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January 3, 2009                                       Christmas Weekday       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 11 Jn 2:29–3:6 If you consider that God is righteous,you also know that everyone who acts in righteousnessis begotten by him. See what love the Father has bestowed on usthat we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are.The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.Beloved, we are God’s children now;what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall...

Roy got up at 6:30 the day after Christmas so he could beat the crowds and get to the gift return counter as early as possible. When he arrived at the store parking lot, he was surprised at the number of shoppers with the same idea. He parked, grabbed his unwanted gift and made for the return counter. Quite a few shoppers had arrived ahead of him, but that was OK; standing in line would allow him to think about what to buy with his refund. For Christmas, he'd really wanted the shiatsu massager with iPod dock and mug warmer,...

January 2, 2009                                    Memorial of Saint Basil the Great                                     and Saint Gregory Nazianzen,                                    Bishops and Doctors of the Church         Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 11 Jn 2:22-28 Beloved:Who is the liar? Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the antichrist. Anyone who denies the Son does not have the Father,but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what...

A few days ago, Maria Murray was counting the pennies and deciding that Christmas had to be cancelled. She warned her four children that she could not afford to buy them presents. They would probably not have been impressed to learn, therefore, that she had spent her last £5 on a lottery scratchcard at the local newsagent's. But she was firmly back in favour with her family yesterday after the card turned out to be worth a £1million jackpot. 'It was my last £5,' she said. 'It hasn't really sunk in that I've won - I don't know what I'll...

January 1, 2009                             Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary,                                 the Mother of God       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Nm 6:22-27 The LORD said to Moses: “Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them: This is how you shall bless the Israelites.Say to them:The LORD bless you and keep you!The LORD let his face shine uponyou, and be gracious to you!The LORD look upon you kindly andgive you peace!So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them.”...

"The Slaughter of the Holy Innocents," by Duccio di Buoninsegna, 14th century, taken from Even before they learn to speak, they proclaim Christ The feast of the Holy Innocents, who died as martyrs for Christ at the hand of wicked King Herod's men [see Matthew 2: 16-18], fell on a Sunday this year, so they weren't commemorated during Mass this year. However, the memory of these blessed souls in Heaven came to mind as I listened to a favorite Christmas carol of mine, "Coventry Carol." An entry on the BBC's website about the carol related the following: The carol probably...

December 31, 2008                            The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 11 Jn 2:18-21 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that the antichrist was coming,so now many antichrists have appeared. Thus we know this is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of our number;if they had been, they would have remained with us. Their desertion shows that none of them was of our number. But you have the anointing that comes from the Holy One,and you all have knowledge. I write...

Turn on the sound...........

"The Cross of Christ on Calvary stands beside the path of that admirable commercium, of that wonderful self-communication of God to man, which also includes the call to man to share in the divine life by giving himself, and with himself the whole visible world, to God, and like an adopted son to become a sharer in the truth and love which is in God and proceeds from God. It is precisely besides the path of man's eternal election to the dignity of being an adopted child of God that there stands in history the Cross of Christ, the only-begotten...

The Ignorant Fishermen 2000 years ago before Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead, He chose men. The elite class and religious rulers of that day called these men ignorant. God, however, called these men to be His Fishermen and Ambassadors to the dying world. Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew...

I was at the mall two days before Christmas, and it was strangely quiet. So quiet that, sadly, I was able to hear every word of Kelly Clarkson bellowing over the sound system “My Grown-Up Christmas List”. Don’t get me wrong — I love seasonal songs. “Winter Wonderland” — I dig it. “Rudolph” — man, he’s cool, albeit not as literally as Frosty. But “Grown-Up Christmas List” is one of those overwrought ballads of melismatic bombast made for the “American Idol” crowd. It’s all about how the singer now eschews asking Santa for materialist goodies — beribboned trinkets and gaudy...

December 30, 2008                                 The Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 11 Jn 2:12-17 I am writing to you, children,because your sins have been forgiven for his name’s sake. I am writing to you, fathers,because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men,because you have conquered the Evil One. I write to you, children,because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers,because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men,because you...

Christmas is a time for giving, but did you ever wonder what the heck some people were thinking when they gave their gift? See today's "Geeks On Caffeine" for ideas about what NOT to give someone! NOTE: The author of this comic requests that you please visit his web site and refrain from copying the cartoon within this thread. Thank you.

A popular Christmas song tells us this is the “hap-hap-happiest time of the year,” and for many of us, it is. Of course, that is not always the case, as a look at recollections of some past Christmases shows. But despite the problems that have beset our ancestors through the years, most of them overcame — or simply survived — their difficulties. One source says the singing of the Midnight Mass by members of LaSalle’s group in the 1680s was the first documented Christmas celebration in Texas. It isn’t clear that this was an unhappy holiday for them, but having...

December 29, 2008                             The Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 11 Jn 2:3-11 Beloved:The way we may be sure that we know Jesus is to keep his commandments. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not keep his commandmentsis a liar, and the truth is not in him.But whoever keeps his word,the love of God is truly perfected in him. This is the way we may know that we are in union with him:whoever claims to abide in him ought to walk just as he...

We scaled back on the gift buying this year and gave a little more to charity. We went to church and thanked God for all he has given us. We enjoyed family togetherness, ate good, watched Christmas videos, moved the wise men closer each evening, and sang carols around the Christmas tree. We had a merry and blessed Christmas.I awoke on the 26th to see headlines announcing this was the worst "holiday season" ever.How can the worst retail holiday season in years get worse? It can become the worst holiday season since anyone kept accurate records. There have been signs...

Since early February we have been immersed in a vision of hope. Everywhere, the iconic poster of Obama reminds us that Obama as president will save this nation and set us free from the tyranny of our present day rulers. Yet, it is the same hangers of hope posters who object to the displaying of the True symbol of Hope.

<p>Price-slashing failed to rescue a bleak holiday season for beleaguered retailers, as sales plunged across most categories on shrinking consumer spending, according to new data released Thursday.</p> <p>Despite a flurry of last-minute shoppers lured by the deep discounts, total retail sales, excluding automobiles, fell over the year-earlier period by 5.5% in November and 8% in December through Christmas Eve, according to MasterCard Inc.'s SpendingPulse unit.</p>

December 28, 2008                             The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Sir 3:2-6, 12-14 God sets a father in honor over his children;a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons.Whoever honors his father atones for sins,and preserves himself from them.When he prays, he is heard;he stores up riches who reveres his mother.Whoever honors his father is gladdened by children,and, when he prays, is heard.Whoever reveres his father will live a long life;he who obeys his father brings comfort to his mother. My son, take care...

“A Great Way to End Things” (Luke 2:22-40)Our text today is the story of Mary and Joseph presenting the infant Jesus at the temple and the reactions of Simeon and Anna. As we’re about to see, what happens in this story is “A Great Way to End Things.” And that will apply not only to the characters in the story but also to you. A great way to end things. The first thing it ends is Mary’s time of purification. Let me read the opening verses of our text and then I’ll explain: “And when the time came for their...

The Feast of the Holy Family by: Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio  Every year right after Christmas, we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family.  There is a reason for this.  It’s easy to think the “incarnation” means God took on a human body.But there is much more to it than that.  In Jesus, God unites himself to an entire human nature.  He fully enters into human experience, with all its peaks and valleys.  And a part of that human experience,  with more than its share of peaks and valleys, is family.Jesus spent over 90% of his years in the obscure nitty-gritty of family...

Christmastide and Epiphany Christmastide For most, Christmas is over by December 26, and life has resumed its normal activities. The Church, on the other hand, observes an Octave of Christmas until January 1 (after the Jewish practice of an eight-day celebration) and an extended Christmastime until January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany. (It is now celebrated on the Sunday between January 2 and January 8.) The popular Christmas song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas," is rooted in the festive celebration of Christmastime and a celebration of the Catholic faith, from a time in England and Ireland when Catholics...

Antidisestablishmentarianism is on the march. Which is odd, considering there is only the faintest whiff of disestablishmentarianism to fight. The Archbishop of Canterbury set this hare running with his usual confused mumbling into his beard. To disestablish the church would be "by no means the end of the world", he said bravely. He hastened to add that he did not want the church sundered from the state right now. And he would oppose "secularists [boo, hiss] trying to push religion into the private sphere". This sent the Telegraph and Mail into a spin, claiming a devilish distestablishment plot on the...

The perfect present: Abortion gift card RICHARD CLEARY Updated: 12/22/2008 08:02:57 AM EST It's long been the case in the U.S. that different groups of people choose to celebrate different aspects of the Christmas story. Merchants, of course, celebrate the giving of gifts by the Magi to the Christ child because the symbolism encourages shoppers to knock themselves out making the cash registers ring. Secular humanists celebrate the notion of good will toward men, even though they're hard-pressed to articulate a cogent reason why anyone should feel all warm and tingly toward anyone, much less complete strangers, in a godless,...

President and Mrs. Bush left the D.C. area today and arrived in TX where they will vacation at their ranch in Crawford.

Grow Up! An Obamafied American Idol Christmas. By Mark Steyn I was at the mall two days before Christmas, and it was strangely quiet. So quiet that, sadly, I was able to hear every word of Kelly Clarkson bellowing over the sound system “My Grown-Up Christmas List.” Don’t get me wrong — I love seasonal songs. “Winter Wonderland” — I dig it. “Rudolph” — man, he’s cool, albeit not as literally as Frosty. But “Grown-Up Christmas List” is one of those overwrought ballads of melismatic bombast made for the American Idol crowd. It’s all about how the singer now eschews...

A Portsmouth, N.H., couple yesterday blamed each other for their black and blue Christmas when they got into a violent fight - and arrested - after an argument over a gift of the popular Nintendo video game. “This was the worst Christmas ever,” Randi Young, 24, said a day after she and her boyfriend, Heath Blom, 26, were both cuffed and carted off by cops on misdemeanor charges of “domestic-related” simple assault.

For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryDecember 23, 2008 President's Radio Address   President's Radio Address  Audio  En Español       Holidays at the White House 2008 THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week, millions of Americans gather with loved ones for Christmas. This is a season of hope and joy. And it is an occasion to remember a humble birth that has helped shape the world for more than two thousand years. One of the things that makes Christmas special is that it allows us to step back and take stock of what is truly meaningful in our lives. As years pass by,...

Hebrews 1:1-12 John 1:1-14 On Christmas, this Feast of the Nativity, the hidden revelation we celebrate on the Feast of the Annunciation becomes visible. "Then the babe, the world's Redeemer First revealed his sacred face Evermore and evermore." I never tire of the prologue to St. John’s Gospel. This is the Gospel for the first Mass of Christmas, which is also the last Gospel of almost every High Mass. These words are hakadesh hakadeshim- the holy of holies- in all of scripture. I have no need this day to stand here and relate any personal story, or any tale of...

Overweight, overleveraged, overdrawn, overburdened with too much stuff. We like stuff, and we love shopping for it. Even a liberal realizes this can't bring salvation. Anne Quindlen writes: These are dark days in the United States: the cataclysmic stock-market declines, the industries edging up on bankruptcy, the home foreclosures and the waves of layoffs. But the prospect of an end to plenty has uncovered what may ultimately be a more pernicious problem, an addiction to consumption so out of control that it qualifies as a sickness. The suffocation of a store employee by a stampede of shoppers was horrifying, but...

Today is 27 December. Christmas was two days ago but it still ongoing here in Iraq. One of the barbers on our FOB is a Christian Iraqi. His children wanted a Christmas tree but there seems to be a shortage of them here in Iraq. I found out he was trying to find one and gave him the four foot tall tree that my wife had sent to me. We had used the tree for our Christmas party on the 24th. I hope his family enjoys it and will use it next year unless they get another. I'll also be...

Staff Sgt. Michael Murphy plays "Papa Noel" and delivers treats and toys to Iraqi children in Baghdad, Dec. 19, 2008. Photo by Master Sgt. Brian Davidson, 447th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs. BAGHDAD — Iraqi children living at the Victory Base Complex in Baghdad recently received a surprise visit from “Papa Noel� thanks to U.S. Airmen from Sather Air Base. The event was sponsored by the 447th Air Expeditionary Group Rising Six Council, a group of men and women in the ranks of Airmen through technical sergeant.A fire truck arrived bringing Papa Noel, played by Staff Sgt. Michael Murphy complete...

December 27, 2008                             Feast of Saint John, Apostle and evangelist       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 11 Jn 1:1-4 Beloved:What was from the beginning,what we have heard,what we have seen with our eyes,what we looked uponand touched with our handsconcerns the Word of lifefor the life was made visible;we have seen it and testify to itand proclaim to you the eternal lifethat was with the Father and was made visible to uswhat we have seen and heardwe proclaim now to you,so that you too may have fellowship with us;for our fellowship is...

JALALABAD AIR FIELD, Dec. 26, 2008 – While people around the world made their final Christmas preparations, members of the Nangarhar Provincial Reconstruction Team and the Chaparhar Police Mentor Team visited a school in the Terelay Village, of the Chaparhar district, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, Dec. 24, 2008, to distribute clothes and school supplies. Members of the Nangarhar Provincial Reconstruction Team and Chaparhar Police Mentor Team meet with village elders at a school in Terelay Village, Chaparhar District, Dec. 24, 2008. The teams met with the elders to discuss current conditions in the village, as well as pass out school...

<p>President-elect Barack Obama has vowed to close it. The international community has condemned it.</p> <p>On Christmas Eve, however, when it came time for him to wish some American service members a Merry Christmas for his last time in office, President George W. Bush rang up a North Carolina man who's assigned to the military prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.</p>

Barack Obama has long stressed the importance of religion in his life. But as his fellow Christians around the world attended Christmas services on Wednesday and Thursday, the president-elect and his family remained sequestered at their vacation compound on the windward coast of Oahu. His lack of attendance at formal religious services was obvious and showcased a dilemma faced by Obama, who is between churches and often also expresses concern about bringing the disruption of his security detail into the lives of others.

The holiday season is all ablaze, with lights to brighten the eye and warm the spirit. The candles of Hanukkah, recalling the triumph of the Maccabees in repulsing an army of Syrians who tried to evict the Jews from ancient Israel, twinkle for eight days in the Jewish "festival of the lights." The lights of Christmas celebrate the birth of Christ, symbolizing the coming of the Messiah and the triumph of light over darkness in a world of suffering. It's a season about survival, of standing up to evil forces. The lighting of the candles for the rededicated temple commemorates...

It has been a wonderful holiday season thus far for my family and me, and I sincerely hope it has been the same for each and every one of you.As I try to work myself into a post-Christmas blogging mind set, and veer away momemtarily from the political, I am curious if there are any less than serious Christmastime mishaps anyone would like to share? Any retail store nightmares? Goofy little Yuletide anecdotes? Traveling disaster stories?I have an interesting little situation that I hope will be resolved soon – and I’m confident it will. I thought I'd pass it along.I...

WASHINGTON — It's the "the holiday season" — the politically correct euphemism for this time of year, when we're supposed to demonstrate the "spirit of the season" by going shopping. We do this so that we can help retailers hit their year-end sales targets. Shopping, we are told, stimulates the economy, and what's good for the economy is good for all of us. Our "holidays" have become mere orgies of economic stimulus. Need a new mattress? Presidents Day weekend is now known for slumber sales. That barbecue with 50 percent more grilling area that you want? Hold off until Memorial...

A woman was recently fired for refusing to say "Happy Holidays," because she felt it was a violation of her religious right to say "Merry Christmas" (see the article below). What is this world coming to? I swear, right has become wrong, and wrong is right. This whole liberal policy of everyone being treated exactly the same, and stepping on egg shells so no one is offended, is simply out of hand. If someone wished me a Happy Kwanzaa, or a Happy Hanukkah, I would not be the LEAST bit offended, in fact, I would return the good wishes without...

Iraqi scouts get a visit from Santa Claus, played by civilian contractor Joseph Lord, during a holiday-themed scouting event on Victory Base Complex, Dec. 20, 2008. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Joy Pariante. VICTORY BASE COMPLEX — Cries of delight filled the scouting compound here when Iraqi boy and girl scouts received a surprise visit and presents from Santa Claus during a holiday-themed scouting event, Dec. 20. The Victory Base Council military and civilian volunteers gather once a week with local Iraqi children to participate in arts and crafts, team building events and other scout related activities, but this...

A BBC poll of choral directors in the U.S. and U.K. finds Harold Darke's setting of "In The Bleak Midwinter" to be the best Christmas carol.

KEMAH, Texas - A family of 15 spent their Christmas morning opening presents in a 14-by-60-foot trailer provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, KPRC Local 2 reported. "Normally, we don't go real big, but we allowed them to because we haven't bought anything since the house flooded,"

SEATTLE (AP) -- Amazon.com Inc. said Friday that the 2008 holiday season was the online retailer's "best ever," with more than 6.3 million items ordered and 5.6 million units shipped during its peak day on Dec. 15. Amazon's upbeat take on the holiday season bucked the drumbeat of generally dismal news from retailers. Holiday sales typically account for 30 percent to 50 percent of a retailer's annual total, but rising unemployment, home foreclosures, the stock market decline and other economic worries led many shoppers to slash their shopping budgets this year.

This year was a lean year as far as Christmas presents go. We didn’t exchange with family that was ‘far away” so that cut down out costs, but it also severely cut the number under the tree for the two kids. Our kids knew it had been a tight year and when they gave us their lists, I could tell they were being conservative on purpose (despite being teenagers) by the number of items on their list. You know, my husband has a well-paying job – and after three friend’s husband’s losing their jobs this year, I am truly grateful...

BAGHDAD (AP) — Army Sgt. Robin Cameron stood guard outside a once opulent Iraqi shopping mall that now serves as a small U.S. military outpost, trying not to think about what he was missing with his family on Christmas. "It's just another day in Iraq," he said, waving through a convoy of armored vehicles heading out to patrol Baghdad's Mansour neighborhood, once home to Saddam Hussein's favored officers and later an insurgent stronghold known for its deadly attacks on American troops. Although troop levels are expected to start declining after provincial elections on Jan. 31, the same number are in...

http://www.longwarjournal.org/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?tag=Philippines&blog_id=7 # BLOG ENTRY - QUOTE: http://www.longwarjournal.org/today-in/2008/12/the_moro_islamic_liberation_fr_1.php Moro Islamic Liberation Front killed nine people during attacks on villagers in the provinces of Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat on Christmas eve, and continued raids on Christmas day. MILF refused to change its negotiating position or representatives, but demanded a cabinet-level official head the peace panel. Find related articles: Philippines Posted by Bill Roggio on December 25, 2008 10:33 PM | Permalink

Ky Michaelson, better known as The Rocketman, is one of the world's leading rocket powered vehicle builders.

Note: The following text is a quote: Thursday, December 25, 2008 Chinese Government Launches Attacks Against Christians During Christmas Season By Dan Wooding Founder of ASSIST Ministries CHINA (ANS) -- ChinaAid has reported to ANS that the Chinese government has targeted Christians in Henan province, Anhui province, and Xinjiang Autonomous Region between December 21 and December 24. A ChinaAid spokesperson said that on Christmas Eve in Henan province, nine Christian women were arrested during a nativity play and are still being held by police. In Anhui province on December 22, officials arrested 19 students and two house church leaders and...

December 26, 2008                             Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59 Stephen, filled with grace and power,was working great wonders and signs among the people.Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen,Cyrenians, and Alexandrians,and people from Cilicia and Asia,came forward and debated with Stephen,but they could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke. When they heard this, they were infuriated,and they ground their teeth at him.But he, filled with the Holy Spirit,looked up intently to heavenand saw the glory of God...