Episode Transcript
[00:00:07] Welcome back.
[00:00:08] We have reached the fourth Sunday of Advent, December 21st.
[00:00:23] We begin today with the life of Peter Friedhofen.
[00:00:27] Many orphaned and impoverished boys living in the 16-1800s worked as chimney sweeps.
[00:00:34] These young children, ranging in age from 5 to 11, took the dangerous job of scrubbing coal soot from tight flues.
[00:00:43] The job was scary, dangerous and exhausting.
[00:00:48] One orphan who took a job as a chimney sweep, although he was older when he began, was Peter friedhofen.
[00:00:57] Born in 1819 in Wytisborg, Germany, Peter was the sixth of seven children and orphaned by the age of nine.
[00:01:06] He worked alongside his older brother and noticed many children on the city streets.
[00:01:13] The experience sparked a desire to help lost children.
[00:01:17] He would capture their attention by singing hymns on rooftops, offering them hope in an encounter with the living God.
[00:01:26] In 1845, he entered the Redemptorus, founded by Saint Alphonsus Liguori.
[00:01:33] When Peter's older brother died, leaving behind a pregnant widow and 10 children, he left to help care for the family.
[00:01:41] He supported them until a lung condition left him unable to work for a time.
[00:01:47] In 1850, Peter founded the Brothers of Mercy of Mary, Help of Christians, a religious community dedicated to serving the sick and poor.
[00:01:57] His ministry was cut short due to issues caused by the poor condition of his lungs.
[00:02:03] He eventually contracted tuberculosis and died on this day in 1860.
[00:02:09] He was 41 years old.
[00:02:12] In 1985, Peter was beatified by Saint Pope John Paul II.
[00:02:19] Blessed Peter Friedhofen's order continues to serve the disadvantaged.
[00:02:30] Today we will consider the phrase no home is perfect for our Sunday reflection.
[00:02:39] There is nothing like being home, especially during the holidays, even if the place we call home is less than perfect.
[00:02:50] To think that the great Almighty, Holy, transcendent God would come down here and make our imperfect world his home too, and would stay with us and become a part of our family.
[00:03:02] It's almost too good to be true.
[00:03:07] But the Christmas story is true, and it is real life.
[00:03:11] There could hardly be a better description of why Christmas means so much to people.
[00:03:17] The Christmas message can help to give me the courage and the joy to live my life in an imperfect world, belong to an imperfect church, and be part of an imperfect family.
[00:03:31] If I have been reluctant to come home to my family or to my church, Jesus can help me with that.
[00:03:39] He can also help me to reach out to someone who has drifted away and just needs an invitation from me to return.
[00:03:49] Anyone come to mind?
[00:03:58] Spend some quiet time with the Lord.
