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Catholic Good News - The New Year and Solemnity of the Epiphany - 1/2/2021

1/2/2021

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In this e-weekly:

-  Epiphany Prayer (by praying hands near end)
- The Christmas Miracle in Poland (Diocesan News and BEYOND)
- 10 Tips for a Better New Year's Resolution (Helpful Hints for Life)

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Catholic Good News

Receiving the Gospel, Serving God and Neighbor


 
The New Year and The Epiphany of our Lord

They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house

they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage.  

Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 

-Matthew 2:10-11
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Happy New Year!
 

         This Merry Christmas Season has brought us into a Happy New Year!  NOW is the time to lay to rest the old year with all its joys and sorrows, disappointments and surprises.  We do this best if we entrust it and ourselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Then we need to beg of Jesus through Mary, loved by St. Joseph for all the graces we need for this new year of 2021.

 

         Also, this coming Sunday we will celebrate The Epiphany of Our Lord.  The “Magi from the east” show us that this baby is Christ the Lord as they do Him homage and bring Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  His kingly office is represented by gold, His divinity by frankincense, and His manhood by myrrh.  Thus, the Magi offered him frankincense as their God; gold as their king; and myrrh as their fellow man, subject to suffering and death.  "...King and God and Sacrifice..."
 
          Notice in this coming Sunday’s readings that the Magi are not named, but their gifts to Jesus are named.  What gifts do you and I bring to baby Jesus this year?
 
Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert
 

P.S. This week’s Catholic weekly is a little different.  Next e-weekly will be back to normal.

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P.S.S.  THIS Sunday's Solemnity will be The Epiphany of Our Lord.  The readings can be found at:  The Epiphany of the Lord | USCCB

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  • Sacred Scripture 
    21. What is the importance of the Old Testament for Christians? (Catechism of the Catholic Church, CCC 121-123) 
    a) it is fulfilled in the New Testament 
    b) it was written to prepare us for Jesus Christ 
    c) all of the books of the Old Testament are divinely inspired 
    d) all of the above 
     
    22. What importance does the New Testament have for Christians? (CCC 124-127, 139) 
    a) it is more important than the Old Testament 
    b) it conveys to us the ultimate truth of divine Revelation 
    c) it is the only part of the Bible that tells us about Jesus 
    d) it conveys to us the most important things to remember 
     
    23. What is the unity that exists between the Old and the New Testaments? (CCC 128-130, 140) 
    a) there is no clear unity between the Old and the New 
    b) they are two options and hopefully people will believe at least one 
    c) the Old prepares for the New and New fulfills the Old 
    d) they are one because some of the same people are found in both 
     
    24. What role does Sacred Scripture play in the life of the Church? (CCC 131-133, 141-142) 
    a) “ignorance of Scripture, is ignorance of Christ” 
    b) it is the most important 
    c) it is meant to give the big picture of God 

    d) it gives much support, but is not that necessary  (Answers below at end)


The Epiphany is the manifestation of Jesus as Messiah of Israel, Son of God and Savior of the world. The great feast of Epiphany celebrates the adoration of Jesus by the wise men (magi) from the East, together with his baptism in the Jordan and the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee. In the magi, representatives of the neighboring pagan religions, the Gospel sees the first-fruits of the nations, who welcome the good news of salvation through the Incarnation. The magi's coming to Jerusalem in order to pay homage to the king of the Jews shows that they seek in Israel, in the messianic light of the star of David, the one who will be king of the nations. Their coming means that pagans can discover Jesus and worship him as Son of God and Savior of the world only by turning towards the Jews and receiving from them the messianic promise as contained in the Old Testament. The Epiphany shows that "the full number of the nations" now takes its "place in the family of the patriarchs", and acquires Israelitica dignitas (is made "worthy of the heritage of Israel").  -Catechism of the Catholic Church #528


10 Tips for Better New Years Resolution



1. Be honest. Know yourself. What is your strongest virtue? What is your worst vice? Therefore, tailor your resolution so it strengthens your good side and fights your bad one. A one-size fits all resolution is useless. 


2. Be specific. Don't use generalities. They don't work. For example, if you need to be more humble, just saying "I am going to be more humble," is useless. You need to zero in on one situation where you need to practice humility and resolve to improve in that one situation.


3. Be simple. Don't make it complicated. Focus on something you can see and measure easily and that does not overwhelm you each time you try to obtain it. Otherwise, you will become distracted and your energy will be dispersed and misdirected.


4. Be reasonable. Don't try to do too much at once. You won't become a saint in one day. Remember: you have one MAJOR point upon which is hinged your entire fidelity to God and His Holy Laws. This is a called your primordial light. Find out and work on improving it. Everything else will improve if you improve on that one major point.

5. Be consistent. It's far better to do something small everyday to improve on that one key point in your soul than to make a big resolution that you cannot keep for more than a week or two. Slow and steady wins the race!


6. Be humble. Recognize that you cannot do any good action which has value in the supernatural order without God's grace and the intercessory help of the Blessed Mother. Beg God's grace through Our Lady's intercession constantly in all your thoughts, desires and actions


7. Be disinterested. Remember that God wants us to defend His rights and interests, and to share His thoughts and ways. And therefore, to focus on things, happening and events that are very close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary that are not necessarily linked to our own personal interests.


8. Write it down. It's important to write down your resolution so you can refer back to it often during the year. Also, by writing it down, you will be able to review it when the year is over, and to evaluate your progress since the time the resolution was made.


9. Public expressions of faith. Don't hide your faith. That's just what the devil wants. He knows when you express your faith publicly, others see you and are encouraged to follow your good example. Say grace openly and proudly before meals in a restaurant so people can see. You'll be surprised with the good reactions you will get.


10. Devotion to Our Lady. Have more devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Devotion to the Mother of God is a panacea. Saint Louis de Montfort said that devotion to Holy Mary is the easiest, safest, fastest, most secure, and surest path to Jesus and to our own salvation. If you can do nothing else, resolve to say the Rosary everyday. Saint Louis de Montfort wrote:
"If you say the Rosary faithfully until death, I do assure you that, in spite of the gravity of your sins 'you shall receive a never-fading crown of glory.' Even if you are on the brink of damnation, even if you have one foot in hell, even if you have sold your soul to the devil as sorcerers do who practice black magic, and even if you are a heretic as obstinate as a devil, sooner or later you will be converted and will amend your life and will save your soul, if-- and mark well what I say-- if you say the Holy Rosary devoutly every day until death for the purpose of knowing the truth and obtaining contrition and pardon for your sins."

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Most Nativity scenes include the Magi right at Christmas, but we know from Scripture that they did not arrive until later, which is why their Feast Day takes place after some time has passed from Christmas Day.  
Further Reading:  Matthew 2:1-12

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Catholic Term of the Week

Epiphany (from Latin epiphania “to manifest,” “to show”)
- solemnity observed in commemoration of the coming of the Magi as the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles (traditionally observed on January 6 but now on the second Sunday in the Christmas Season)
 
Term Review
Solemnity (from Latin sollemnis “regularly appointed”)
-highest rank of liturgical celebration in the Catholic Church; 
-a marked feast day of great importance and significance
​

Jesus was born in a humble stable, into a poor family. Simple shepherds were the first witnesses to this event. In this poverty heaven's glory was made manifest. The Church never tires of singing the glory of this night:


The Virgin today brings into the world the Eternal
And the earth offers a cave to the Inaccessible.
The angels and shepherds praise him
And the magi advance with the star,
For you are born for us,
Little Child, God eternal! 

-Catechism of the Catholic Church #525
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EWTN Poland / Wikimedia Commons
This is an amazing Christmas Eucharistic miracle!

On December 25, 2013, the St. Hyacinth’s Shrine in Legnica, Poland celebrated Christmas Mass.

During communion, a host fell to the floor. Following the Church’s instructions to respect sacred species, the priest placed the Eucharist in a container of holy water and kept it in the tabernacle.

However, two weeks later, the priest discovered that the host turned red. He told the bishop and a commission was established to observe the phenomenon.
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Here’s a photo of the red host below:
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Fragment of transformed wafer / EWTN PolandThe bishop instructed St. Hyacinth’s Shrine parish priest Fr. Andrzej Ziombra to prepare an appropriate place for the relic to be exhibited, so that the faithful could see and venerate it. And since then, he has witnessed countless conversion stories resulted from this Eucharistic Christmas miracle.
In 2020, Fr. Andrzej Ziombra said that “my task was to collect information on miraculous cures, conversions or themes related to the pilgrimage movement, and it is already clear that there are miraculous conversions, miraculous cures…”.
“There is a person in our parish who has been hostile to the Church all his life and has even fought against it. Who also committed several crimes.
“In an inexplicable and extraordinary way, God converted him, and after 50 years, he confessed and received his First Communion. And in fact, he radically changed his life, his attitude towards God, and became a very fervent believer,” Fr. Andrzej said.
This is just one of many conversion stories resulting from this Christmas Eucharistic miracle.
“All of this is also a sign to me–a confirmation that God has sent this impulse to me all over the world, so that the whole world will meditate on the Eucharistic miracle in Legnica and ask, ‘What will God say to me through this sign?'” Fr. Andrzej concluded.
This Eucharistic miracle of Christmas 2013 seems to bring together three feats that Jesus accomplished for our salvation: a God incarnate and born as a little baby, a God who gives himself for us in the sacrifice of the Cross, and a God always waiting for us in the Eucharist.
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“Especially in times of need, when we are entangled in life’s knots, we rightly lift our eyes to Our Lady,” the pope said Jan. 1. “Yet first, we should let ourselves be gazed upon by Our Lady.”

“The eyes of Our Lady are able to bring light to every dark corner; everywhere they rekindle hope. As she gazes upon us, she says: ‘Take heart, dear children; here I am, your Mother!’”

“This maternal gaze, which instils confidence and trust, helps us to grow in faith,” he continued. “Her maternal gaze helps us see ourselves as beloved children in God’s faithful people, and to love one another regardless of our individual limitations and approaches.”

In a homily for Mass for the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God in St. Peter’s Basilica, the pope reflected on the maternal role of the Blessed Virgin of Mary, who, he said, gazing on God’s people, sees children, not sinners.

“Our Lady keeps us rooted in the Church, where unity counts more than diversity; she encourages us to care for one another,” he stated, noting that her tender gaze can people from falling into tepidity.

“When faith makes a place for the Mother of God, we never lose sight of the center: The Lord, for Mary never points to herself but to Jesus; and our brothers and sisters, for Mary is mother,” he said.

He explained that not only is “the Mother” important, but also all of the mothers in the world, because “the human family is built upon mothers” and a world without their maternal tenderness may be rich materially, “but poor where the future is concerned. Mother of God, teach us to see life as you do.”

“We need to learn from mothers that heroism is shown in self-giving, strength in compassion, wisdom in meekness,” he urged. “God himself needed a Mother: how much more so do we!”

As mothers hold the hands of their little children to show them the way and to keep them from harm, “let us allow ourselves to be taken by the hand,” he said. “Mary, take us by the hand.”

Pope Francis said that “God-with-us, Emmanuel, loves us despite our mistakes, our sins, and the way we treat our world. God believes in mankind, because its first and preeminent member is his own Mother.”

Today, he continued, is a day “to be amazed by the Mother of God. God appears as a little child, held in the arms of a woman who feeds her Creator… That is the mystery we celebrate today, which gives rise to boundless amazement: God has become one with humanity forever.”

Following Mass, Pope Francis led around 40,000 people in praying the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square. In his message, he explained that “it is God’s blessing that gives substance to all the good wishes that are exchanged” during the days of Christmas and New Year’s.

And today, as the Church celebrates Mary, Mother of God, “Our Lady blesses us all, everyone,” he continued. “She blesses the path of every man and every woman in this year that begins, and that will be good just as everyone has received the goodness of God that Jesus came to bring into the world.”

Francis also recalled the day’s celebration of the 52nd World Day of Peace, with the theme: Good politics is at the service of peace.
​
“We do not think that politics is reserved only for rulers: we are all responsible for the life of the ‘city,’ of the common good,” he noted, “and politics too is good to the extent that each one plays his part in the service of peace.”
Concluding, the pope prayed that “through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the Lord will allow us to be artisans of peace – this begins at home, in the family: artisans of peace – every day of the new year.”

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Vatican City, Jan 1 (EWTN News/CNA) - 
At the start of the new year, Pope Francis said that having a devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary isn’t just something that is nice or good to do, but is an obligation in the life of a Christian.

“Devotion to Mary is not spiritual etiquette; it is a requirement of the Christian life,” the Pope said Jan. 1. “The gift of the Mother, the gift of every mother and every woman, is most precious for the Church, for she too is mother and woman.”

“If our faith is not to be reduced merely to an idea or a doctrine, all of us need a mother’s heart, one which knows how to keep the tender love of God and to feel the heartbeat of all around us.”

Pope Francis celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, reflecting on the line in Luke’s Gospel that says, “And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.”

He pointed out that in the Gospel account of Christmas, Mary does not speak a single word, simply keeping everything in her heart, pondering it.

What we learn from her silence, he said, is that in quiet is how we “keep” ourselves, how we “keep” our soul free from being corroded by consumerism, “the blare of commercials, the stream of empty words and the overpowering waves of empty chatter and loud shouting.”

“We need to remain silent as we gaze upon the crib. Pondering the crib, we discover anew that we are loved; we savor the real meaning of life,” he continued.

“As we look on in silence, we let Jesus speak to our heart. His lowliness lays low our pride; his poverty challenges our outward display; his tender love touches our hardened hearts.”

This is Mary’s “secret,” he said, and we should seek to imitate her in this way. Not closing our hearts out of fear or distress, but handing everything over to God, dwelling on it with Him. 

Francis noted that as we start a new year, it is a good time for Christians to also start anew, leaving behind past burdens and baggage and starting over from what really matters. And “today,” the Pope said, “we have before us the point of departure: the Mother of God.”

“For Mary is exactly what God wants us to be, what he wants his Church to be: A Mother who is tender and lowly, poor in material goods and rich in love, free of sin and united to Jesus, keeping God in our hearts and our neighbor in our lives.”

“Today’s feast tells us that if we want to go forward, we need to turn back: to begin anew from the crib, from the Mother who holds God in her arms,” he stated.

Following the Mass, Pope Francis led the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square. In his message before the prayer, he explained how Mary performs a very special function, as intercessor between her Son Jesus and anyone who is suffering.

“She intercedes, aware that as a mother she can, indeed, must, make present to the Son the needs of men, especially the weakest and most disadvantaged.”

Today we also celebrate the World Day of Peace, the Pope said, explaining that this year’s theme of “Migrants and refugees: Men and women seeking peace,” refers precisely to the weakest and most disadvantaged among us.

“We do not extinguish hope in their hearts; we do not stifle their expectations of peace!” he said, and “may the Lord grant us to work in this new year with generosity to create a more supportive and welcoming world.”
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Vatican City, Dec 27 (EWTN News/CNA) - Pope Francis on the Feast of the Holy Family reflected on the power of forgiveness in families and compared everyday family life to an ongoing pilgrimage of prayer and love. 

“How important it is for our families to journey together towards a single goal! We know that we have a road to travel together; a road along which we encounter difficulties but also enjoy moments of joy and consolation,” the Pope said Dec. 27 in his morning homily at St. Peter’s Basilica.

“A pilgrimage does not end when we arrive at our destination, but when we return home and resume our everyday lives, putting into practice the spiritual fruits of our experience.”

“Let us not lose confidence in the family!” he said. “It is beautiful when we can always open our hearts to one another, and hide nothing. Where there is love, there is also understanding and forgiveness.” 

The Pope connected the Feast of the Holy Family to the Catholic Church’s Year of Mercy. 

“In the Year of Mercy, every Christian family can become a privileged place on this pilgrimage for experiencing the joy of forgiveness,” he said. “Forgiveness is the essence of the love which can understand mistakes and mend them. How miserable we would be if God did not forgive us! Within the family we learn how to forgive, because we are certain that we are understood and supported, whatever the mistakes we make.”

Pope Francis encouraged the congregation in St. Peter’s Square to share moments of family prayer.

“What can be more beautiful than for a father and mother to bless their children at the beginning and end of each day, to trace on their forehead the sign of the cross, as they did on the day of their baptism?” he said. “Is this not the simplest prayer which parents can offer for their children?”

It is also important for families to join in a brief prayer before meals “in order to thank the Lord for these gifts and to learn how to share what we have received with those in greater need.”

“These are all little gestures, yet they point to the great formative role played by the family in the pilgrimage of everyday life,” he said.

Pope Francis said it is comforting to think of Mary and Joseph teaching Jesus how to pray.

“And it is comforting also to know that throughout the day they would pray together, and then go each Sabbath to the synagogue to listen to readings from the Law and the Prophets, and to praise the Lord with the assembly.”

He described family life as “a series of pilgrimages, both small and big.”

The Pope reflected on the Sunday reading from the Gospel of Luke in which a young Jesus stayed in Jerusalem in the Temple, causing great distress to Mary and Joseph when they could not find him.

“For this little ‘escapade,’ Jesus probably had to beg forgiveness of his parents,” the Pope suggested. “The Gospel doesn’t say this, but I believe that we can presume it.”

He said that Mary’s question to Jesus, “why have you treated us like this?” contains “a certain reproach, revealing the concern and anguish which she and Joseph felt.” The Pope that Jesus “surely remained close” to Mary and Joseph as a sign of his “complete affection and obedience.”

“Moments like these become part of the pilgrimage of each family; the Lord transforms the moments into opportunities to grow, to ask for and to receive forgiveness, to show love and obedience,” Pope Francis said.

“To all of you, dear families, I entrust this most important mission--the domestic pilgrimage of daily family life - which the world and the Church need, now more than ever.”

Later on Sunday in his Angelus remarks to pilgrims and tourists gathered in St. Peter’s Square, the Pope said that the example and witness of the Holy Family provides valuable guidance for life. In the Holy Family, families can find “strength and wisdom for the journey of every day.”

“Our Lady and Saint Joseph teach us to welcome children as a gift from God, to get them and rear them, cooperating in a wonderful way with the Creator’s work and giving to the world, in every child, a new smile.”

He stressed the virtues of love, tenderness, mutual respect, mutual understanding, forgiveness and joy.

After the Angelus he voiced his thoughts for the many Cuban migrants stranded on the Nicaragua-Costa Rica border. He said many of them are human trafficking victims. He invited the region’s countries to take “all necessary efforts” to resolve the humanitarian crisis. 
 
'Jesus, Mary, and Our Mother, the Church are Inseparable,' Pope Says
Vatican City, Jan 1 (EWTN News/CNA) - In his homily on New Year’s Day, Pope Francis said that Jesus and his mother Mary are “inseparable,” just like Jesus and the Church, who is the mother of all humanity that guides her children to God.

“To separate Jesus from the Church would introduce an ‘absurd dichotomy,’” the Pope told Mass attendees who were present in St. Peter’s Basilica for his Jan. 1 Mass celebrating the solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God.

“(The Church) is like a mother who tenderly holds Jesus and gives him to everyone with joy and generosity…Without the Church, Jesus Christ ends up as an idea, a moral teaching, a feeling,” he said.

Without the Church and her guidance, our relationship with Christ “would be at the mercy of our imagination, our interpretations, our moods,” the Roman Pontiff continued.

It is not possible to understand the salvation offered by Jesus without also appreciating the motherhood of the Church, he explained, adding that it is also impossible to love and belong to Christ without loving and belonging to the Church, because the Church is God’s family who brings Christ to humanity.

“Our faith is not an abstract doctrine or philosophy, but a vital and full relationship with a person: Jesus Christ” who lives among us and can be encountered inside the Church through her sacraments, Pope Francis explained.

“No manifestation of Christ, even the most mystical, can ever be detached from the flesh and blood of the Church, from the historical concreteness of the Body of Christ.”

In his reflections, Pope Francis noted how the Church, in celebrating the solemnity of Mary as the Mother of God, reminds us that she, more than anyone else, has received the Lord’s blessing by giving a human face to the eternal God.

At Jesus’ birth, he and his mother Mary “were together, just as they were together at Calvary, because Christ and his mother are inseparable: there is a very close relationship between them, as there is between every child and his or her mother,” the Pope observed.

Mary is capable of being so close to her son due to the knowledge of heart and faith that she received from him, as well as her experience of motherhood and her openness to allowing God to enter into her own plans, the pontiff noted.

“She is the believer capable of perceiving in the gift of her Son the coming of that fullness of time…that is why Jesus cannot be understood without his Mother,” he said, reiterating that it is not possible to understand Jesus without the Church either, “because the Church and Mary always go together.”

By giving us Jesus, the Church offers humanity the fullness of God’s eternal blessing, he said, noting that Mary is the “first and most perfect” disciple of Christ, and is the one who opens the path to receive the Church’s motherhood.

Mary is the model of the pilgrim Church and is the one who sustains the Church in her maternal mission, he observed, noting that her “tactful witness” has accompanied the Church since its beginnings.

“She, the Mother of God, is also the Mother of the Church, and through the Church, the mother of all men and women, and of every people,” the pontiff said, and prayed that Mary would obtain the Lord’s blessing for all of humanity.

Pope Francis then noted how Jan. 1, in addition to the Marian solemnity, also marks the World Day of Peace, which this year holds the theme: “No Longer Slaves, but Brothers and Sisters.”

He prayed that the Lord would generate peace in individual hearts, within families and among nations, and called on each person, according to their capabilities, to combat modern forms of slavery and foster solidarity with the help of Jesus, who became our servant.

The Roman Pontiff concluded his homily by drawing attention to a statue of Mary and the child Jesus at the side of the altar, and noted how her title as “Holy Mother of God” dates back the Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D.

“What a beautiful greeting for our mother,” he said, and invited the congregation to join him in standing and honoring her by reciting aloud the title “Mary, Holy Mother of God” three times.
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A bit of humor…

Some Thoughts:
-Don't spell part backwards. It's a trap.  
-With the rise of self-driving vehicles, it's only a matter of time before we get a country song where a guy's truck leaves him too.
- I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.
- A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.
- Seen it all, done it all, can’t remember most of it.
- Efficiency is a highly developed form of laziness.

Meeting Mom
My cousin was in love and wanted to introduce his bride-to-be to his hypercritical mother. But in order to get an unbiased opinion, he invited over three other female friends as well and didn’t tell his mom which one he intended to marry. 
After the four women left, he asked his mother, "Can you guess which one I want to marry?" 
"The one with short hair." 
"Yes! How’d you know?" 
"Because that’s the one I didn’t like." 
 
 

Eat the Colors
Over dinner, I explained the health benefits of a colorful meal to my family. "The more colors, the more variety of nutrients," I told them. Pointing to our food, I asked, "How many different colors do you see?" 
"Six," volunteered my daughter. "Seven if you count the burned parts." 


 
  

The Young and New Ideas
The elderly priest, speaking to the younger priest, said, "It was a good idea to replace the first four pews with plush bucket theater seats. It worked like a charm. The front of the church always fills first now."

The young priest nodded, and the old priest continued, "And you told me adding a little more beat to the music would bring young people back to church, so I supported you when you brought in that rock 'n roll gospel choir. Now our services are consistently packed to the balcony."

"Thank you, Father," answered the young priest. "I am pleased that you are open to the new ideas of youth."

"All of these ideas have been well and good," said the elderly priest, "But I'm afraid you've gone too far with the drive-thru confessional."

"But, Father," protested the young priest, "my confessions and the donations have nearly doubled since I began that!"
"Yes," replied the elderly priest, "And I appreciate that. 

But the flashing neon sign on the church roof reading, 'Toot 'n Tell or Go to Hell' has got to go! 

 
 

The Father's only Son, conceived as man in the womb of the Virgin Mary, is "Christ", that is to say, anointed by the Holy Spirit, from the beginning of his human existence, though the manifestation of this fact takes place only progressively: to the shepherds, to the magi, to John the Baptist, to the disciples. Thus the whole life of Jesus Christ will make manifest "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power."  -Catechism of the Catholic Church #486
 ​

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+JMJ+

SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord - Sunday, January 3, 2021
The First Reading - Isaiah 60:1-6

Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem!  Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the LORD shines, and over you appears his glory. Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance. Raise your eyes and look about; they all gather and come to you: your sons come from afar, and your daughters in the arms of their nurses. Then you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow, for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you, the wealth of nations shall be brought to you. Caravans of camels shall fill you, dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; all from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the LORD. 

Reflection 
In this passage from Isaiah, God addresses the city of Jerusalem as a woman—the “you” throughout the passage is a feminine singular pronoun.  This is typical of Isaiah, who elsewhere speaks of Jerusalem as “the daughter of Zion” or even “the virgin daughter of Zion” (Isa 37:22).  Zion, of course, was the ridge on which David built the royal palace, and was thus the heart of the city, which in turn was the heart of Judah, which was the heart of Israel.  Thus “Zion” or “Jerusalem” often represents the entire chosen people of God. In this First Reading, the prophet foresees a day when divine light shall shine all over God’s people, attracting the nations who will be grateful for this light.  The presence of God within his people will draw not only the traditional people of God (Israel), but even distant nations with very different cultures, like Sheba (either southern Arabia or Ethiopia).  As we will see, this prophecy has important connections with the Gospel Reading.

Adults - In what ways is the Church the New Jerusalem?
Teens - What elements of Jewish liturgy do we still see today in the Mass?
Kids - What does it mean that the Church is ‘universal’?
Responsorial- Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
R.Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king's son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
All kings shall pay him homage,
all nations shall serve him.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

Reflection 
The Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 72) is one of the most important in the collection of 150 Psalms.  It comes at the end of Book II of the Psalter (i.e. Psalms 42-72), one of the most optimistic of the five Books of Psalms, surpassed for joyfulness only by Book V (Psalms 107-150).  Psalm 72 is labeled “of Solomon,” but was traditionally understood as a psalm written by David about Solomon rather than one authored by Solomon himself. The reign of Solomon is an important anticipation or type of the reign of Christ and the establishment of the Church.  Solomon ruled over a multi-national empire (1 Kings 4:21), an empire that foreshadowed the multi-national spiritual empire that is the Catholic Church.  Solomon’s wisdom was so renowned that wise men came to hear him from all nations, even from the East (1 Kings 4:29-34).  Likewise, the last time that caravans arrived in Jerusalem bearing gold and frankincense from Sheba (mentioned in the First Reading) was during Solomon’s reign (1 Kings 10:10).  Of course, this only happened when Solomon was at the height of his power.  Jesus outdoes Solomon, because even as a toddler, the wise men of the East are already coming to him to acknowledge his greatness and show him honor.  Jesus is a better, wiser Son of David than even Solomon himself.  
Did you know the connection between Solomon and Christ?

The Second Reading- Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6
Brothers and sisters: You have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for your benefit, namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation. It was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Reflection -  This passage was chosen for St. Paul’s statement about the Gentiles as “coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise….” The Magi, as Gentile scholars from some eastern land, are the first Gentiles in the New Testament to acknowledge the lordship of Jesus Christ.  They are a foretaste of the incredible ingathering of different nations to the people of God that we call the “Church.”
 -How does knowing that Jesus is the Lord of all peoples affect the way you live?

The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 2:1-12
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet: And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel." Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage." After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.  

Reflection  The Magi were learned men, the academics or scientists of their day.  Their knowledge base would have included the fundamentals of astronomy, which was not distinct from astrology in antiquity.  Different constellations were associated with various ethnic groups, and there was a certain interpretive “language” that identified astronomical phenomena with historical events.  Providentially, the astronomical events around the time of Our Lord’s birth indicated a new royal line among the Jews in the interpretive schema employed by these eastern sages. The gifts that the Magi bring are rich in biblical symbolism.  “Frankincense and myrrh” are only mentioned together in the Old Testament in the Song of Solomon, where they are nuptial perfumes employed by Solomon and his bride to prepare for their marriage.  Here in Matthew, Jesus is being marked out as Bridegroom King from his birth. At the same time, “gold and frankincense” are only mentioned together in the Scriptures in the prophecy of Isaiah 60:6, part of our First Reading.  So, there is an obvious association of Jesus with the “light” predicted by Isaiah, which is associated with the miraculous star that brings the Magi to the Christ Child. As we ponder the meaning of these sacred Readings for ourselves this weekend, we are struck first by the fulfillment of the prophecies of the gathering of the nations to Christ.  Now at the beginning of the third millennium, one in three inhabitants of the globe identifies him- or her-self as a follower of Christ, a total of 2.2 billion, of whom about half are Catholics.  Even when the last New Testament writer wrote, the population of Christians was at best in the tens of thousands, mostly Greek-speaking and concentrated in the eastern part of the Roman Empire.  The incredible expansion of this “Jewish cult” to lands unknown would have seen absurd in those ancient days, but through God all things are possible.

Adults - Meditate on the power and mercy of the Lord that has expanded His Church to every corner of the world.
Teens - How does it impact your faith to know that you are a part of the biggest Church in the world?
Kids - How does Jesus teach us to love all people?

 LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK! - Christian tradition has ever seen in the Magi the first fruits of the Gentiles; they lead in their wake all the peoples of the earth, and thus the Epiphany is an affirmation of universal salvation. St. Leo brings out this point admirably in a sermon, read at Matins, in which he shows in the adoration of the Magi the beginnings of Christian faith, the time when the great mass of the heathen sets off to follow the star which summons it to seek its Saviour.  Let us begin our following of Jesus anew as He is always calling us by the light He shines continually in our lives!

 

Sacred Scripture 
21. What is the importance of the Old Testament for Christians? d) all of the above 
Christians venerate the Old Testament as the true word of God. All of the books of the Old Testament are divinely inspired and retain a permanent value. They bear witness to the divine pedagogy(way God teaches us) of God's saving love. They are written, above all, to prepare for the coming of Christ the Savior of the universe. 
 
22. What importance does the New Testament have for Christians? b) it conveys to us the ultimate truth of divine Revelation 
The New Testament, whose central object is Jesus Christ, conveys to us the ultimate truth of divine Revelation. Within the New Testament the four Gospels of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John are the heart of all the Scriptures because they are the principle witness to the life and teaching of Jesus. As such, they hold a unique place in the Church. 
 
23. What is the unity that exists between the Old and the New Testaments? c) the Old prepares for the New and New fulfills the Old 
Scripture is one insofar as the Word of God is one. God’s plan of salvation is one, and the divine inspiration of both Testaments is one. The Old Testament prepares for the New and the New Testament fulfills the Old; the two shed light on each other. 
 
24. What role does Sacred Scripture play in the life of the Church? a) “ignorance of Scripture, is ignorance of Christ” 
Sacred Scripture gives support and vigor to the life of the Church. For the children of the Church, it is a confirmation of the faith, food for the soul and the fount of the spiritual life. Sacred Scripture is the soul of theology and of pastoral preaching. The Psalmist says that it is “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). The Church, therefore, exhorts all to read Sacred Scripture frequently because “ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ” (Saint Jerome).
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Catholic Good News--SPECIAL CHRISTMAS EDITION

12/28/2020

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The Nativity of Jesus
 
Catholic Good News


Receiving the Gospel, Serving God and Neighbor
 
SPECIAL EDITION:


The Season of Christmas
​

"The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been

​born today in 
Bethlehem, the city ofDavid!"

Luke 2:11
Dear friends in Christ Jesus, 
 

            A very Blessed and Merry Christmas to you as this holy season continues! 
 
Yes, as it begins and continue.  [Look below to see what it all entails]   The TWELVE DAYS of Christmas begin on Christmas Day, not leading up to it.  [The explanations and real meaning of these twelve days are explained further below.]  Christmas Day begins the Octave of Christmas, that is, the 8-day expansion of Dec. 25th, where we are to live as it is Christmas Day until the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, Jan. 1st.  As I like to say, no one knows how to party like the Church. :o)
 
       Finally, FIND BELOW, please enjoy other material gathered for your reading enjoyment and spiritual benefit.
-"The 12 Days of Christmas"
-FOUR WAYS TO HAVE A MORE JOYFUL CHRISTMAS
-POPE BENEDICT SPEAKS ON NATIVITY SCENE AND TREE, SYMBOLS OF CHRIST'S NATIVITY 
-excerpts from the Diary of St. Faustina on the Infant Jesus 

-Blessings for a Christmas Tree and Manger Scene
-A bit of humor… 
           
Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph, 
Father Robert
 

P.S.  This coming Sunday is the Feast of the Holy Family .   The readings can be found at:  The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph | USCCB


Homily from Christmas Eve and The Mass at Midnight three years ago, click with your mouse pointer on the blue lines below (8 and 15 minutes respectively; second is in more detail): 

Christmas Eve 

 
The Mass at Midnight
 
 
Term Review
Octave of Christmas ( from Latin, feminine of octavus "eighth")
- an 8-day period of observances expanding Christmas Day(Dec. 25th) into an 8-day celebration; the octave begins on Christmas Day and ends on the Solemnity of the Mary, the Mother of God 
 ​

Season of Christmas in the Church

 

SEASON OF CHRISTMAS IN THE CHURCH
Friday, December 25. Solemnity of Christmas


December 26. Feast of St. Stephen
Sunday, December 27. Feast of the Holy Family
December 28. Feast of Holy Innocents
December 29. Feast of St. Thomas Becket
December 30. Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas
December 31. Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas


Friday, January 1. OCTAVE DAY Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

January 2. Memorials of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen
Sunday, January 3. Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord
January 4. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
January 5. Feast of St. John Neuman
January 6. Optional Memorial of Blessed Andre Bessette
January 7. Optional Memorial of St. Raymond of Penafort

January 8. Friday Christmas Weekday
January 9. Saturday Christmas Weekday; Venerable Pauline-Marie Jaricot
Sunday, January 10. Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord
[Christmas ends and Ordinary Time begins on Monday, January


11th.]
Explore the Season of Christmas 

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/seasons/Christmas/
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​C atholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829 were prohibited by law to practice their faith either in public or private. It was illegal to be Catholic until Parliament finally emancipated Catholics in England in 1829.
"The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written in England as one of the "catechism songs" to help young Catholics learn the basics of their faith. In short, it was a coded-message, a memory aid. Since the song sounded like rhyming nonsense, young Catholics could sing the song without fear of imprisonment. The authorities would not know that it was a religious song. 
"The 12 Days of Christmas" is in a sense an allegory. Each of the items in the song represents something significant to the teachings of the Catholic faith. The hidden meaning of each gift was designed to help Catholic children learn their faith. The better acquainted one is with the Bible, the more these interpretations have significance. 
T he song goes, "On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…"
The "true love" mentioned in the song doesn't refer to an earthly suitor, but it refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person. i.e. the Church.

1st Day:
The partridge in a pear tree is Christ Jesus upon the Cross. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge because she would feign injury to decoy a predator away from her nestlings. She was even willing to die for them. 
     The tree is the symbol of the fall of the human race through the sin of Adam and Eve. It is also the symbol of its redemption by Jesus Christ on the tree of the Cross.
 

2nd Day:
The "two turtle doves" refers to the Old and New Testaments. 

3rd Day:
The "three French hens" stand for faith, hope and love—the three gifts of the Spirit that abide (1 Corinthians 13). 

4th Day:
The "four calling birds" refers to the four evangelists who wrote the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—which sing the song of salvation through Jesus Christ. 

5th Day:
The "five golden rings" represents the first five books of the Bible, also called the Jewish Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. 

6th Day:
The "six geese a-laying" is the six days of creation. 

7th Day:
The "seven swans a-swimming" refers to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord. 

8th Day:
The "eight maids a milking " reminded children of the eight beatitudes listed in the Sermon on the Mount. 

9th Day:
The "nine ladies dancing" were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. 

10th Day:
The "ten lords a-leaping" represents the Ten Commandments 

11th Day:
The "eleven pipers piping" refers to the eleven faithful apostles. 

12th Day:
The 'twelve drummers drumming" were the twelve points of belief expressed in the Apostles' Creed: belief in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, made man, crucified, died and arose on the third day, that he sits at the right hand of the father and will come again, the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting. 

S o the next time you hear "the Twelve Days of Christmas" consider how this otherwise non-religious sounding song had its origins in keeping alive the teaching of the Catholic faith.   
 
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FOUR WAYS TO HAVE A MORE JOYFUL CHRISTMAS 

1.  STOP, LOOK, AND LISTEN: 

If you discover yourself becoming dulled to the joys of  the season, STOP!  Slow the pace down and become still, taking time to LOOK and LISTEN.  Take a winter walk, curl up in a favorite chair or before the fireplace. Helen Keller once observed, "The seeing see little."  So feel the comfort of the glow of a candle, or the red of the poinsettias.  Listen with new ears to laughter and bells, and to the expression of love found in the story of the first Christmas.   LOOK UPON THE MANGER, the second home of Love after the womb of His Virgin Mother.

2.  BE WILLING TO BE SURPRISED: 
      
Remember that God can come in the least likely ways - a Holy Child born in a village stable, a brightly shining star, an angel song in the night sky. Watch for Him to come in equally surprising ways to you, too.  When we live as if God is going to "surprise" us at any moment, in any way, in any place, then He usually does! 


3.  FREE YOUR CHILDLIKE SPIRIT:
      
Jesus held up child-likeness as a quality to be cultivated (Mark 
10:15 ).  Children are experts at dreaming up simple things as delights that adults don't, or have forgotten how to do.  Can't you picture a little boy singing "Jingle Bells" to a plastic Jesus in a store?  Christmas often comes in precious moments like this, when we spontaneously show our adoration for the Baby in the manger. 

4.  SHARE THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS WITH SOMEONE ELSE:

Nothing multiplies the sense of wonder in your life like giving it away.  The more you share (not just things, but yourself) the brighter Christmas grows.

I hope that these simple steps will help you, or someone you can share these with, keep the wonder and excitement of Christmas alive during this blessed season.  

"Jesus is the reason for the season."

 
 
 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"As He was physically formed in her, so He wills to be spiritually formed in you.  If you knew He was seeing through your eyes, you would see in every fellowman a child of God.  If you knew that He worked through your hands, they would bless all the day through.  If you knew He spoke through your lips, then your speech, like Peter's, would betray that you had been with the Galilean.  If you knew that He wants to use your mind, your will, your fingers, and your heart, how different you would be.  If half the world did this there would be no war!"
(Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen)
  +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 

POPE EMERITUS BENEDICT SPEAKS ON NATIVITY SCENE AND TREE, SYMBOLS OF CHRIST'S NATIVITY 

VATICAN CITY, (VIS) -  "This ancient fir," said the Pope Emeritus, "cut down without harming the life of the forest, ... will remain standing by the nativity scene until the end of the Christmas festivities. ... It is an important symbol of Christ's Nativity because with its evergreen leaves it recalls the life that does not die. The fir is also a symbol of the popular religiosity in your valleys, which finds particular expression in processions." 
 
  "The tree and the nativity scene are elements of that typical Christmas atmosphere which is part of the spiritual heritage of our communities; an atmosphere suffused with religiosity and family intimacy which we must conserve even in our modern societies where the race to consumerism and the search for material goods sometimes seem to prevail. 
 
  "Christmas is a Christian feast," added Benedict XVI in conclusion, "and its symbols, especially the nativity scene and the tree hung with gifts, are important references to the great mystery of the Incarnation and the Birth of Jesus, which are constantly evoked by the liturgy of Advent and Christmas." 
AC/CHRISTMAS TREE/...                                                             VIS 071214 (240)
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Greccio is the mountain village where Saint Francis of Assisi created the first crib scene in 1223 to commemorate the birth of Jesus. Pope Francis returned to the town on Sunday to deliver his Apostolic Letter entitled, “Admirabile signum”.

An enchanting image
The Latin title of the Letter refers to the “enchanting image” of the Christmas crèche, one that “never ceases to arouse amazement and wonder”, writes the Pope. “The depiction of Jesus’ birth is itself a simple and joyful proclamation of the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God”, he says.

A living Gospel
“The nativity scene is like a living Gospel rising up from the pages of sacred Scripture”, continues Pope Francis. Contemplating the Christmas story is like setting out on a spiritual journey, “drawn by the humility of the God who became man in order to encounter every man and woman.” So great is His love for us, writes the Pope, “that He became one of us, so that we in turn might become one with Him.”


A family tradition
The Pope hopes this Letter will encourage the family tradition of preparing the nativity scene, “but also the custom of setting it up in the workplace, in schools, hospitals, prisons and town squares.” Praising the imagination and creativity that goes into these small masterpieces, Pope Francis says he hopes this custom will never be lost “and that, wherever it has fallen into disuse, it can be rediscovered and revived.”

The Gospel origin of the crèche
Pope Francis recalls the origin of the Christmas crèche as related in the Gospels. “Coming into this world, the Son of God was laid in the place where animals feed. Hay became the first bed of the One who would reveal Himself as ‘the bread come down from heaven’.” The nativity scene “evokes a number of the mysteries of Jesus’ life and brings them close to our own daily lives”, writes the Pope.

Saint Francis’ crèche in Greccio
Pope Francis takes us back to the Italian town of Greccio, which Saint Francis visited in the year 1223. The caves he saw there reminded him of the countryside of Bethlehem. On 25 December, friars and local people came together, bringing flowers and torches, writes the Pope. “When Francis arrived, he found a manger full of hay, an ox and a donkey.” A priest celebrated the Eucharist over the manger, “showing the bond between the Incarnation of the Son of God and the Eucharist.”

The start of the tradition
This is how our tradition began, continues Pope Francis, “with everyone gathered in joy around the cave, with no distance between the original event and those sharing in its mystery.” With the simplicity of that sign, Saint Francis carried out a great work of evangelization, he writes. His teaching continues today “to offer a simple yet authentic means of portraying the beauty of our faith.”

A sign of God’s tender love
Pope Francis explains that the Christmas crèche moves us so deeply because it shows God’s tender love. From the time of its Franciscan origins, “the nativity scene has invited us to ‘feel’ and ‘touch’ the poverty that God’s Son took upon Himself in the Incarnation”, writes the Pope. “It asks us to meet Him and serve Him by showing mercy to those of our brothers and sisters in greatest need.”

The meaning of the crèche elements  
Pope Francis reflects on the meaning behind the elements that make up the nativity scene. He begins with the background of “a starry sky wrapped in the darkness and silence of night.” We think of when we have experienced the darkness of night, he says, yet even then, God does not abandon us. “His closeness brings light where there is darkness and shows the way to those dwelling in the shadow of suffering.”

The landscape
The Pope then writes about the landscapes that often include ancient ruins or buildings. He explains how these ruins are “the visible sign of fallen humanity, of everything that inevitably falls into ruin, decays and disappoints.” This scenic setting tells us that Jesus has come “to heal and rebuild, to restore the world and our lives to their original splendour.”

The shepherds
Turning to the shepherds, Pope Francis writes that, “unlike so many other people, busy about many things, the shepherds become the first to see the most essential thing of all: the gift of salvation. It is the humble and the poor who greet the event of the Incarnation.” The shepherds respond to God “who comes to meet us in the Infant Jesus by setting out to meet Him with love, gratitude and awe”, he adds.  

The poor and the lowly
The presence of the poor and the lowly, continues the Pope, is a reminder that “God became man for the sake of those who feel most in need of His love and who ask Him to draw near to them.” From the manger, “Jesus proclaims, in a meek yet powerful way, the need for sharing with the poor as the path to a more human and fraternal world in which no one is excluded or marginalized.”

Everyday holiness
Then there are the figures that have no apparent connection with the Gospel accounts. Yet, writes Pope Francis, “from the shepherd to the blacksmith, from the baker to the musicians, from the women carrying jugs of water to the children at play: all this speaks of everyday holiness, the joy of doing ordinary things in an extraordinary way.”

Mary and Joseph
The Pope then focuses on the figures of Mary and Joseph.
“Mary is a mother who contemplates her child and shows Him to every visitor”, he writes. “In her, we see the Mother of God who does not keep her Son only to herself, but invites everyone to obey His word and to put it into practice. Saint Joseph stands by her side, “protecting the Child and His Mother.” Joseph is the guardian, the just man, who “entrusted himself always to God’s will.”

The Infant Jesus
But it is when we place the statue of the Infant Jesus in the manger, that the nativity scene comes alive, says Pope Francis. “It seems impossible, yet it is true: in Jesus, God was a child, and in this way He wished to reveal the greatness of His love: by smiling and opening His arms to all.” The crèche allows us to see and touch this unique and unparalleled event that changed the course of history, “but it also makes us reflect on how our life is part of God’s own life.” 

The Three Kings
As the Feast of Epiphany approaches, we add the Three Kings to the Christmas crèche. Their presence reminds us of every Christian’s responsibility to spread the Gospel, writes Pope Francis. “The Magi teach us that people can come to Christ by a very long route”, but returning home, they tell others of this amazing encounter with the Messiah, “thus initiating the spread of the Gospel among the nations.”

Transmitting the faith
The memories of standing before the Christmas crèche when we were children should remind us “of our duty to share this same experience with our children and our grandchildren”, says Pope Francis. It does not matter how the nativity scene is arranged, “what matters is that it speaks to our lives.”

The Christmas
crèche is part of the precious yet demanding process of passing on the faith, concludes Pope Francis. “Beginning in childhood, and at every stage of our lives, it teaches us to contemplate Jesus, to experience God’s love for us, to feel and believe that God is with us and that we are with Him.”

This is a series of excerpts from the Diary of St. Faustina on the Infant Jesus and the Holy Eucharist:
 
After Holy Communion: "I suddenly saw the Infant Jesus standing by my kneeler and holding on to it with His two little hands. Although He was but a little Child, my soul was filled with awe and fear, for I see in Him my Judge, my Lord, and my Creator, before whose holiness the Angels tremble.  At the same time, my soul was flooded with such unspeakable love that I thought I would die under its influence" (Divine Mercy in My Soul, 566).
 
During Mass, "I saw the Infant Jesus near my kneeler. He appeared to be about one year old, and He asked me to take Him in my arms. When I did take Him in my arms, He cuddled up close to my bosom and said, 'It is good for Me to be close to your heart . . . . Because I want to teach you spiritual childhood. I want you to be very little, because when you are little, I carry you close to My Heart, just as you are holding Me close to your heart right now" (1481).
 
"I saw the Infant Jesus who, with hands outstretched toward us, was sitting in the chalice being used at Holy Mass. After gazing at me penetratingly, He spoke these words: 'As you see Me in this chalice, so I dwell in your heart" (1346). 
 
"When Mass began, a strange silence and joy filled my heart. Just then, I saw Our Lady with the Infant Jesus . . . . The most holy Mother said to me, 'Take my Dearest Treasure,' and she handed me the Infant Jesus. When I took the Infant Jesus in my arms, the Mother of God and Saint Joseph disappeared. I was left alone with the Infant Jesus" (608).
 
 "When I arrived at Midnight Mass, from the very beginning I steeped myself in deep recollection, during which time I saw the stable of Bethlehem filled with great radiance. The Blessed Virgin, all lost in the deepest of love, was wrapping Jesus in swaddling clothes, but Saint Joseph was still asleep. Only after the Mother of God put Jesus in the manger did the light of God awaken Joseph, who also prayed. But after awhile I was left alone with the Infant Jesus who stretched out His little hands to me, and I understood that I was to take Him in my arms. Jesus pressed His head against my heart and gave me to know, by His profound gaze, how good He found it to be next to my heart" (1442).


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A popular custom is to bless the Christmas tree before lighting. This can be done on Christmas Eve.   It is good to remind our children and ourselves of the part a tree played in the sins of our first parents and of the sacred wood of the Tree (the Cross) on which Jesus Christ, whose birthday we are about to celebrate, wrought our redemption. 
 
The origin of the Christmas tree goes back to the medieval German mystery plays. One of the most popular 'mysteries' was the Paradise play, representing the creation of man, the sin of Adam and Eve and their expulsion from Paradise. It usually closed with the consoling promise of the coming Savior and with a reference to His incarnation. This made theParadise play a favorite pageant for Advent, and its closing scenes used to lead directly into the story of Bethlehem. 
 
These plays were performed either in the open, or the large squares in front of churches, or inside the house of God. The garden of Eden was indicated by a fir tree hung with apples; it represented both the 'Tree of Life' and the 'Tree of discernment of good and evil' which stood in the center of Paradise. 
 
After the suppression of the mystery plays in churches, the Paradise tree, the only symbolic object of the play, found its way into the homes of the faithful, especially since many plays had interpreted it as a symbol of the coming Savior. Following this symbolism, in the fifteenth century the custom developed of decorating the Paradise tree, already bearing apples, with small white wafers representing the Holy Eucharist; thus, in legendary usage, the tree which had borne the fruit of sin for Adam and Eve, now bore the saving fruit of the Sacrament, symbolized by the wafers. These wafers were later replaced by little pieces of pastry cut in the shape of stars, angels, hearts, flowers, and bells. 
 
In some homes the tree is blessed on Christmas eve and the crib on Christmas morning. The following form may be used for the Blessing of the Christmas Tree: 

 
When the tree has been prepared, the household gathers around it. All make the sign of the cross.
  
The father or leader   begins:
Blessed be the name of the Lord. 
  
All respond: 
Now and for ever. 
  
The leader may use these or similar words to introduce the blessing: 
This tree is a blessing to our home. It reminds us of all that is beautiful, all that is filled with the gentleness and the promise of God. It stands in our midst as a tree of light that we might promise such beauty to one another and to our world. It stands like that tree of paradise that God made into the tree of life, the cross of Jesus. 
  
FIRST READING : 
  
The mother of the family reads: 
God said: Let the earth bring forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants and all kinds of fruit trees that bear fruit containing their seed. And so it was. The earth brought forth vegetation, every kind of seed-bearing plant and all kinds of trees that bear fruit containing their seed. The Lord God made to grow out of the ground all kinds of trees pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:10-13) 
  
The reader concludes: 
The Word of the Lord. 
  
All respond: 
Thanks be to God. 
 (The family's Bible may be used for an alternate reading such as Psalm 96:11-13.) 
 
SECOND READING : 
 
One of the children reads: 
From the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke: 
At that time it came to pass that while Mary and Joseph were at Bethlehem, the days for her to be delivered were fulfilled. And she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were shepherds in the same district living in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them and the glory of God shone about them and they feared exceedingly. And the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you news of great joy which shall be to all the people: for there has been born to you today in the town of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 
 
All recite: 
Glory to God on high, * and on earth peace to men whom God has chosen. * We praise you. * We bless you. * We adore you. * We glorify you. * We worship you for your great glory. * Lord God, heavenly king, * God the Father all-powerful! * Lord Jesus Christ, only-begotten Son! * Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father! * You that take away the sins of the world, * have mercy on us. * You that take away the sins of the world, * receive our prayer. * You that sit at the right hand of the Father, * have mercy on us. * For you alone are the Holy One, * you alone are the Lord. * You alone are the Most High, O Jesus Christ, * with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father. * Amen. 
  
After a time of silence, all join in prayers of intercession and in the Lord's Prayer (the Our Father). 
  
Then the father or leader invites: 
Let us now pray for God's blessing upon this tree and all who gather around this tree. 
  
After a short silence, the father or leader prays: 

Lord our God, we praise you for the light of creation: the sun, the moon, and the stars of the night. We praise you for the light of Israel: the Law, the prophets, and the wisdom of the Scriptures. 
 
We praise you for Jesus Christ, your Son: he is Emmanuel, God-with-us, the Prince of Peace, who fills us with the wonder of your love. 
 
God of all creation, we praise you for this tree which brings beauty and memories and the promise of life to our home. May the light and cheer it gives be a sign of the joy that fills our hearts. May all who delight in this tree come to the knowledge and joy of salvation. 
 
Father, bless this noble tree which we have adorned in honor of the new birth of Your only-begotten Son, and also adorn our souls with the manifold beauties of Your graces that being internally enlightened by the splendor radiating from this tree, we like the Magi may come to adore Him who is eternal Light and Beauty, the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord. 
 
R. Amen.


  
The lights of the tree are then illuminated.   And then the tree is blessed with Holy Water. 
  
The leader says: 
Let us bless the Lord. 
  
All respond, making the sign of the cross: 
Thanks be to God. 
  
Another child concludes: 
After the fall of our first parents the earth was bare and desolate; the world stood in the darkness of sin. But when the Savior was born our earth shone with a new brightness; the glory of the Almighty had renewed the world, making it more beautiful than before. This tree once stood dark and empty in a cold world. But now resplendent with lights and bright adornments in its new glory, this Christmas tree reflects the new beauty that God brought to earth when "the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." By a tree the whole world has been redeemed, and therefore, with great joy we celebrate the glory of this tree.

The blessing concludes with a verse from
"O come, O Come, Emmanuel":
O come, thou dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadow put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
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The manger scene has a special place near the Christmas tree or in another place where family members can reflect and pray during the Christmas season. It is blessed each year on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.   It is appropriate to have Holy Water available.
 
All make the sign of the cross. The leader begins:
Our help is in the name of the Lord. 
  
All respond:
Who made heaven and earth. 
  
The leader may use these or similar words to introduce the blessing.
We are at the beginning of the days of Christmas. All through the season we will look on these images of sheep and cattle, of shepherds, of Mary and of Joseph and Jesus. 
  
Then the Scripture is read by a reader:
Listen to the words of the holy gospel according to Luke: 
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea , to the city ofDavid that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.—Luke 2:1-7 
  
The reader concludes:
This is the Gospel of the Lord. 
  
All respond:
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. 
  
The figures may be placed in the manger. After a time of silence, all join in prayers of intercession and in the Lord's Prayer (the Our Father). 
  
Then the leader invites:
Pray now for God's blessing as we look on these figures. 
  
After a short silence, the leader prays the blessing:

​
O God of every nation and people,
from the very beginning of creation
you have made manifest your love:
when our need for a Savior was great
you sent your Son to be born of the Virgin Mary.
To our lives he brings joy and peace,
justice, mercy, and love.
 
Lord,
Bless this manger and all who look upon it.
Through all the days of Christmas
may these figures tell the story
of how humans, angels, and animals
found the Christ in this poor place.
 
Fill our house with hospitality, joy,
gentleness, and thanksgiving
and guide our steps in the way of peace.
May this manger remind us 
of the humble birth of Jesus,
and raise our thoughts to him,
who is God-with-us and Savior of all,
and who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
 
R. Amen.

(Then sprinkle Holy Water on the Crèche or Manger.)
  
The leader says:
Let us bless the Lord. 
  
All respond, making the sign of the cross:
And give Him thanks. 
  
Then Christmas songs and carols are sung such as:

It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
  
It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold; 
"Peace on the earth, good will to men, 
From Heaven's all gracious King."
The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.

  
Still through the cloven skies they come
With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heavenly music floats
O'er all the weary world; 
Above its sad and lowly plains,
They bend on hovering wing,
And ever over its Babel sounds
The blessèd angels sing.

  
Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love-song which they bring;
O hush the noise, ye men of strife
And hear the angels sing.

  
And ye, beneath life's crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours 
Come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road,
And hear the angels sing!

  
For lo! the days are hastening on,
By prophet-bards foretold,
When with the ever circling years
Comes round the age of gold;
When peace shall over all the earth 
Its ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world send back the song
Which now the angels sing.

Silent Night
 
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild 
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace


Silent night, holy night! 
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born


Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth 
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth "

 
Silent night, holy night
Wondrous star, lend thy light;
With the angels let us sing,
Alleluia to our King;
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born!

​
Feast of the Holy Family Of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph

Love is the power force of a Happy Marriage:
    In general , "love" is "to give"...  love is like a smile, we don't have it until we don't give it, if you don't give a smile, you will never have it.  We all expect "love", "to be given", but in marriage, the husband has to love his wife, to give all himself to her, and for the wife to give all herself to the husband. 
​

Time is essential for the Family:     
​We have to give "time, "our time" to the one we love, to our spouse and children, and this is very important.:

A child complained to his father, "you don't spend time with me", "I am very busy at work", reply the father. "How much do you make at work? asked the child, $10 per hour, reply the father. The next day the child gave the father a $10 bill, and "What is this for?,” asked the father. So you can give me one hour of your time, you can spend one hour talking with me."

 
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A bit of humor…




Some Thoughts: 


-Chocolate is the best investment. You buy 100 g – you gain 2 kg!
-It’s all a matter of viewpoint. 250 lbs here on Earth is 94.5 lbs on Mercury. Fat? No. I’m just not on the right planet.


-The trouble with being punctual is that nobody’s there to appreciate it.  
-Insanity is hereditary. You get it from your kids.  
-If Wal-Mart is lowering prices every day, why isn’t anything in the store free yet?  
-Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia: Fear of long words.  
-I’m in shape. Round is a shape isn’t it     


Profound Thoughts of Christmas
Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people once a year.” ~Victor Borge
Once again, we come to the Christmas Season, a deeply religious time that each of us observes,
in his own way, by going to the mall of his choice.  -Anonymous
Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.  ~Larry Wilde
Nothing's as mean as giving a little child something useful for Christmas.  ~Kin Hubbard
The office Christmas party is a great opportunity to catch up with people you haven’t seen for 20 minutes.


Office Holiday Memo
To: All Employees 
From: Management 
Subject: Office conduct during the Christmas season 

Effective immediately, employees should keep in mind the following guidelines in compliance with FROLIC (the Federal Revelry Office and Leisure Industry Council).
1. Running aluminum foil through the paper shredder to make tinsel is discouraged. 
2. Playing Jingle Bells on the push-button phone is forbidden (it runs up an incredible long distance bill) 
3. Work requests are not to be filed under "Bah humbug." 
4. Company cars are not to be used to go over the river and through the woods to Grandma's house. 
5. All fruitcake is to be eaten BEFORE July 25. 
6. Egg nog will NOT be dispensed in vending machines. 

In spite of all this, the staff is encouraged to have a Happy Holiday.
 
Christmas Gifts
Some mice enter heaven on Christmas.  St. Peter asks them what they would like for Christmas.  They say some roller skates, so he equips them with some.
 
Next, a cat comes to heaven.  St. Peter asks what the cat would like for Christmas.   The cat looking around seeing the mice enjoying their gifts says, "Meals on wheels."



It is all about Communication

-As a little girl climbed onto Santa's lap, Santa asked the usual, "And what would you like for Christmas?"
The child stared at him open mouthed and horrified for a minute, then gasped: "Didn't you get my text, social media post, and E-mail?"


​
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Catholic Good News - Seasonal Stress and Gaudete Sunday - 12/12/2020

12/12/2020

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In this e-weekly:
-  Catholic Parents online  (Catholic Website of the week-by the laptop computer)
- Our Lady of Guadalupe remains a "teacher of the Gospels" Through Her Image (Diocesan News and BEYOND)
- Some words that may help with hope  (Helpful Hints for Life)


Sunday Readings and Reflection at the End

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Third Sunday of Advent
 Catholic Good News
​

Receiving the Gospel, Serving God and Neighbor
 
Seasonal Stress and Gaudete Sunday
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
         
      So how’s your Advent going?  Mine is getting a little hairy.  Besides seeing signs and sounds of Christmas everywhere, it seems that everyone wants to do everything before December 25!
 

         When times get busier, then we must get serious with prayer.  Those “10 minutes a day in the classroom of silence” we take in silent prayer might need to become 15 or 20 minutes.  If the world and life is pulling more out of you, you need to receive more of God in you! 
         
         When the Bishop asked Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta to do more and more work, she and her Sisters would increase their prayer time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.  Mother Teresa didn’t die of stress, she lived each moment with God.
 
         So as you continue through tomorrow and each day until the beginning of the Christmas Season, pray as soon as you get out of bed in the morning and take some extra time to pray throughout the day to God and Mary in your own words.  Then take a deep breath and plunge into your work and activities with God!
 


This Sunday is Gaudete Sunday, “Rejoice” Sunday.  We are over half way to receiving our awaited Savior Jesus at Christmas.  It can be a nice oasis in this time of year if one was able to make it that.


Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert
 
P.S.  This Sunday Gaudete Sunday or the Third Second Sunday of Advent, the second week of the new Church liturgical year!  The readings can be found at:  Third Sunday of Advent | USCCB

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Catholic Term of the Week

Gaudete Sunday (from Latin gaudete “(you all) Rejoice!”)
- the Third Sunday of Advent marking with subdued joy that we are over half way in our waiting for Christmas; Rose-coloredvestments may be worn while the rose candle is lit on the Advent wreath (Gaudete comes from the opening of the Mass: Gaudete in Domino semper –“Rejoice in the Lord always”)
 
 
Term Review
Laetare Sunday - the fourth Sunday of Lent marking that Lent is over half way completed;  (Laetare – Latin meaning “Rejoice” comes from the opening of the Mass "Laetare Jerusalem" -- "Rejoice, O Jerusalem") 
​

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“Helpful Hints of Life”
 
(As we mark the eighth year time from the Newtown tragedies, we take comfort again in the words of peace.)

"My soul is bereft of peace;
I have forgotten what happiness is;
so I say, "Gone is my glory,
and all that I had hoped for from the Lord."
The thought of my affliction and my homelessness
is wormwood and gall!
My soul continually thinks of it
and is bowed down within me.




But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
"The Lord is my portion," says my soul,
"therefore I will hope in him."
The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul that seeks him.
It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord."
-Lamentations (3:17-26)

"See there's this place in me where your fingerprints still rest, your hugs still linger, and your loving whispers softly echo. It's the place where the best part of you will forever be a part of me." -Anonymous

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For this reason the Church, especially during Advent and Lent and above all at the Easter Vigil, re-reads and re-lives the great events of salvation history in the "today" of her liturgy. But this also demands that catechesis help the faithful to open themselves to this spiritual understanding of the economy of salvation as the Church's liturgy reveals it and enables us to live it.    Catechism of the Catholic Church #1095

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Catholic Website of the Week
 

Catholic Parents Online
 
http://www.catholicparents.org
Catholic Parents Online has as its mission "to build a network of faithful, dynamic, and informed parents, students, and alumni, committed to working with Catholic schools and other programs of education to ensure the authentic teaching and protection of the Catholic Faith." They recognize parents' role as the primary educators of their children.  All in all this is an excellent site and Catholic parents will find it most useful and informative. 

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Diocesan News AND BEYOND
Incredible: The Beautiful Musical Melody Hidden Within Our Lady of Guadalupe’s Image
 ChurchPOP Editor - Dec 11, 2020
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Public Domain / Fernandoojeda.com
Did you know this existed? This is amazing!

Believe it or not, there is music in Our Lady of Guadalupe’s mantle! How is that? This is the incredible discovery of a mathematical accountant.

“The Instituto Superior de Estudios Guadalupanos gives me the mission of studying the image by applying the only science that had not been done before in image studies, Mathematics,” Mexico resident and mathematical accountant Fernando Ojeda said.

Previous studies, already astonishing“Previous studies made to the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, I reasoned the following: if the stars of the mantle are the constellations of the sky at the time of its impregnation, the dress represents proportionally the main hills and volcanoes of the orography of Mexico, if the whole image keeps the golden ratio, then it has perfect symmetry, therefore it has music,” Fernando Ojeda said. 

“[The mathematician] Pythagoras pointed out that where there is perfect symmetry there is music.”
“As their positions were different” he continues, “I considered that each star, according to its position, and each flower center, according to its position, was a certain musical note “.

He placed the image inside the drawing of a golden rectangle. A music expert then superimposed the drawing of a piano and documented the notes expressed by each point of the flowers and stars.
​
Here’s the model used to discover the music in the mantle of the Virgin of Guadalupe:
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Fernandoojeda.comFinally, Fernando Ojeda loaded the notes into a music computer program. It was an incredible discovery: he obtained a perfect harmony melody!


Our Lady of Guadalupe Remains a 'teacher of the Gospel' Through Her ImageBy Courtney Grogan
Vatican City, Dec 12 (EWTN News/CNA)
Pope Francis celebrated the Mass of Our Lady of Guadalupe Wednesday, reflecting on how Mary continues to evangelize Latin America through her ubiquitous image.

As Our Lady of Guadalupe accompanied Saint Juan Diego on Tepeyac, she continues to encounter people through “an image or stamp, a candle or a medal, a rosary or a Hail Mary,” Pope Francis said in his homily Dec. 12 in St. Peter's Basilica.

Through her image, Mary “enters in a home, in a prison cell, in the ward of a hospital, in a nursing home, in a school, in a rehabilitation clinic to say: ‘Am I not here, that I am your mother?’” he continued in Spanish.

The pope’s homily centered on Mary as a “teacher of the Gospel” through her Magnificat.

“Mary teaches us that, in the art of mission and hope, so many words and programs are not necessary. Her method is very simple: she walked and sang,” Francis said.

In the school of Mary, he said, we “nourish our hearts” with the “multicultural wealth of Latin America, where we can “listen to that humble heart that beats in our villages” with “the sacredness of life.” 

Here, the “sense of God and his transcendence,” as well as “respect for creation, the bonds of solidarity, and the joy of the art of living well” are preserved, he continued.

As her image traveled the continent, Our Lady of Guadalupe is “not only remembered as indigenous, Spanish, Hispanic or African-American. She is simply Latin American,” Francis said. 

Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas and the unborn, appeared to St. Juan Diego on the Hill of Tepeyac in Mexico City in 1531, during a time of conflict between the Spanish and the indigenous peoples.

Mary took the appearance of a pregnant native woman, wore clothing in the style of the indigenous community, and spoke to Juan Diego in a native language, Nahuatl.

She asked Juan Diego to appeal to the bishop to build a church on the site of the apparition, stating she wanted a place where she could reveal to the people the compassion of her son. Initially turned away by the bishop, Diego returned to site asking Our Lady for a sign to prove the authenticity of her message.

She instructed him to gather the Castilian roses that he found blooming on the hillside, despite the fact that it was winter, and present them to the Spanish bishop. Juan Diego filled his cloak – known as a tilma – with the flowers. When he presented them to the bishop, he found that an image of Our Lady was miraculously imprinted upon his tilma. 

Nearly 500 years later, Diego’s tilma with the miraculous image is preserved in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and visited by millions of pilgrims each year.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is a “mother of a fertile and generous land in which all, in one way or another, can find ourselves playing a leading role in the construction of the Holy Temple of the family of God,” Francis said.

​
How Pope Francis is Fulfilling a Legacy of Vatican II
By Elise Harris

Vatican City, Dec 11 / 05:40 pm (EWTN News/CNA) - Attention to the poor was one of the greatest of the bishops' contributions during the Second Vatican Council – and is a legacy Pope Francis carries forward with impressive force, according to some.

“A true legacy of the Second Vatican Council is being fulfilled in the person and pontificate of Pope Francis,” Father Paulo Anto Pulikkan told EWTN News Dec. 11. 

As someone who routinely calls for justice and care for those who are poor and marginalized, the Pope and his plea for “a poor Church for the poor” is a concrete fulfillment of what the bishops of the Second Vatican Council asked for, Fr. Pulikkan said.

The underprivileged “was the theme of the council, but this has been recently very clearly stressed by Francis.”

Fr. Pulikkan, director of the Chair for Christian studies at the University of Calicut in the Indian state of Kerala, was one of the speakers at a Dec. 9-11 conference in Rome on the protagonists of the Second Vatican Council as seen through the archives.

The conference was organized by the Pontifical Committee for Historic Sciences as well as the Pontifical Lateran University's Center for Research and Studies on the Second Vatican Council. 

In his speech, titled “English speaking bishops on the Church in the modern world,” Fr. Pulikkan noted how the English-speaking council fathers, particularly those from Asia and the developing world, pushed for a greater inclusion of the poor in the council's final documents.

The council, he told EWTN News, “is the council for the poor,” which can be particularly seen in the pastoral constitution “Gaudium et Spes,” dedicated to the Church in the Modern World. 

In the initial draft, “the concern for the poor was neglected,” he said noting that the same held true for the council's fourth session in 1965. 

Despite the fact that the session took place right after the 1964 Eucharistic Congress in Bombay, which focused heavily on solidarity with the poor and was attended by many of the councils protagonists, concern for the poor was “totally neglected.”

“The situation of the farmers, the question of poverty, the question of our population, all these were neglected or not discussed at all properly in the draft,” he said, noting that the duty of rich nations to share and allow people to migrate with equal opportunity were rarely spoken about. 

Fr. Pulikkan stressed that the poor “should be able to migrate, the agricultural farmers should be given opportunity to develop agriculture because normally it is a very disorganized profession,” and also pointed to other key themes such as fighting against racism and in favor of human dignity. 

“These were the concerns of the Indian English speaking Bishops. Not only them, but all the English speaking Bishops from the English speaking world in the Council,” he said. 

It was after hearing these voices that the draft Gadium et Spes was reworked to include the concerns of the poor, making for “a much more satisfactory” text in the council.

Pope Francis’ desire for a Church in the midst of her people is firm continuation of this legacy, he said, explaining that the Pope’s concern isn’t just limited to the Church, but extends to the entire world.

Other than his constant pleas in favor of the poor, another concrete sign of this is the concern he expressed for creation in his environmental encyclical “Laudato Si,” as well as his focus on inter-religious dialogue.

However, while much has already been done in this area, particularly under Pope Francis, Fr. Pulikkan said that there’s still a long way to go.

He emphasized that the Church “should not run away” from problems surrounding the poor and impoverished nations, but must instead “identify with the joys, hope, anguish and concerns of the people,” which is what Gaudium et Spes and the Second Vatican Council are all about.

“I think today it’s our duty to go forward and as Gaudium et Spes number 4 says ‘we have to scrutinize, we have to discern the signs of the times and interpret them like the Gospel.’” 

Pope Francis, he said, “is doing simply that. He understands today’s situations and interprets them in light of the Gospel.”

 ​

St. Lucy an Example of Courage for All Who Face Disabilities, Pope says
​

Vatican City, Dec 13,  (EWTN News/CNA) -- In an audience with people who are blind and visually impaired Pope Francis said that St. Lucy’s courage in facing martyrdom can teach them to live their disability without fear or isolation.

“Lucy suggests to us a value which for me seems very important also for you: courage,” the Pope told members of the Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired on Dec. 13.

“She was a young woman, helpless, but confronted torture and violent death with great courage, a courage which came from the risen Christ, with whom she was united, and from the Holy Spirit, who lived within her.”

In his speech the pontiff recognized how his audience with the group fell on the feast day of St. Lucy, who lived in Italy during the third century and is the patroness of the blind and visually impaired.

Although this might not be well-known to all members of the group since it is a non-denominational association, the Pope explained that it has great significance for each of them, particularly in terms of human values.

Lucy was able to live in an exemplary way due to her faith in Christ, he noted, but recognized that the values she espoused can be shared by all.

One of the key values St. Lucy teaches is courage, he said, observing how “all of us need courage to face life's trials. In particular people who are blind and visually impaired have the need not to close themselves, not to take on an attitude of victimization.” 

Rather, persons with such disabilities need “to open themselves to reality, to others, to society; to learn to know and appreciate the capacity the Lord has placed in each one, in all, without exception! But this requires courage, strength of spirit,” he said.

Pope Francis then emphasized the importance of community, noting how Lucy was not alone, but was a member of the universal Church of which Christ is the head and foundation.

In being an association, the group also has this same quality of community, the Bishop of Rome said, explaining that an association is more than a mere collection of individuals.

“Today there is a great need to live with joy and commitment the associative dimension, because in this historic moment its ‘in decline,’ it’s not strongly felt,” he noted, observing how the ability to form a group, to be in solidarity with others and to pool each other’s resources are all part of a group’s civil heritage.

People living with disadvantages or disabilities can, often through their own personal experience, show the world that human beings are not “monads,” the Pope said.

“We are not made to be isolated, but to relate, to complement one another, to help each other, to accompany, sustain and support each other,” he observed, noting that the presence of people with disabilities “causes everyone to make a community, indeed to be a community” despite our limitations.

“Because we are all capable, but we all have limits too!” the Roman Pontiff noted.

He then returned to the life of St. Lucy, saying that another key value she teaches is that life is made to be given.

Although she lived this value to the “extreme” through martyrdom, it is a universal quality, the Pope explained, noting that it is also the key to true happiness.

“Man is not fully realized in having or even doing; he is realized in loving, that is, in giving,” he said, and pointed out how the name “Lucy” means “light.” Each person becomes light to the extent in which they are a gift to others, the Pope noted, observing that “each person, in reality, is this – is a precious gift.”

The pontiff noted how living according to these values can create certain misunderstandings because they go against the times in a culture that places a heavy emphasis on individual rights.

“So there is still a need to fight, with the example and intercession of St. Lucy! I hope that you to do so with courage, and with the joy of doing it together!”
​

When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior's first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming. By celebrating the precursor's birth and martyrdom, the Church unites herself to his desire: "He must increase, but I must decrease."  -Catechism of the Catholic Church #524

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A bit of humor…

Some Thoughts:
-Progress is made by lazy men looking for an easier way to do things.  
-I read recipes the same way I read science fiction. I get to the end and I think, “Well, that’s not going to happen.”  
-Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting weak?  
-What if there were no hypothetical questions?  
-For every action, there is a corresponding over-reaction.  
-I’m a humble person, really. I’m actually much greater than I think I am.  
-A celebrity is someone who works hard all his life to become known and then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognized.  
-I don’t have a solution, but I do admire the problem.

Kids Marry The Darnedest Things
My young son declared, “When 
I grow up, I’m going to marry you, Mommy.”
“You can’t marry your own mother,” said his older sister.
“Then I’ll marry you.”
“You can’t marry me either.”
He looked confused, so I explained, “You can’t marry someone in your own family.”
“You mean I have to marry a total stranger?!” he cried.
 
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A woman went to the Post Office to buy stamps for her Christmas cards. 

"What denomination?" asked the clerk. 

"Oh, good heavens! Have we come to this?" said the woman. "Well, give me 50 Catholic and 50 Baptist ones."

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Wife :       'Do you want dinner?'   
 
Husband:       'Sure! What are my choices?'   
 

Wife:          'Yes or no.'      
 

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Stress Reliever

Girl:       'When we get married, I want to share all your worries, troubles and lighten your burden.'   

Boy:       'It's very kind of you, darling, but I don't have any worries or troubles.'   
 
Girl:       'Well that's because we aren't married yet.' 
  ________________________________ 
 
A newly married man asked his wife, 'Would you have married me if my father hadn't left me a fortune?'   
 
'Honey,' the woman replied sweetly, 'I'd have married you, NO MATTER WHO LEFT YOU A FORTUNE!'   

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[On the Third Sunday in Advent, Gaudete Sunday, the Church can no longer contain her joyful longing for the coming of the Savior. We light the rose candle and rejoice that our redemption is so close at hand. Gaudete comes from the Latin Antiphon, which begins, "Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, gaudete.." [Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, rejoice...]. On this day, rose-colored vestments may be worn, and flowers may decorate the church. ]To become a child in relation to God is the condition for entering the kingdom. For this, we must humble ourselves and become little. Even more: to become "children of God" we must be "born from above" or "born of God". Only when Christ is formed in us will the mystery of Christmas be fulfilled in us. Christmas is the mystery of this "marvelous exchange":
O marvelous exchange! Man's Creator has become man, born of the Virgin. We have been made sharers in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share our humanity. 
​

-Catechism of the Catholic Church #524

​+JMJ+
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
Gaudete Sunday – Third Sunday of Advent – December 13, 2020
The First Reading - Isaiah 61:1-2A, 10-11
The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the LORD and a day of vindication by our God. I rejoice heartily in the LORD, in my God is the joy of my soul; for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation and wrapped me in a mantle of justice, like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, like a bride bedecked with her jewels. As the earth brings forth its plants, and a garden makes its growth spring up, so will the Lord GOD make justice and praise spring up before all the nations.
Reflection 
This very famous passage is one of the well-known “Servant Songs” of the prophet Isaiah.  In the second half of the Book of Isaiah (chs. 40-66), there are several extended poems that describe a mysterious “servant of the LORD” about whom wondrous things are said and predicted.  Most of the Servant Songs are third-person descriptions, but Isaiah 61 is one of a few that are phrased in the first-person: that is, the Servant himself speaks.
Adults - Is God the joy of your soul? How can you properly order your loves so that God is first?
Teens - How does putting God first among your loves help you to love others?
Kids - How do you show God that you love Him?

Responsorial- Luke 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54
R.My soul rejoices in my God.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
R. My soul rejoices in my God.
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
R. My soul rejoices in my God.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
R. My soul rejoices in my God. 
Reflection 
Here we see that Mary is adopting the attitude and posture of the Servant of the LORD in Isa 61:1-2.  How can she do this?  Isn’t the “Servant of the LORD” Jesus Himself?  Yes, but the Blessed Mother has Jesus in her womb.  She is the first Christian, the first person to be united as one flesh with Jesus.  So what is true of Jesus, is true of her by extension.  She is taken up into the Messianic mission of Christ, to “proclaim good news … and liberty,” and to find in God the “joy of her soul.” In what ways can you view Mary as a model for your own life? Spend some time with this question.

The Second Reading- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances. Test everything; retain what is good. Refrain from every kind of evil. May the God of peace make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will also accomplish it.  
Reflection -  Rejoice always.  That is the key reason this text was chosen for “Gaudete” or “Rejoicing” Sunday.  How is it possible to “rejoice always”?  Well, in order to do that, we have to develop some other habits: (1) praying; (2) always giving thanks, that is, trying to see the “silver lining” in everything that God sends our way; (3) not quenching the Spirit, (4) respecting “prophecy”, which would apply (among other things) to the teachings of the Church, and (5) refraining from evil.  Learning to “rejoice always” is part of a larger package of a life of virtue, in which everything is inter-related.  This is the “package” the Servant came to teach us, and this is the “package” that Mary lived out so well.
 -What is the difference between happiness and joy?

The Holy Gospel according to John 1:6-8, 19-28
A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. And this is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, “Who are you?” He admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, “I am not the Christ.” So they asked him, “What are you then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?” He said: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘make straight the way of the Lord,’” as Isaiah the prophet said.” Some Pharisees were also sent.  They asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” This happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Reflection  John the Baptist figures prominently during the season of Advent, because he announced the coming of Jesus.  Weeks 2 and 3 of Advent often have Gospel texts reflecting on his ministry. John points to someone greater.  He is not the Servant of the LORD of Isaiah 61: Jesus will be that.  His job is to point to the Servant.  In a sense, that’s our job as Christians, too: to point to God’s Servant, Jesus. So what do we do this Sunday?  We rejoice!  God has seen our poverty, and he is sending (has sent!) us his Servant to feed our hungry souls with Himself, and to teach us that in God is joy!  Let’s stay humble, like the Blessed Virgin and John the Baptist, and keep our fingers pointed to Jesus, telling others about Him!
Adults - How does your life point to Christ?
Teens - Do people see Jesus in your words and actions?
Kids - How can you show the love of Jesus to others?
LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK! – “Christ Even Now on the Way to Bethlehem
Evidently, in the mind of holy Church, neither the prophecy concerning Bethlehem Ephrata nor its fulfillment in the day of Caesar Augustus is to be considered merely a glorious divine disposition and achievement. No, the prophecy of Micheus is still being verified every day, but predominantly during the annual Advent season; for the selfsame incarnate eternal Son of God who journeyed to Bethlehem to be born there physically, now to the end of time comes to human souls as to spiritual Bethlehems, there to be born anew, again and again.
But be sure to picture these merciful spiritual journeyings of Christ to the Bethlehem of souls as all too often sadly realistic spiritual repetitions of His first long journey over the rugged road from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Meditate long on the wanton and malicious opposition He encounters on His way to them from souls that leave their senses and heart and mind to be ruled by earthly vanities, and their whole selves to be willing victims of the sensual and selfish illusions and witcheries of the seven capital vices.
Can you still fail to see why Isaias and the Baptist compare the hardships of the way of the world's Messiah-King to souls with a rough, crooked, and almost impassable road up steep hills and down precipitous valleys and through dangerous mountain passes? Do you wonder that these prophets of His coming insist so strongly that merely sentimental longings and routine prayers, however multiplied, cannot prepare us worthily for the entrance He must expect and the welcome He craves?
Pray very honestly, therefore, that you may begin to see the practical reasons for the Church's crying out in the desert world, and even into your own interior soul and heart:
"Prepare ye the way of the Lord: Make straight in the wilderness His paths; Every valley shall be exalted; Every mountain and hill shall be made low; And the crooked shall be made straight; And the rough ways plain" (Is. 40:3, 4). Then shall you see the salvation of God!” 
-Excerpted from Our Way to the Father by Rev. Leo M. Krenz, S.J.
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Catholic Good News - The Second Coming - 12/5/2020

12/5/2020

0 Comments

 
In this e-weekly:
-  For Your Marriage - US Bishops website (Catholic Website of the week-by the laptop computer) 
- Nun Who Claims "Divine Help" Advances to Final of MasterChef Brazil
   (Diocesan News and BEYOND) 
- Call Nursing Homes During This Time of Year; Reflection for Second Week of Advent (Helpful Hints for Life)
***Sunday Readings and Reflections at end of e-weekly***

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Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
 
           During the weeks of Advent we prepare for Christ coming as the word made flesh beginning December 25.  But we also prepare for His final coming at the end of time called His Second Coming, we prepare for this especially during the first two weeks of Advent.
 
            While much is said about Christ’s Second Coming in the Holy Bible and elsewhere, the most important thing to remember is that when He comes, time and the world as we know it, ends.  It does not mean Christ reigning on earth as we know it.  The Second Coming means the end of time, the Final Judgment, Heaven or Hell forever.  The Church puts it this way:

On Judgment Day at the end of the world, Christ will come in glory to achieve the definitive triumph of good over evil which, like the wheat and the tares, have grown up together in the course of history. (Catechism of the Catholic Church #681)
 
      Today and everyday of our lives, but especially during Advent, we give thanks for His first coming and prepare for His Second Coming!

Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert
 
P.S.  This Sunday is the Second Sunday of Advent, the second week of the new Church liturgical year!  The readings can be found at:   Second Sunday of Advent | USCCB

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9. What is the full and definitive stage of God's Revelation?(Catechism of the Catholic Church, CCC 65-66, 73)
a) reached its height with King David
b) it will only occur at the end of time
c) Jesus Christ coming among us
d) no one person or thing is the full and definite Revelation


10. What is the value of private revelations?(CCC 67)
a) there is no value
b) valuable only to the easily confused
c) these are tricks of the devil trying to confuse devout believers
d) they may be helpful to individuals living out the Faith in particular times


The Transmission of Divine Revelation
11. Why and in what way is divine revelation transmitted? (CCC 74) 
a) through Jesus Christ
b) the proclamation of the followers of Christ
c) Apostolic Tradition (teaching of the apostles and their successors) is essential
d) all of the above     


(Answers at end)

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Catholic Term
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 Second Coming (also called the Parousia)
- the glorious return and appearance of Christ Jesus as judge at the end of time
[At the second coming, Christ will judge the living and the dead. History and all creation will achieve their fulfillment.  References to it are frequent in the New Testament, as the writers describe the ultimate triumph of Jesus and the establishment of his kingdom (I Thessalonians 4:15-17; Matthew 24:3-14; II Peter 1:16).]

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“Helpful Hints of Life”

Reflections For The Second Week of Advent

And With Your Spirit
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In the United States, we mark both the second week of Advent and our third week of our sixth year with a new English translation of the Roman Missal. Every day while traveling this week, I have found myself at a different parish fumbling with both the pages and the words on the page. Though excited and (seemingly) prepared for these changes, I have been jolted a bit by the communal experience of proclaiming two of the new responses.
 
Four times now in the liturgy, we respond to the priest with "And with your spirit." I've joked for years with my audiences how the response "And also with you" is so imbedded in us that we would start it reflexively from a dead sleep or in a crowded supermarket if provoked by, "The Lord be with you!" That is going to take a while to undo.
 
The second is the Communion response formed from the Scriptural response of the Roman Centurion to Our Lord: "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed." Beautiful.
 
I find both of these responses simply beautiful to hear and proclaim together in the English even with a familiarity with "Et cum spiritu tuo"  and "Domine, non sum dignus..."  from the Latin.
 
I do harbor a mild fear, I suppose, that these distinctive appeals to "spirit" and "soul" risk affirming, in some, that ever-present false dualism regarding our human personhood. One that claims an "either/or" separation instead of a "both/and" integration of our spiritual and bodily natures.
 
What these changes invite is a deeper participation in the true mystery of God, His Bride the Church, and our own likeness to Him. Paradoxes, tensions, and apparent contradictions are old friends to believers: fully God and fully Man; Unity and Trinity; faith and reason; body and soul. The list goes on.
 
Entertaining such a dualism during this season of Advent is ironic, of course, since this is when we prepare to encounter once more "the fact that the Word of God became flesh" and "the body entered theology...through the main door" (TOB 23:4). Amen. Alleluia!
 
Damon Owens is a speaker with the Theology of the Body Institute.  Damon and his wife Melanie have been teaching and promoting Natural Family Planning (NFP) from Seton Hall University and throughout New Jersey since 1993. They serve as NFP Program Coordinators for the Archdiocese of Newark (N.J.), and are founders of the 
New Jersey Natural Family Planning Association. Damon keeps a full speaking schedule at national conferences, marriage seminars, high schools, seminaries, and youth groups on the good news of sexuality, chastity, Theology of the Body, Theology of the Family, and NFP. Damon currently lives in New Jersey with his wife Melanie, and their seven children.


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For Your Marriage

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http://www.foryourmarriage.org/
 

The U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has created a Website with suggestions preparing for Marriage, those who live in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony and general information about it.  Check it out.  Couldn't your Marriage use some special time and attention?

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Best Parish Practices
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PRUDENTLY INVITE THE COMMUNITY TO MIDNIGHT MASS (if you have Christmas Mass at Midnight)

Christmas is loved by all it seems.  And having a Mass at Midnight, the first moment of the day we celebrate Jesus coming into the world can be an intriguing and door opening way to bring Christians together to pray.
BENEFITS:
It can bring Christians together to pray and welcome Jesus as one, as He prays we are.  The time would not conflict with Worship at other places.  The beauty and grace of that night would be shared with many.


HOW:
Check with your Parish Priest for his thoughts and direction and permission.  But one can put in invitation in the newspaper, share a spot on the radio, create yard signs with the church's picture, and other communication means.  It might just touch some hearts in a special way!

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Nun, Who Claims ‘divine help,’ Advances to Final of MasterChef Brasil
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By: Lise Alves
Date: December 3, 2020
SAO PAULO (CNS) — A Brazilian nun who has moved into the finals of a TV cooking show said she received “divine help” and prayed the entire time she was cooking.
The “divine help,” she said, helped her notice that the shrimp she was supposed to cook were not deveined.
“If I had left them the way they gave them to me I would not have won,” said Sister Lorayne Caroline Tinti, a member of the Sisters of Our Lady of Resurrection. She prepared shrimp stroganoff and tiramisu for the episode of MasterChef Brasil. Sister Tinti is now scheduled to compete in the show’s 2020 final contest, at the end of December.
“Many people mentioned how calm I was throughout the episode, and I tell them it was because I was praying for Our Lord to help me get through it. That gave me confidence,” Sister Tinti told Catholic New Service.
Sister Tinti said she learned to cook early, with members of her family.
“My mother, aunt and grandmother always cooked so I learned from them. My father also was interested in the preparation of food,” she told CNS.
Her culinary skills, she noted, improved while living in the order’s mission house in the state of Minas Gerais.
“We had a bakery there which the sisters ran, so I learned about making pastries and bread,” she added.
While looking at her social media, Sister Tinti came across a call for participants for MasterChef Brasil and decided to register.
“I needed authorization and, at first, the mother superior was not very keen on me leaving the convent to go on TV, but the sisters here convinced her,” she said with a chuckle.
Asked what motivated her to sign up for the contest, Sister Tinti said the show gave her a chance to talk about the social projects that the sisters do with the elderly and children, and to encourage young people into looking to religious life as an option.
“After the show we had many lay persons call up asking how they could help our projects, and a few young people wanting to know more about religious life in general,” she said.
But it was not only laypeople who reached out to Sister Tinti after the cooking challenge: “I received calls congratulating me for my participation from many religious, including two bishops.”
Asked about her favorite food to prepare, Sister Tinti was quick to say eggplant.
“It is so versatile, you can fry it, you can bake it, you can grill it,” she said.
Those who eat her meals, however, say she excels in pastries and deserts.
“Whenever there is a celebration, it is always ‘let Sister Lorayne bake the cake,'” she said as she laughed.
Sister Tinti says she does not know what the organizers will ask her to cook for the finals, but she is certain of two things: She will once again ask for divine help and will pray while cooking.
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Everyday Heroes: Army Officer Donates Part of Liver to Save Priest’s LifeCatholic News Service 
​| Andrew Fowler | November 27, 2019 | 0 Comments
Father Dennis Callan’s health was rapidly declining. His situation was so dire that his dentist refused to even pull a tooth out of fear that the he would bleed to death.The cause? Advanced cirrhosis of the liver.
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Father Dennis Callan, a Divine Word missionary, and Chris Moore, a U.S. Army chief warrant officer, are seen in this undated photo. Moore donated part of his liver to Father Callan in 2017. They met one another four years earlier at Camp Humphreys military base in South Korea. CNS photo/courtesy Knights of Columbus.
A Divine Word missionary, Father Callan was stationed in South Korea, serving as a military chaplain. He would have to leave Korea to return to the United States for treatment.
When he announced to his parishioners in November 2015 that he had to leave for “personal reasons,” one parishioner took notice: his friend U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Chris Moore.
Moore and his wife, Heidi, met Father Callan in 2014 at Camp Humphreys. The Moores and Father Callan would share meals together and socialize after Mass, particularly at Knights of Columbus council meetings — both men were members of Bishop John J. Kaising Council 14223 on the base. Father Callan was a spiritual guide as the Moores welcomed two children into their growing family.
“He was a support during our time in Korea because my wife was new to Catholicism,” said Moore, currently stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky, while his two children and his wife live in Arizona. “Father Dennis was there to guide us and strengthen us in our relationship and help us to get to where we are today.”
When Father Callan returned to the U.S., his hepatologist in Chicago told him that he was lucky to have survived the trip from South Korea. His only chance of survival was a liver transplant.
Members of family were tested to see if they could donate, but no one was compatible. By the end of December 2016, Father Callan’s health began free-falling.
He began arranging his funeral.
“I decided I did not want to go on this (donor) list,” Father Callan said. “I figured, I’m a priest and I would accept whatever the Lord had in mind for me and I did not want to take the opportunity away from another to receive a liver.”
Throughout the process, Father Callan and the Moores kept in touch. When Father Callan told the Moores that every option seemed exhausted, they offered to be tested to see if one of them was a compatible donor.
Father Callan was completely shocked at the Moores’ offer. Especially because it would not be easy for Chris to donate, due to Army regulations regarding organ donations.
It turned out that navigating these regulations was worth it. Chris was a match.
In May 2017, Moore and Father Callan went in for surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
“We said our ‘goodbyes’ and I told (the Moores), ‘I’ll see you on the other side,'” Father Callan said. “The next morning I woke up and I said, ‘I feel 100% better already.'”
Father Callan was in surgery for 10 hours and received more than two-and-a-half pounds of his brother Knight’s liver. Moore noticed the immediate health differences in his friend when he visited him the day following the surgery.
“We call each other brothers now because we share something in common, our livers,” Moore said with a smile. “We share a special bond and he’s able to do what he does, continue to be able to do what he wants to do which is minister to people.”
The brotherhood between Father Callan and Moore is shown in “Everyday Heroes,” a video series produced by the Knights of Columbus. The series showcases ordinary men acting in extraordinary ways, who are strengthened by their Catholic faith and membership in the Knights of Columbus.
“One of the things that I felt very strongly about is that the brotherhood among the members of the Knights of Columbus is important because men need a lot of support in the faith,” Father Callan said.
Father Callan and the Moores attended the Warriors to Lourdes pilgrimage — an international event co-sponsored by the Knights of Columbus along with the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services to bring healing to military personnel and their families at the Marian shrine in France.
When reflecting on this period in his life, Father Callan sees God’s providence.
“What we have to realize is that God is present with us,” Father Callan said. “God is leading us, guiding us through the many, many things, many trials that we face. God is always present, caring and loving for us in ways that we don’t necessarily understand.”
Father Callan remains close with the Moores, visiting them at their home in Arizona.
But when apart, the brother Knights still contact each other to talk.
“For me, simply being with Chris or talking with him inspires me and encourages me,” Father Callan said. “We are brother Knights in every sense of the word.”
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To see more Everyday Heroes videos go to kofc.org/heroes
How One Diocese is Inviting People Back to the Church This Christmas
By Perry West
Detroit, Mich., Dec 6, 2018 / 02:54 am (EWTN News/CNA)
As part of a recent evangelization outreach, the Archdiocese of Detroit is launching a Christmas campaign to welcome Catholics who may have been away from the Church. 
“This is the way that we are responding to the invitation to share the Gospel with others. This is part of the transformation of being a mission-oriented diocese,” Edmundo Reyes, the archdiocese’s communication director, told EWTN News.
The campaign is called “Part of the Family.”  Its goal is to create a welcoming environment at Mass and encourage evangelization among the parishioners through virtual tools. 
Reyes said these efforts are an extension of the pastoral letter “Unleash the Gospel” released at Pentecost last year. The letter followed several years of preparation, including a year of prayer in 2014 and a synod meeting in 2016.
He said the campaign includes three parts: evangelization training, videos, and a newly published website, specifically focused on Christmas Mass times. 
“Our hope is that, with these combined efforts, people that attend Mass once a year or are there for the first time, they experience what we are calling radical hospitality,” he said. 
“We target at Christmas knowing there are people who come there for the first time or they haven’t been with us for a while,” he said. “One of the things is we want to be unusually gracious and hospitable for people that come to our churches.”
The first component of the campaign was a day-long evangelization event that included discussions, training, and resource material. More than 800 people from over 120 parishes in the archdiocese attended.
According to the Detroit Catholic, one of the speakers broke down the Gospel into four essential parts. Fr. John Riccardo, pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Plymouth, said the Gospel’s message is on the goodness of God found in his creation, sin and its repercussions, God’s response to sin, and mankind’s response to God. 
Hospitality was another major focus of the event, which was held Nov. 16. Regular Mass-goers were presented with simple steps to make people feel welcome, like greeting strangers and sitting in the middle of the pews to allow room on the outsides. 
The second element of the campaign is a series of Christmas videos, focusing on the universal Catholic family and God’s incarnation, Reyes said.
“We are all part of the same family, and it’s hard to imagine, but we are celebrating God becoming part of our family. So let’s do it together,” says the narrator in the video. “This Christmas, we are thankful that you are one of us, a Catholic, part of the family.”
The first video was released on Saturday, Reyes said, and it has already received roughly 30,000 views. He said more videos will be released weekly. 
In addition, paid ads will be run on spotify, youtube, and social media, inviting people to attend Christmas Mass and bring their friends and family. The ads will use geoparameters to reach people in areas near churches in the archdiocese. 
The third aspect of the campaign, Reyes said, is a new website, massfinder.org, to help people navigate Christmas Mass times in the Archdiocese of Detroit. He said the website is accessible, giving people an easy way to discover Mass times and invite friends and family. 
“If we want to be truly hospitable, the first encounter the people have with us is going to be trying to find out what time Christmas Mass happens.”
The website includes “share buttons” for people to send links of a specific Mass time via social media, email, or text. When it is shared, the user has access to a virtual reminder of that Mass and a map to the parish. 
Especially during this season of giving, Reyes said, the most important gift that can be given is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the love of the Father. 
“This is a time we celebrate the Nativity of the Lord, God becoming part of the family. And that's the theme - Part of the Family. We want make sure that people feel welcome and invited in the celebration of Jesus' birth.”
Pope Francis Praises the 'hidden holiness' of Everyday Saints
Vatican City, Dec 4 / 11:57 am (EWTN News/CNA) - Pope Francis cautioned against the false appearances of those who are proud or vain, saying that true holiness is found in the silent, everyday witness of the poor and humble.

“We should think about so much hidden holiness there is in the Church; Christians who remain in Jesus,” the Pope told those present in the Vatican's Saint Martha guesthouse for his Dec. 4 Daily Mass.

While there are there are some Christians who put on appearances, many others are true saints, he said, noting that they are not necessarily “canonized saints, but saints (who) put the love of Jesus into practice.”

The Pope centered his reflections on the day's first reading from the prophet Isaiah, who speaks of the importance of founding oneself on the rock of the Lord, and foretells the destruction of the high and “lofty” cities, who will be trampled by the poor and needy.

When it comes to being a true Christian, the Pope said, we should not be “Christians in appearance,” whose make-up comes off as soon as the rain begins.

“So many 'apparent Christians,' collapse at the first temptation (because) there is no substance there,” so it's not enough to simply belong to a Catholic family, an association or to be a benefactor if we don’t follow God’s will.

However, there are also many who do follow God’s will and put his love into practice every day, Pope Francis noted, pointing to those who are considered small but who offer their daily suffering to the Lord.

“Let us consider the sick who offer their sufferings for the Church, for others. Let us consider so many of the elderly who are alone, who pray and make offerings,” he said, also recognizing the many families who work hard to raise children and who don’t “strut about,” but bear their problems with hope.

These people are “the saints of daily life,” the Pope said. He also lauded the witness of the many parish priests who carry out their work with love, and without being seen.

Priests who work hard catechizing children, caring for the elderly and the sick, and preparing couples for marriage do the same thing every day, he said, but never get bored “because their foundation is the rock. It is Jesus, it this that gives holiness to the Church, it is this that gives hope!”

Even these hidden saints are still sinners, because we all are, he observed, saying that when a good Christian sometimes falls and commits a grave sin but is penitent and asks forgiveness, it is a good thing.

“Not confuse sin with virtue,” the Pope said, explaining that it’s good to “know well where virtue is, and where sin is, (but) these (people) are founded on rock, and the rock is Christ.”

The proud and the vain are those who have built their house on sand, the Pope said, noting that as the prophet Isaiah said in the first reading, they will be “demolished” while the poor and those who consider themselves nothing in the sight of God will triumph.

He concluded his reflections by encouraging all present to use the time of Advent, in which we prepare for the coming of Jesus at Christmas, to place our foundation on the Lord, who is our rock and our hope.

“We are all sinners, we are weak, but if we place our hope in Him we can go forward. And this is the joy of a Christian: knowing that in Him there is hope, there is pardon, there is peace (and) there is joy.”
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A bit of humor…

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Some Thoughts:

-My dog is an awesome fashion adviser. Every time I ask him what I look like in my clothes, he says “WOW!” 
-Dentist: "You need a crown." Patient: "Finally someone who understands me"


-Isn’t it odd the way everyone automatically assumes that the goo in soap dispensers is always soap? I like to fill mine with mustard, just to teach people a lesson in trust.  
-The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously.  
-Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give their vacuum one more chance?  -Only in America… do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.

 
Confessions of a Store Santa

While I was working as a store Santa, a boy asked me for an electric train set. “If you get your train,” I told him, “your dad is going to want to play with it too. Is that all right?”
The boy became very quiet. So, moving the conversation along, I asked, “What else would you like Santa to bring you?”
He promptly replied, “Another train.”


 
4-Year Old

A 4-year-old boy was asked to return thanks before a big dinner. The family members bowed their heads in expectation. He began his prayer, thanking God for all his friends, naming them one by one. Then he thanked God for Mommy, Daddy, brother, sister, Grandma, Grandpa, and all his aunts and uncles. Then he began to thank God for the food. He gave thanks for the turkey, the dressing, the fruit salad, the cranberry sauce, the pies, the cakes, even the Cool Whip. 
Then he paused, and everyone waited--and waited. After a long silence, the young fellow looked up at his mother and asked, "If I thank God for the broccoli, won't he know that I'm lying?"

 
I Don't Want to Go 
​
Thanksgiving day was approaching and the family had received a Thanksgiving card with a painting of a pilgrim family on their way to church. 
Grandma showed the card to her small grandchildren, observing: "The Pilgrim children liked to go to church with their mothers and fathers." 
"Oh yeah?" her young grandson replied, "So why is their dad carrying that rifle?"



 
The Sunday School Teacher asks, "Now, Johnny, tell me frankly do you say prayers before eating?"
"No sir," little Johnny replies, I don't have to. My mom is a good cook."
 
Sign on a church bulletin board: "Merry Christmas to our Christian friends. Happy Hanukkah to our Jewish friends.  And to our atheist friends, good luck.  

 
 
“St. Chromatius reminds us that Advent is a time of prayer, in which we must enter into contact with God.  God knows us, He knows me, He knows each of us.  He loves me, He does not abandon me. Thus trustingly, let us proceed into the liturgical time that has just begun."
-Pope Benedict XVI

Picture
Collects (Opening Prayers) for Advent
These prayers, faithful translations of the Latin Collects, or opening prayers, may be said every evening when the Advent wreath is lit. 
 
First Week
Stir up your power, O Lord, and come, that by your protection we may be rescued from the dangers that beset us through our sins; and be a Redeemer to deliver us; Who live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
 
[In English-speaking countries, this Sunday was called "Stirrup Sunday", because the "stir-up" of the Collect was the signal to begin to "stir-up" the fruits for the baking of Christmas cakes and puddings.]
 
Second Week
Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the paths of your Only-begotten Son: that we may worthily serve you with hearts purified by His coming: Who live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
 
Third Week
We beseech you to listen to our prayers, O Lord, and by the grace of your coming enlighten our darkened minds: You who live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.
 
 
[On the third Sunday in Advent, Gaudete Sunday, the Church can no longer contain her joyful longing for the coming of the Savior. We light the rose candle and rejoice that our redemption is so close at hand. Gaudete comes from the Latin Antiphon, which begins, "Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, gaudete.." [Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, rejoice...]. On this day, rose-colored vestments may be worn, and flowers may decorate the church. ]
 
Fourth Week
Pour forth your power, O Lord, and come: Assist us by that mighty power, so that by your grace and merciful kindness we may swiftly receive the salvation that our sins impede: Who live and reign with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
+JMJ+
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
Second Sunday of Advent – December 6, 2020

The First Reading - Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11
Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her service is at an end, her guilt is expiated; indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins.  A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!  Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!  Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low; the rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, a broad valley.  Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.  Go up on to a high mountain, Zion, herald of glad tidings; cry out at the top of your voice, Jerusalem, herald of good news!  Fear not to cry out and say to the cities of Judah: Here is your God!  Here comes with power the Lord GOD, who rules by his strong arm; here is his reward with him, his recompense before him.  Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom, and leading the ewes with care.
Reflection 
The Readings for this Sunday combine Isaiah’s prophecy of John’s ministry (Isa 40) with the account of the beginning of his ministry according to Mark.  Through the figure of John the Baptist, Holy Mother Church calls us, like John’s contemporaries, to repent of our sins and ready ourselves to face Jesus. Isaiah 40 is a pivotal text in the structure of the Book of Isaiah.  Isaiah 1-39, often dubbed “First Isaiah”, focuses predominantly on the lifetime of the prophet Isaiah and the spiritual issues of the people of Israel in the eighth century BC (700’s). Beginning in Isaiah 40, however, the focus of the prophecies shifts to the future, to a misty and ill-defined era to come, after Israel will have completed her punishments for the sins the prophet identified earlier in his book.  In fact, Isaiah 40-66 may be profitably read as a long, mystical description of the “Latter Days”, the eschatological and messianic age.  Chapter 40, then, serves as the introduction to the description of the messianic age.  The close association of John the Baptist with Isaiah 40 makes John into a kind of “prologue in a person”, a “foreword in the flesh,” an “introduction incarnate.”  John is to salvation history what Isaiah 40 is to the entire Book of Isaiah. 
Adults - Do you ever take time to meditate on John the Baptist, his life, and his call?
Teens - What do the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus have in common?
Kids - How did John the Baptist get people ready for Jesus?

Responsorial- Psalm 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14
R.Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD—for he proclaims peace to his people.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and prepare the way of his steps.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
Reflection 
This Psalm is perhaps chosen because it speaks of the “nearness of salvation”, using the word for salvation (yeshua’) that gives us the name “Jesus.”  Our salvation, our Jesus, is near as we liturgically journey through the time of salvation history just before the birth of our Lord. He will be “glory dwelling in the land” during his earthly ministry.
Be on the lookout for the Lord’s kindness in your life this week. Take time to notice and be thankful for it.

The Second Reading- 2 Peter 3:8-14
Do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day. The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard “delay,” but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar and the elements will be dissolved by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be found out. Since everything is to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be, conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames and the elements melted by fire. But according to his promise we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you await these things, be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace.
Reflection -  We have been pondering the Second Coming in the liturgy now for some time, since the final weeks of the last liturgical year and also strongly in the Readings for last week, the First Week of Advent.  Our Second Reading continues on this theme, and read in the context of Advent, this reading draws a comparison between the liturgical waiting for Christmas during Advent with the waiting that characterizes our whole lives: the waiting for the return of Jesus, the Second Coming. The long delay in the coming of the Lord is not due to forgetfulness, Peter exhorts us, but should be regarded as a privileged time allowing for conversion among people before the final judgment.  But that judgment will come, and the results will be both material and spiritual, the Apostle insists. The key question this reading raises in the context of today’s liturgy is “What sort of person ought you to be?” in light of all that we hear and ponder today.  The second is the only one of today’s readings explicitly to raise the practical question: “So what?  So what if John the Baptist is the fulfillment of ancient Isaianic prophecy?  So what if he spoke of the coming of Jesus?  What effect does this have on my life?” St. Peter specifies the effect: you should “all come to repentance,” you should “conduct yourselves in holiness and devotion,” “eager to be found without spot or blemish before him” when he comes in judgment.  Indeed, in this reading, St. Peter calls us to be like the crowds that heeded John the Baptist and submitted to his baptism so that they would be “without spot or blemish” when the Messiah John predicted would arrive in Israel.  During this Advent Season, we likewise should hurry to the “Second Baptism” of the confessional to be cleansed of every blemish, and spend our days in “holiness and devotion” as we await the coming of Christmas.
 -What effect does Jesus and Who He is have on your life?

The Holy Gospel according to Mark 1:1-8
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him  and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey. And this is what he proclaimed: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Reflection  When we hear this Gospel, we who know who that “mightier one” is and have already received from him the Holy Spirit through the sacraments.  During this Advent, let’s daily commit ourselves to repentance, to “holiness and devotion”, that we may appear “without spot or wrinkle.” John, even though he was cleansed from sin from the womb, nonetheless practiced asceticism to preserve himself on the path of holiness.  John wore a hair garment and lived on bugs and honey; let us make some personal sacrifices during this Advent.  Advent is not Lent, but it is a penitential period, and who of us is not in need of some purification and penance? Let’s not be like the Pharisees and Sadducees, too proud to admit their need and heed John’s preaching!
Adults - Can you add a sacrifice in your life during this time of Advent? How can you make more time for prayer?
Teens - How can you make more time for prayer during Advent?
Kids - How can you add some prayer time into your life this Advent?

LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK! – “As the journey of Advent continues, as we prepare to celebrate the nativity of Christ, John the Baptist's call to conversion sounds out in our communities.  It is a pressing invitation to open our hearts and to welcome the Son of God Who comes among us to make divine judgement manifest.  The Father, writes St. John the Evangelist, does not judge anyone, but has entrusted the power of judgement to the Son, because He is the Son of man.  “And it is today, in the present, that we decide our future destiny. It is with our concrete everyday behavior in this life that we determine our eternal fate.  At the end of our days on earth, at the moment of death, we will be evaluated on the basis of our likeness or otherwise to the Baby Who is about to be born in the poor grotto of Bethlehem, because He is the measure God has given humanity.   “Through the Gospel John the Baptist continues to speak down the centuries to each generation.  His hard clear words bring health to us, the men and women of this day in which even the experience and perception of Christmas often, unfortunately, reflects materialist attitudes.  The 'voice' of the great prophet asks us to prepare the way for the coming Lord in the deserts of today, internal and external deserts, thirsting for the water of life which is Christ.” — Benedict XVI

9. What is the full and definitive stage of God's Revelation? c) Jesus Christ coming among us
The full and definitive stage of God’s revelation is accomplished in his Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, the mediator and fullness of Revelation. He, being the only-begotten Son of God made man, is the perfect and definitive Word of the Father. In the sending of the Son and the gift of the Spirit, Revelation is now fully complete, although the faith of the Church must gradually grasp its full significance over the course of centuries.   “In giving us his Son, his only and definitive Word, God spoke everything to us at once in this sole Word, and he has no more to say.” (Saint John of the Cross)


10. What is the value of private revelations? d) they may be helpful to individuals living out the Faith in particular times
While not belonging to the deposit of faith, private revelations may help a person to live the faith as long as they lead us to Christ. The Magisterium of the Church, which has the duty of evaluating such private revelations, cannot accept those which claim to surpass or correct that definitive Revelation which is Christ.          


The Transmission of Divine Revelation
11. Why and in what way is divine revelation transmitted? d) all of the above
God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4), that is, of Jesus Christ. For this reason, Christ must be proclaimed to all according to his own command, “Go forth and teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19). And this is brought about by Apostolic Tradition.

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