St. Matthew - September 21, 2011

St. Matthew's Coins

Today is the feast day of St. Matthew, the most famous tax collector in history.  I was unable to find a particular recipe to celebrate his feast day, so I got creative.  My kids love it when I do that for feast days -- it usually means I'm coming up with a dessert of some sort. 

One of St. Matthew's symbols is a bag of coins, so I opted to make cookies and decorate them as if they were coins.  I used a very simple sugar cookie dough and rolled small balls.  I then rolled them in white sugar, and pressed them flat (to about 1/4") with a glass dipped first in a light coat of vegetable oil, then in sugar.  My problem was how to make them look like coins.  There was no way I was going to make icing profiles of Caesar in a laurel wreath on each of these cookies.  I'm all for authenticity, but there are limits.

Now, in Fr. Metzler's homily last weekend, he mentioned that the common currency of the time was called the dinarius.  The Latin name means "containing ten," because initially, the coin was worth 10 asses.  So, there it was -- all I had to do was put a 10 on each cookie.  Or, since we're talking about Roman coins, an X. 

Enjoy!   

Confirmation and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

The confirmation date for St. Mary's parish is October 29th.  If you're stumped for a gift idea, here's a beautiful one.  Linda D. found this in 'Faith & Family' magazine, and shared it with me.

A couple from Augusta, GA decided to give their son seven books with themes representing the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  The mother said, "Since he is an avid reader (thus preventing us from using obvious choices such as The Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia), the challenge was in finding books that he hadn't read before."   

They chose these seven books:

WISDOM, to see God at work in our lives and in the world:  Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom

UNDERSTANDING, to enlighten the mind:  Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck

KNOWLEDGE, to know oneself and to know God:  Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo

COUNSEL, to know the difference between right and wrong:  Night, by Elie Wiesel

FORTITUDE, to stand up for what is right in the eyes of God:  To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee  

PIETY, a deep sense of respect for God and the Church:  A Man for All Seasons, by Robert Bolt

FEAR OF THE LORD, to recognize God as truly awesome:  The Holy Bible (bound in leather and engraved with their son's name and confirmation date)

"We presented the books in a stack, with a letter explaining why we selected each one, and today all seven of the books are on his desk," said Mom.

I'm pleased to report that I've read most of these books (note to self:  get Night at the library), and they're classic, timeless choices appropriate for a young confirmand.  It's a great gift idea, because the books you choose are easily customized to the individual, and can cost as much or as little as you like (half.com is a great site for finding used books).  It's personal and meaningful, and so much more memorable than a gift card.