Christmas in Dachau's "Priest Block"

"The Nativity,"  unknown painter

Fr. Jean Bernard (1907 AD - 1994 AD), a Catholic priest from Luxembourg, was a prisoner in the "Priestblock" of the Dachau concentration camp from May 1941 to August 1942.   The following is taken from the chapter entitled "Christmas 1941" in Fr. Bernard's memoir of his time in Dachau, "Priestblock 25487."

"I suspect that Cappy (another priest) wants to give me something and am eager to find out what it is.
He is standing at the entrance of the barbed-wire barrier around the barrack, as announced.  We are not allowed to enter, but have to leave the pails in front of the "gate."  I set mine down next to Cappy, and as he bends down to pick it up he quickly presses a carefully folded piece of paper into my hand.  Very softly he mouths the word "ichthys."

I have difficulty concealing my excitement.  Swiftly I hide the precious gift in my glove.  And as I hurry back home images from the time of the catacombs come to mind.  Bacnk the, as now, the Most Holy had to be preserved from desecration, and so the Greek term for "fish," ichthys, became a code word for the Eucharist, since it is composed of the initial letters of the phrase "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior."

After the evening meal we Luxembourgers met a few friends inconspicuously in the darkness outside the barrack and divided the precious pieces into as many particles as humanly possible.  And then the Christ Child entered our hearts..."

Why no calls for restrictions on divorce and devil worship?

Adam Lanza

Adam Lanza's parents were divorced and he worshipped satan.  Are these activities which the federal government needs to control more strictly in the interest of school safety?

Remembering Pearl Harbor

Chief Petty Office John W. Finn with his wife Alice, after being awarded the Medal of Honor

Seventy two years ago today, on December 7, 1941, the United States of America was, in FDR's words, "suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan." 2,402 Americans were killed in the attack, and 1,282 were wounded.  Fifteen sailors were awarded the Medal of Honor for their bravery that day.  The final surviving member of this group, John W. Finn, died in 2010 at the age of 100.  This anniversary of the attack seems a fitting occasion for recalling the heroism of these men, and that of Finn in particular.  On that Sunday morning, upon hearing explosions and seeing the Japanese planes, Finn immediately drove from his apartment to nearby Kaneohe Bay Naval Air Station.  There Finn set up a .30 caliber machine gun on a runway and began firing at Japanese planes.  Though exposed to enemy machine guns and bombs, and despite many wounds, Finn kept up his fire for the next two and a half hours.

The following is taken from John Finn's own account of that day:
 
“I got shot in the left arm and shot in the left foot, broke the bone. I had shrapnel blows in my chest and belly and right elbow and right thumb. Some were just scratches. My scalp got cut, and everybody thought I was dying: Oh, Christ, the old chief had the top of his head knocked off! I had 28, 29 holes in me that were bleeding. I was walking around on one heel. I was barefooted on that coral dust. My left arm didn’t work. It was just a big ball hanging down.”

Thank you, John W. Finn, and may you and all of your brave comrades rest in peace.

The Angelus in Advent

"The Annunciation,"  El Greco

Christ directed us to "pray always and never lose heart" (Lk. 18:1).  For those who tend to forget to pray, the Angelus bell, a triple stroke of the bell repeated three times, is a helpful reminder to pray when we rise, at midday, and in the evening.  The Angelus is particularly appropriate to Advent, when we prepare ourselves for the feast of the Nativity, since it concerns the archangel Gabriel's greeting to Mary, by which the Incarnation was first announced.  Also, the prayer which concludes the Angelus is the collect for the Fourth Sunday of Advent.

Here is the text of the Angelus; each versicle corresponds with one of the triple strokes of the bell-

V. The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R. And she conceived by the power of Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R. Be it done unto me according to your Word.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

V. And the Word was made flesh.
R. And dwelt among us. (genuflect or bow)

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray: Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may we by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His resurrection; through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Glory be...

Here is a lovely reflection on the Angelus from America magazine, of all places.