Sunday, January 15, 2012

A Mid-Winter's Sunday at Home

My parents are getting up there in years and I always have some guilt on these Sundays when we decide to have dinner at home.  They are always welcome to have dinner here but they always say no, and it's just not possible to go to their house every single Sunday, so here we are.  The house smells almost heavenly with the scent of my Italian meatloaf baking in the oven.  We'll start off with a little rigatoni marinara, followed by the meatloaf, and finish off with a salad dressed with the last of the olive oil from Assisi.   My husband picked up a cheesecake for dessert.

A few weeks from now, we're having a little reception after Mass so our TLM community can have an opportunity to share some food and some company.  I was amused that my pastor asked my daughter if she thought I would be contributing any food.  As if I wouldn't!   What he didn't know is that the gracious woman who coordinates these quarterly events had already contacted me to ask me if I could help.  A tray of sandwiches and a dessert are something easy enough for me to put together.

I like to give the TLM crowd a little taste of Italy or at least of South Philly when we have these gatherings. Many of our regulars are not from the immediate area and I think it must be tantalizing to travel to the Italian Market area every Sunday without ever getting to sample its wares, so it's my little treat.  For our last one, I made Italian hoagies which are, for the uninitiated, sandwiches made of prosciutto, salami, provolone, mortadella and other cold cuts on a roll dressed with oil, oregano, lettuce, tomato and onions.    For our next get-together, I'm thinking chicken cutlet sandwiches with sharp provolone and broccoli rabe.

The tree is no longer with us, but the Christmas lights on our banister and on the lilac bush in the backyard are, as is the Nativity.  The Wise Men have made their appearance and the entire ensemble will be left up until just after the Feast of the Presentation on February 2nd.

We had a visiting pastor at the TLM today.  He gave a thought-provoking homily on the miracle at the wedding at Cana.  The water had no choice but to be transformed by Christ.  By the free will with which we were endowed by God, we do have a choice about whether or not we will let Him transform us.

What will our answer be?

I hope I never forget that this is not a one-time proposition but a life-long process.

9 comments:

  1. Wow! That IS thought-provoking, Joyce. Sometimes I wish I were like the water...because battling my own will is often so hard! And I lose sometimes.

    Imagine, God must deem it worth the loss of some souls forever, in order to receive the love of those who freely choose Him. How powerful is this free will of ours! Scary!

    Loved hearing about your Sunday dinner and all the Italian goodies in your past and future church gatherings. Italian food is the best! Yum!

    Love you,
    Patricia

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  2. That is a wow! That is insightful. Sounds like a great homily. But why a homily on the wedding at Cana? Today's reading was on the "What are you looking for?" passage in John chapter 1. Or does TLM have different readings?

    Also wow on your dinner. Yummy. My wife went on strike tonight and wanted Chinese food. So we got take out. I think you might have mentioned it once before but I don't recall. What's in your Italian meatloaf?

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  3. Patricia, I have heard two wonderful sermons on this Gospel in the course of a week. How blessed am I?

    Manny, someday I hope both Forms are on the same calendar but until then, the readings are often not the same. As for the meatloaf, I take two lbs of ground beef pork and veal and add to it chopped onion, garlic, parsley and carrots plus an egg to hold it all together. I take 3 boiled potatoes and put them through a ricer and add the potato to the meatloaf mix (instead of the usual breadcrumbs). I flatten it out on a piece of wax paper and then put strips of prosciutto and fontina cheese on it, then use the wax paper to shape it into a roll. Add a little chicken broth and white wine to the pan and bake until it's ready. It's out of this world and because it's full of vegetables, it's a complete meal. I highly recommend you try it!

    Peace
    Joyce

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  4. Sounds delicious!

    Oh I had not known they were on different calendars. Would you know why that is?

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  5. Oh I would be doomed Joyce if it was a one-time proposition to be transformed by Christ!! Thank and praise God that He gives me many chances!!

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  6. Yum! If I can ever chew again I'll have to make hoagies! My husband is the big mortadella fan. STL has a big Italian community with wonderful markets. Once in awhile we make a trip in to get some really great stuff!

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    Replies
    1. Wow Kathy, I'm impressed. Someone outside of South Philly knows what mortadella is! For the rest of you, it's a kind of Italian bologna, with pistachio nuts.

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  7. Your family meal sound delicious. I'm visiting from, I don't remember what click led me to your blog, but it was a treat to browse around.

    I just started a website for Catholic women called Suscipio (Yes, I attend the TLM LOL!). My prayer is for Suscipio to be a communal website where we will study the Scriptures together, read books encouraging us in our vocations and just hang around like minded Catholic women. Please stop by for a visit.

    In His Heart
    Jenny

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  8. Hi Jenny
    When I click on your name, it brings me to a Verizon message saying the website is unavailable. Please send a link.
    Thanks
    Joyce

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