Saint Stephen + 2 Casseroles + The Hard Lesson

Saint Stephen + 2 Casseroles + The Hard Lesson

Happy 2nd Day of Christmas!

Hope you had a blessed Christmas Day!

Welcome to Cooking with Catholic History where in each posting we talk about Catholic people and or events and a related topic as well as look one of my personal takes on recipes.

This time we’re talking about Saint Stephen, The Hard Lesson (to love like a martyr), and a late gift (to some of you maybe) TWO versions of a cheesy pasta casserole one I made in high-school and what it’s changed to over time with my tastes (and a desire for nutritional balance).

Saint Stephen

Saint Stephen notable among the first appointed deacons in the church. We read about his appointment, facts about him, and his death as the first martyr in Acts 6-7.

St. Stephen was filled with faith and the Spirit. God worked many miracles through his preaching and his actions. Eventually his teaching, preaching, and God working through him got him brought before the Jewish leaders.

Standing before them St. Stephen recounted for them how in history prophets were always ignored, shunned, or put to death. The teachings of each of these prophets would be on the mind of those who could hear, teachings which Jesus fulfilled. Looking up to Heaven he proclaimed to them that he saw The Son of Man at the right hand of the Father. As their predecessors with the prophets they didn’t want to hear the truths they were being told and under the approval of Saul, who we more commonly refer to as Saint Paul, Stephen was stoned to death.

During his stoning Stephen didn’t fight back, he didn’t condemn his attackers. With words like those of Jesus Christ Saint Stephen at the moment of his death asked God to forgive those executing him.

Since for some the thought of people being martyred rattles them and I know others that get angry, we don’t need either of those, so in the name of getting ready and working on living our faiths better here’s two comfort food recipes before we go onto what for me is a hard lesson.

Tex-Mex Casserole (Current “gift”)

Cook Time:
Servings: 3-4 (maybe more, maybe less)

Materials & Equipment

Ingredients

Equipment

Cooking

  1. Drain tofu

  2. slice into thin strips

  3. place a layer of paper towels on a plate

  4. lay slices of tofu on the paper towel

  5. lay a layer of paper towels on top of the tofu slices

  6. place a plate on top of that

  7. put weight on top of the plate

  8. Store the now compressing tofu in the fridge for 2 hours to drain the water out, this will allow us to control its flavor, and improve its texture

  9. After 2 hours dice, chop, or crumble the tofu

  10. in a pot cook the veggies and tofu with a pinch of salt, half the garlic, paprika, & cumin

  11. When they’re done cooking add your chopped chicken and cooked pasta mix to combine and move to casserole dish

  12. Melt butter in the sauce pan, if you know how to make a roux using butter and flour we’re doing that but also add the remainder of the seasonings

  13. once the butter has melted and begins to simmer add flour and the rest of the seasonings mix until the flour is thickened

  14. add the milk and mix until the milk thickens

  15. add the 1 cup pepper jack Cheese, 1 cup Shredded Mixed Cheese, & 1 cup of the Mozzarella shredded stir a few times then pour into the casserole dish and combine with other ingredients

  16. add sprinkle remainder of mozzarella on top

  17. bake at 350f for 20-30 minutes or until cheese on top is desired doneness

  18. Thank God and enjoy

“Comfort food Casserole” (Younger me “gift”)

Materials & Equipment

Ingredients

Equipment

Cooking

  1. Preheat oven to 350F

  2. Chop or crumble bacon

  3. Combine cooked pasta, ground beef, and bacon in casserole dish

  4. Melt butter in the sauce pan, if you know how to make a roux using butter and flour we’re doing that

  5. once the butter has melted and begins to simmer add flour and the rest of the seasonings mix until the flour is thickened

  6. add the half and half and mix until the milk thickens

  7. add the 3 cups shredded cheese stir a few times then pour into the casserole dish and combine with other ingredients

  8. add sprinkle remaining 1 cup of cheese on top

  9. bake at 350f for 20-30 minutes or until cheese on top is desired doneness

  10. Thank God and enjoy

Saint Stephen and a Hard Lesson

So I don’t know about you but having people not fully hear when I’m trying to help or attacking me for it has historically called up faults in me that well deserve the rod and staff of God’s correction. Not to mention when someone has attacked me or someone I love, or threatened to, the struggle to even be within social acceptance is hard, let alone act like Christ. I know saints have historically struggled with it look at Saint Nicholas possibly being kicked out of the council of Nicene over striking Arius(or an Arian) for heresy, and facing other consequences for his actions. It wasn’t the right thing to do and other’s have struggled with their own temperaments like Saint Jerome, Saint Philip Neri, Saint Francis de Sales, and others. All recognizing it as a fault to be conquered not a quality to be accepted and kept.

In writing this I recalled the fourth step on Saint Benedict’s ladder of humility from his Rule, the inspiration for structure for almost all christian religious orders. Specifically the fourth step of humility goes as such:

“The fourth step of humility is that in this obedience under difficult, unfavorable, or even unjust conditions, his heart quietly embraces suffering and endures it without weakening or seeking escape. For Scripture has it: Anyone who perseveres to the end will be saved (Matt 10:22), and again, Be brave of heart and rely on the Lord (Ps 26[27]). Another passage shows how the faithful must endure everything, even contradiction, for the Lord’s sake, saying in the person of those who suffer, For your sake we are put to death continually; we are regarded as sheep marked for slaughter (Rom 8; Ps 43[44]). They are so confident in their expectation of reward from God that they continue joyfully and say, But in all this we overcome because of him who so greatly loved us (Rom 8). Elsewhere Scripture says: God, you have tested us, you have tried us as silver is tried by fire; you have led us into a snare, you have placed afflictions on our backs (Ps 65[66]). Then, to show that we ought to be under a superior, it adds: You have placed men over our heads (Ps 65[66].)

In truth, those who are patient amid hardships and unjust treatment are fulfilling the Lord’s command: When struck on one cheek, they turn the other; when deprived of their coat, they offer their cloak also; when pressed into service for one mile, they go two (Matt 5). With the Apostle Paul, they bear with false brothers, endure persecution, and bless those who curse them (2 Cor 11; 1 Cor 4).

That’s not easy! Every time I do an examen each day I want to be more like that. It’s a really hard lesson. So, where can we start to work towards that?

  1. Ask the Holy Spirit to grow you, and help you grow in Fortitude

Easiest one first. Fortitude is the moral virtue of strong, direct impact, and primary governance over this topic.

  1. Listen to understand

This isn’t that common today and is quite difficult to practice. However, to be truly helpful to others as Christians we need to constantly work on improving this or else we cannot begin to help those struggling theologically, morally, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, or otherwise beyond scraping the surface when we need to dig to substrate so weeds can be uprooted and good lasting fruit-bearing plant seeded.

This however means we need to fight our pride in the form of the inclination to judge and assume while listening. I’ll eventually do a whole post on listening I’m sure. Taking the time to listen until they’re done talking then ask a question without a sharp point to get more information and repeat. Then ask simple clarifying questions.

As we understand others it we see the humanity in them, ourselves, and Jesus Christ in some way. Thus, it becomes harder for us to give into the primal prideful responses and the higher goal of being like Him who we love becomes one step easier. This isn’t easy, takes a lot of work, and takes effort to remember and get in the habit of doing the more wound up the situation the more effort and or grace it’ll take.

  1. Work to see Jesus Holy Week in the person or situation

This can be the hardest, although it does flow from the previous, and is worth it to pursue. When people situations come up of confrontation we should try to see in them Jesus, as we should in all. However, in a situation of conflict striving to see in the individual Jesus processing through His passion of Holy Week can pull from us even greater love and compassion.

For in those who rage, in those who lash out, in those who focus on something separate from God (including ourselves, but we’re not reflecting on that today) there’s not only disorganization there’s a pain. Multiple pains to be precise. There’s the pain they’re carrying the wounds and separation from God in fallen nature and in detached will, as well as perhaps other ways. There’s also the pain of Christ in the waywardness of their actions the sorrow, heartbreak, and wounding to His Sacred Heart from the sin.

These actions and pains Christ knew back in Holy Week and still chose to be crucified for that person and for you knowing every sin you would do and how much it would hurt Him. So it is we need to see that hope for them from Jesus and Jesus suffering His Holy Week in them.

With these tools and thoughts on our minds hopefully we can all make some strides to in loving others more like Christ when faced with the violence of the world in action, word, or otherwise. By being just a little more like Him, by His grace He can change the world through us.

Thank you for your time reading this.