the Wisdom of a Third Grader

"Sister," Joanny started, "How can I buy hosts?" "What do you mean 'hosts'?" I asked. "The hosts that the priests use at Mass to bring us Jesus. I wanted to get a birthday present for Jesus and I thought and thought. He is in Heaven. The only thing He needs now is hosts so that He can come again to us." After a few seconds of thinking, I told her to bring me a quarter which I would give to my superior to pay for the hosts we would be using at our convent Midnight Mass. Further, I invited Joanny and her entire family to join us for the celebration. The joy on the face of that little girl coming back from Communion made the candle flames envious.

the Christmas Pig

The Polish winter was especially cold in the middle of the war years.It was difficult to celebrate Christmas during the brutal Nazi occupation. Every kilo of grain, every bushel of potatoes was monitored and each farm family was allowed to keep only starvation rations, the rest being confiscated to feed the occupiers.Mr. and Mrs. Wolenska were especially worried about their eldest daughter who was married and lived in the city. She was pregnant and needed protein to have a healthy baby. The rationing made it almost impossible to nourish a healthy baby in utero.

On their farm however, situated far away on the edge of the forest, they dared to raise an illegal pig all summer long. Now that winter had come they slaughtered the animal and let it freeze tight in its hiding place in the hay loft. How could they get it to their daughter and their in-laws in the city?

A daring plan emerged. Mr. Wolenska and his daughter, Irena prepared the wagon with a few logs and straw which certainly were not considered contraband even in this war-torn country. Carefully they dressed the frozen pig in coat and hat and secured it to the wagon seat. They then sat on either side of their “passenger” and set out for the city. They passed one check point after another, the guards letting them go on their way after very carefully examining their straw and wood. When they arrived at the final inspection just before the city they were ordered to come down from the wagon seat. Father and daughter obeyed, but the frozen pig of course, could not move. The German soldier barked his command, “Come down ‘sofort’” The pig did not move. “If you do not come down, I will knock your head off!” Screamed the German. The pig remained unmoved. In a full measure of anger the soldier slammed the butt of his rifle against the head of the pig. The hat pulled over its ears flew off and the macabre grin of the animal mocked the angry antagonist. The father and daughter were ordered to stand in the snow while the German soldiers took the pig into their guard house. Sure that their explanation would not soften the hearts of these conquerors and convinced they would soon be shot, they prepared to die. After what seemed like a long while the soldiers dumped a burlap-wrapped bundle into the back of the wagon and told them to move on. Not daring to stop and look, they waited nervously until they reached their daughter’s home. As they cautiously unwrapped the burlap there was a great relief of laughter. The soldiers had returned the pig but had taken a “tax” for themselves and their own Christmas dinner. The poor pig was missing a ham!

The Tale of Two Euros

It happened in a classroom in Vienna, Austria. Sister was explaining to the children about their poor brothers and sisters in a village in Africa where little children are HIV positive but can receive the hope of a reasonably normal life with medication from the health clinic run by the Daughters of Divine Charity. One of the students, a little boy, excused himself and called his father at his place of employment. "Daddy, please come to school, I need two Euros right away!" The devoted father was wondering what note from the teacher he had overlooked or how the lunch money got lost and so forth. When he got to the classroom and asked to see his son the boy explained that he needed it to quickly save the life of a little African child.