Christmas ends

Sunday marked the (liturgical) end of the Christmas season and a return to Ordinary Time Monday morning. Our celebrant for Sunday's Mass made a wonderful connection that I had never heard before. He noted that the final scene of the season, the day's gospel, was set at the Jordan River for the baptism of Jesus by John----and that the season had begun in a lowly manger. The Jordan River, he said, is a very small, quite insignificant body of water, hardly ever mentioned in stories or history. Thus, we find the Messiah, Jesus, beginning and ending the season in lowly, insignificant places--among the poor and powerless, not in castles or rich men's palaces. Make your own deductions!

Closer to home, we de-Christmased the monastery Sunday evening, with the welcome help of the seven Canisius students who arrived to spend their winter service week with us. Now we move into a very short period of Ordinary Time--only 4+ weeks.

A number of sisters have been musing in table conversation on whether or not this is the earliest Easter can fall. Answer:Both Wikipedia and the Catholic Encyclopedia agree (!): in modern times Easter falls between March 22-April 25 inclusive. So this year is surely early, but not the earliest.

The chapel poinsettia await "adoption" in offices, bedrooms or other spaces.

Our lone chapel Christmas tree remained beautiful throughout the season and now it has the spotlight all to itself.