The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1951-12-21

Back in the truck again, / would
check my list to be sure nothing
was missing. Tinsel for the tree?
The, drugstore down the street,
perhaps! They, too, usually cut
prices on Christmas items near
closing hour. / was offs again.
Then, at long last, / would turn
the trucks nose homeward. At
that point my back, which had
been aching for hours, would
threaten to break in two; my legs
would draw painfully with weari-
ness. But always managed to stop
by the church for confession. In
those days, with the house to tend
and the little ones to mind through
the day, even confession had TO be
last-minute affair.
Taking my place in the dwind-
ling line outside the confessional,
| would review the events of the
day, recounting all of the little
irritations | had suffered, recall
ing my impatience with the baby
when he spilled his cereal over
the freshly scrubbed kitchen floor;
the angry words | had spoken to
Sue and little Jimmy when they
tracked snow into the living room;
the way | snapped at big John be-
cause he was five minutes late for
supper. Then, coming out of the
confessional, | would turn toward
the crib at the fore of the church.
Approaching the almost life-SiZed
figures of Mary and Joseph and
the Infant, my heart always lifted.
The Holy Family The model for
all earthly parents and children.
Humble and poor though they
were, they were happy beyond all
imagining. The smile on Mary's
face was sweet and gentle. Joseph
was kindly and good. The Little
Jesus was the symbol of all happy
childhood.
sJO lilllG ~ hN OAN
er refrain | had repeated over and
over to myself earlier in the eve
ming came back to me; but in the
golden light streaming from the
star above the stable of Bethlehem
the words lost their ugliness. /
had told myself that ii wasn't
worth the effort, that Christmas
had been commercialized TO the
point where only women like En-
| ily with unlimited bank accounts
could enjoy it. Now, kneeling be-
fore the replica of the stable at
Bethlehem, / no longer envied En-
ily and women like her. / pitied
them, instead. 1t was they who had
so little"-not !.
For in my own dearly-beloved,
contented, loyal family | saw the
true counterpart of that humble,
happy group before me: Jesus,
Mary and Joseph. In Mary's eyes
saw the answer to all of my
problems. For weeks / had count
ed my pennies and worried about
the material things ! could or could
not give my children for Christ
mas, and / had until this moment
wholly overlooked the spiritual
gifts | could bestow upon them
without any cost whatever.
Mary had had no tinsel, no color
ed globes for tree, no candies or
fruits, no gaily wrapped packages
for the Little Jesus that first
Christmas morning. Yet, she had
bestowed upon Him that greatest
Gift of all the gift of patient,
untiring, all-enfolding mother-love.
And always and forever | could do
the same, regardless of the c0ndi-
tion of my pocketbook.
"Jesus, Mary and Joseph, bless
us and keep usi" | would whisper,
then crossing myself quickly I'd
hurry out of the church and into
the truck again.
When reached the house, John
was always there in the snow wait
ing to help me unload. The little
ones were fast asleep upstairs and
their stockings were hanging ex-
pectantly before the fireplace.
Did you get eyerything?" John
would ask.
Everything" I'd reply.
"And did you make it by church
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