Quote of the Day – 23 December – The Fourth Sunday of Advent
“Jesus Christ, the God-Man,
was born in a manger and is spiritually reborn on the altar.
He suffered on Calvary
and continues to offer Himself on the altar.
In His earthly life, He spread His teaching
and worked miracles among the crowds.
In the Eucharist, He spans the centuries
and communicates Himself to all.”
Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Today’s Gospel: Luke 1:39-45
23 December
God’s love is demonstrated by the birth of Jesus
“Consider the love of God. It was always present but did not always appear. It was first promised in many prophecies and foreshadowed by many figures but, at the birth of our Redeemer, this divine love did indeed appear. But despite the birth of Jesus, why is it that so many people have not known God’s love and so many people seem ignorant of His love? This is the reason – “The light of the world has come into the world and humanity loves darkness rather than the light.” They have not known Him and they do not know Him because they do not wish to know Him, loving rather the darkness of sin than the light of grace. Let each one determine this day not to be numbered among those unhappy souls who prefer the darkness.
O my holy Infant, now I see You lying on the straw, poor, afflicted and forsaken. I have been one of those ungrateful ones who do not know You. Help me never to forget You again.”
Scripture
Restore us, O God;
let thy face shine, that we may be saved!
Psalm 80:3
Prayer
Advent Action
Carrying You in her womb, Your mother rushes to meet Elizabeth. What an awesome moment that meeting turns out to be! You are already on duty as our Redeemer, sanctifying John in his mother’s womb. In fact, the child in Elizabeth’s womb, responds to Your presence, as the mother, filled with the Holy Spirit, bears witness to it.
As these final days of this preparatory Season draw to a close, there is still time to allow body, mind and heart to be attuned to the transforming intervention of Jesus, God-in-the-flesh. There is still time to permit body, mind and heart to see “the plan” already at work in life, especially in those dark and difficult moments of life. There is still time for body, mind and heart to cry out to the Holy Spirit for a zealous and determined connection with the Person Jesus, who pours His abundant joy into every aspect of our lives.
Lord, grant me the grace, to bring Your joy to all I meet along the path of life. May Your presence in my heart, as in Mary’s womb, bring salvation to all!
“Being awake for God and for other people – that is the kind of ‘waking’ that Advent has in mind, the wakefulness which discovers the light and brightens the world!” (Pope Benedict XVI – The Light of a new humanity p 19)
Our Morning Offering – 23 December – The Fourth Sunday of Advent
Act of Oblation before Holy Communion
By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
Lord, all things in heaven and on earth
are Yours,
I desire to give myself to You
in willing abandonment
and to remain Yours forever.
Lord, in simplicity of heart,
I offer myself to You this day,
always to be Your obedient servant
and a sacrifice of perpetual praise.
Accept me with the Holy Sacrifice
of Your precious Body,
which I offer You today
in the presence of Your assisting Angels,
for my salvation
and that of all Your people.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 22 December – – Today’s Gospel Luke 1:46-56 – The Canticle of the Magnificat
Pope Benedict XVI – Encyclical “Deus Caritas Est” 541
Mary’s Magnificat—a portrait, so to speak, of her soul—is entirely woven from threads of Holy Scripture, threads drawn from the Word of God. Here we see, how completely at home Mary is, with the Word of God, with ease she moves in and out of it. She speaks and thinks with the Word of God; the Word of God becomes her word and her word issues from the Word of God. Here we see how her thoughts are attuned to the thoughts of God, how her will is one with the will of God. Since Mary is completely imbued with the Word of God, she is able to become the Mother of the Word Incarnate.
Finally, Mary is a woman who loves. How could it be otherwise? As a believer who in faith thinks with God’s thoughts and wills with God’s will, she cannot fail to be a woman who loves. We sense this in her quiet gestures, as recounted by the infancy narratives in the Gospel. We see it in the delicacy with which she recognises the need of the spouses at Cana and makes it known to Jesus. We see it in the humility with which she recedes into the background during Jesus’ public life, knowing that the Son must establish a new family and that the Mother’s hour will come only with the Cross… At the hour of Pentecost, it will be the disciples who gather around her as they wait for the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 1:14).
Quote of the Day – 22 December – Today’s Gospel Luke 1:46-56
“The exultation of the humble maiden of Galilee,
expressed in the Canticle of the Magnificat,
becomes the song of all humanity,
which sees with satisfaction,
the Lord stoop over all men and all women,
humble creatures and assume them with Him into heaven.”
Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787))
22 December
The sorrow that the ingratitude of humankind has caused Jesus
“Consider that Saint Francis of Assisi, during the days of the holy Nativity, went about the highways and woods with sighs and tears and inconsolable lamentations. When asked the reason, he responded, “Why should I not weep when I see that love is not loved! I see a God who became human for the love of humanity and humanity that is ungrateful to this God.” Now, if this ingratitude caused so much sorrow in the heart of St Francis, consider how much more it must have afflicted the heart of Jesus Christ. The loving infant does not deserve this response. He came from heaven to suffer and die for us, so that we might love Him. How can we remain ungrateful?
O my Jesus, I love You and will always love You. Inflame my heart every day with the memory of Your love for me. Mary, my mother, help me to live a life grateful to God, who has loved me, even after I have so greatly offended Him.”
Scripture
“…For he who is mighty has done great things for me and holy is his name.”…Luke 1:49
Prayer
Advent Action
“The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” Mary looks back to the beginning of her song, where she said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord. Only that soul for whom the Lord in His love does great things can proclaim His greatness with fitting praise and encourage those who share her desire and purpose, saying – ‘join with me in proclaiming the greatness of the Lord, let us extol His name together.'”…St Bede the Venerable (673-735) – Father & Doctor
Have you ever been overcome by the goodness of God? Today’s Scripture presents the images of Hannah and Mary, who are both overcome by God’s goodness. Lord, today, I too want to join Your mother in her hymn of thanksgiving. On the threshold of Christmas, this is the best prayer that we humans can raise to the Almighty God. Let us make this song our own – our continual song of gratitude! Together with Mary, let us rejoice for the fulfilment of the promise of which You, already in her womb, are the fruit and proof. Lord, make us too partners in the revolution that You begin, with Your incarnation – the revolution that pulls down the mighty and exalts the poor and the powerless.
Our Morning Offering – 22 December
The Magnificat
The Canticle of Mary
Luke 1:46-55
My soul glorifies the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour
He looks on His servant in her lowliness
Henceforth all ages will call me blessed:
The Almighty works marvels for me,
holy is his Name!
His mercy is from age to age,
on those who fear Him.
He puts forth His arm in strength
and scatters the proud-hearted.
He casts the mighty from their thrones
and raises the lowly.
He fills the starving with good things,
sends the rich away empty.
He protects Israel, His servant,
remembering His mercy,
the mercy promised to our fathers,
to Abraham and his sons forever.
Thought for the day – 21 December – The Memorial of St Peter Canisius S.J. (1521-1597) Doctor of the Church
On today’s feast of St Peter Canisius S. J., Catholics may wish to thank this Doctor of the Church for giving us the second half of the Hail Mary prayer.
This 16th-century saint, known as the second Apostle of Germany, followed in the giant footsteps of St Boniface, who evangelised Germany a thousand years earlier. He was also quite active at the Council of Trent and wrote much on the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The first half of the Hail Mary, of course, comes from Scripture. What many Catholics don’t know is that the second half of this Catholic prayer is due to the intervention of St Peter Canisius at the Council of Trent. St Peter began adding on to the scriptural part of the Hail Mary the second half of this familiar prayer, “Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death.” It was Trent that officially accepted the prayer and included it in their famous Catechism of the Council of Trent in 1566.
This learned saint was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XI in 1925. He was a holy and learned Jesuit, who wrote catechisms based on Trent’s Roman Catechism, which he helped generate. He also wrote a breviary and many works on Mary.
Saint Peter’s main mission was to counter the Protestant revolt in Germany. He was providentially born just four years after Martin Luther penned his 95 theses. To withstand the errors of the Protestant deformers, St Peter wrote his catechism in 1555, which was called a Summary of Christian Doctrine. This catechism basically enshrined what came to be known as the Counter-Reformation.
Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787))
21 December
Jesus is a prisoner in the womb of Mary
“Consider the painful life that Jesus Christ led in the womb of His mother and the long-confined and dark imprisonment that He suffered there for nine months. He had His senses but He could not use them. A tongue but He could not speak. Eyes but he could not see. Hands but He could not stretch them out. Feet but He could not walk. For nine months, He had to remain the womb of Mary, a voluntary prison but also a prison of love. He was innocent but He had offered Himself to make payment for our debts and our crimes.
What gratitude and love we should demonstrate for our Lord in return for the love and goodness that He has given us. He has put Himself into chains, in order to deliver us from the chains of evil.
O my Jesus, You are the innocent one. I implore You to bind my poor soul to Your feet by Your holy love, so that it may never again be separated from You.”
Scripture
“Blessed are you among women
and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”
Luke 1:42
Advent Action
Dawn never happens quickly. Long before dawn, while it is quite dark, the birds start their sounds of joy. Slowly the night changes from dark, to charcoal, to haze, to light. Today’s Scripture presents to us the image of waiting. In the Gospel, Mary and Elizabeth, wait and wonder together and the Lord waits, St John the Baptist waits. Oftentimes, we are called to wait. We must believe that in our waiting, the dawning also exists. We know that the Lord will always draw us from darkness into His cleansing light. Patience is a virture – displayed so wonderfully and painfully by the Lord. How can we give into our impatience? Rest in Me, remember me in the womb of My mother Mary and learn patience!
Our Morning Offering – 21 December – Pope Benedict’s Favourite Prayer – The Memorial of St Peter Canisius (1521-1397) Doctor of the Church
The Universal Prayer
By Saint Peter Canisius
Almighty, eternal God, Lord, heavenly Father,
look with Your eyes of undeserved compassion
on our sorrow, misery and need.
Have mercy on all the Christian faithful,
for whom Your only-begotten Son,
our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, was content to give Himself
into the hand of sinners
and shed His precious Blood on the wood of the Holy Cross.
For the sake of the Lord Jesus, most gracious Father,
avert our well-deserved punishments,
present danger and future threats, harm and outrage,
arms and warfare, dearth and misfortune,
sickness and sorrowful, miserable times.
Enlighten and strengthen in all goodness our spiritual leaders
and earthly rulers, that they may do everything
to further Your honour as God, our salvation,
the common peace and the welfare of all Your people.
Grant us, O God of peace, a true unity in faith,
free of all division and separation.
Convert our hearts to true repentance and amendment of life.
Kindle in us the fire of Your love; give us hunger and zeal
for justice in all things, so that we, as obedient children
through life unto death, may be pleasing to You
and find favour in Your sight.
We also pray, O God, as You willed that we should pray,
for our friends and enemies, for the healthy and the sick,
for all Christians in sadness and distress,
for the living and the dead.
To You, O Lord, be entrusted whatever we do,
whatever our path, our work and our dealings,
our living and dying.
Let us delight in Your grace here in this world
and attain the next with all Your chosen ones,
to praise, honour and extol You in unending joy and blessedness.
Grant us this, O Lord, heavenly Father,
through Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son,
Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
“The [prayer] I like most…the ‘General Prayer’ by Peter Canisius from the sixteenth century. It remains unchangingly pertinent and beautiful.”
From Pope Benedict, Last Testament, New York, Bloomsbury, 2016, 8.
Thought for the Day – 20 December – “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus.” – Today’s Gospel Luke 1:26-38
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
Abbot and Doctor of the Church
An excerpt from Homily 4
” In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.”…Luke1:26-31
You have heard, O Virgin, that you will conceive and bear a son – you have heard that it will not be by man but by the Holy Spirit. The angel awaits an answer – it is time for him to return to God who sent him. We too are waiting, O Lady, for your word of compassion, the sentence of condemnation weighs heavily upon us.
The price of our salvation is offered to you. We shall be set free at once if you consent. In the eternal Word of God we all came to be and behold, we die. In your brief response we are to be remade in order to be recalled to life.
Tearful Adam with his sorrowing family begs this of you, O loving Virgin, in their exile from Paradise. Abraham begs it, David begs it. All the other holy patriarchs, your ancestors, ask it of you, as they dwell in the country of the shadow of death. This is what the whole earth waits for, prostrate at your feet. It is right in doing so, for on your word depends comfort for the wretched, ransom for the captive, freedom for the condemned, indeed, salvation for all the sons of Adam, the whole of your race.
Answer quickly, O Virgin. Reply in haste to the angel, or rather through the angel to the Lord. Answer with a word, receive the Word of God. Speak your own word, conceive the divine Word. Breathe a passing word, embrace the eternal Word.
Why do you delay, why are you afraid? Believe, give praise and receive. Let humility be bold, let modesty be confident. This is no time for virginal simplicity to forget prudence. In this matter alone, O prudent Virgin, do not fear to be presumptuous. Though modest silence is pleasing, dutiful speech is now more necessary. Open your heart to faith, O blessed Virgin, your lips to praise, your womb to the Creator. See, the desired of all nations is at your door, knocking to enter. If He should pass by because of your delay, in sorrow, you would begin to seek Him afresh, the One whom your soul loves. Arise, hasten, open. Arise in faith, hasten in devotion, open in praise and thanksgiving.
Quote of the Day – 20 December
“Christ…took our nature, when He would redeem it,
He redeemed it by making it suffer in His own Person –
He purified it, by making it pure in His own Person.
He first sanctified it in Himself,
made it righteous,
made it acceptable to God,
submitted it to an expiatory passion
and then, He imparted it to us.
He took it,
consecrated it,
broke it
and said,
“Take and divide it among yourselves.”
Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787))
20 December
Jesus offered Himself for our salvation from the beginning
“Consider that the divine Word knew that all the sacrifices of goats and bulls offered to the Father in times past had not been able to satisfy for the sins of humankind but that it required a divine person to pay the price of redemption. “My Father” said Jesus, “all the victims previously offered to You have not paid the debt, nor could they have paid the debt, necessary to satisfy Your justice. You have given me my humanity, in order that by shedding my blood, I might please You and save humanity. Behold I come. Here I am. I am ready. I accept everything and I submit myself in everything, to Your will.”
O my Jesus, I am weak, grant me strength against temptation. I am infirm, I hope that Your precious blood will be my medicine. I am a sinner but I hope that Your grace will make me a saint. I acknowledge that I have co-operated with my own ruin but this day, I promise always, to call upon You and in this way co-operate with Your grace.”
Scripture
” Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.”
Psalm 24:3-4
Prayer
O KEY OF DAVID,
and Sceptre of the House of Israel,
who opens and no-one shuts,
who shuts and no-one opens:
Come and bring forth the captive from his prison,
he who sits in darkness and in the shadow of death.
Advent Action
The Pharisees, dressed in fine robes and living in palaces, are rejected. Advent is the time to ask Jesus to change us. He is coming, He invades the world, He changes everything, forevermore – He will change us if we ask – “Lord, come to me this day. Change me. Restore me to Your kingdom.”
“If we would please this Divine Infant,
we too must become children,
simple and humble;
we must carry to Him flowers of virtue,
of meekness, of mortification, of charity;
we must clasp Him in the arms of our love.”…St Alphonsus
Our Morning Offering – 20 December
Advent Prayer – God of Hope
God of hope,
who brought love into this world,
be the love that dwells between us.
God of hope,
who brought peace into this world,
be the peace that dwells between us.
God of hope,
who brought joy into this world,
be the joy that dwells between us.
God of hope,
the rock we stand upon,
be the centre, the focus of our lives
always and particularly this Advent time.
Through Him,
who is our hope,
our joy,
our love,
our peace,
in union with the Holy Spirit,
one God forever,
amen.
Thought for the Day – 19 December – “You will be speechless….” Origen
“But now you will be speechless and unable to talk
until the day these things take place,
because you did not believe my words,
which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”
Luke 1:20
“You will be speechless… until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words”. Voice and word are not the same thing where we are concerned, since a voice can be heard without it conveying any meaning, without words and the word can likewise be communicated to our minds without a voice, as in the wandering of our thoughts. In the same way, since the Saviour is Word…, John differs from Him in being voice, by comparison with Christ, who is Word. This is what John himself answered to those who asked him who he was: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight his paths’” (Lk 3:4; Jn 1:23).
Perhaps this is the reason – because he doubted the birth of the voice that would reveal the Word of God – why Zachariah lost his voice but recovered it again when that voice was born who is the Word’s forerunner (Lk 1:64). Since, for the mind to be able to grasp the word intended by the voice, we must hear the voice. It is also why, according to the time of his birth, John is slightly older than Christ – for we perceive the voice before the word. Thus John points to Christ since it is with the voice that the Word is made known. Likewise, Christ was baptised by John, who admitted his need of being baptised by Him (Mt 3:14)… In brief, when John pointed to Christ it was as a man pointing to God, the incorporeal Saviour, as a voice pointing to the Word…”…Origen (c.185-253)
Ant. The mouth of Zechariah was opened and he spoke this prophecy:
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel.
The Benedictus – Canticle of Zechariah
Luke 1:68-79
The Messiah and His forerunner
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
He has visited His people and redeemed them.
He has raised up for us a mighty saviour,
in the house of David, His servant,
as He promised by the lips of holy men,
those who were His prophets of old.
A Saviour who would free us from our foes,
from the hands of all who hate us.
So His love for our fathers is fulfilled
and His holy covenant remembered.
He swore to Abraham, our father, to grant us,
that free from fear and safe from the hands of our foes.
we might worship Him in justice and holiness
all the days of our lives, in His Presence.
As for you, little child,
you shall be called the prophet of God, the Most High.
You shall go ahead of the Lord
to prepare His ways before Him,
to make known to His people their salvation,
through forgiveness of all their sins,
the loving kindness of the heart of our God,
who visits us like the dawn from on high.
He will give light to those in darkness,
those who dwell in the shadow of death,
and to guide them into the way of peace.
Glory be to the Father
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever.
Amen
Ant. The mouth of Zechariah was opened and he spoke this prophecy:
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel
Quote of the Day – 19 December
“Having clothed Himself with a created essence,
He made it the instrument of His humiliation –
He acted in it,
He obeyed and suffered through it…
That Eternal Power, which, till then,
had thought and acted as God,
began to think and act as a man,
with all man’s faculties, affections
and imperfections, sin excepted.
Before He came on earth,
He was infinitely above joy and grief,
fear and anger,
pain and heaviness
but afterwards, all these properties
and many more,
were His as full as they are ours.”
Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
19 December
The passion of Jesus lasted throughout His whole life
“Consider that when Abraham was leading his son Isaac to death, that he did not give him notice of it beforehand, even during the short time that was necessary for them to arrive at the mount. But the eternal Father chose that His incarnate Son, whom He had destined to be the victim for the atonement of our sins, should know the sorrow He was to endure from the very first moment that He was in His mother’s womb. The whole life, then, of our blessed Redeemer and all the years that He spent, was a life of pain and tears. His divine heart never passed one moment free from suffering. The martyrs have suffered but assisted by grace, they suffered with you and fervour. Jesus Christ suffered but He suffered with a heart full of weariness and sorrow and He accepted all, for our love.
O sweet, O amiable, O loving heart of Jesus, I thank You. O afflicted and loving heart of my Lord, I thank You for all that You suffered for me!”
Scripture
Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.
Psalm 71:4
Prayer
O ROOT OF JESSE,
that stands for an ensign of the people,
before whom the kings keep silence
and unto whom the Gentiles shall make supplication,
come, to deliver us and tarry not.
Advent Action
Speechless I stand before You, contemplating the Father’s mysterious design for our salvation. I revere the elaborate preparations the Father puts in place for Your coming into our midst as one of us. First, He prepares a mother for You, preserving her from sin right from conception and filling her with grace. Then, in the fullness of time, He approaches her announcing His plan and the role she has to play in it. Then, He takes care of her heart-broken husband, Joseph, announcing to him the mystery of Your incarnation. And finally, the Father raises one more prophet to prepare the field for Your mission and to introduce You to our world.
Today, Your Word invites me to reflect on the role of the Baptist in Your redemptive work and challenges me to make space for You to be born in our world and in my heart.
Lord, let my life be a pointer to You as John’s was…I beg You!
Our Morning Offering – 19 December
A 10th Century Catholic Advent Prayer
Unknown Author
You are our eternal salvation,
The unfailing light of the world.
Light everlasting,
You are truly our redemption.
Grieving that the human race was perishing
through the tempter’s power,
without leaving the heights
You came to the depths
in Your loving kindness.
Readily taking our humanity
by Your gracious will,
You saved all earthly creatures,
long since lost,
Restoring joy to the world.
Redeem our souls and bodies, O Christ,
and so possess us as Your shining dwellings.
By Your first coming, make us righteous;
At Your second coming, set us free:
So that, when the world is filled with light
and You judge all things,
We may be clad in spotless robes
and follow in Your steps, O King,
Into the heavenly hall. Amen
Thought for the Day – 18 December – The Memorial of Our Lady of Expectation
The Gospel message on this feast relates the story of the Annunciation. God asks a woman, His creature for a favour to be Mother of His Son and at the same time, He respects her freedom. She is free to say “yes” or “no.” There is a moment of waiting in heaven and on earth – God waits for her answer, the heavenly messenger waits for her answer, the first parents Adam and Eve wait for her answer, all confined in hell wait for her answer. With grateful heart, we thank Mary, the Wise and Prudent Virgin, for saying “yes” to God on our behalf. Her simple words: “Let what you have said be done to me” (Lk 1:38) brought down to us the Saviour and has changed the world forever . She obeyed the Angel, not the Devil and thus she pleased God – “Blessed are you because of your belief that the promise made to you by the Lord would be fulfilled” (Lk 1:45).
At the offertory, the Church blesses “Our Lady of Expectation” with the Angel’s greeting “Rejoice, so highly favoured. The Lord is with you” (Lk 1:29); “Of all women you are the most blessed and blessed is the fruit of your womb” (Lk 1:42). Mary is doubly blessed – in her virginity and motherhood and thus stands as an ideal and inspiration for every woman single or married. Her virginal womb is blessed with the Divine Life. She is the Mother of every child ever conceived under the mother’s heart. What an example she offers to all expectant mothers to welcome, to nurture life and to bring it to the full maturity of Christ’s humanity. At the same time, we must pray for the end of abortion, the greatest evil in our days and to promote the civilisation of love and family life.
The Holy Virgin Mary, “Our Lady of Expectation”, is a great educator of the Christian family. Christmas is a family celebration. We all want to be home for Christmas. She teaches us how to love and enjoy our own humanity and the humanity of her Son, we celebrate on Christmas Day.
Quote of the Day – 18 December – The Memorial of Our Lady of Expectation
Luke 1:38
Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787))
18 December
Jesus made Himself a child to gain our confidence and our love.
“Consider that the Son of God has made Himself little in order to make us great. He has given Himself to us, that we might give ourselves to Him. He has come to show us His love, that we may respond to it by giving Him ours. Let us, therefore, receive Him with affection, let us love Him and call upon Him with all our needs.
“A child gives easily” says St Bernard. Children readily give whatever is asked of them. Jesus came into the world as a child to demonstrate that He was ready and willing to give all. If we wish for light, Jesus has come to enlighten us. If we desire strength, He will strengthen us. If we wish for pardon, He has come to pardon us. In short, He has come to give us all that we need.
O my Jesus, You have descended from heaven to give Yourself entirely to us. How can we turn our backs on You? I have been loved by You and I have also been ungrateful. O my Redeemer, forgive the injuries that I have committed against You.”
Scripture
“It is now the hour for you to wake from sleep….Let us cast off deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light.”
Romans 13:11,12
Prayer
O LORD AND RULER
of the House of Israel,
who appeared to Moses in the flame of the burning bush
and gave him the law on Sinai:
Come and redeem us with outstretched arms.
Advent Action
Are we in the core group of Christians who embody and live the purest form of the Gospel? Or do we find ourselves among the masses that acknowledge Jesus, enjoy being Christian but don’t pursue it at any deep level? The two requirements in the Gospel are that we repent and believe. If we repent, we do no wrong and speak no lies. If we believe with all our hearts, we follow the Star to the Manger. Let these last few days be a time when we begin the journey to the Christmas core – to the Christ Child. “Let us make ourselves ready to celebrate Christmas by contemplating Mary and Joseph- Mary, the woman full of grace who had the courage to entrust herself totally to the Word of God; Joseph, the faithful and just man who chose to believe the Lord rather than listen to the voices of doubt and human pride. With them, let us walk together toward Bethlehem.” ...Pope Francis – Angelus, 22 December 2013
Our Morning Offering – 18 December – The Feast of Our Lady of Expectation
Maiden yet a Mother
By Dante Alighieri (1265-1321)
Tr Msgr Ronald A Knox (1888-1957)
Maiden yet a mother,
daughter of thy Son,
high beyond all other,
lowlier is none;
thou the consummation
planned by God’s decree,
when our lost creation
nobler rose in thee!
Thus His place prepared,
he who all things made
‘mid his creatures tarried,
in thy bosom laid;
there His love He nourished,
warmth that gave increase
to the root whence flourished
our eternal peace.
Nor alone thou hearest
When thy name we hail;
Often thou art nearest
When our voices fail;
Mirrored in thy fashion
All creation’s gird,
Mercy, might compassion
Grace thy womanhood.
Lady, let our vision
Striving heavenward, fail,
Still let thy petition
With thy Son prevail,
Unto whom all merit,
prayer and majesty,
With the Holy Spirit
And the Father be.
Maiden Yet A Mother is a translation of a poem by Durante (Dante) degli Alighieri (c 1265–1321). It is based upon the opening verses of Canto 33 of the Paradiso from his Divine Comedy in which St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153) praises and prays to the Virgin Mother on behalf of Dante. It was translated from the original Italian into English by the Catholic convert, Monsignior Ronald A Knox (1888-1957).
Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787))
17 December
The Heart of Jesus in the womb of His Mother
“Consider that whatever Jesus suffered in His life and in His Passion was all placed before Him while He was in the womb of Mary. He accepted everything that was proposed to Him with delight but in accepting all things and in overcoming the natural repugnance of sense, O my God, what anguish and oppression did the innocent heart of Jesus suffer. Our Redeemer accepted each moment even though He continually had before His eyes that confusion which He would one day feel at seeing Himself stripped naked, scourged and suspended by three iron nails, ending His life in the midst of insults and curses. And for what? To save us miserable and ungrateful sinners.
My beloved Redeemer, how much did it cost You to raise me from the ruin, which I brought on myself through my sins? What can I do without Your grace? I can do nothing but pray that You will help me but even this prayer comes from the merits of Your suffering and death! O my Jesus, help me!”
Scripture
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Matthew 1:1
Prayer
O WISDOM
You came forth from the mouth of the Most High
and reaching from beginning to end,
You ordered all things mightily and sweetly.
Come and teach us the way of prudence
Advent Action
Time is fast approaching for Eternity to break into time. And today we begin our special preparations to celebrate Your birthday. Your Evangelist, Matthew, begins his Gospel by tracing Your origin as a human being. You did not come to us as bolt from the blue. You fully belong to our human stock. Matthew’s list of Your genealogy is disturbing, if not shocking. Of course, Your ancestors include great patriarchs of the chosen people. But it also includes some of ill repute! It begins with Abraham begetting Isaac. Ishmael, the first son of Abraham, is not in the picture. The story continues with Isaac begetting Jacob and not the elder son Esau. Again, Jacob begets Judah, ignoring Joseph who was obviously the best of the brothers. With these unreasonable choices, Matthew seems to impress on us that often God does not choose the best or the noblest or the saintly. Thank You, Lord, for it is only Your unpredictable graciousness that made You choose me and employ me in Your service! Only by my prayer, ‘O my Jesus, help me’ can I live up to this choice. And so I increase my prayer this week. (Fr Joseph Thena SSP)
Our Morning Offering – 17 December – The Memorial of St John of Matha O.SS.T (1160-1213) – Founder of the Trinitarians and the Devotion to Our Lady of Good Remedy
Prayer/Hymn to Our Lady of Good Remedy
O Mary, you accept our prayers
and lovingly grant remedy,
we ask you with humility,
remain with us continually.
Be with us if we fall in sin
and feel its cruel captivity,
break all the bonds which hold us chained,
and cleanse our hearts’ iniquity.
Help us when love is growing cold
and worldly lures lead us astray,
let heaven shine within our hearts
lest we forget salvation’s way.
Assist us in our sufferings,
when body soul or spirit fail.
Bring peace and calm into our lives
until the light of heaven prevail.
Be with your children at death’s hour,
protect them in your great pity,
that with your aid, they may enjoy
rewards throughout eternity.
With grateful hearts we sing your praise
with hymns unto the Trinity,
for giving us in all our needs
the Virgin as a remedy.
Amen.
From the Breviary Office of Readings for the Feast of Our Lady of Good Remedy
Gaudete Sunday – The Blessing of the Christ Child Figurine
This Sunday, the Third Sunday in the Season of Advent, is called “Gaudete Sunday”: “rejoice”, because the Entrance Antiphon of Holy Mass takes up St Paul’s words in the Letter to the Philippians where it says: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice”. And immediately after he explains the reason, because “The Lord is at hand” (Phil 4: 4-5). This is the reason for joy. But what does “the Lord is at hand” mean? In what sense must we understand this “closeness” of God? The Apostle Paul, writing to the Christians of Philippi, is evidently thinking of Christ’s return and invites them to rejoice because it is certain. Yet, St Paul in his Letter to the Thessalonians, warns that no one can know the moment of the Lord’s coming (cf. 1 Thes 5: 1-2) and puts people on guard against any kind of alarmism, as if Christ’s return were imminent (cf. 2 Thes 2: 1-2).
Thus the Church, illumined by the Holy Spirit, already at that time understood increasingly better that God’s “closeness” is not a question of space and time but rather of love: love brings people together!
This coming Christmas will remind us of this fundamental truth of our faith and in front of the manger we shall be able to savour Christian joy contemplating in the newborn Jesus the Face of God who made Himself close to us out of love.
In this light, it gives me real pleasure to renew the beautiful tradition of the Blessing of the Christ Child figurines, the miniature statues of the Baby Jesus to be placed in the manger. I address you in particular, dear boys and girls of Rome, who have come this morning with your Baby Jesus figurines that I now bless. I invite you to join me, following attentively this prayer:
God, our Father
You so loved humankind
that You sent us Your only Son Jesus,
born of the Virgin Mary,
to save us and lead us back to You.
We pray that with Your Blessing
these images of Jesus,
who is about to come among us,
may be a sign of Your presence and
love in our homes.
Good Father,
give Your Blessing to us too,
to our parents, to our families and
to our friends.
Open our hearts,
so that we may be able to
receive Jesus in joy,
always do what He asks
and see Him in all those
who are in need of our love.
We ask you this in the name of Jesus,
Your beloved Son
who comes to give the world peace.
He lives and reigns forever and ever.
Amen.
Thought for the Day – 16 December 2018 – The Third ‘Gaudete’ Sunday of Advent
An excerpt from his Sermon 293
John is the voice but the Lord is the Word who was in the beginning. John is the voice that lasts for a time, from the beginning, Christ is the Word who lives forever.
Take away the word, the meaning and what is the voice? Where there is no understanding, there is only a meaningless sound. The voice without the word strikes the ear but does not build up the heart.
However, let us observe what happens when we first seek to build up our hearts. When I think about what I am going to say, the word or message is already in my heart. When I want to speak to you, I look for a way to share with your heart what is already in mine.
In my search for a way to let this message reach you, so that the word already in my heart may find a place also in yours, I use my voice to speak to you. The sound of my voice brings the meaning of the word to you and then passes away. The word which the sound has brought to you is now in your heart and yet it is still also in mine.
When the word has been conveyed to you, does not the sound seem to say – the word ought to grow and I should diminish? The sound of the voice has made itself heard in the service of the word and has gone away, as though it were saying – my joy is complete. Let us hold on to the word; we must not lose the word conceived inwardly in our hearts.
Do you need proof that the voice passes away but the divine Word remains? Where is John’s baptism today? It served its purpose and it went away. Now it is Christ’s baptism that we celebrate. It is in Christ that we all believe, we hope for salvation in Him. This is the message the voice cried out.
Because it is hard to distinguish word from voice, even John himself was thought to be the Christ. The voice was thought to be the word. But the voice acknowledged what it was, anxious not to give offence to the word. I am not the Christ, he said, nor Elijah, nor the prophet. And the question came: Who are you, then? He replied: I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness – Prepare the way for the Lord!
The voice of one crying in the wilderness is the voice of one breaking the silence. Prepare the way for the Lord, he says, as though he were saying: “I speak out in order to lead Him into your hearts but He does not choose to come where I lead Him, unless you prepare the way for Him.”
To prepare the way means to pray well – it means thinking humbly of oneself. We should take our lesson from John the Baptist. He is thought to be the Christ, he declares he is not what they think. He does not take advantage of their mistake to further his own glory.
If he had said, “I am the Christ,” you can imagine how readily he would have been believed, since they believed he was the Christ even before he spoke. But he did not say it, he acknowledged what he was. He pointed out clearly who he was; he humbled himself.
He saw where his salvation lay. He understood that he was a lamp and his fear was that it might be blown out, by the wind of pride.”
“The very Son of God,
older than the ages,
the invisible,
the incomprehensible,
the incorporeal,
the beginning of beginning,
the light of light,
the fountain of life and immortality,
the image of the archetype,
the immovable seal,
the perfect likeness,
the definition and word of the Father:
He it is who comes to His own image
and takes our nature for the good of our nature
and unites Himself to an intelligent soul
for the good of my soul,
to purify like by like.”
Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
16 December – Gaudete Sunday
God has given His only Son to save us
“Consider, that the eternal Father has given His Son to the world, for the light and life of all people, in order that He might win salvation.
Consider also, that the Father, in sending His Son to be our Redeemer and Mediator has, in a certain sense, bound Himself to forgive us and love us. On the other hand, the divien Word, having accepted the invitation of His Father, has also bound Himself to love us – not for our own merits but rather, to fulfil the merciful will of His Father.”
Scripture
Have no anxiety about anything but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
Philippians 4:6
Prayer (St Alphonsus)
O infinite God
and only love of my soul,
I thank You,
for having given me Your Son.
For the sake of this same Son,
accept me
and bind me with chains of love
to my Redeemer.
Amen
Advent Action
We begin this third week of Advent asking to feel the joy that comes from knowing our Lord’s coming to us is near.
In these precious days ahead, we are praying, longing, hoping in the background of our everyday lives.
His mission is to the poor, the brokenhearted, prisoners and captives. His mission is for us. It is “good news,” full of healing, liberty and release. We can smile today as we imagine the freedom He has won for us and how liberating it will be to live it, with Him, for others.
It is right to give our God thanks and praise and to follow His mission in our lives.
Jesus will come again, very soon!
Our Morning Offering – The Third Sunday of Advent – 16 December 2018
How Beautiful
By Daryl Madden
How beautiful
Your light this day
Reflection of
Colours arrayed
How beautiful
Your precious gift
Our daily bread
The soul to lift
How beautiful
Your living Word
Let soul be lead
By Spirit heard
How beautiful
Your blessed grace
Our gift, Your light
Souls to embrace
By courtesy of the Poet Daryl Madden
https://darylmadden.wordpress.com/2018/12/15/how-beautiful/comment-page-1/#comment-3319
Thought for the Day – 15 December – Saturday of the Second week of Advent
The Word of the Lord will come to us – The Threefold Coming of the Lord
St Bernard Clairvaux (1090-1153) Doctor of the Church
We know that the coming of the Lord is threefold – the third coming is between the other two and it is not visible in the way they are. At His first coming the Lord was seen on earth and lived among men, who saw Him and hated Him. At His last coming All flesh shall see the salvation of our God and They shall look on Him whom they have pierced. In the middle, the hidden coming, only the chosen see Him and they see Him within themselves and so their souls are saved. The first coming was in flesh and weakness, the middle coming is in spirit and power and the final coming will be in glory and majesty.
This middle coming is like a road that leads from the first coming to the last. At the first, Christ was our redemption, at the last, He will become manifest as our life but in this middle way He is our rest and our consolation.
If you think that I am inventing what I am saying about the middle coming, listen to the Lord Himself: “If anyone loves me, he will keep my words and the Father will love him and we shall come to him.” Elsewhere I have read: Whoever fears the Lord does good things – but I think that what was said about whoever loves Him was more important, that whoever loves Him will keep His words. Where are these words to be kept? In the heart certainly, as the Prophet says I have hidden your sayings in my heart so that I do not sin against you. Keep the word of God in that way – Blessed are those who keep it. Let it penetrate deep into the core of your soul and then flow out again in your feelings and the way you behave, because if you feed your soul well it will grow and rejoice. Do not forget to eat your bread, or your heart will dry up. Remember and your soul will grow fat and sleek.
If you keep God’s word like this, there is no doubt that it will keep you, for the Son will come to you with the Father, the great Prophet will come, who will renew Jerusalem and He is the one who makes all things new. For this is what this coming will do, just as we have been shaped in the earthly image, so will we be shaped in the heavenly image. Just as the old Adam was poured into the whole man and took possession of him, so in turn will our whole humanity be taken over by Christ, who created all things, has redeemed all things and will glorify all things.
Quote/s of the Day – 15 December – Saturday of the Second week of Advent
“Into this world, this demented inn
in which there is absolutely no room for Him at all,
Christ comes uninvited.”
“At this Christmas, when Christ comes,
will He find a warm heart?
Mark the season of Advent,
by loving and serving the others,
with God’s own love and concern.”
(Love: A Fruit Always in Season)
You must be logged in to post a comment.