came to consecrate their
innocence to her who had called them
to the Society of her Son. St. Peter
Canisius, Bl. Rudolph Aquaviva, Bl.
Ignatius Azevedo, St. Philip Neri, St.
Charles Borromeo, St. Camillus de Le-
llis, St. Leonard of Porto Maurizio, St.
John Baptist di Rossi, St. Benedict Jo-
seph Labre, and a host of other saintly
souls, cherished a tender devotion to
Our Lady della Strada, and frequently,
while in Rome, visited this sanctuary.
It is this devotion of so many saints
that adds a special halo to this picture
which the Society of Jesus regards as
its own. f

History of the Christmas Tree

Geismar at the foot
of the Oak they
worshipped. To
convince the people
and the Druids that
it was not a sacred
tree, he cut it.
In its fall, the oak
destroyed all that
was there except a
small pine tree. Ac-
cording to tradition,
St. Boniface called
this as a miracle.
It was the season
of Advent and, as
he preached about
Christmas, he said:
“From now on, we
will call this the tree
of the Infant Jesus”.
After the Christmas crib, the Christ-
mas tree is the most significant symbol The custom of planting small pine
of the Christmas season - especially in trees to celebrate the birth of Jesus be-
times past, when the commercial as- gan and spread throughout Germany.
pect of Christmas was not so protuber- And in the nineteenth century, the
ant and aggressive. Christmas tree - also known in some
European countries as the “Tree of
The inventor of the Christmas tree Christ” - spread throughout the world
was St. Boniface, the apostle of Ger- as a symbol of one’s joy at Christmas
many. In 723 St. Boniface came across to celebrate the birth of the Divine
a human sacrifice of the god Thor in Child.

Source: A Guide to Catholic Curiosities, Evaristo Eduardo de Miranda

 CHRISTMASTIDE
IN MEXICO
Among the quaint and pretty cus-
toms in celebrating feast days in Mexi-
co none is prettier than the observance
of the noche buena, the Holy Night.
Nine days before Christmas a novena
is commenced in every house in honor
of the Christ-Child and a ceremony
called la posada is inaugurated. Lit-
erally, the word signifies an Inn, and
in this ceremony the Mexicans com-
memorate our Blessed Mother and St.
Joseph, seeking shelter in the Inns of
Bethlehem.
Beginning on the evening of the 16th
of December and continuing every
night until the 25th, the family and ser-
vants in every household assemble and
with lighted tapers sing the Litany and
form a procession in the patio or court-
yard. Four men are chosen to carry the
17
nacimiento, or crib, wherein to lay the
Holy Child.
They walk in the centre and halt be-
fore each door in the house as the pro-
cession moves on. In exquisite Spanish
verses the posada is entreated, to ad-
mit the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph.
From the closed door angry voices call
out that there is no room for the travel-
lers. The Litany is resumed. A halt is
made at several other doors and each
posada is begged but refused. The last
door is finally reached, the posada
is entreated, and sweet voices from
within bid the travellers welcome. The
door is thrown open and the proces-
sion files into a room beautifully il-
luminated. The nacimiento is placed
upon a temporary altar and after a
hymn of thanksgiving and the recita-

tion of the Rosary, the sacred part of
the posada terminates and the social
programme begins. In the middle of
the room, hanging from the ceiling, is
an oddly decorated earthen pot, called
olla, filled with nuts, candies and
goodies of every description. The pot
is hidden beneath gay colored papers
of every hue and is transformed into
the shape of a huge bouquet of flowers,
a peerless bride, a long-plumed bird, a
ship, or even a grotesque figure as per
the fancy of the ornamenter. A child is
then chosen, blindfolded, and given a
wand, with three chances to break the
olla. When a child successfully breaks
the olla, a grand serenade ensues, and
old and young vie with one another to
gather the sweets that are scattered in
every direction. Among the wealthy
Mexicans a dance usually follows
and continues till the wee hours of the
morning, when the guests take their
18
departure and carry away with
them a little porcelain nino Je-
sus, the figure of the Child Je-
sus, resting on a bit of straw, as
a memento of the posada.
After the festivities at the
last posada all process to their
churches to assist in Holy Mass
at day-break. All the altars
and statues are magnificently
dressed to welcome the new-
born King; and the lowly Indian
and opulent Mexican, kneeling
side by side, vie with each other
in offering their devotion to the
Holy Child. All kneel with arms
outstretched in the form of a
cross holding lighted tapers, so
emblematic of the ardent faith
of these children of the South;
and at the Venite Adoremus ev-
ery head bows to the ground.
At every Mass on Christmas Day a
procession takes place in the churches.
The crib is reverently carried around,
and the people follow with lighted ta-
pers, singing the Litany.
Benediction of the Blessed Sacra-
ment, after the last Mass, ends the
celebration of the feast of Christmas
in Mexico. As in France, presents are
not exchanged on this day; a tree laden
with gifts is a joy unknown - to the
heart of a Mexican child. The merry
Christmas greeting so dear to us is
not heard in the land of the Montezu-
mas. Rather, the memory of the great
mystery, which makes the day what
it is to every Christian, is renewed in
this most touching and fruitful way
by the ceremony and devotion of the
people.f
 The Story of the
‘Silent Night’
Salzburg
Father Joseph Mohr sat at the old
organ. His fingers stretched over the
keys, forming the notes of a chord. He
took a deep breath and pressed down.
Nothing. He lifted his fingers and tried
again. Silence echoed through the
church.
Father Joseph shook his head. It was
no use. The pipes were rusted, the bel-
lows mildewed. The organ had been
wheezing and growing quieter for
months, and Father Joseph had been
hoping it would hold together until
the organ builder arrived to repair it
in the spring. But now, on December
23, 1818, the organ had finally given
out. St. Nicholas Church would have
no music for Christmas.
Father Joseph sighed. Maybe a brisk
walk would make him feel better. He
pulled on his overcoat and stepped out
into the night. His white breath puffed
out before him. Moonlight sparkled
off the snow-crusted trees and houses
in the village of Oberndorf. Father
Joseph crunched through the snowy
streets to the edge of the little Austrian
19
Dick Smolinski
town and climbed the path leading up
the mountain.
From high above Oberndorf, Father
Joseph watched the Salzach River
ripple past St. Nicholas Church. In
the spring, when melting snow flowed
down the mountains and the river
swelled in its banks, water lapped at
the foundation of the church. It was
moisture from the flooding river that
had caused the organ to mildew and
rust.
Father Joseph looked out over the
Austrian Alps. Stars shone above in
the still and silent night.
Silent night? Father Joseph stopped.
Of course! “Silent Night”! He had
written a poem a few years before,
when he had first become a priest, and
he had given it that very title. “Silent
Night”.
Father Joseph scrambled down the
mountain. Suddenly he knew how to
bring music to the church.
The next morning, Father Joseph set
out on another walk. This time he car-

Silent Night Chapel located in the
town Oberndorf bei Salzburg in the
Austrian province of Salzburg
ried his poem. And this time he knew
exactly where he was going -- to see
his friend Franz Gruber, the organist
for St. Nicholas, who lived in the next
village.
Franz Gruber was surprised to see
the priest so far from home on Christ-
mas Eve, and even more surprised
when Father Joseph handed him the
poem.
That night Father Joseph and Franz
Gruber stood at the altar of St. Nicho-
las Church. Father Joseph held his gui-
20
tar. He could see members of the
congregation giving each other
puzzled looks. They had never
heard a guitar played in church
before, and certainly not dur-
ing midnight mass on Christmas
Eve, the holiest night of the year.
Father Joseph picked out a
few notes on the guitar, and he
and Franz Gruber began to sing.
Their two voices rang out, joined
by the church choir on the chorus.
Franz Gruber’s melody matched
the simplicity and honesty of Fa-
ther Joseph’s words.
When the last notes faded into
the night, the congregation re-
mained still for a moment, then
began to clap their hands. Ap-
plause filled the church. The
villagers of Oberndorf loved
the song! Father Joseph’s plan
to bring music to St. Nicholas
Church had worked.
A few months later, the or-
gan builder arrived in Oberndorf and
found the words and music to “Silent
Night” lying on the organ. The song
enchanted him, and when he left, he
took a copy of it with him.
The organ builder gave the song to
two families of traveling singers who
lived near his home. The traveling
singers performed “Silent Night” in
concerts all over Europe, and soon the
song spread throughout the world.
Today, cathedral choirs and carolers
from New York to New Zealand sing
the simple song that was first played
in a mountain church in Austria on
Christmas Eve nearly 200 years ago. f
 N
tille acht Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
S Alles schläft; einsam wacht
Nur das traute hochheilige Paar.
Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar,
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!
Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Hirten erst kundgemacht
Durch der Engel Halleluja,
Tönt es laut von fern und nah:
Christ, der Retter ist da!
Christ, der Retter ist da!
Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Gottes Sohn, o wie lacht
Lieb’ aus deinem göttlichen Mund,
Da uns schlägt die rettende Stund’
Christ, in deiner Geburt!
Christ, in deiner Geburt!
(Translation)
Silent Night, holy night,
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Silent night, holy night,
Shepherds quake at the sight;
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ the Savior is born,
POINSETTIA Christ the Savior is born!
The poinsettia, a Silent night, holy night,
traditional Christmas Son of God, love’s pure light;
flower, originally grew Radiant beams from thy holy face
in Mexico, where it With the dawn of redeeming grace,
is also known as the Jesus, Lord, at thy birth,
‘Flower of the Holy Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.
Night’. The plant’s as-
sociation with Christmas began in 16th-century Mexico, where
legend tells of a girl, commonly called Pepita or Maria, who was
too poor to provide a gift for the celebration of Jesus’ birthday and was
inspired by an angel to gather weeds from the roadside and place them in front of the
church altar. Crimson blossoms sprouted from the weeds and became beautiful poinsettias.

21
 Did the Medieval Church Invent
Dec. 25th as Christ’s Birthday?
Sacred Tradition confirms December
25 as the birthday of the Son of God.
The source of this ancient tradition is
the Blessed Virgin Mary herself. Ask
any mother about the birth of her chil-
dren. She will not only give you the
date of the birth, but she will be able
to rattle off the time, the location, the
weather, the weight of the baby, the
length of the baby, and a number of
other details.
Now ask yourself: Would the
Blessed Virgin Mary ever forget the
birth of her Son Jesus Christ who was
conceived without human seed, pro-
claimed by angels, born in a miracu-
lous way, and visited by Magi? She
knew from the moment of His incarna-
tion in her stainless womb that He was
the Son of God and Messiah. Would
she ever forget that day?
Next, ask yourself: Would the Apos-
tles be interested in hearing Mary tell
the story? Of course they would. Do
you think the holy Apostle who wrote,
“And the Word was made flesh,” was
Marshall Taylor
not interested in the minute details o
His birth? Even when I walk around
with our seven-month-old son, people
always ask “How old is he?” or “When
was he born?” Don’t you think people
asked this question of Mary?
So the exact birth date (December
25) and the time (midnight) would
have been known in the first cen-
tury. Moreover, the Apostles would
have asked about it and would have,
no doubt, commemorated the blessed
event that both Saint Matthew and
Saint Luke chronicle for us. In sum-
mary, it is completely reasonable to
state that the early Christians both
knew and commemorated the birth of
Christ.
Further testimony reveals that the
Church Fathers claimed December 25
as the Birthday of Christ prior to the
conversion of Constantine and the Ro-
man Empire. The earliest record of this
is that Pope Saint Telesphorus (reigned
A.D. 126-137) instituted the tradition
of Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. f

The First Book

The first printed book was the Bible. Its
publication was entrusted by the Catho-
lic Church to the inventor of the printing
press: Johannes Gutenberg, who was a
German blacksmith, goldsmith, printer,
and publisher. Preparation of it probably
began soon after 1450, and the first fin-
ished copies were available in 1454 or
1455.

22
 “I always
start with the
eyes. The soul
of the animal
shines through
them”

Doug Landis was paralyzed from the

neck down, after an awful accident,
during a high-school wrestling match.
The former over-active kid, too busy
to pick up a pen and draw, discovered
his talent when he saw the drawing
of a house, on a Christmas card, and
thought he could do it himself. He re-
did the drawing a few times, until he
developed his own style.
Using his neck to guide the pen
across a sheet of paper, Doug has cre-
ated a series of drawings that earned

23
 him several awards, at the shows and
exhibits in which he participated.
Each artwork takes the artist between
40 and 200 hours of work, depending
on the size of the project. For his fa-
mous “Vanishing Breeds”, the artist
imagined his work drawn by hand,
then watched photos and videos of
the animals, in order to see the fur and
muscles, and only then began the ac-
tual drawing. Just like Peter Longstaff,
the foot painter, he is a member of the
Mouth and Foot Painting Artists Asso-
ciation f

24
 St. Nicholas Vs Santa Claus
St. Nicholas was a Bishop who lived
in the fourth century in a place called
Myra in Asia Minor (now called Tur-
key). He was a very rich man because
his parents died when he was young and
left him a lot of money. He was also a
very kind man and had a reputation for
helping the poor and giving secret gifts
to people who needed it. St. Nicholas
was exiled from Myra and later put in
prison during the persecution by the
Emperor Diocletian. He died on 6th De-
cember in either 345 or 352.
Through the centuries St. Nicholas
has continued to be venerated by Ro-
man Catholics and Orthodox Christians
- and he is honored by Protestant Chris-
tians. By his example of generosity to
those in need, St. Nicholas is a model of
Christ’s call to selfless giving.
The 19th century was a time of cul-
tural transition. New York writers,
and others, wanted to domesticate the
Christmas holiday. In January 1809,
Washington Irving published the sa-
tirical Knickerbocker’s History of New
25
York, which made numerous references
to a jolly St. Nicholas character. This
was not a saintly European bishop, but
rather a Dutch burgher with a clay pipe.
The jolly elf image received a big boost
in 1823 from a poem destined to be-
come immensely popular, “A Visit from
St. Nicholas,” -- now better known as
“The Night Before Christmas”.
In North America, the popular name
Santa Claus was taken from the Dutch
Sinterklaas, which originated with a
contracted form of Sint Nicolaas (Saint
Nicholas). The “Mall Santa” that we are
all familiar with -- sporting a red suit
with white cuffs and collar, and black
leather belt, became the popular image
in the United States in the late 19th cen-
tury and early 20th century because of
the “Merry Old Santa Claus” images
created by political cartoonist Thomas
Nast. In the mid-20th Century a series
of Coca-Cola advertisements featuring
a rotund and jovial Santa Claus was
drawn by artist Haddon Sundblom and
further popularized Nast’s depiction. f
 Birds in the Snow
thought. So he went
back into the house,
got some crumbs and
sprinkled them on the
snow to make a trail
to the barn. But to
his dismay the birds
ignored the crumbs
and continued to flop
around in the snow.
He then tried forcing
them into the barn
by walking around
and waving his arms.
They scattered in ev-
ery direction – except
into the warm, light-
ed barn.
An atheist was invited by his wife to “They find me a
attend church with her. He frankly told strange and terrifying creature”, he
her that he did not believe the Bible said to himself.
teaching that God became man. “It
does not make sense to me”, he said. “And I cannot think of any way to
Soon after his family drove away to let them know they can trust me. If
church, snow began to fall and a few only I could be a bird myself for a few
minutes later, he was startled by a minutes; perhaps I could lead them to
thudding sound, then other thudding safety”!
sounds against his living-room win-
dow. When he went to the front door, At that moment the church bells be-
he found a flock of shivering birds gan to peal out a Christmas carol. After
huddled miserably in the snow. They listening for a few moments, he sank
had tried to find shelter from the snow, to his knees in the snow and whispered
and were trying to fly through his win- a prayer: “Now I do understand. Now
dow. He decided that he must help I see why YOU had to come as YOU
these poor little creatures – and won- did”.
dered how he could help them.
Yes, God became a man so that we
Then he thought of the barn, where it would not be afraid to draw near to
was warm. So he tramped through the Him. Christ’s birth brought the infinite
snow to the barn, opened the door and God within reach of finite human per-
turned the light on. But the birds did not son. “The Word was made flesh and
come in. “Food will bring them in”, he dwelt among us” (John 1:14) f

26
Who First Began to Commemorate
All Souls Day?
from Aquitaine. The
man of God then asked
if he knew a monastery,
which bears the name
of Cluny and its Ab-
bot, Odilo. The Monk
answered: I know him,
indeed I know him
well, but I would like
to know the reason for
asking me this ques-
tion. The other [the
hermit] replied: “I am
going to tell you, and
I beg you to remember
what you are about to
hear. Not far from here
there are places where
by the manifest will
of God, a blazing fire
spits with the utmost
violence. For a fixed
In 1049 a monk, Jotsaldus, began
length of time the souls of sinners are
to write the life of St. Odilo, Abbot of
purged there in various torments and
Cluny (962 – 1048). It this vitae, he re- constantly.
counted the story behind the institution
of All Souls Day: “I have often heard the lamentations
of the devils who complain violently
“One day he [Odilo] told me, a against the prayers and alms of the
monk from Rouergue was on his way community of the monks of Cluny and
back from Jerusalem. While on the his abbot, thanks to which many souls
high seas between Thessalonika and did not go to hell and have also their
Sicily, he encountered rough winds suffering in Purgatory shortened. By
which drove his ship onto a rocky God, I beg of you, therefore, if you
islet inhabited by a hermit, a servant have the good fortune to return to your
of God. When the monk saw the seas home and family, to make known to
calm, he chatted about one thing and this community what you have heard
another with this hermit. The man of from my mouth, and to exhort the
God asked the monk what nationality monks to multiply their prayers, vigils
he was, and he answered that he was and alms for the repose of souls en-

27
during punishment, in order that there
might be more joy in Heaven and the
devil may be vanquished and thwart-
ed”. Upon returning to his country, our
man faithfully conveyed this message
to the Holy Father abbot and the broth-
ers [of Cluny]. When they heard him,
the hearts of the brothers overflowed
with joy and they gave thanks to God
in prayer after prayer while heaping
alms upon alms and working tirelessly
that the dead might rest in peace. The
holy abbot afterwards proposed to all
the monasteries that the memory of all
CANDLE IN THE WINDOW
Placing lit candles in the windows
arises from the British persecution
against the Catholic Church in Ire-
land, especially under Elizabeth I and
then Oliver Cromwell. The British
conquerors were Protestant and the
Irish people were Catholic; therefore,
to totally subjugate the Irish people,
the British had to crush their religion,
and that meant crushing the Catholic
Church.
During Christmas, every faithful
Irish Catholic family hoped to have
28
the faithful should be celebrated every-
where on the day after All Saints’ – the
1st of November – in order to secure the
repose of souls in purgatory; and fur-
ther that masses with psalms and alms
should be celebrated in public and in
private, and that alms be distributed
unstintingly to all the poor. Thus hard
blows would be struck at the diabolical
enemy and suffering Christians might
cherish the hope of divine mercy”. f
(De vitae et virtutibus S. Odilonis abbatis,
liber secundus, Cap. XIII – de quadam vision
cujusdam eremitae)
a priest visit their home so that they
could receive the sacraments and in
return offer him hospitality. So they
would leave their doors unlocked and
place candles in the windows to sig-
nal a priest that he was welcome and
would be safe. Sometimes, a single
candle would appear in several win-
dows, or three candles in one window,
one each representing Jesus, Mary and
Joseph.
Of course the British persecutors
became suspicious and asked
to purpose of this action. So
the faithful Irish Catholics re-
sponded, “Our doors are un-
locked and candles burn in our
windows at Christmas, so that
our Blessed Mother Mary, St.
Joseph, and Baby Jesus, look-
ing for a place to lodge, will
find their way to our homes
and be welcomed with open
hearts”. Of course, the British
protestants considered such a
display another sign of super-
stition and “silly popery”.
 Heralds of the Gospel – Events

Left: Students welcomed the

Immaculate Heart of Mary
at Naipunnya School, Kochi.
Top: Naipunnya Directors with
the statue of Our Lady.

St. Patrick’s church,

Vytilla (Cochin) St. James church, Champakkara
(Cochin)

29
 Around the Globe
Are people happier today?
Sociologist Robert Putnam says
that today’s young people are much
less happy than in times past. In fact,
younger people tend to be sadder than
older people.
He writes: “Over these years ... sat-
isfaction of life has declined among
people under 55 while it increased
modestly among the older people. Re-
search conducted in the 1940’s and
1950’s showed that younger people
were happier than older people. In
1975, age and happiness were not cor-
related. In 1999, however, younger
people were found more unhappy than
older people. The starting point: a gap
between generations that has widened
the bad feeling and unhappiness...The
younger you are, the things have be-
come worst in the last decades of the
twentieth century in terms of head-
aches, indigestion, insomnia as well
as general dissatisfaction with life and
even the probability of taking your
own life”.
(Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone: The
Collapse and Revival of American Commu-
nity, Simon & Schuster, New York, 2000, p.
263)
7 Christian girls escape
the terrorists and attribute
their escape to the Virgin
Mary
Seven university students from
Kirkuk, Iraq, attributed to Our Lady
30
the miracle of being saved after eight
terrible hours spent hiding under their
beds while terrorists used their room
as a hiding place before they attacked
the city on Friday, October 21, 2016.
“The Virgin Mary was with them”,
the priest Roni Momika on October
23 told the CNA, the English edition
of the Catholic Information Agency
(ACI). The priest who exercises his
ministry in the fields of refugee An-
kawa in Erbil, northern Iraq, was in
contact by mobile phone with two girls
while they were hiding under beds.
The two young women detailed what
was going on.
“The men entered the house of our
students”, said the priest. When the
girls heard the militants, they quickly
ducked under the four beds in that
room - and remained there while the
terrorists used the same room to eat,
pray, hide from the national armed
forces and nurse two of their men who
had been injured.
The priest Momika guided the girls
not to forget their faith and to “beseech
the Virgin Mary to come to their aid”.
In fact, both the priest and the girls
consider it a miracle that the fighters
did not see them. “When the militants
entered our room and did not see us,
we felt that the Virgin Mary closed
their eyes”, said one of the students.
The attack on Kirkuk was part of a
broader offensive by Kurdish and Iraqi
armies to retake the city of Mosul. The
Reverend Fr. Momika explained that
the seven girls are among the more
than 100 refugees attending Kirkuk
University after being driven out of
the city.
Many of the girls are from Mosul
and nearby cities such as Bartella,
Alqosh and Telskuf. All of them, be-
fore the terrorist invasion, had studied
at the University of Mosul. Their fami-
lies now live in refugee camps in Erbil,
and to continue their studies, they were
enrolled at the University of Kirkuk
and lived in houses near the church in
the city, thus avoiding the highly risky
daily commute between the military
camps and the university.
After the extraordinary period of ter-
ror experienced by young people on the Immaculate Heart of Mary”, the
Friday, two priests, George Jahola and president said.
Petros, who were ordained with Fr.
Momika on 5 August this year went to During the ceremony, President
Kirkuk early the next morning to pick Kuczynski entrusted to the Hearts
them up and bring them safely back to of Jesus and Mary “my government
Erbil. with all its workers and citizens who
(Source: Jeff Smith, CNA) are under my responsibility. I offer to
Almighty God my thoughts and deci-
Peruvian president sions as president so that he may use
consecrates nation to the them for the good of our country and
always bearing in mind the Ten Com-
Hearts of Jesus and Mary mandments in governing it”.
Lima, Oct 25, 2016 - At the National
Prayer Breakfast in Lima, Peru on Fri- He asked God’s forgiveness “for all
day, the nation’s president, Pedro Pab- the transgressions I may have com-
lo Kuczynski, consecrated the country, mitted in the past, all those commit-
his family and himself to the Sacred ted by the Republic in the past, and
Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate for all those decisions that may have
Heart of Mary. “By the authority vest- been made contrary to his command-
ed in me, I make an act of consecration ments and I ask for his help in chang-
of myself, my family and the Republic ing everything that separates us from
of Peru, to the love and protection of Him”..f
Almighty God through the interces- (CNA/EWTN News)
sion of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and

31
 Hiroshima and the
Marian Shield
Father Hubert Schiffer (*1915 –
+ March 27, 1982) was one of eight
German Jesuits who survived the nu-
clear bomb “Little Boy” dropped on
Hiroshima. He was only eight blocks
away from ground zero when the ex-
plosion occurred. The group of Jesuits
survived not only the explosion, but
also the effects of the radiation.
The priests lived less than a mile
from the epicenter of the attack in Hi-
roshima; and for miles in all directions,
every building was destroyed, com-
pletely flattened, and 140,000 living
persons were killed instantly; except
for the eight priests. Father Schiffer
and his companions sustained no in-
juries, or only minor injuries. They
all lived years beyond that day, expe-
riencing no radiation sickness, despite
being exposed to high levels of radio-
activity. None suffered a loss of hear-
ing from the explosion, or any other
visible long-term defects or maladies.
According to the account of Jesuit
priest Fr. John Seimes, who had been
on the outskirts of the city: “They were
in their rooms at the Parish House—it
was a quarter after eight, exactly the
time when we had heard the explosion
in Nagatsuke—when came the intense
light and immediately thereafter the
sound of breaking windows, walls
and furniture. They were showered
with glass splinters and fragments of
wreckage. Father Schiffer was buried
32
beneath a portion of a wall and suf-
fered a severe head injury. The Father
Superior received most of the splinters
in his back and lower extremity from
which he bled copiously. Everything
was thrown about in the rooms them-
selves, but the wooden framework of
the house remained intact”.
Another account adds that Father
Hubert had just finished offering Mass,
and had gone to eat breakfast when the
bomb hit. Since Hiroshima had mili-
tary facilities, he assumed there must
have been some sort of explosion at
the harbour, but almost immediately
he recounted: “Suddenly, a terrific ex-
plosion filled the air with one bursting
thunderstroke. An invisible force lifted
me from the chair, hurled me through
the air, shook me, battered me, whirled
me round and round like a leaf in a
gust of autumn wind”.
He raised himself from the ground
and looked around, but could see noth-
ing in any direction. Everything had
been devastated. There were no build-
ings left except for the church house.
All eight members of this community
escaped virtually unscathed from the
effects of the bomb. Their presbytery
remained standing, while the buildings
all around, virtually as far as the eye
could see, were flattened.
Everyone else within a radius of
roughly 1.5 kilometres was killed in-

The Church of Our Lady of Assumption, situated near the explosion spot,
around which everything was destroyed. Inexplicably, 8 Jesuit priests there
present came out alive
stantly, and many of those outside of
this range died of radiation within
days. In contrast, the only physical
harm to Fr. Schiffer was that he could
feel a few pieces of glass in the back
of his neck. It’s also said that after the
surrender of Japan, the American army
doctors explained to him that his body
would begin to deteriorate because
of the radiation; yet to the doctors’
amazement, Fr. Schiffer’s body ap-
peared to contain no elevated radiation
or ill-effects from the bomb. Fr Hubert,
aged 30 at the time of the explosion
lived to the age of 63 in good health. In
later years he travelled to speak of his
experience, and this is his testimony as
33
Here we see
5 of them
recorded in the Eucharistic Congress
held in Philadelphia in 1976, when all
eight of the Jesuits were still alive.
The surprising survival of the Jesuits
in Hiroshima is similar to that reported
in Nagasaki, where a Franciscan fri-
ary built by St. Maximilian Kolbe
also went unaffected. Since the bombs
were dropped, the priests have been
examined over 200 times by scien-
tists. Each time the priests repeated the
same explanation for their survival:
“We believe that we survived because
we were living the message of Fatima.
We lived and prayed the rosary in that
home”. f
 FAMOUS STORIES EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW
The Holy Night
What kind of a night is this, when the dogs do not bite, the sheep are
not scared, the staff does not kill, nor the fire scorch?
There was a man who went out in
the dark night to borrow live coals to
kindle a fire. He went from hut to hut
and knocked. “Dear friends, help me!”
said he. “My wife has just given birth
to a child, and I must make a fire to
warm her and the little one.”
But it was late in the night, and all
the people were asleep. No one replied.
The man walked and walked. At
last he saw the gleam of a fire a long
way off. Then he went in that direction
and saw that the fire was burning in
the open. A lot of sheep were sleeping
around the fire, and an old shepherd sat
watching over the flock.
When the man who wanted to bor-
row fire came up to the sheep, he saw
three big dogs laying asleep at the
shepherd’s feet. All three awoke when
the man approached and opened their
great jaws, as though they wanted to
bark; but not a sound was heard. The
man noticed that the hair on their
backs stood up and that their sharp,
white teeth glistened in the firelight.
They dashed toward him.
He felt that one of them bit at his leg
and one at this hand and the third one
clung to this throat. But their jaws and
34
Selma Lagerlof
teeth wouldn’t obey them, and the man
didn’t suffer the least harm.
Now the man wished to go farther, to
get what he needed. But the sheep lay
back to back and so close to one an-
other that he couldn’t pass them. Then
the man stepped upon their backs and
walked over them and up to the fire.
And not one of the animals awoke or
moved.
When the man had almost reached
the fire, the shepherd looked up. He was
a surly old man, who was unfriendly
and harsh toward human beings. And
when he saw the strange man coming,
he seized the long, spiked staff, which
he always held in his hand when he
tended his flock, and threw it at him.
The staff came right toward the man,
but, before it reached him, it turned off
to one side and whizzed past him, far
out in the meadow.
Now the man came up to the shep-
herd and said to him: “Good man, help
me, and lend me a little fire! My wife
has just given birth to a child, and I
must make a fire to warm her and the
little one”.
The shepherd would rather have said
no, but when he pondered that the dogs
couldn’t hurt the man, and the sheep
had not run from him, and that the staff
had not wished to strike him, he was
a little afraid, and dared not deny the
man that which he asked.
“Take as much as you need!” he said
to the man.
But then the fire was nearly burnt
out. There were no logs or branches
left, only a big heap of live coals, and
the stranger had neither spade nor
shovel wherein he could carry the red-
hot coals.
When the shepherd saw this, he said
again: “Take as much as you need!”
And he was glad that the man wouldn’t
be able to take away any coals.
But the man stooped and picked
coals from the ashes with his bare
hands, and laid them in his mantle.
And he didn’t burn his hands when he
touched them, nor did the coals scorch
his mantle; but he carried them away
35
as if they had been nuts or apples.
And when the shepherd, who was
such a cruel and hardhearted man, saw
all this, he began to wonder to him-
self. What kind of a night is this, when
the dogs do not bite, the sheep are not
scared, the staff does not kill, nor the
fire scorch? He called the stranger
back and said to him: “What kind of a
night is this? And how does it happen
that all things show you compassion”?
Then said the man: “I cannot tell you
if you yourself do not see it”. And he
wished to go his way, that he might
soon make a fire and warm his wife
and child.
But the shepherd did not wish to lose
sight of the man before he had found
out what all this might portend. He got
up and followed the man till they came
to the place where he lived.
Then the shepherd saw the man
didn’t have so much as a hut to dwell
in, but that his wife
and babe were lying
in a mountain grotto,
where there was noth-
ing except the cold and
naked stone walls.
But the shepherd
thought that perhaps
the poor innocent child
might freeze to death
there in the grotto; and,
although he was a hard
man, he was touched,
and thought he would
like to help the child.
And he loosened the
knapsack from his
shoulder, took from it
a soft white sheepskin,
gave it to the strange
man, and said that he
should let the child
sleep on it.
But just as soon as
he showed that he, too,
could be merciful, his
eyes were opened, and them everywhere. They sat inside the
he saw what he had not been able to grotto, they sat outside on the moun-
see before, and heard what he could tain, and they flew under the heavens.
not have heard before. They came marching in great compa-
He saw that all around him stood a nies, and, as they passed, they paused
ring of little silver-winged angels, and and cast a glance at the child.
each held a stringed instrument, and There was such jubilation and such
all sang in loud tones that tonight the gladness and songs and play! And all
Saviour was born who should redeem this he saw in the dark night whereas
the world from its sins. before he could not have made out
Then he understood how all things anything. He was so happy because his
were so happy this night that they eyes had been opened that he fell upon
didn’t want to do anything wrong. his knees and thanked God.

And it was not only around the shep- What that shepherd saw, we might
herd that there were angels, but he saw also see, for the angels fly down from

36
heaven every Christmas Eve, if we
could only see them.
You must remember this, for it is as
true as that I see you and you see me. It
37
is not revealed by the light of lamps or
candles, and it does not depend upon
sun and moon; but what is needful
is that we have such eyes as can see
God’s glory. f
Best Times to Have
Water
2 glasses after waking up - Helps
activate internal organs.
1 glass 30 minutes before meal -
Helps digestion.
1 glass before taking a shower -
Helps lower blood pressure.
1 glass before going to bed - Helps
avoid stroke or heart attack.
 Walking on Fire
Though fire walking has long been
associated with Far East mysticism,
there have recently been some scien-
tific investigations into the feat and
even a fire-walking display before
thousands of people at a soccer match
halftime. Even more amazing than the
fire walkers, however, are those peo-
ple who can briefly plunge their hands
into molten metal and touch red-hot
steel bars without the slightest injury.
You may suspect deceit is involved,
but the feat can actually be explained
with good physics. Although some
have tried dipping their fingers into
molten lead without harm, you should
not try these experiments yourself, for
they are dangerous and can result in a
very bad burn.
Suppose a professional showman
were to lick a red-hot steel bar. What
might guard his tongue not only from a
very serious burn, but indeed from any
burn at all? Why should he use only
extremely hot metal? Is there any dan-
ger in less hot metal? In fire walking is
there any optimum speed with which
to walk? In particular, can a fire walker
walk too fast?
Before doing a demonstration with
the lead, one has to wet his hands first.
When the fingers enter the molten lead,
some of that water immediately vapor-
izes to form (at least momentarily) a
protective sheath around the fingers.
Normal moisture on the skin (espe-
cially if one is scared and is sweating)
works almost as well.
Fire walking probably involves pro-
tection by the moisture on the feet and
may depend as much on sweating be-
tween each footfall, as having callous-
es on the feet. Although having wet feet
helps, one can walk on hot coals with
no special preparation of his feet. f

Chains of St Peter joined together in rome

Two chains of St. Peter were preserved, one with which the Apostle was bound
at Jerusalem, the other at Rome; when the former was brought to Rome by the
Empress Eudoxia, about A.D 439, and placed near the Roman one, the two joined
miraculously. They are still venerated in the church of St Peter in Vincoli.

38
 The Leave Applications
Info..., Bangalore: An employee ap-
plied for leave as follows:
“Since I have to go to my village
to sell my land along with my wife,
please sanction me one-week leave”.
This is from Ora..., Bangalore: From
an employee who was performing the
“mundan” ceremony of his 10 year old
son: “as I want to shave my son’s head,
please leave me for two days”.
Leave-letter from an employee who
was performing his daughter’s wed-
ding: “As I am marrying my daughter,
please grant a week’s leave”.
Covering note:
“I am enclosed herewith...”
Another one:
“Dear Sir: with reference to the
above, please refer to my below...”
Actual letter written for application
of leave:
“My wife is suffering from sickness
and as I am her only husband at home
I may be granted leave”.
Letter writing:
“I am well here and hope you are
also in the same well”.

From H.A... Administration Dept: A candidate’s job application:

“As my mother-in-law has expired “This has reference to your adver-
and I am only one responsible for it, tisement calling for a ‘Typist and an
please grant me 10 days leave”. Accountant - Male or Female’... As I
am both(!!) for the past several years
Another employee applied for half and I can handle both with good expe-
day leave as follows: rience, I am applying for the post.
“Since I’ve to go to the cremation
So please learn English well. f
ground at 10 o-clock and I may not re-
turn, please grant me half day casual
leave”.
An incident of a leave letter:
“I am suffering from fever, please
declare one-day holiday”.
A leave letter to the headmaster:
“As I am studying in this school I am
suffering from headache. I request you
to leave me today”.
Another leave letter written to the
headmaster: Liberty
“As my headache is paining, please Equality
grant me leave for the day”. Fraternity

39
 Cuisine - Tempered and Seasoned

Prossekage
( Danish Cake)
COOKING TIME: 10 hrs
NUMBER OF SERVINGS: 8 persons

Ingredients
1. 1L milk
2. ½ kg oatmeal
3. 3 eggs
4. 125 gms sugar
5. 1 tsp cardamom
6. 1 tsp cinnamon
7. 1 tsp salt
8. 200 gms raisins
9. 1 lemon
Preparation
Boil the milk and pour it over the oatmeal in a bowl. Cover the bowl and set it
aside in a cold place for 6-8 hours.
Whip the eggs with the sugar and mix this with the “porridge”.
Add cinnamon, cardamom, salt, grated lemon rind and lemon-juice.
Gently turn raisins into the mixture, pour into a greased pan and oven-bake it in
a water basin for two hours at 1750 C.
When the cake cool, slice it, fry lightly in butter and serve with applesauce, cin-
namon sugar syrup or liquid honey. f

1990
2016

40
 The flutist and the saint
St. Paphnutius (died c. AD 350)
had for many years lived in a desert
and labored at his sanctification by
austere works of penance. Once a
peculiar thought came to his mind,
and he dared to express it to God
in prayer. He petitioned the Lord,
in all humility and simplicity, to
reveal to him a person who had
the same degree of merit as he
himself. God deigned to grant his
request, and He gave Paphnutius
to understand that at this moment
a certain flutist living in Egypt
ranked equal to him in merit.
The Saint at once started on a
journey to find the flutist. Having
arrived at the appropriate village,
and making inquiries there, he
was informed that the man he
was seeking was engaged at a
neighboring tavern, playing for
the amusement of those who
patronized the place. “How
strange!” thought Paphnutius.
Nevertheless, he sent word to the An ad campaign to raise awareness of the harmful effects of smoking
musician, begging him for a short (Made by Miroslav Vujovic Graforidza, 2010 “Wolda” awarded designer)
interview. When the musician
came, the Saint took him aside Find the differences
and spoke to him regarding the
condition of his soul. “What good
deeds have you ever done?” asked
Paphnutius.
“Good deeds?” replied the flutist;
“I do not remember ever having
done any; all I remember is that
one day, while I was pursuing my
former trade of stealing, I saved
the honor of a
virgin consecrated
to God, and another
time I gave my
money to a poor
woman who, in her
great distress, was
about to commit a
crime”. From this,
our Saint realized
that God had given
the flutist graces
similar to those
he himself had
received, because
for the honor of his
Creator, this man
in his crude life
had prevented two
mortal sins. f ANSWERS - FLASHES -16
What is the number of the parking space containing the car?
Turn the picture upside down and you will find the answer
Why is the child more attracted by the ornaments
and the lights on the Chirstmas tree, than by the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Flashes
Christmas tree itself?
This is because, deep down, the innocent child has
in himself, together with a sense of the marvelous,
the sense of the absolute; that is to say, an idea that,
if something were to be absolutely as it should be, it Oct-Dec/2016, No. 17
would be more marvelous than it
is in reality. In other words this
sense of the absolute is a desire for
Paradise. Even though the child
may not have heard of Paradise
nor even have the intelligence to
understand what it is, the desire
for Paradise sleeps within him.
And this desire is awakened
when he sees these marvelous
ornaments.
- Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira

Christmas tree in Germany