Pray with the Pope's special intentions to start the New Year

Pope Francis' Prayer Intentions for January

Petitions for Peace and for Religious Men and Women

    

Rome, December 30, 2014 (Zenit.org) Staff Reporter   

The Vatican today released Pope Francis’ prayer intentions for January 2015.

 

The Holy Father's universal prayer intention for this month is:

“That those from diverse religious traditions and all people of good will may work together for peace”.

His intention for evangelization is:

“That in this year dedicated to consecrated life, religious men and women may rediscover the joy of following Christ and strive to serve the poor with zeal”.

Reports of her demise are a joke; Catholicism continues to grow and prosper in every corner of the world; the Church that is rock; the Church that even the gates of hell cannot prevail against her!

Number of Catholics growing throughout the world

Woman praying at Catholic church in Myanmar. - AFP

31/12/2014

(Vatican Radio)  The number of Catholics in the world has increased with growth registered across all five continents. The figures are taken by the Fides news agency from the latest edition of the Church’s Book of Statistics updated to 31 December 2012. These show that on that date the number of Catholics in the world stood at 1,228,621,000 with an overall increase of more than 15,000,000 compared to the previous year. The Americas and Africa registered the biggest increases followed by Asia, Europe and Oceania. The world percentage of Catholics stood at 17.49 %, a decrease of 0.01% compared to the end of 2011.
The total number of priests in the world increased by 895 to 414,313.  Europe once again registered the largest decrease (-1,375) followed by the Americas (-90) and Oceania (-80). In Africa the number of priests grew by 1,076 and in Asia by 1,364.
There was an overall decrease in the number of women religious worldwide, whose numbers dropped by 10,677 to 702,529. Once again Africa and Asia showed increases whilst Europe and the Americas showed the biggest decrease in the number of women religious.
The number of lay missionaries in the world is 362,488 with an overall decrease of 19,234.
In the field of education, the Catholic Church runs 71,188 kindergartens, 95,246 primary schools and 43,783 secondary schools. Charity and healthcare centres in the world run by the Church are 115,352. 

Pope Francis ends 2014 at evening vespers with special focus on the poor

Pope ends 2014 with an examination of conscience, above all on the poor

John L. Allen Jr.

Associate editor

 @JohnLAllenJr

 

Pope Francis swung incense toward a statue of Jesus as he celebrated a New Year's Eve vespers service in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. The traditional Mass contains the thanksgiving hymn ''Te Deum" for the ending year and is the last public appearance of the pope in 2014. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

                  

By John L. Allen Jr.

Associate editor December 31, 2014

                       

ROME — In his final public appearance of 2014, Pope Francis on Wednesday invited believers to a serious “examination of conscience” about sins both personal and communal during the past year, especially whether “the poor, weak, and marginalized are the center of our thoughts and daily actions.”
“We need a great daily attitude of Christian liberation,” the pope said, “to defend the poor rather than defending ourselves from the poor, and to defend the weak rather than defending ourselves from the weak.”
In his homily for a New Year’s Eve vespers service, Pope Francis set up a contrast between what he described as the liberation offered by Christ and the slavery imposed by sin.

“Paradoxically,” he said, “often more or less unconsciously we prefer slavery,” he said, arguing that the responsibility implied by freedom “frightens us.”
“A great Italian artist recently said that it was easier for the Lord to remove the Israelites from Egypt than to remove Egypt from the hearts of the Israelites,” the pope said, referring to a recent program on the Ten Commandments by Italian comedian and actor Roberto Benigni broadcast on Italian television.
“Liberty frightens us … [while] slavery reduces our sense of time to the present moment,” the pope said. “We live these moments disconnected from our past and our future, rather than being fully and really present facing eternity.”

“Slavery makes us believe we can’t dream, can’t fly and can’t hope,” Francis said.
As the Bishop of Rome, Francis placed special emphasis on the need for Romans to live up to their heritage as citizens of a city based on the “witness and martyrdom of Sts. Peter and Paul,” calling on them to fight corruption and to build “a more just city based on solidarity.”
Referring to traditional New Year’s fireworks displays, the pontiff said “they last only a few instants,” and called on people not to be seduced by “the fascination of the moment.”

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It was another somber performance from Francis during the holiday season, after a Dec. 22 address to the elites of the Vatican cataloguing a series of “spiritual diseases” with which he believes they’re at times infected, and a Christmas Day message in which the pope lamented the suffering of children and of refugees in Iraq and Syria.
As is customary for popes on New Year’s Eve, Pope Francis led a vespers service followed by the traditional Te Deum hymn of praise in thanksgiving for the preceding year. The title comes from the Latin opening of the hymn, Te Deum laudamus, which means “Thee, O God, we praise.”
In his final tweet of 2014, Francis dispatched the simple message, “Thank you, Lord.” The pope’s Twitter feed, @Pontifex, is translated into nine languages and reaches some 17 million followers.
The Wednesday evening liturgy also involved a Eucharistic blessing by the pope and an exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, capped by singing the traditional Christmastime hymn Adeste Fideles, or “O Come, All You Faithful.”
A Vatican spokesman said the pontiff would likely return to his residence afterward to watch a traditional year-end address by the Italian President, Giorgio Napolitano, who is in the final year of an unusual second term for Italian presidents.
Earlier on New Year’s Eve, Francis sent a message of closeness and support to survivors and the families of victims of a 2004 fire at the República Cromañón nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which took place on Dec. 30 and killed 164 people and left more than 600 injured.
The fire was considered a symbol of government failure in Argentina, since the nightclub had received a permit despite lacking basic safety measures such as fire extinguishers, and the future pope had developed close relations with the survivors.
On Thursday, Francis will celebrate a morning Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. Since 1968, at the direction of Pope Paul VI, Jan. 1 has also been marked by the Catholic Church as the World Day of Peace.
During his noontime Angelus address tomorrow, Francis is expected to ask the crowd assembled in St. Peter’s Square to listen to the ringing of a famous Italian bell in the province of Trent erected to commemorate the fallen of the First World War, and which has since become a national symbol of peace.
Pope Francis released his message for the World Day of Peace on Dec. 8, devoting this year’s observation to the fight against human trafficking and slavery.
“Even though the international community has adopted numerous agreements aimed at ending slavery in all its forms, and has launched various strategies to combat this phenomenon, millions of people today — children, women and men of all ages — are deprived of freedom and are forced to live in conditions akin to slavery,” the pope wrote.
The pope listed exploited laborers, migrants, people forced into prostitution, people trafficked for the sale of organs, forcibly enrolled soldiers, and kidnap victims by terrorist groups as examples of modern slaves.
“I invite everyone, in accordance with his or her specific role and responsibilities, to practice acts of fraternity towards those kept in a state of enslavement,” Francis wrote.
“I urgently appeal to all men and women of good will, and all those near or far, including the highest levels of civil institutions, who witness the scourge of contemporary slavery, not to become accomplices to this evil,” he said.
The Vatican’s holiday period closes Jan. 6 with a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis for the feast of the Epiphany, which commemorates the visit of the Magi, or wise men, to the Christ child, and thus the revelation of God as a human being.
Then the pope resumes a busy working schedule, with his annual address to the diplomatic corps set for Jan. 12; later that day, he’s scheduled to depart for a week-long visit to Sri Lanka and the Philippines.

How can Mary be the Mother of God? It's all about Jesus!

How can Mary be the Mother of God, if God is eternal?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer Answers:

Question:  How can Mary be the Mother of God, if God is eternal?  Wouldn’t that mean she existed before God?
It’s a great question, and one that was addressed definitively at the Council of Ephesus in 431.  Before we go there, though, it’s good to clarify what Catholics (and in fact most Christians) believe about God and the Trinity.
Catholics believe in the Holy Trinity, meaning that we have one God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  “The divine persons do not share the one divinity among themselves but each of them is God whole and entire.” (CCC 253)   God the Son, otherwise known as Jesus Christ, is the person of the Trinity who was born to Mary and became man.
Also central to answering your question is the fact that Catholics believe that Christ was both fully God and fully human.  This belief was challenged by various heresies through the early centuries of the Church.  The Nestorian heresy, for example, said that Christ’s human and divine natures were separate, not united in one person.  Nestorianism therefore rejected  the title “Mother of God,” arguing that Mary was only  mother to the human Christ and not to the divine Christ.
Ultimately, at the Council of Ephesus, Nestorianism was denounced.  The Council affirmed that Jesus Christ was both fully human and fully divine, two natures in one person.  Therefore, it is correct to call Mary “The Mother of God” (the Greek word, Theotokos, literally means “God-bearer.”)
So did Mary exist before God?  No.  But she did give birth to God the Son, the second person of the Trinity who, being human as well as divine, entered into human history at a specific time, born to a specific woman.   In a way, then, the title “Mother of God” is a succinct way of stating our belief that Jesus Christ was truly God.  As the National Conference of Catholic Bishops say in their letter Behold Your Mother: Woman of Faith, “Mary can be rightly called ‘Mother of God,’ not indeed in the blasphemous sense of having existed before God, but as an affirmation of the truth of the Incarnation.”


>>>I have always heard it said that Mary's title as Mother of God is a bolder statement about who Jesus is: the Son of God and God in the 2nd person of the Blessed Trinity, than who she is.  So we pray: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.  Amen.

What are all the fireworks for? The celebration of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God!

The Solemnity of Mary Mother of God

Mary Mother of God History, Information, Prayers, Resources, Traditions, & More

Mary Mother of God Definition and Summary The Solemnity of Mary Mother of God commemorates the divine motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the God-Bearer, Mother of our Lord and God Jesus Christ. It is celebrated on January 1st, one week after Christmas. Prayers: Mary, Mother of God Prayers   Basic Facts Liturgical Color(s): White Type of Holiday: Solemnity, Holy Day of Obligation Time of Year: January 1 Duration: One Day Celebrates/Symbolizes: Mary, the Mother of our God Jesus Christ Alternate Names: Solemnity of the Holy Mother of God; formerly Christ's Circumcision was celebrated this day Scriptural References:Isaiah 7:14, 9:1-6; Luke 2:1-20; Matthew 1:18-24; Galatians 4:4-7 Introduction In the 4th and 5th centuries debates about the nature of Christ raged in the Church. While the divinity of Christ was largely settled at the Council of Nicaea, the debate was about the relationship of Christ's divine and human natures continued. At the center of this debate was a title of Mary. Since at least the 3rd century, Christians had referred to Mary as theotokos, meaning "God-bearer." The first documented usage of the term is in the writings of Origen of Alexandria in AD 230. Related to theotokos, Mary was called the mother of God. Referring to Mary this way was popular in Christian piety, but the patriarch of Constantinople from 428-431, Nestorius, objected. He suggested that Mary was only the mother of Jesus' human nature, but not his divine nature. Nestorius' ideas (or at least how others perceived his arguments) were condemned at the Council of Ephesus in AD 431, and again at the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451. The Church decided that Christ was fully God and fully human, and these natures were united in one divine person, Jesus Christ. Thus Mary could be called "mother of God" since she gave birth to Jesus who was fully divine as well as human. Since this time, Mary has been frequently honored as the "mother of God" by Catholics, Orthodox, and many Protestants. The Solemnity of Mary Mother of God falls exactly one week after Christmas, the end of the octave of Christmas. It is fitting to honor Mary as Mother of Jesus, following the birth of Christ. When Catholics celebrate the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God we are not only honoring Mary, who was chosen among all women throughout history to bear God incarnate, but we are also honoring our Lord, who is fully God and fully human. Calling Mary "mother of God" is the highest honor we can give Mary. Just as Christmas honors Jesus as the "Prince of Peace," the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God honors Mary as the "Queen of Peace" This solemnity, falling on New Year's Day, is also designated the World Day of Peace. History The origins of a feast celebrating Mary's divine maternity are obscure, but there is some evidence of ancient feasts commemorating Mary's role as theotokos. Around 500 AD the Eastern Church celebrated a "Day of the Theotokos" either before or after Christmas. This celebration eventually evolved into a Marian feast on December 26th in the Byzantine calendar and January 16th in the Coptic calendar. In the West, Christmas has generally been celebrated with an octave, an eight day extension of the feast. The Gregorian and Roman calendars of the 7th century mark the Christmas octave day with a strong Marian emphasis. However, eventually in the West, the eighth day of the octave of Christmas was celebrated as the Feast of the Circumcision of Jesus. The push for an official feast day celebrating Mary's divine maternity started in Portugal, and in 1751 Pope Benedict XIV allowed Portugal's churches to celebrate Mary's divine maternity on the first Sunday in May. The feast was eventually extended to other countries, and by 1914 was being celebrated on October 11. The feast of Mary's divine maternity became a universal feast in 1931. However, following Vatican II, Pope Paul VI decided to change the feast of Jesus' Circumcision to the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God to reclaim the ancient Western Marian emphasis at the end of the Octave of Christmas. Celebrating Mary's divine maternity during the Christmas octave makes complete sense in that the celebration is connected closely to Christ's birth. Pope Paul VI gave his reasoning for the change: In the revised arrangement of the Christmas season, we should all turn with one mind to the restored solemnity of the Mother of God. This feast was entered into the calendar in the liturgy of the city of Rome for the first day of January. The purpose of the celebration is to honor the role of Mary in the mystery of salvation and at the same time to sing the praises of the unique dignity thus coming to "the Holy Mother...through whom we have been given the gift of the Author of life." This same solemnity also offers an excellent opportunity to renew the adoration rightfully to be shown to the newborn Prince of Peace, as we once again hear the good tidings of great joy and pray to God, through the intercession of the Queen of Peace, for the priceless gift of peace. Because of these considerations and the fact that the octave of Christmas coincides with a day of hope, New Year's Day, we have assigned to it the observance of the World Day of Peace (Paul VI, Marialis Cultus, Feb. 2, 1974, no.5). Thus Pope Paul VI highlighted the feast's celebration of both Mary and Jesus. He also noted the connection to New Year's Day and Mary's role as Queen of Peace. January 1st, the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God is also the observed "World Day of Peace." There are many Marian feasts in the Church Calendar. These include The Assumption of Mary, The Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Sorrows, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Consolation, among many others. However, Mary Mother of God focuses on Mary's divine maternity.

Vatican releases Pope Francis' message for World Day of the Sick

Pope's Message for World Day of the Sick

"Time spent with the sick is holy time. It is a way of praising God who conforms us to the image of his Son, who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'"

    

Vatican City, December 30, 2014 (Zenit.org)        

Below is Pope Francis' message for the 23rd World Day of the Sick, Feb. 11, 2015:

 

***
Sapientia Cordis
"I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame"
(Job 29:15)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
On this, the twenty-third World Day of the Sick, begun by Saint John Paul II, I turn to all of you who are burdened by illness and are united in various ways to the flesh of the suffering Christ, as well as to you, professionals and volunteers in the field of health care.
This year’s theme invites us to reflect on a phrase from the Book of Job: "I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame" (Job29:15). I would like to consider this phrase from the perspective of "sapientia cordis" – the wisdom of the heart.
1. This "wisdom" is no theoretical, abstract knowledge, the product of reasoning. Rather, it is, as Saint James describes it in his Letter, "pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity" (3:17). It is a way of seeing things infused by the Holy Spirit in the minds and the hearts of those who are sensitive to the sufferings of their brothers and sisters and who can see in them the image of God. So let us take up the prayer of the Psalmist: "Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Ps 90:12). This "sapientia cordis", which is a gift of God, is a compendium of the fruits of the World Day of the Sick.
2. Wisdom of the heart means serving our brothers and sisters. Job’s words: "I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame", point to the service which this just man, who enjoyed a certain authority and a position of importance amongst the elders of his city, offered to those in need. His moral grandeur found expression in the help he gave to the poor who sought his help and in his care for orphans and widows (Job 29:12-13).
Today too, how many Christians show, not by their words but by lives rooted in a genuine faith, that they are "eyes to the blind" and "feet to the lame"! They are close to the sick in need of constant care and help in washing, dressing and eating. This service, especially when it is protracted, can become tiring and burdensome. It is relatively easy to help someone for a few days but it is difficult to look after a person for months or even years, in some cases when he or she is no longer capable of expressing gratitude. And yet, what a great path of sanctification this is! In those difficult moments we can rely in a special way on the closeness of the Lord, and we become a special means of support for the Church’s mission.
3. Wisdom of the heart means being with our brothers and sisters. Time spent with the sick is holy time. It is a way of praising God who conforms us to the image of his Son, who "came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mt 20:28). Jesus himself said: "I am among you as one who serves" (Lk 22:27).
With lively faith let us ask the Holy Spirit to grant us the grace to appreciate the value of our often unspoken willingness to spend time with these sisters and brothers who, thanks to our closeness and affection, feel more loved and comforted. How great a lie, on the other hand, lurks behind certain phrases which so insist on the importance of "quality of life" that they make people think that lives affected by grave illness are not worth living!
4. Wisdom of the heart means going forth from ourselves towards our brothers and sisters. Occasionally our world forgets the special value of time spent at the bedside of the sick, since we are in such a rush; caught up as we are in a frenzy of doing, of producing, we forget about giving ourselves freely, taking care of others, being responsible for others. Behind this attitude there is often a lukewarm faith which has forgotten the Lord’s words: "You did it unto me’ (Mt 25:40).
For this reason, I would like once again to stress "the absolute priority of ‘going forth from ourselves toward our brothers and sisters’ as one of the two great commandments which ground every moral norm and as the clearest sign for discerning spiritual growth in response to God’s completely free gift" (Evangelii Gaudium, 179). The missionary nature of the Church is the wellspring of an "effective charity and a compassion which understands, assists and promotes" (ibid).
5. Wisdom of the heart means showing solidarity with our brothers and sisters while not judging them. Charity takes time. Time to care for the sick and time to visit them. Time to be at their side like Job’s friends: "And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great" (Job 2:13). Yet Job’s friends harboured a judgement against him: they thought that Job’s misfortune was a punishment from God for his sins. True charity is a sharing which does not judge, which does not demand the conversion of others; it is free of that false humility which, deep down, seeks praise and is self-satisfied about whatever good it does.
Job’s experience of suffering finds its genuine response only in the cross of Jesus, the supreme act of God’s solidarity with us, completely free and abounding in mercy. This response of love to the drama of human pain, especially innocent suffering, remains for ever impressed on the body of the risen Christ; his glorious wounds are a scandal for faith but also the proof of faith (cf. Homily for the Canonization of John XXIII and John Paul II, 27 April 2014).
Even when illness, loneliness and inability make it hard for us to reach out to others, the experience of suffering can become a privileged means of transmitting grace and a source for gaining and growing in sapientia cordis. We come to understand how Job, at the end of his experience, could say to God: "I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you" (42:5). People immersed in the mystery of suffering and pain, when they accept these in faith, can themselves become living witnesses of a faith capable of embracing suffering, even without being able to understand its full meaning.
6. I entrust this World Day of the Sick to the maternal protection of Mary, who conceived and gave birth to Wisdom incarnate: Jesus Christ, our Lord.
O Mary, Seat of Wisdom, intercede as our Mother for all the sick and for those who care for them! Grant that, through our service of our suffering neighbours, and through the experience of suffering itself, we may receive and cultivate true wisdom of heart!
With this prayer for all of you, I impart my Apostolic Blessing.
From the Vatican, 3 December 2014
Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier
FRANCISCUS

Our last Saint of the Day for 2014 is a 4th century Pope

St. Sylvester

 

Facts

Feastday: December 31

---

St. Sylvester, born in Rome, was ordained by Pope St. Marcellinus during the peace that preceded the persecutions of Diocletian. He passed through those days of terror, witnessed the abdication of Diocletian and Maximian, and saw the triumph of Constantine in the year 312. Two years later he succeeded St. Melchiades as Bishop of Rome. In the same year, he sent four legates to represent him at the great Council of the Western Church, held at Aries. He confirmed it's decision and imparted them to the Church.
The Council of Nice was assembled during his reign, in the year 325, but not being able to assist at it in person, on account of his great age, he sent his legates, who headed the list of subscribers to its decrees, preceding the Patriarchs of Alexandria and Antioch. St. Sylvester was Pope for twenty-four years and eleven months. He died in the year 335. His Feast Day is December 31st.

A look back at 2014 for the abitadeacon

A nice stroll through the pages of this blog for the year about to end has inspired me to post the most read stories month by month.  So here we go:

January:  http://abitadeacon.blogspot.com/2014/01/19-new-cardinals-for-church-from-usa.html
This is a story about all the new Cardinals selected by the Pope and none from USA.  Read 89 times!

February:  http://abitadeacon.blogspot.com/2014/02/losing-member-of-deacon-family.html
This is a story about the loss of a beautiful young wife and mom, the wife of a Deacon candidate who fought courageously but succumbed to cancer.  And it's a story of faith of the family, her community and the community of Deacons!  Read an incredible 781 times!

March:  http://abitadeacon.blogspot.com/2014/03/big-news-from-sweden-evangelical-meha.html
This is a story of a big-time evangelical Pastor from Sweden who came home to Rome.  Read 64 times!

April:  http://abitadeacon.blogspot.com/2014/04/a-balanced-piece-on-pope-remarried.html
This is a story by the renowned Jimmy Akin in response to media misreporting about the Pope allowing a remarried woman to receive communion.  This was read 381 times!

May:  http://abitadeacon.blogspot.com/2014/05/homily-for-3ed-sunday-easter-the-road.html
This was my homily for the 3rd Sunday in Easter and the Gospel story of the road to Emmaus.  It was read 87 times!

June:  http://abitadeacon.blogspot.com/2014/06/pope-francis-and-evangelical-pastors.html
Here we have a story of the Pope's initiative to reach out to Evangelical pastors, many of whom came for a visit to the Vatican.  Read 251 times!

July:  http://abitadeacon.blogspot.com/2014/07/homily-17th-sunday-ordinary-time-july.html
Another one of my homilies, this for the 17th Sunday in ordinary time.  It was read 128 times!

August:  http://abitadeacon.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-moral-dilema-with-ice-bucket.html
Remember the ice bucket challenge?  We discussed the moral dilemma with the challenge and it was read 293 times!

September:  http://abitadeacon.blogspot.com/2014/09/breaking-catholic-news-on-friday-night.html
A new Catholic Bishop for Chicago, read 122 times!

October:  http://abitadeacon.blogspot.com/2014/10/pope-francis-reminds-devil-is-for-real.html
Pope Francis reminds the world the devil is for real and everybody reacts; read 43 times!

November:  http://abitadeacon.blogspot.com/2014/11/here-is-usccb-reaction-to-immigration.html
USCCB reacts to Obama immigration speech; this was read 64 times!

December:  http://www.abitadeacon.blogspot.com/2014/12/father-pavone-and-pfl-under-scrutiny.html
Father Pavone in hot water once again.  It was read 48 times!

So these were the top read stories month by month through 2014!
As always thanks for stopping in at www.abitadeacon.BlogSpot.com

Dominican missionary, traveled to China and killed for the faith; beatified by Saint Pope JPII

 

Bl. John Alcober

 

Facts

Feastday: December 30
Death: 1748
Canonized By: Pope John Paul II

---

Dominican martyr of China. Born in Gerona, Spain, he entered the Dominicans, being sent in 1728 to China as a missionary. Arrested in 1746 by Chinese officials, he was held in prison until strangled to death. He died with Blessed Peter Sanz and other Dominicans.

Nearly 6 million visit the Pope in Rome as the Church continues to grow universally

Enthusiastic participation in Pope Francis' encounters with the faithful in 2014

 

Vatican City, 29 December 2014 (VIS) – In a communique published today, the Prefecture of the Papal Household reports that during the year 2014, more than 5,900,000 faithful participated in the various encounters with Pope Francis: audiences, both general (1,199,000) and special (567,100); liturgical celebrations in the Vatican Basilica and St. Peter's Square (1,110,700), and the Angelus and Regina Coeli (3,040,000). These data refer only to the encounters that took place in the Vatican and do not include other activities that involved a high level of participation among the faithful, such as the apostolic trips to the Republic of Korea, Turkey or the Holy Land, or the various trips in Italy and visits within the diocese of Rome. The total number of faithful involved in the Vatican events is estimated at 5,916,800.

The Prefecture of the Papal Household reiterates that these are approximate data, calculated on the basis of requests for attendance at events and the invitations distributed by the Prefecture. Similarly, the data regarding participation in the Angelus and large celebrations in St. Peter's Square are based on estimates.

Catholic politicians often differ with Catholic Church teachings; Dem's always oppose all the life issues and now we see Repub's at odds with Catholic social teaching

Some Louisiana GOP lawmakers at odds with Catholic Church

Sen. David Vitter, R-La.; left, and Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson.

 

By Bruce Alpert, NOLA.com | Times-Picayune The Times-Picayune  
 
on December 26, 2014 

 

 

 

Catholic Republicans at odds with Church policies
It used to be Catholic Democratic politicians at odds with the Catholic Church -- almost exclusively over U.S. abortion policy. The church opposes abortion, and that has caused awkward moments for such Catholic Democrats as Sen. Mary Landrieu and former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo as they maintained their positions of personal opposition to abortion but advocates for a woman's right to choose.
But lately, it's been conservative Catholic Republicans, like Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson who have been odds with the Catholic Church over President Barack Obama's recent executive order on immigration and his move to end over 50 years of non-engagement with Cuba. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., who is also Catholic, has also spoken out very critically against the immigration executive order, though he's made no comments on the president's Cuba initiative.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops supports Obama's executive order that will stop deportation procedures for up to 5 million undocumented immigrants -- a policy that Jindal, Scalise and Vitter argue is executive overreach and potentially illegal.
"We've been on record asking the Administration to do everything within its legitimate authority to bring relief and justice to our immigrant brothers and sisters," said Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, auxiliary bishop of Seattle and chair of the bishop's Committee on Migration in endorsing the president's immigration order.
And on Cuba, it was Pope Francis who encouraged Cuba and the United States to work to normalize relations, a rapprochement that Jindal described as an "appeasement toward Cuba" that along with other administration polices endangers "national security and the American people."

When England was Catholic; he was Archbishop of Canterbury and killed by minions of the King

St. Thomas Becket
(1118-1170)

00

 

A strong man who wavered for a moment, but then learned one cannot come to terms with evil and so became a strong churchman, a martyr and a saint—that was Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, murdered in his cathedral on December 29, 1170.
His career had been a stormy one. While archdeacon of Canterbury, he was made chancellor of England at the age of 36 by his friend King Henry II. When Henry felt it advantageous to make his chancellor the archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas gave him fair warning: he might not accept all of Henry’s intrusions into Church affairs. Nevertheless, he was made archbishop (1162), resigned his chancellorship and reformed his whole way of life!

Troubles began. Henry insisted upon usurping Church rights. At one time, supposing some conciliatory action possible, Thomas came close to compromise. He momentarily approved the Constitutions of Clarendon, which would have denied the clergy the right of trial by a Church court and prevented them from making direct appeal to Rome. But Thomas rejected the Constitutions, fled to France for safety and remained in exile for seven years. When he returned to England, he suspected it would mean certain death. Because Thomas refused to remit censures he had placed upon bishops favored by the king, Henry cried out in a rage, “Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest!” Four knights, taking his words as his wish, slew Thomas in the Canterbury cathedral.

Thomas Becket remains a hero-saint down to our own times.

A more comprehensive story of his life is here: http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=12

Since today is the Feast of the Holy Family, we missed out on this important feast so let's remember the Holy Innocents

28th of december: Feast of the Holy Innocents

Posted on 28/12/2014 by petitsconsells

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28th of december
Feast of the Holy Innocents or Childermas; in Spain and Latin American countries the festival is celebrated with pranks (inocentadas), similar to April Fools’ Day (Catholic Church, Church of England, Lutheran Church)
The Massacre of the Innocents is the biblical narrative of infanticide by Herod the Great, the Roman-appointed King of the Jews. According to the Gospel of Matthew, Herod ordered the execution of all young male children in the vicinity of Bethlehem, so as to avoid the loss of his throne to a newborn King of the Jews whose birth had been announced to him by the Magi. In typical Matthean style, it is understood as the fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy: “Then was fulfilled that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, saying, ‘A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are no more.'”

Since all the canonical evidence that such an event occurred is found only in the Gospel of Matthew, New Testament scholars such as Daniel J. Harrington have said that the historicity of the event is “an open question that probably can never be definitively decided.” Paul Maier reports that most recent biographers of Herod deny that the event occurred, while an article on the archaeology relating to the reign of Herod the Great in National Geographic Magazine opined that “Herod… is almost certainly innocent of this crime.”
The number of infants killed is not stated; the Holy Innocents, although Jewish, have been claimed as martyrs for Christianity.

The commemoration of the massacre of these “Holy Innocents”, traditionally regarded as the first Christian martyrs, if unknowingly so, first appears as a feast of the Western church in the Leonine Sacramentary, dating from about 485. The earliest commemorations were connected with the Feast of the Epiphany, 6 January: Prudentius mentions the Innocents in his hymn on the Epiphany. Leo in his homilies on the Epiphany speaks of the Innocents. Fulgentius of Ruspe (6th century) gives a homily De Epiphania, deque Innocentum nece et muneribus magorum (“On Epiphany, and on the murder of the Innocents and the gifts of the Magi”).
Today, the date of Holy Innocents’ Day, also called The Innocents’ Day or Childermas or Children’s Mass, varies. The twenty-seventh of December is the date for West Syrians (Syriac Orthodox Church, Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, and Maronite Church) and East Syrians (Chaldeans and Syro-Malabar Catholic Church). Twenty-eighth December is the date in the Church of England, the Lutheran Church and the Roman Catholic Church (in which, except on Sunday, violet vestments were worn before 1961, instead of red, the normal liturgical colour for celebrating martyrs).[citation needed] The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates the feast on 29 December.

The 2014 New Orleans Saints; opportunity lost and maybe the beginning of the end

I just watched the Saints win their 7th game of the year by defeating the hapless 2 win Tampa Bay Bucs.  This victory was so "who cares" I am surprised I watched.  Let's recap what was once thought to be a special year that turned out to be anything but special.

Almost everyone in the NFL talking heads club could not mention the New Orleans Saints without saying probable NFC champ and Super Bowl contender.  Most of us here in the land of the Who-Dat nation gleefully accepted that premise as fact.  Collectively, we all forgot that you have to play the game.

The Saints chose to conduct training camp at some posh resort in West Virginia known as the Greenbriar.  Everyone from the local media who enjoyed their summer vacation with the Saints reported that they look every bit the Super Bowl contender.  National media continued to gush over the Saints.  Nothing that happened in the preseason changed minds and hearts, this was the year the Saints get back to the big dance.

Something funny happened along the way to another Saints Super Bowl; they collided with something called the regular season schedule.  And that was the end of Super Bowl dreams.  The season opener produced a depressing give it away loss to Atlanta in OT followed by an equally depressing OT loss to Cleveland.  Then and there, at 0-2, the season was doomed because the Saints would never possess a winning record all year long.  Stunning victories over Green Bay and Carolina, on the road, had the Saints at 4-4 and facing a 3 game home stand.  While the rest of the NFC South was sucking badly, dreams of a win streak and domination of the South was dancing in the heads of Saints fans.  Not to be; not to be at all.  Consecutive losses at home to SF, Cincinnati and Baltimore sent the Saints and their fans reeling.  Only road victories against Pittsburgh and Chicago kept the Saints in the hunt but devastating home losses to Atlanta and Carolina sealed the fate of the losing Saints.  Incredibly, not since forever did the Saints lose 5 consecutive home games, including two that could have helped the Saints still earn a playoff berth.  Today's hapless win against the Tampa Bay Bucs gave the Saints their second 7-9 season in the last 3 years.  But this one was ugly and wholly unexpected.  So what is wrong?

Short answer is almost everything.  From a head coach that seemed out of sync all year, a defensive coordinator that went from prince to pauper and a special teams coach who has been a dud for some time.  What about the defense that went from top 5 to second to last.  Nothing impressive at all from Jordan, Hicks and gang up front, pedestrian play at best from mediocre linebackers and most disappointing of all; a defensive backfield that was all promise and turned out to be all bust.  Forget about the premier free agent signing of Jarius Byrd, he was gone after week 5.  Champ Bailey, he could not even make the cut.  By year's end, the DB's were a bunch of late year signees from various practice squads.  Then the offense, the bread and butter of a Coach Peyton led Saints team; until this year.  The O-line stunk, the receivers perfected the art of the drop, the big contract Jimmy Graham was a mess, thanks in part to an injury and Drew Brees was as bad as he has ever been in a Saints uniform.  One of his favorite plays in 2014 was the interception, particularly the pick 6.  Mark Ingram had a good year, but that is way too little too late.

What has fallen apart?  The collective loss of a lot of ex-Saint talent all at once seemed too much to overcome.  Where is Darrin Sproles and Lance Moore when you need them?  The #1 draft choice, Brandon Cooks, overall he was a non-factor.  The rest of the draft for 2014 was a bust, after a pretty poor 2013 draft too.  Good grief, what has happened to Mickey Loomis? 

Money issues like the salary cap for 2015 does not bode well for the Saints.  Brees, Byrd and Graham count for like 40% of the cap; three players!  Brees counts for $ 26 million next year and he is getting older quickly with diminishing skills.  Things do not look good.

For the first time since Payton and Brees arrived in New Orleans and won us a Super Bowl, and we will always remember that, there is little hope at the end of a season for what was and for the start of a new one for what might be.

Who Dat?  Not we dat anymore; and that is sad.

Pope Francis expalins today's Gospel and prays for victims of today's disaster in Angelus address

  

  

Pope's Angelus Address: On the Feast of the Holy Family

"Jesus is the One who brings the generations together. He is the source of that love that unites families and people, overcoming all mistrust, all isolation, every distance."

    

Vatican City, December 28, 2014       

Here is a translation of the address Pope Francis gave today before and after praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in St. Peter's Square.

 

Dear brothers and sister, Good morning!
In this first Sunday after Christmas, while we are still immersed in the joyful climate of the celebration, the Church invites us to contemplate the Holy Family of Nazareth. Today's Gospel presents the Madonna and St. Joseph in the moment in which, 40 days after the birth of Jesus, they go to the temple in Jerusalem. They do it in religious obedience to the Law of Moses, which prescribes to offer the firstborn to the Lord (cfr. Lk. 2,22-24). We can imagine this little family, in the midst of so many people, in the great courtyard of the Temple.
They do not stand out to the eye, they can't be distinguished. Yet they do not go unnoticed! Two elderly people, Simeon and Anna, moved by the Holy Spirit, approach them and begin to praise God for that Child, in which they recognize the Messiah, light of the peoples and salvation of Israel (cfr Lk 2,22-38). It is a simple moment but rich in prophecy: the meeting between a young couple full of joy and faith for the graces of the Lord and two elderly people also full of joy and faith for the actions of the Spirit. Who brings them together? Jesus! Jesus brings them together, the youth and the elderly. Jesus is the One who brings the generations together. He is the source of that love that unites families and people, overcoming all mistrust, all isolation, every distance. This makes us reflect on grandparents: how important is their presence, the presence of grandparents! How precious is their role within the family and society! The good relation between youth and the elderly is decisive for the path of the civil and ecclesial community. And looking at these two elderly people, Simeon and Anna, we greet with applause all the grandparents of the world!
The message that comes from the Holy Family is above all a message of faith. In the family life of Mary and Joseph, God is truly at the center, and it is in the person of Jesus. This is why the Family of Nazareth is holy. Why? Because it is centered on Jesus!
When parents and children breathe together this climate of faith, they possess an energy that allows them to confront difficult trials, as shown by the experience of the Holy Family, for example, during the tragic event of the flight into Egypt: A hard trial.
The Child Jesus with his Mother Mary and with Saint Joseph are the icon of the family, simple yet illuminating. The light they radiate is a light of mercy and salvation for the whole world, a light of truth for every man, for the human family and for individual families. This light that comes from the Holy Family encourages us to offer human warmth in those family situations in which, for various reasons, lack peace, lack harmony and lack forgiveness. Our concrete solidarity does not fail especially in the challenges of the families that are living in more difficult situations due to sickness, lack of work, discrimination, the need to migrate. And here we pause for a moment and in silence, we pray for all these families in difficulty. Be it difficulties of sickness, lack of work, discrimination, the need to migrate, be it the lack of understanding each other, as well as also disunion. In silence, we pray for all these families.
[After a brief moment of silence, the Pope leads the faithful in praying the Hail Mary.]
We entrust to Mary, Queen of the family, all the families of the world so that they may live in faith, in harmony, in mutual help, and for this we invoke upon them Her maternal protection, who was mother and daughter of Her Son.
Angelus Domini…
[After the recitation of the Angelus, the Pope said the following:]
Dear brothers and sisters,
My thoughts turn in this moment, to the passengers of the Malaysian airplane that went missing during its flight from Indonesia to Singapore, as well as the passengers of the boats in transit in the last hours in the waters of the Adriatic Sea which were involved in several accidents. I am close to them with the affections and prayers for the families and those who are living through these difficult situations with anxiety and suffering, as well as those involved in rescue operations.
Today, the first greeting goes to the families present! May the Holy Family bless you and guide you on your path.
I greet all of you, Romans and pilgrims, in particular, the many youth from the Diocese of Bergamo and Vicenza who have received or are about to receive Confirmation. I greet the families of the Oratory of the Cathedral of Sarzana, the faithful of San Lorenzo in Banale (Trento), the administrators of Sambruson (Venice), the scouts of Villamassargia and the collaborators of the Fraterna Domus.
To all I wish a good Sunday. I thank you once again for your well-wishes and prayers. Please continue to pray for me.
Have a good lunch and arrivederci!

Pope Francis meets with large families on Feast of the Holy Family

             

Pope Francis to large families: you are a gift to society

Pope Francis during audience with families in the Vatican. - AFP

28/12/2014 02:45

 

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis said on Sunday that “in a world often marred by selfishness, a large family is a role model for solidarity and sharing and this benefits the whole of society.” The Pope’s remarks came during an address to a gathering of around 7,000 people belonging to an Italian association for large families.
Speaking to the families and their children, Pope Francis said he was pleased to meet them, saying it was clear that they “love the family and they love life.”  “Each of your children”, he said, “was wanted by God” and it amazes us “how great a miracle is a child.” A child is somebody who changes our life.  He also underlined the important role played by grandparents, saying they can not only provide practical support but above all can help the parents pass down to their children their faith.
The Pope went on to urge politicians and the local administration to provide more support to help people with large families, lamenting that such help is not always forthcoming. He concluded his address with a special prayer for families hit by the economic crisis where either the father or mother have lost their jobs or where the young can’t find employment, as well as all families struggling with solitude and divisions. And please, continue praying for me, the Pope ended, “because in a way I’m like a grandfather for all of you.”

He wanted to be a Pope assassin, now he lays flowers on his tomb; incredible metanoia

Would-be assassin lays flowers on tomb of Pope John Paul II

Agence France-Presse

Posted at 12/28/2014 2:46 AM

VATICAN CITY -- Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turkish former extremist who attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II, on Saturday laid flowers on the late pontiff's tomb.
The latest highly publicised act of contrition by Agca came 31 years to the day after John Paul visited him in prison in Rome to forgive him for the 1981 shooting that nearly killed the leader of the world's Catholics.
Agca, then 23, shot the pope twice from close range in St Peter's Square, one bullet passing through his abdomen and another narrowly missing his heart.
He arrived back in Rome unexpectedly on Saturday and presented himself to police to declare his intention to lay the flowers.
"I felt the need to make this gesture," he told police, according to Italian media who had been tipped off in advance about his visit.
Granted authorisation to pay his respects under a discreet police escort, Agca was filmed by the ADNKronos news agency murmuring a prayer at the side of the tomb after he had deposited his bouquet of white roses.
"A thousands thanks holiness," he said in Italian. "This is a miracle that goes on. The mystery of Fatima goes on. Long live Jesus Christ!"
Agca requested a meeting with Pope Francis when the current pontiff visited Turkey last month. That was declined as was a fresh request for an audience this weekend in Rome.
"He has put flowers on the tomb of John Paul II. I think that is enough," Francis's spokesman, Federico Lombardi, told La Repubblica.
The motive for Agca's 1981 attack on the pope remains a mystery. He served nearly three decades in prisons in Italy and Turkey and is widely considered to be mentally disturbed.
At the time of the assassination attempt, Agca was on the run from the Turkish authorities over a string of crimes, including the murder of a journalist, and his links to the far-right Grey Wolves movement.
He initially testified that he had acted alone but later claimed the Bulgarian and Soviet secret services had orchestrated the attempted murder because of the Polish pope's anti-communist stance

On the 4th day of Christmas we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family

Christmas: December 28th

Feast of the Holy Family

 

           Scripture tells us practically nothing about the first years and the boyhood of the Child Jesus. All we know are the facts of the sojourn in Egypt, the return to Nazareth, and the incidents that occurred when the twelve-year-old boy accompanied his parents to Jerusalem. In her liturgy the Church hurries over this period of Christ's life with equal brevity. The general breakdown of the family, however, at the end of the past century and at the beginning of our own, prompted the popes, especially the far-sighted Leo XIII, to promote the observance of this feast with the hope that it might instill into Christian families something of the faithful love and the devoted attachment that characterize the family of Nazareth. The primary purpose of the Church in instituting and promoting this feast is to present the Holy Family as the model and exemplar of all Christian families. Ordinarily today is the Feast of the Holy Innocents.— Excerpted from With Christ Through the Year, Rev. Bernard Strasser, O.S.B. Click here for commentary on the readings in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.The Fifth Day of Christmas

The Holy Family
Marriage is too often conceived as the sacrament which unites a man and a woman to form a couple. In reality, marriage establishes a family, and its purpose is to increase the number of the elect, through the bodily and spiritual fecundity of the Christian spouses.1. Every marriage intends children. Although Mary and Joseph were not united in a carnal way, their marriage is a true marriage: an indissoluble, exclusive union, wholly subordinated to the child. Mary and Joseph are united only in order to bring Jesus into the world, to protect and raise him. They have only one child, but he contains the whole of mankind, even as Isaac, an only child, fulfilled the promise made to Abraham of a countless progeny.2. The purpose of every marriage is to establish a Christian family. The Holy Family observed the religious laws of Israel; it went in pilgrimage to Jerusalem every year with other Jewish families (Lk. 2:41). Jesus saddens and amazes his father and his mother because to their will and company he prefers "to be in his Father's house". Thus it may happen that God's will obliges the family to make disconcerting sacrifices. Yet every Christian family must live in harmony and in prayer, which are the pledges of joy and union.3. "He remained obedient to them." Jesus was God. And through the fullness of grace Mary stood above Joseph. Nevertheless — if we except the event in the Temple — Joseph remained the head of the family; he took the initiative (as when the Holy Family fled to Egypt), and in Nazareth Jesus obeyed his parents. Excerpted from Bread and the Word, A.M. Roguet

The Holy Family: Jesus, Mary and Joseph
The devotion to the Holy Family was born in Bethlehem, together with the Baby Jesus. The shepherds went to adore the Child and, at the same time, they gave honor to His family. Later, in a similar way, the three wise men came from the East to adore and give honor to the newborn King with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh that would be safeguarded by His family.We can go further to affirm that in a certain sense Christ, Himself, was the first devotee of His family. He showed His devotion to His mother and foster father by submitting Himself, with infinite humility, to the duty of filial obedience towards them. This is what St Bernard of Clairvaux said in this regard, ‘God, to whom angels submit themselves and who principalities and powers obey, was subject to Mary; and not only to Mary but Joseph also for Mary’s sake [….]. God obeyed a human creature; this is humility without precedent. A human creature commands God; it is sublime beyond measure.’ (First Homily on the ‘Missus Est’). Today’s celebration demonstrates Christ’s humility and obedience with respect to the fourth commandment, whilst also highlighting the loving care that His parents exercised in His keeping. The servant of God, Pope John Paul II, in 1989, entitled his Apostolic Exhortation, ‘Redemptoris Custos’ (Guardian of the Redeemer) which was dedicated to the person and the mission of Saint Joseph in the life of Christ and of the Church. After exactly a century, he resumed the teaching of Pope Leo XIII, for who Saint Joseph ‘.. shines among all mankind by the most august dignity, since by divine will, he was the guardian of the Son of God and reputed as His father among men’ (Encyclical Quamquam Pluries [1889] n. 3). Pope Leo XIII continued, ‘.. Joseph became the guardian, the administrator, and the legal defender of the divine house whose chief he was.[…] It is, then, natural and worthy that as the Blessed Joseph ministered to all the needs of the family at Nazareth and girt it about with his protection, he should now cover with the cloak of his heavenly patronage and defend the Church of Jesus Christ.’ Not many years before, blessed Pope Pius IX had proclaimed Saint Joseph, ‘Patron of the Catholic Church’ (1870)Almost intuitively, one can recognize that the mysterious, exemplary, guardianship enacted by Joseph was conducted firstly, in a yet more intimate way, by Mary. Consequently, the liturgical feast of the Holy Family speaks to us of the fond and loving care that we must render to the Body of Christ. We can understand this in a mystical sense, as guardians of the Church, and also in the Eucharistic sense. Mary and Joseph took great care of Jesus’ physical body. Following their example, we can and must take great care of His Mystical Body, the Church, and the Eucharist which He has entrusted to us. If Mary was, in some way, ‘the first tabernacle in history’ (John Paul II Ecclesia de Eucharistia, n. 55) then we the Tabernacle in which Our Lord chose to reside in person, in His Real Presence, was also entrusted to us. We can learn from Mary and Joseph! What would they ever have overlooked in the care of Jesus’ physical body? Is there something, therefore, that we can withhold for the right and adoring care of His Eucharistic Body? No amount of attention, no sane act of love and adoring respect will ever be too much! On the contrary, our adoration and respect will always be inferior to the great gift that comes to us in the Holy Eucharist. Looking at the Holy Family, we see the love, the protection, and the diligent care that they gave to the Redeemer. We can not fail to feel uneasiness, perhaps a shameful thought, for the times in which we have not rendered the appropriate care and attention to the Blessed Eucharist. We can only ask for forgiveness and do penance for all the sacrilegious acts and the lack of respect that are committed in front of the Blessed Eucharist. We can only ask the Lord, through the intersession of the Holy Family of Nazareth, for a greater love for their Son Incarnate, who has decided to remain here on earth with us every day until the end of time.From the Congregation for the Clergy

Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family

Merry Christmas!  Yes, it still is Christmas and will be so for another two weeks!  Keep celebrating Christmas.  On this 4th day of Christmas we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family: Jesus, Mary & Joseph!

Now I’m all about family.  I love my family, even during those times when I don’t “like” my family.  You all know what I’m talking about.  Sometimes my family looks like the Walton’s and sometimes it looks like the Bunker’s from All in the Family!  My wife and I just returned home from a wonderful visit with my North Carolina family which includes #1 grandson Calvin.  He is already 27 months and full speed, all boy and all go-go-go!  Calvin was a delight to visit with and helped his mom & dad share the glorious good news and wonderful Christmas gift that grand-baby #2 is on the way.  I guess Pops just became Pops X 2! 

I hope all of us were able to spend time with family as we experience these wonderful holy holidays.  Large or small, near or far, our families are precious.  Even those family members who have gone on before us; who we miss dearly, seem so much closer and even more precious during this season!

As people of faith we need the example of the Holy Family in our lives, as our inspiration and model today; right here, right now!

Among the keys to being more like the Holy Family are obedience, humility and trust.  In our 1st reading, taken from Sirach, written just 200 years before the birth of Jesus, we see evidence of these virtues.  In the Jewish family of that era, honor in the home establishes peace and brings abundant blessings!  Children are called to be obedient to father and mother.  Sirach tells us that the obedience and trust a child demonstrates to his parents has a direct impact on their relationship with God.  Is this not still true today?  Joseph and Mary would know what was taught in this Old Testament Scripture and would have taught this to Jesus, who obeyed, humbling himself and surrendering in all things because he trusted.

Our Gospel today is all about obedience.  The story proclaimed is unique to Luke’s Gospel but is so very important.  Obedient to God, and to His holy law, Joseph and Mary fully submit and carefully follow the precepts of circumcising Jesus, declaring his name, presenting him in the Temple with the humble gift of a pair of turtledoves, and performing the ritual purification of Mary.  Luke makes it abundantly clear: Joseph and Mary are obedient Jewish parents because they fully trust in God!
So too are those whom the Holy Family encounter on their visit to the Temple.  Both Simeon and Anna, we are told, are holy and righteous people, awaiting the arrival of the Messiah.  They actually encounter their Savior from the loving arms of the Holy Family.  So moved, Simeon composes a prayer that the Church recites to this day, every night before bed and Anna was overcome with thankfulness.  Are we that thankful?

Obedience, humility and trust are confirmed by the conclusion of today’s Gospel:  the child grew, became strong, was filled with wisdom and the favor of God was upon him!

Inspired by today’s Gospel and the model of the Holy Family, can we strive to strengthen the family, both in the public square and in our own family circle?  As a Catholic Christian, it should not be too much to defend, with our whole being, the sacramental unity of marriage, one man and one woman, brought together in love and open to the gift of children.  As children of God, it should not be too much to defend the gift of life, standing foursquare against abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research and yes, even the ravenous desire to call for and implement a death penalty.  And as brothers and sisters, it should not be too much to stand against all forms of bullying, of violence and racism.  And in our own families, it should not be too much to love one another as St. Paul says with compassion, kindness, gentleness, forgiveness and patience!

We are called this day, and every day, no matter the size or shape or human condition of our family to be a Holy Family, to call upon The Holy Family and to practice the virtues of obedience, humility and trust!

I love my family!
 I love my Most Holy Trinity family
 I’m going to have another grandbaby!!
And Merry Christmas!

The Feast Day of the youngest Apsotle; author of a Gospel and Revelation; he took over care for Mary at the Crucifixion

St. John the Evangelist

 

Facts

Feastday: December 27

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Saint John the Divine as the son of Zebedee, and his mother's name was Salome [Matthew 4:21, 27:56; Mark 15:40, 16:1]. They lived on the shores of the sea of Galilee. The brother of Saint John, probably considerably older, was Saint James. The mention of the "hired men" [Mark 1:20], and of Saint John's "home" [John 19:27], implies that the condition of Salome and her children was not one of great poverty.
SS. John and James followed the Baptist when he preached repentance in the wilderness of Jordan. There can be little doubt that the two disciples, whom Saint John does not name (John 1:35), who looked on Jesus "as he walked," when the Baptist exclaimed with prophetic perception, "Behold the Lamb of God!" were Andrew and John. They followed and asked the Lord where he dwelt. He bade them come and see, and they stayed with him all day. Of the subject of conversation that took place in this interview no record has come to us, but it was probably the starting-point of the entire devotion of heart and soul which lasted through the life of the Beloved Apostle.
John apparently followed his new Master to Galilee, and was with him at the marriage feast of Cana, journeyed with him to Capernaum, and thenceforth never left him, save when sent on the missionary expedition with another, invested with the power of healing. He, James, and Peter, came within the innermost circle of their Lord's friends, and these three were suffered to remain with Christ when all the rest of the apostles were kept at a distance [Mark 5:37, Matthew 17:1, 26:37]. Peter, James, and John were with Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. The mother of James and John, knowing our Lord's love for the brethren, made special request for them, that they might sit, one on his right hand, the other on his left, in his kingdom [Matthew 20:21]. There must have been much impetuosity in the character of the brothers, for they obtained the nickname of Boanerges, Sons of Thunder [Mark 3:17, see also Luke 9:54]. It is not necessary to dwell on the familiar history of the Last Supper and the Passion. To John was committed by our Lord the highest of privileges, the care of his mother [John 19:27]. John [the "disciple whom Jesus loved"] and Peter were the first to receive the news from the Magdalene of the Resurrection [John 20:2], and they hastened at once to the sepulchre, and there when Peter was restrained by awe, John impetuously "reached the tomb first."
In the interval between the Resurrection and the Ascension, John and Peter were together on the Sea of Galilee [John 21:1], having returned to their old calling, and old familiar haunts.
When Christ appeared on the shore in the dusk of morning, John was the first to recognize him. The last words of the Gospel reveal the attachment which existed between the two apostles. It was not enough for Peter to know his own fate, he must learn also something of the future that awaited his friend. The Acts show us them still united, entering together as worshippers into the Temple [Acts 3:1], and protesting together against the threats of the Sanhedrin [Acts 4:13]. They were fellow-workers together in the first step of Church expansion. The apostle whose wrath had been kindled at the unbelief of the Samaritans, was the first to receive these Samaritans as brethren [Luke 9:54, Acts 8:14].
He probably remained at Jerusalem until the death of the Virgin, though tradition of no great antiquity or weight asserts that he took her to Ephesus. When he went to Ephesus is uncertain. He was at Jerusalem fifteen years after Saint Paul's first visit there [Acts 15:6]. There is no trace of his presence there when Saint Paul was at Jerusalem for the last time.
Tradition, more or less trustworthy, completes the history. Irenaeus says that Saint John did not settle at Ephesus until after the death SS. Peter and Paul, and this is probable. He certainly as not there when Saint Timothy was appointed bishop of that place. Saint Jerome says that he supervised and governed all the Churches of Asia. He probably took up his abode finally in Ephesus in 97. In the persecution of Domitian he was taken to Rome, and was placed in a cauldron of boiling oil, outside the Latin gate, without the boiling fluid doing him any injury. [Eusebius makes no mention of this. The legend of the boiling oil occurs in Tertullian and in Saint Jerome]. He was sent to labor at the mines in Patmos. At the accession of Nerva he was set free, and returned to Ephesus, and there it is thought that he wrote his gospel. Of his zeal and love combined we have examples in Eusebius, who tells, on the authority of Irenaeus, that Saint John once fled out of a bath on hearing that Cerinthus was in it, lest, as he asserted, the roof should fall in, and crush the heretic. On the other hand, he showed the love that was in him. He commended a young man in whom he was interested to a bishop, and bade him keep his trust well. Some years after he learned that the young man had become a robber. Saint John, though very old, pursued him among the mountain fastnesses, and by his tenderness recovered him.
In his old age, when unable to do more, he was carried into the assembly of the Church at Ephesus, and his sole exhortation was, "Little children, love one another."
The date of his death cannot be fixed with anything like precision, but it is certain that he lived to a very advanced age. He is represented holding a chalice from which issues a dragon, as he is supposed to have been given poison, which was, however, innocuous. Also his symbol is an eagle.