Words of wisdom from Bishop Barron

wof@wordonfire.org Friends, in today's Gospel the mother of James and John asks Jesus on their behalf to place them in high places in his kingdom. They are asking for two of the classic four substitutes for God: wealth, pleasure, power, and honor. The two brothers specifically want the last two. Power is not, in itself, a bad thing. And the same is true of honor. Thomas Aquinas said that honor is the flag of virtue. It's a way of signaling to others something that's worth noticing. So then what's the problem? The problem is that they are asking for these two things in the wrong spirit. The ego will want to use power, not for God's purposes or in service of truth, beauty, and goodness, but for its own aggrandizement and defense. When honor is sought for its own sake or in order to puff up the ego, it becomes dangerous as well. What's the way out? Jesus tells us: "Whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all; whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant." When you serve others, when you become the least, you are accessing the power of God and seeking the honor of God.

Another Blizzard:( Enjoy the Music!

In light of the fact that I have had enough of winter..... (the season will not end!)  Here is some Celtic Music.

We are expected to get another 15 to 20 inches, ( 38cm-50.8cm) and high winds Tuesday into Wednesday.

Just In time for St Patrick's Day!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGkuJlEZy04

I  make and eat Irish Soda Bread with raisins and Caraway seeds, but it is not "real soda bread" according to the follow web site...I am not Irish, so I will have to trust them....

These were found at the following site:http://www.sodabread.info/menu/    

THE SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION OF IRISH SODA BREAD. INFORMATION ON THE HISTORY AND PREPARATION OF TRADITIONAL IRISH SODA BREAD AS CREATED BY OUR ANCESTORS..

Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipes 

All recipes for traditional soda bread contain flour, baking soda, sour milk (buttermilk) and salt.  That's it!!!
This was a daily bread that didn't keep long and had to be baked every few days.  It was not a festive "cake" and did not contain whisky, candied fruit, caraway seeds, raisins (add raisins and it becomes "spotted dog" not to be confused with the pudding made with suet of the same name), or any other ingredient.
There are recipes for those types of cakes but they are not the traditional soda bread eaten by the Irish daily since the mid 19th century.
Here are a few basic recipes.  Note that measurements below are in American standards. (An Irish teaspoon is not the same as an American teaspoon measurement.

Note for New Bakers: a fluid cup contains 8 ounces of liquid.  A dry ingredient cup contains around 4 ounces by weight.  Don't use a liquid measuring cup for dry ingredients.  Tsp means Teaspoon.

Of course our great grandmothers just grabbed a handful of this and a pinch of that to make their bread.  We modern bakers need help since we don't do it every day.
The best flour to use is "soft wheat" which is called "pastry flour" or "cake flour" today in the US.  If you want to try using Irish flour, may I suggest Odlums.
In 1845, about the time that soda bread baking was taking off in Ireland, William Odlum opened a four mill in Portlaoise and his descendants expanded the business over the years until 1988 when it was purchased by a corporation that continues production today.  They produce not only the white and wheat flours, but for the modern Irish family, a soda bread mix flour and brown bread mix flour that only needs water added to create a soda bread dough.
The latter mixes are similar to what I create using Saco Cultured buttermilk, flour, baking soda, and salt to create my own "add water" mix for camping trips.

Brown Bread  (reminder: 4oz by weight is a dry "cup")

• 3 cups (12 oz) of wheat flour
• 1 cup (4 oz) of white flour (do not use self-rising as it already contains baking powder and salt)
• 14 ounces of buttermilk (pour in a bit at a time until the dough is moist)
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda.

2 ounces of butter if you want to deviate a bit.
Method:
Preheat the oven to 425 F. degrees.  Lightly grease and flour a cake pan.  In a large bowl sieve and combine all the dry ingredients. Rub in the butter until the flour is crumbly.
Add the buttermilk to form a sticky dough.  Place on floured surface and lightly knead (too much allows the gas to escape)
Shape into a round flat shape in a round cake pan and cut a cross in the top of the dough.
Cover the pan with another pan and bake for 30 minutes (this simulates the bastible pot).  Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
The bottom of the bread will have a hollow sound when tapped to show it is done.
Cover the bread in a tea towel and lightly sprinkle water on the cloth to keep the bread moist.
Let cool and you are ready to have a buttered slice with a nice cup of tea or coffee.

White Soda Bread (reminder: 4oz by weight is a dry "cup")

• 4 cups (16 oz) of all purpose flour.
• 1 Teaspoon baking soda
• 1 Teaspoon salt
• 14 oz of buttermilk

Method:
Preheat the oven to 425 F. degrees.  Lightly crease and flour a cake pan.
In a large bowl sieve and combine all the dry ingredients.
Add the buttermilk to form a sticky dough.  Place on floured surface and lightly knead (too much allows the gas to escape)
Shape into a round flat shape in a round cake pan and cut a cross in the top of the dough.
Cover the pan with another pan and bake for 30 minutes (this simulates the bastible pot).  Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
The bottom of the bread will have a hollow sound when tapped so show it is done.
Cover the bread in a tea towel and lightly sprinkle water on the cloth to keep the bread moist.
One of my favorite Irish cookbooks is by Monica Sheridan, the Julia Child of Irish Television, called "The Art of Irish Cooking" published in 1965.  It has been long out-of-printbut if you get a chance to grab a copy, do so.  She talks about traditional cooking without any of the "spicing up" that we see in modern interpretations of Irish baking although she does experiment a bit with recipes.  Here is her recipe for "Brown Bread"

• 4 cups Stone Ground Whole wheat flour 
• 2 cups White flour 
• 1 1/2 tsp Baking soda 
• 1 1/2 tsp Salt
• 2 cups Buttermilk  

Preparation:
Mix the whole wheat flour thoroughly with the white flour, salt, and baking soda.
Make a well in the center and gradually mix in the liquid. Stir with a wooden spoon. You may need less, or more liquid - it depends on the absorbent quality of the flour.
The dough should be soft but manageable. Knead the dough into a ball in the mixing bowl with your floured hands. Put on a lightly floured baking sheet and with the palm of your hand flatten out in a circle 1 1/2 inches thick.
With a knife dipped in flour, make a cross through the center of the bread so that it will easily break into quarters when it is baked. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes, reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake a further 15 minutes. If the crust seems too hard, wrap the baked bread in a damp tea cloth. Leave the loaf standing upright until it is cool. The bread should not be cut until it has set - about 6 hours after it comes out of the oven.  (personally, I can't wait 6 hours to eat fresh soda bread

Father Spitzer pilot program on EWTN (last year, 2016).

The following was found at this site:  http://www.catholicbishops.ie/

Daily Lenten Prayer 

Today Lord, I choose life,

I choose your love and the challenge to live it and share it,

I choose hope, even in moments of darkness,

I choose faith, accepting you as Lord and God,

I choose to let go of some part of my burdens,

day by day handing them over to you,

I choose to take hold of your strength and power ever more deeply in my life.

May this truly be for me a time of new life, of change, challenge and growth.

May I come to Easter with a heart open to dying with you

and rising to your new life, day by day.

Amen

© Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference

Resources for Temperance Sunday

26. FEB, 2017

Sunday 26 February is a Day of Prayer for Temperance, a day which offers us an opportunity to reflect on our relationship with alcohol and a day on which we can take time to pray for those who suffer from addiction.

Writing about temperance Bishop Éamonn Walsh of the Irish Bishops’ Drugs Initiative said:

“We live in a world where many people wish to march to the beat of their own drum. Where freedom and tolerance means, ‘let me do what I want and you can do what you want, as long as it does not interfere with my freedom’. When a society takes down the protective banks so that everyone can be totally free, we could easily become a lazy lake with people floating around doing their own thing but really going nowhere. Once there is a focus in life, floating aimlessly disappears. A purpose develops with its own safeguards, priorities and balance. It is this balance that we associate with temperance. It may demand sacrifices to attain a goal for self or others. Once the habit of temperance is formed in one area of life, it can be drawn on whenever required.

“Temperance has an unpopular image, it is perceived as a restrictive, a sort of kill-joy and spoil sport. Nothing could be further from the reality. Temperance brings balance and prevents excess getting a grip. Bad tempered behaviour or intemperate language is neither accepted in sport nor in social behaviour. Society is all too aware of how drugs, including alcohol, have done such damage to sport, recreation, working and family life. It has become so difficult for people to resist the culture of artificial and chemical enhancement for all kinds of performances and entertainment.”

Bishop Walsh suggests a concrete way of assisting young people in forming the habit of balance through the Confirmation Commitment.  The Confirmation Commitment encourages candidates, with the assistance of their sponsors, to make a commitment to themselves and to others to lead a healthy lifestyle, respect themselves and others, and to use the knowledge about alcohol and drugs to stay safe. The gifts of wisdom, knowledge, right judgement and courage are called on to take, and to keep, their commitment.

Parish Resources for Temperance Sunday

• Father Mathew’s Prayer 

Apostle of Temperance Father Mathew (1790-1856) was a Capuchin friar from Tipperary whose 19thcentury crusade against the abuse of alcohol gained him the title of  “Apostle of Temperance”. Father Mathew’s call to sobriety has relevance to modern Ireland. The cost to the nation by way of, human suffering, abstention from work, criminality and social upheaval is inestimable.

Compassionate Lord and Saviour,
you inspired the Capuchin Friar Theobold Mathew
to show your compassionate face to those addicted
and burdened by the abuse of alcohol or addicted behavior,
and to promote temperance.
May we today, continue to serve our brothers and sisters with love and joy,
And to foster balance, and moderation in our life styles with the help of God.
So, we pray, “here goes in the name of God.”

Amen

• Reflections after Communion 

One of the following may be used as a reflection after Communion on Temperance Sunday:

1. Archbishop Oscar Romero

It helps now and then to step back and take the long view.
The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent
enterprise that is God’s work.
Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying that the
Kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No programme accomplishes the Church’s mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about:
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realising that.
This enables us to do something and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way –
an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between
the master builder and the workers.
We are workers, not master builders, – ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.

2. Alcohol: The Challenge of Moderation

Alcohol confronts us with our own frailty and weakness. Even those who are not
addicted need the support of a higher power in the journey through life if we
are to avoid the perils of addiction. We need the support of friends, of family
and of God. Indeed, there may be people around us who need our support. The
love and support of God is mediated through people just like us when we reach
out to others, bringing God’s love and care into our world.

(Pastoral Letter from the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference)

Amazing lecture!

It is my hope that you will enjoy this lecture by Father Robert Spitzer, SJ as much as I do:)

Enjoy!

(PS I had to watch it a couple of times and will view it again).

It is titled: The Remarkable Evidence of  a Transcendence Soul.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqJXa3o1Rqo

Newest Pope Video

Thinking of warmer times...

I have had enough of winter and cold weather...I am dreaming of sitting outside, in a grassy place and soaking in the warmth of the sunshine.  The longer days are a help, but I want "warmth"! 

I offer up this desire to you Lord!

Tapping Time!

We have tapped our Maple trees, (we have only 5 or 6 small ones), and will boil down the sap this week-end, God Willing!

There was a recipe that my Mom made when I was a child named Pe'pe're (or Grand-pere).

I found these two recipes, Mom made the dumplings both ways:

#1) Grand Peres (Quebec Style Maple Syrup Dumplings)

ABOUT THIS RECIPE

"The term is French for grandfather. These rich dumplings are perfect for syrup."

INGREDIENTS

• 1 3/4 cups maple syrup ( do not use imitation syrup)
  
• 1 1/4 cups water
  
• 1 1/2 cups flour
  
• 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
  
• 3/4 cup milk
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring syrup and water to a boil in a 6 qt Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
   
2. While the syrup/water is rising to a boil, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
   
3. Grate butter on large holes of a box grater into flour and toss to coat. Add milk and stir with a fork until dough forms.
   
4. When syrup mixture reaches a boil, use a spoon to drop large clumps of dough into syrup.
   
5. Cover pot and simmer until dumplings are cooked through (10-15 minutes). Spoon dumplings and sauce into 6 bowls and serve.
6. 
   

#2 Grandpere dans le Sirop

"This dessert recipe was very popular in Quebec during the Depression and remains a favorite in many French Canadian homes to this day."

Ingredients

• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar

• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/3 cup cold butter
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

• In a large saucepan, mix together the brown sugar and water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and stir in 1 tablespoon of butter and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. Cover while preparing the batter.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, white sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in 1/3 cup of butter by pinching between your fingers, or using a fork until the mixture has lumps no larger than crumbs. Make a well in the center, and pour in the milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla all at once. Stir just until all of the dry mixture is absorbed.
• Return the sugar mixture to a full boil, and drop large spoonfuls of the batter into the syrup. Cover and simmer over medium heat, without removing the lid, for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the largest dumpling comes out clean.