Monday the 21st: Saint of the Week (St. Matthew the Evangelist)

 

Saint Matthew (Levi) (F), Apostle and Evangelist

                Dates:  September 21                          d.65    

                Place:  preached among Hebrews and Ethiopians; shrine in Salerno, Italy; possibly martyred in Persia

                Importance:  writer of first gospel; originally a tax collector; writer of Mt. 16:18 (Primacy of Pope); messianic and prophecy-fulfillment emphasis

                Name means:  gift of God

                Food/Symbol: young man, book cake, gold coins

                Patron:  bankers, bookkeepers

                Prayer:  “O God, you chose St. Matthew the tax collector to share the dignity of the apostles.  By following his example and benefiting by his prayers, may we always follow and abide by your will.”

We beseech You, Lord, with the prayers of Matthew, Your apostle and evangelist, 

to assist us that those things 

which by ourselves we cannot obtain may be granted to us through his intercession. 

                Quotes:  “There are points of contact between Matthew and rabbinical writings that are not found in the other gospels.  These points of contact are more than an interest in the Law and allusions to Jewish institutions.  Matthew sometimes moves in the world of rabbinical thought.  He not only is familiar with rabbinical dialect; he uses it.”—John L. McKenzie

                Readings:  Eph 4:1-7,11-13; Ps. 19; Mt. 9:9-13

 (Caravaggio's Call of St. Matthew, found on Pinterest: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caravaggio?utm_source=Pinterest&utm_medium=organic#mediaviewer/File:Caravaggio,_Michelangelo_Merisi_da_-_The_Calling_of_Saint_Matthew_-_1599-1600_(hi_res).jpg)

 

 

Friday the 18th: More moving fun

Pic 1: one of the first things I made at the new house was risotto.

Pic 2: bought Czech white wine at the farmer's market in Andover. 

Pic 3: I was so proud of figuring out where to store the towels. 

 

 

Thursday the 17th: Food of the Week

 *Life is a little crazy since we are under a water boil advisory after the main water pump in town lost power. So here's the plan:

*Tomorrow will be macaroni and cheese as long as the order is lifted. If the order is not lifted, I'll probably do ropa vieja in the slow cooker as it has less dishes.  

*Tonight is probably going to be Thai Pork lettuce wraps (served over rice).  It's going to be a lot of dishes BUT I already defrosted the pork, so I'm a little stuck. My hope is to do a couple of the steps this afternoon, get those dishes washed (I have to soak them in bleach after washing them in the nonboiled water), and then proceed later in the day after Scholars Bowl practice.

*Last night was going to be the lettuce wraps but was Taco Shop instead. 

*Tuesday night the Son made Market Corn Salad from his Betty Crocker cookbook and a bag of frozen breaded chicken. It was really good, lots of veggies, but I felt a little heavy on the cumin. For lunch I had a beautiful salad from Bobby D's in Emporia (pictured below) with excellent burnt ends.

*Monday night I made chicken parm burgers from Taste of Home;  they were very good but next time I want to put breadcrumbs on the outside of them as well.

*Sunday we had chicken enchiladas in red sauce. The recipe actually made 20, not 10, and everyone got plenty. My mom made Spanish Rice as a side, and we had Zingerman's poppy seed cake as a dessert. 

*Saturday I brought home the bag of apples below after searching in vain for peaches. 

 

 

Wednesday the 16th: chores of the week

 *I got all of my forms for substitute teaching done and filled out.

*Laundry is done for the day except for folding, groceries are done, and I will do just a few more things before nap time. 

*We are under a boil advisory so we are currently pondering whether to eat out or to struggle through cooking and then washing dishes for supper. 

Tuesday the 15th: More moving

 The piano was the only piece coming in that I was sure I knew where it went, and I really like the sound we get from having it against the open railing.

We are slowly moving around things in the rest of the big room, but it is pretty much set from what we had before.

The Son and I walked our first night here and saw ominous clouds that looked like hail--but none fell on us. 

 

 

Monday the 14th: Saint of the Week

 Reading 2 for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, taken from usccb.org:

Brothers and sisters:
Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. 

 (Found on Pinterest from https://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/gospel_illuminations/299701_enlarge.html?utm_source=Pinterest&utm_medium=organic)

 

Friday the 11th: We Remember

 I was in my first year of teaching, my grandma was dying, I was preparing to get married in 3 months, and I was setting up for Mass when the priest burst in to the chapel saying, "what do I talk about in my homily?" 

And that's how I found out. 

For the rest of the day we watched TV and read about virtue. My mom came home early and pulled my brothers out of school a little early too. In Wichita the skies were silent, which is rare for an airplane manufacturing town.

And every year since, I tell my students or remember with my family, and one of the parts that makes me choke up every time is the sacrifice of the passengers in Pennsylvania. What courage.