Groundhogs, Holy Potatoes, and Just a Few Eggs
This newsletter is free! But a paid subscription gets you access to exclusive columns, podcasts, events, and special perks, AND it directly supports my work. Thank you for your support! 🙏
Tomorrow is Candlemas/Groundhog Day! Today we are looking at the Catholic roots of Punxsutawney Phil, St. Faustina’s potato problem, and my ever-present pile of eggs …
Groundhog Day 🌷
I’m writing this just a day before the “big reveal” of whether or not Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow this year. As silly as this holiday might seem, I found it fascinating to discover recently that all the crazy groundhog hoopla has its roots in the Catholic tradition of Candlemas.
The American tradition of Groundhog Day is actually based on a Catholic Candlemas tradition, dating back to the Middle Ages, “If Candlemas Day is clear and bright, winter will have another bite. If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain, winter is gone and will not come again.”
God in the Potatoes 🥔
I’ve been revisiting the Diary of Saint Faustina in recent weeks, just a little bit at a time. The copy I have is such a nice one that I hesitate to mark it up, and so when a passage speaks to me, I take a photo of it instead. I need a new system, though, because having a whole bunch of photos of book pages on my phone does not make for accessible notes later. I may need to actually start to journal, or (more likely to happen) allow myself to make “neat” markings in my book.
Anyway! The story of the potatoes is one passage I definitely took a photo of. Are you familiar with this one? St. Faustina recounts how on days when she worked in the convent kitchen, she sometimes needed to drain the potatoes for the sisters’ dinner. She found this to be a very difficult task because she lacked the strength to do it well. Sometimes she spilled the potatoes and water, and other times she actually tried to avoid being assigned this task altogether, a “scandalous” thing that surprised the other sisters.
Finally, the problem of the potatoes became such a great trial for St. Faustina that she turned to God in her desperation.
“Then,” she wrote, “I heard the following words in my soul, From today on you will do this easily; I shall strengthen you” (Diary, 65). After that, St. Faustina “hurried to be the first to [drain the potatoes], trusting in the Lord's words” (Diary, 65). She completed the job with ease, and when she looked in the pot, she saw that the potatoes had been transformed into '“whole bunches of red roses, beautiful beyond description” (Diary, 65). Then in her heart she heard the words, “I change such hard work of yours into bouquets of beautiful flowers, and their perfume rises up to my throne” (Diary, 65).
I love that nothing was too small for Faustina to bring to God, and that God was attentive, in such a grand way, even to small potatoes in the kitchen.
What are your small potatoes? Will you invite God in?
We Have Some Eggs 🐔
And now for a little news from the coop … We have some eggs!
Somebody forgot to tell the hens after Christmas break that there are only 4 of us living here right now, or maybe we did tell them and they forgot, but either way, they have gone on laying and laying, eggs and eggs and eggs, and we cannot keep up.
In the midst of all these eggs, a reader emailed this week to ask some chicken questions, and it gave me a reason to look up this ancient post I once wrote answering some FAQs. If you are interested or curious about keeping chickens, you might enjoy it too.
Anyway, I’m making quiche (my daughter-in-law’s recipe), bread pudding, and breakfast sandwiches. I even scrambled eggs for the dog. Just yesterday, I finally despaired and ordered a bunch of egg cartons so I can give more these fresh eggs away, so if you’re local and hungry, let me know! But also, if you have a favorite egg recipe, I’d love to have it. :-)
One of the best things about growing as a community here is that we can connect and share about the big things and small things going on in our lives. I love that we can pray with and for one another. Please let us know how we can pray for you!