+JMJ+
In this e-weekly:
- Catholic Parents online (Catholic Website of the week-by the laptop computer)
- During Fundraiser, Priest Makes "Longest Shot Ever by a Priest on a Playground" (Diocesan News and BEYOND)
- Some words that may help with hope (Helpful Hints for Life)
Sunday Readings and Reflection at the End
In this e-weekly:
- Catholic Parents online (Catholic Website of the week-by the laptop computer)
- During Fundraiser, Priest Makes "Longest Shot Ever by a Priest on a Playground" (Diocesan News and BEYOND)
- Some words that may help with hope (Helpful Hints for Life)
Sunday Readings and Reflection at the End
Third Sunday of Advent
Catholic Good News
Receiving the Gospel, Serving God and Neighbor
Seasonal Stress and Gaudete Sunday
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: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121723.cfm
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: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121723.cfm
✟✟✟✟✟✟ Catholic Questions and Catholic Answers✟✟✟✟✟✟
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 on back)
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 on back)
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-colored vestments 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")
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-colored vestments 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")
“Helpful Hints of Life”
(As we mark the eleventh year time from the Newtown tragedies and all who loose loved ones, 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
(As we mark the eleventh year time from the Newtown tragedies and all who loose loved ones, 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
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
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.
During Fundraiser, Priest Makes ‘Longest Shot Ever by a Priest on a Playground’
Father Jarett Konrade, pastor of St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church in Beloit, Kansas, made an impressive basketball shot recently during a fundraiser, landing him on the “Images of the Week” for “EWTN News In Depth.”
Two years ago, his parish suffered a fire in one of its church towers, and parishioners are still raising money to pay for the repairs. On Nov. 7, Konrade announced a creative way to raise funds ahead of the #iGiveCatholic GivingTuesday on Nov. 28 — a “foosketball” challenge (a mix of foosball and basketball).
For several weeks ahead of GivingTuesday, Konrade and Father Andrew Rockers, associate pastor of the parish, took part in challenges to encourage donations while giving students at the school something to cheer for. The two went head to head in “foosketball” and a one-on-one basketball game. But it was a trick shot from Konrade that made this Catholic community’s record book.
In a video shared on the school’s Instagram, two high school students said that Konrade would be attempting to make “the longest [basketball] shot ever by a priest on a playground.”
After 85 attempts, standing from a fire escape 76.9 feet away, Konrade found the basket with his basketball and an eruption of cheers followed the impressive shot.
Through their #iGiveCatholic campaign and a matching grant, St. John’s raised $45,822.24 for the parish and $274,882.21 for the school, bringing their grand total to $320,704.25.
Along the way, the school reached several milestones in terms of funds gathered. At $50,000, the students were treated to a movie sponsored by a small business in Beloit.
The milestone of $75,000 and $100,000 means several administrators and teachers will spin a “Wheel of Good/Bad Fortune” on Jan. 7, 2024. The wheel includes “good” items — such as gift cards to local restaurants — as well as some “not so good” items like the ice bucket challenge, eating cream pie with no hands, boiled or raw egg roulette, and milking a goat.
Since $125,000 was raised, Konrade will be going skydiving.
Finally, Bishop Jerry Vincke of the Diocese of Salina, Kansas, promised to walk from Glasco, Kansas, to St. John’s Parish as part of the fundraiser. This walk will take him more than six hours. In a video shared on Instagram, he said he will complete it before St. John’s inauguration of their restored church on Jan. 7, 2024.
Two years ago, his parish suffered a fire in one of its church towers, and parishioners are still raising money to pay for the repairs. On Nov. 7, Konrade announced a creative way to raise funds ahead of the #iGiveCatholic GivingTuesday on Nov. 28 — a “foosketball” challenge (a mix of foosball and basketball).
For several weeks ahead of GivingTuesday, Konrade and Father Andrew Rockers, associate pastor of the parish, took part in challenges to encourage donations while giving students at the school something to cheer for. The two went head to head in “foosketball” and a one-on-one basketball game. But it was a trick shot from Konrade that made this Catholic community’s record book.
In a video shared on the school’s Instagram, two high school students said that Konrade would be attempting to make “the longest [basketball] shot ever by a priest on a playground.”
After 85 attempts, standing from a fire escape 76.9 feet away, Konrade found the basket with his basketball and an eruption of cheers followed the impressive shot.
Through their #iGiveCatholic campaign and a matching grant, St. John’s raised $45,822.24 for the parish and $274,882.21 for the school, bringing their grand total to $320,704.25.
Along the way, the school reached several milestones in terms of funds gathered. At $50,000, the students were treated to a movie sponsored by a small business in Beloit.
The milestone of $75,000 and $100,000 means several administrators and teachers will spin a “Wheel of Good/Bad Fortune” on Jan. 7, 2024. The wheel includes “good” items — such as gift cards to local restaurants — as well as some “not so good” items like the ice bucket challenge, eating cream pie with no hands, boiled or raw egg roulette, and milking a goat.
Since $125,000 was raised, Konrade will be going skydiving.
Finally, Bishop Jerry Vincke of the Diocese of Salina, Kansas, promised to walk from Glasco, Kansas, to St. John’s Parish as part of the fundraiser. This walk will take him more than six hours. In a video shared on Instagram, he said he will complete it before St. John’s inauguration of their restored church on Jan. 7, 2024.
How the Blind Can 'see' Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico
Just inside the entrance to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City is a small area with a bas-relief sculpture of the Virgin Mary on display, designed especially for the blind to encounter Our Lady.
Fr. Umberto Mauro Marsich, an Italian Xavarian missionary priest, explained to ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish language news partner, that the image is made of highly durable nylon fiber and is a gift from the Institute of Italian Culture and the Italian Embassy.
The sculpture is a “gift to the Archdiocese of Mexico so the blind can come here” and venerate Our Lady of Guadalupe, he said.
“They first read the entire description in Braille, the Nahuatl symbology of the image” on a panel to the side, “and then they come over and touch the image with their hands,” he explained.
Marsich, who holds a doctorate in moral theology and teaches at the Pontifical University of Mexico, played a key role in having the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe for the blind made and donated.
The idea came about in 2008 during an exposition of a painting of the Virgin de la Pera in Mexico which was brought to the country along with a much simpler bas-relief version.
The head of an association for the blind was in attendance at the exposition. When he touched the bas-relief image he said, “Why can't we do something similar with Our Lady of Guadalupe?”
Fr. Marsich, who was also there at the time, said he worked with two other Italians to have a bas-relief of Our Lady of Guadalupe made.
“My friend Faranda went back to Italy and looked for people to make donations” for the work of art, Marsich said.
The sculpture was produced in the city of Faenza, Italy, in 2009. It cost about $22,000 to make.
A few days after its completion, it was brought to Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, where Pope Benedict XVI blessed it. It was then transported to Mexico and placed in the Guadalupe Basilica on Dec. 9, 2009.
More than 100 visually-impaired people gathered on the day the statue was installed in the basilica. Marsich said he was touched by their emotion, as, “finally being able to touch her, [they] discovered the beauty of the message conveyed to them by the Nahuatl symbology, which is a very luminous symbology.”
“People were so obviously moved that they were weeping,” he recalled.
However, the image is not just to be contemplated by visually impaired people, he pointed out.
The priest stressed that everyone can express “in some way our affection, our love, our tenderness for Mary, the Virgin of Guadalupe.”
Marsich hopes other bishops will be encouraged to ask for a replica of the image of the Virgin Mary for their dioceses, which he said would cost significantly less than the original.
Fr. Umberto Mauro Marsich, an Italian Xavarian missionary priest, explained to ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish language news partner, that the image is made of highly durable nylon fiber and is a gift from the Institute of Italian Culture and the Italian Embassy.
The sculpture is a “gift to the Archdiocese of Mexico so the blind can come here” and venerate Our Lady of Guadalupe, he said.
“They first read the entire description in Braille, the Nahuatl symbology of the image” on a panel to the side, “and then they come over and touch the image with their hands,” he explained.
Marsich, who holds a doctorate in moral theology and teaches at the Pontifical University of Mexico, played a key role in having the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe for the blind made and donated.
The idea came about in 2008 during an exposition of a painting of the Virgin de la Pera in Mexico which was brought to the country along with a much simpler bas-relief version.
The head of an association for the blind was in attendance at the exposition. When he touched the bas-relief image he said, “Why can't we do something similar with Our Lady of Guadalupe?”
Fr. Marsich, who was also there at the time, said he worked with two other Italians to have a bas-relief of Our Lady of Guadalupe made.
“My friend Faranda went back to Italy and looked for people to make donations” for the work of art, Marsich said.
The sculpture was produced in the city of Faenza, Italy, in 2009. It cost about $22,000 to make.
A few days after its completion, it was brought to Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, where Pope Benedict XVI blessed it. It was then transported to Mexico and placed in the Guadalupe Basilica on Dec. 9, 2009.
More than 100 visually-impaired people gathered on the day the statue was installed in the basilica. Marsich said he was touched by their emotion, as, “finally being able to touch her, [they] discovered the beauty of the message conveyed to them by the Nahuatl symbology, which is a very luminous symbology.”
“People were so obviously moved that they were weeping,” he recalled.
However, the image is not just to be contemplated by visually impaired people, he pointed out.
The priest stressed that everyone can express “in some way our affection, our love, our tenderness for Mary, the Virgin of Guadalupe.”
Marsich hopes other bishops will be encouraged to ask for a replica of the image of the Virgin Mary for their dioceses, which he said would cost significantly less than the original.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Remains a 'teacher of the Gospel' Through Her Image
By Courtney GroganVatican City, Dec 12 (EWTN News/CNA)
By Courtney GroganVatican 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.
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
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.”
“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
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
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 ThingsMy 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.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Wife : 'Do you want dinner?'
Husband: 'Sure! What are my choices?'
Wife: 'Yes or no.'
--------------------------------------------------------
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!'
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 ThingsMy 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.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Wife : 'Do you want dinner?'
Husband: 'Sure! What are my choices?'
Wife: 'Yes or no.'
--------------------------------------------------------
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!'
Prayer for the Third Week of Advent
Grant, almighty God,
that looking forward in faith to the feast of our Lord’s birth,
we may feel all the happiness our Saviour brings
and celebrate his coming with unfailing joy.
through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. Amen.
Grant, almighty God,
that looking forward in faith to the feast of our Lord’s birth,
we may feel all the happiness our Saviour brings
and celebrate his coming with unfailing joy.
through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever 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. ]
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 BIBLICAL MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
Gaudete Sunday
Third Sunday of Advent – Sunday, December 17, 2023
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.
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.
SUNDAY BIBLICAL MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
Gaudete Sunday
Third Sunday of Advent – Sunday, December 17, 2023
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.
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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