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Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 12-13-12, M, St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr
USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 12-13--12 | Revised New American Bible

Posted on 12/12/2012 9:15:55 PM PST by Salvation

December 13, 2012

 

Memorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr

 

Reading 1 Is 41:13-20

I am the LORD, your God,
who grasp your right hand;
It is I who say to you, "Fear not,
I will help you."
Fear not, O worm Jacob,
O maggot Israel;
I will help you, says the LORD;
your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
I will make of you a threshing sledge,
sharp, new, and double-edged,
To thresh the mountains and crush them,
to make the hills like chaff.
When you winnow them, the wind shall carry them off
and the storm shall scatter them.
But you shall rejoice in the LORD,
and glory in the Holy One of Israel.

The afflicted and the needy seek water in vain,
their tongues are parched with thirst.
I, the LORD, will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
I will open up rivers on the bare heights,
and fountains in the broad valleys;
I will turn the desert into a marshland,
and the dry ground into springs of water.
I will plant in the desert the cedar,
acacia, myrtle, and olive;
I will set in the wasteland the cypress,
together with the plane tree and the pine,
That all may see and know,
observe and understand,
That the hand of the LORD has done this,
the Holy One of Israel has created it.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 145:1 and 9, 10-11, 12-13ab

R. (8) The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.
I will extol you, O my God and King,
and I will bless your name forever and ever.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.
Let them make known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.

Gospel Mt 11:11-15

Jesus said to the crowds:
"Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
From the days of John the Baptist until now,
the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence,
and the violent are taking it by force.
All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John.
And if you are willing to accept it,
he is Elijah, the one who is to come.
Whoever has ears ought to hear."


TOPICS: Catholic; General Discusssion; Prayer; Worship
KEYWORDS: advent; catholic; prayer; saints
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To: All
Lucy and Odilia: Two Saints for Sore Eyes [Catholic Caucus]
Saint Lucy (Santa Lucia)
Saint Lucy [Martyr]
21 posted on 12/13/2012 8:27:35 AM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All


Information:
St. Lucy
Feast Day: December 13
Born: 284, Syracuse
Died: 304, Syracuse
Major Shrine: San Geremia, Venice
Patron of: blind; martyrs; epidemics; salesmen, throat infections



22 posted on 12/13/2012 8:28:16 AM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Interactive Saints for Kids

St. Lucy

St. Lucy
Feast Day: December 13
Born: 283 :: Died: 304

This beloved saint was born and lived in Syracuse, Sicily. Lucy was the daughter of very noble and rich parents. Her father died when she was very young.

Young Lucy secretly promised Jesus that she would never marry so that she could be his alone. She was a lovely girl, with beautiful eyes. More than one young noble set his heart on her.

Her mother Eutychia, begged her to marry a young pagan named Paschasius, whom she had chosen for Lucy. But for three years Lucy would not agree and was able to hold it off.

Lucy then thought of a plan to win her mother over. Her mother suffered from hemorrhages and Lucy convinced her to go to the shrine of St. Agatha and pray for her recovery.

When God heard their prayers and cured her mother, Lucy told her of her promise to be Christ's bride. Her grateful mother finally allowed Lucy to follow her vocation.

Paschasius was furious at losing his bride to be. In his bitter anger, he accused her of being a Christian. He threatened her with the frightening torture of being blinded.

But Lucy was even willing to lose both her eyes rather than belong to anyone but Jesus. And that is just what happened. Many statues show St. Lucy holding her lovely eyes in the palm of her hand.

Jesus rewarded Lucy for her heroic love. He worked a miracle and gave her back her eyes, more beautiful than ever.

The pagan judge tried to send the saint to a house of sinful women. He hoped that Lucy might be tempted to give up Christ. But when they tried to carry her away, God made her body so heavy that they could not move her even with a team of oxen.

Then she was surrounded with bundles of wood which they set on fire, but the fire went out. In the end, she was stabbed and became a martyr for Jesus in the year 304.

23 posted on 12/13/2012 8:32:30 AM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
 
Catholic
Almanac:

Thursday, December 13

Liturgical Color: Red


Today is the Memorial of St. Lucy, virgin and martyr. St. Lucy was blinded as she was tortured for her faith in 304 A.D. Her eyesight was miraculously restored and she is honored as the patron saint of those with eye trouble.


24 posted on 12/13/2012 4:23:57 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: December 13, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: May the glorious intercession of the Virgin and Martyr Saint Lucy give us new heart, we pray, O Lord, so that we may celebrate her heavenly birthday in this present age and so behold things eternal. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Advent: December 13th

Memorial of St. Lucy, virgin and martyr

Old Calendar: St. Lucy

St. Lucy (283-304) was born in Syracuse, Sicily, where she also died. She was of a noble Greek family, and was brought up as a Christian by her mother, who was miraculously cured at the shrine of St. Agatha in Catania. Lucy made a vow of virginity and distributed her wealth to the poor. This generosity stirred the wrath of the unworthy youth to whom she had been unwillingly betrothed and who denounced her to Paschasius, the governor of Sicily. When it was decided to violate her virginity in a place of shame, Lucy, with the help of the Holy Spirit, stood immovable. A fire was then built around her, but again God protected her. She was finally put to death by the sword. Her name appears in the second list in the Canon.

Jesse Tree ~ Jesse



St. Lucy
Today's feast can easily be harmonized with Advent themes. The very name Lucy pulsates with light, a living symbol amid the season's darkness (the days are now the shortest of the year). As a wise virgin Lucy advances with a burning lamp to meet the Bridegroom. She typifies the Church and the soul now preparing their bridal robes for a Christmas marriage.

That the famous Sicilian martyr really lived may be deduced from the great popular veneration accorded her since most ancient times. The Acts detailing her sufferings, however, merit little credence. According to these she made a pilgrimage to Catonia with her mother, who suffered from hemorrhage, to venerate the body of St. Agatha. After praying devoutly at the tomb, Agatha appeared to her in a dream and consoled her: "O virgin Lucy, why do you ask of me what you yourself can procure for your mother? For your faith too has come to her aid and therefore she has been cured. By your virginity you have indeed prepared for God a lovely dwelling." And her mother actually was healed.

Immediately Lucy asked permission to remain a virgin and to distribute her future dowry among Christ's poor. Child and mother returned to their native city of Syracuse, and Lucy proceeded to distribute the full proceeds from the sale of her property among the poor. When a young man, to whom Lucy's parents had promised the virgin's hand against her will, had heard of the development, he reported her to the city prefect as a Christian. "Your words will be silenced," the prefect said to her, "when the storm of blows falls upon you!" The virgin: "To God's servants the right words will not be wanting, for the Holy Spirit speaks in us." "Yes," she continued, "all who live piously and chastely are temples of the Holy Spirit." "Then," he replied, "I shall order you put with prostitutes and the Holy Spirit will depart from you." Lucy: "If I am dishonored against my will, my chastity will secure for me a double crown of victory."

Aflame with anger, the judge imposed the threatened order. But God made the virgin solidly firm in her place and no force could move her. "With such might did the Holy Spirit hold her firm that the virgin of Christ remained immovable." Thereupon they poured heated pitch and resin over her: "I have begged my Lord Jesus Christ that this fire have no power over me. And in testimony of Him I have asked a postponement of my death." When she had endured all this without the least injury, they pierced her throat with a sword. Thus she victoriously ended her martyrdom.

—Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch.

Patron: against hemorraghes; authors; blind people; blindness; cutlers; dysentery; eye disease; eye problems; glaziers; hemorraghes; laborers; martyrs; peasants; Perugia, Italy; saddlers; salesmen; stained glass workers; Syracuse, Sicily; throat infections; writers.

Symbols: Lamp; dagger; three crowns; cauldron; two oxen; stake and fagots; cup; sword through his neck; poniard; ropes; eye held in pincers; awl; cord; eyes on a dish or book; swords.
Often Portrayed As: Woman hitched to a yoke of oxen; woman in the company of Saint Agatha, Saint Agnes of Rome, Barbara, Catherine of Alexandria, and Saint Thecla; woman kneeling before the tomb of Saint Agatha.

Things to Do:


25 posted on 12/13/2012 4:36:14 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
The Word Among Us

Meditation: Matthew 11:11-15

Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr

“The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force.” (Matthew 11:12)

Because we are all created in God’s image, the personality he has given each of us manifests his char­acter in a unique, irreplaceable way. A fearless leader like Moses reveals how God goes before his people to lead them to freedom. A wise pas­tor like St. Francis de Sales shows how well our heavenly Father under­stands our weaknesses. Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta demon­strates God’s compassion for the least of his children, and Dorothy Day shows us God’s passion for jus­tice and peace.

Even a “violent” prophet like John the Baptist has something to teach us about God. Perhaps it would have been better for John had he not been so outspo­ken and uncompromising. Having once confronted Herod on his sin­ful relationship with Herodias, John might have saved his skin by soft­ening his message a bit. But that’s not who John was. He called it as he saw it, and he didn’t let any­thing stand in his way, not even the threat of death. Toughened by a life of austerity, he was single-minded in his determination to prepare all Israel—even Herod—for the com­ing kingdom of God.

Do you see Jesus only as a gen­tle soul who embraces everyone, regardless of their beliefs and life­style? Of course there is truth in this image. God’s love is unconditional. He treasures every person he cre­ated and longs for everyone to be with him forever. But at the same time, Jesus cannot abide the sin that distorts his image in us and sepa­rates us from him. He will go to any lengths to deal with that sin, includ­ing becoming a man, living among us, and suffering death for our sake. As his awestruck friends once observed, Jesus was consumed with zeal for the purity of God’s kingdom and his people (John 2:17).

Today is a good day to ask God to shed his light on the greatest obstacle you are raising to the vic­tory of his love in you. Once you see what that obstacle is, let noth­ing stop you from bringing it down! Let the violence of Jesus’ passionate love for you give you the strength, determination, and faith you need to see victory.

“Jesus, you held nothing back in loving me. By your Spirit, help me overcome everything that separates me from you.”

Isaiah 41:13-20; Psalm 145:1, 9-13


26 posted on 12/13/2012 5:23:07 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
 
Marriage = One Man and One Woman
Til' Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for December 13, 2012:

Does your spouse get left overs? Not for dinner but your left over energy? When you meet at the end of your work day (whether at an office or home) find a way to pause and refresh your tired spirit. Fifteen minutes can often do it (a nap, prayer, shower…).


27 posted on 12/13/2012 5:30:21 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
Matthew
  English: Douay-Rheims Latin: Vulgata Clementina Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
  Matthew 11
11 Amen I say to you, there hath not risen among them that are born of women a greater than John the Baptist: yet he that is the lesser in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Amen dico vobis, non surrexit inter natos mulierum major Joanne Baptista : qui autem minor est in regno cælorum, major est illo. αμην λεγω υμιν ουκ εγηγερται εν γεννητοις γυναικων μειζων ιωαννου του βαπτιστου ο δε μικροτερος εν τη βασιλεια των ουρανων μειζων αυτου εστιν
12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent bear it away. A diebus autem Joannis Baptistæ usque nunc, regnum cælorum vim patitur, et violenti rapiunt illud. απο δε των ημερων ιωαννου του βαπτιστου εως αρτι η βασιλεια των ουρανων βιαζεται και βιασται αρπαζουσιν αυτην
13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John: Omnes enim prophetæ et lex usque ad Joannem prophetaverunt : παντες γαρ οι προφηται και ο νομος εως ιωαννου προεφητευσαν
14 And if you will receive it, he is Elias that is to come. et si vultis recipere, ipse est Elias, qui venturus est. και ει θελετε δεξασθαι αυτος εστιν ηλιας ο μελλων ερχεσθαι
15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Qui habet aures audiendi, audiat. ο εχων ωτα ακουειν ακουετω

28 posted on 12/13/2012 6:20:56 PM PST by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex
11. Verily I say to you, Among them that are born of women there had not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

CHRYS; Having first delivered the Prophet's testimony in praise of John, He rested not there; but added His own decision respecting him, saying, Among them that are born of women there has not arisen a greater than John the Baptist.

RABAN; As much as to say; What need to recount one by one the praises of John the Baptist; I say verily to you, Among them that are born of women &c. He says women, not virgins. If the same word mulier, which denotes a married person, is any where in the Gospels applied to Mary, it should be known that the translator has there used 'mulier' for 'femina'; as in that, Woman, behold your son!

JEROME; He is then set before all those that are born in wedlock, and not before Him who was born of the Virgin and the Holy Spirit; yet these words, there has not arisen a greater than John the Baptist, do not imply that John is to be set above the Prophets and Patriarchs and all others, but only makes him equal to the rest; for it does not follow that because others are not greater than him, that therefore he is greater than others.

PSEUDO-CHRYS; But seeing that righteousness has so great deepness that none can be perfect therein but God only, I suppose that all the saints tried by the keenness of the divine judgment, rank in a fixed order, some lower, some before other. Whence we understand that He that has none greater than Himself, is greater than all.

CHRYS; That the abundance of this praise might not beget a wrong inclination in the Jews to set John above Christ, he corrects this, saying, He that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

AUG; The heretic argues from this verse to prove, that since John did not belong to the kingdom of heaven, therefore much less did the other Prophets of that people, than whom John is greater. But these words of the Lord may be understood in two ways. Either the kingdom of heaven is something which we have not yet received, that, namely, of which He speaks, Come, you blessed of my Father, receive the kingdom, because they in it are Angels, therefore the least among them is greater than a righteous man who has a corruptible body. Or if we must understand the kingdom of heaven of the Church, whose children are all the righteous men from the beginning of the world until now, then the Lord speaks this of Himself, who was after John in the time of His birth, but greater in respect of His divine nature and supreme power. According then to the first interpretation it will be pointed, He who is least in the kingdom of heaven, is greater than he; according to the second, He who is less than he, is in the kingdom of heaven greater than he.

CHRYS; The kingdom of heaven, that is, in the spiritual; world and all relating thereto. But some say that Christ spoke this of the Apostles.

JEROME; We understand it simply, that every saint who is ready with the Lord is greater than he who yet stands in the battle; for it is one thing to have gained the crown of victory, another to be yet fighting in the field.

12. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.
13. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
14. And if you will receive it, this is Elias, which was to come.
15. He that has ears to hear, let him hear.

GLOSS: That what He had last said should not lead any to suppose that John was an alien from the kingdom of heaven, He corrects this by adding, From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.

GREG; By the kingdom of heaven is meant the heavenly throne, whither when sinners defiled with any evil deed return in penitence, and amend themselves, they enter as sinners into the place of another, and take by violence the kingdom of heaven.

JEROME; Because John the Baptist was the first who preached repentance to the people, saying, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand: rightly therefore from that day forth it may be said, that the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. For great indeed is the violence, when we who are born of earth, seek an abode in heaven, and obtain by excellence what we have not by nature.

HILARY; Otherwise; The Lord bade His Apostles go to the lost sheep of Israel, but all their preaching conveyed profit to the publicans and sinners. Therefore the kingdom suffers violence, and the violent take it by force, for the glory of Israel, due to the Fathers, foretold by the Prophets, offered by Christ, is entered and held by force by the might of the Gentiles.

CHRYS; Or; All who come thereto with haste take by force the kingdom of God through the faith of Christ; whence He says, from the days of John until now, and thus He brings them in haste to His faith, and at the same time adds support to those things which had been spoken by John. For if all things were fulfilled until John, then is Jesus He that should come; wherefore He adds, All the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John.

JEROME; Not that He cuts off all Prophets after John; for we read in the Acts of the Apostles that Agabus prophesied, and also four virgins, daughters of Philip; but He means that the Law and the Prophets whom we have written, whatever they have prophesied, they have prophesied of the Lord, That He says, Prophesied until John, shows that this was now the time of Christ's coming; and that whom they had foretold should come, Him John showed to be already come.

CHRYS; Then He adds another token of him, saying, And if you will receive it, this is Elias who was to come. The Lord speaks in Malachias, I will send you Elias the Tishbite; and of the same again, Behold, I send my messenger before your face.

JEROME; John then is said to be Elias, not according to the foolish philosophers, and certain heretics who bring forward their metempsychosis, or passing of the soul from one body to another; but because (as it is in another passage of the Gospel) he came in the spirit and power of Elias, and had the same grace and measure of the Holy Spirit. But in austerity of life, and fortitude of spirit, Elias and John were alike; they both dwelt in the desert, both were girded with a girdle of skins; because he reproved Ahab and Jezebel for their wickedness, Elias was compelled to fly; because he condemned the unlawful union of Herod and Herodias, John is beheaded.

CHRYS; If you will receive it, showing their freedom, and requiring of them a willing mind. John the Baptist is Elias, and Elias is John because both were forerunners of Christ.

JEROME; That He says, This is Elias, is figurative, and needs to be explained as what follows, shows; He that has ears to hear, let him hear.

REMIG; As much as to say, Who so has ears of the heart to hear, that is, to understand, let him understand: for He did not say that John was Elias in person, but in the Spirit.

Catena Aurea Matthew 11
29 posted on 12/13/2012 6:21:46 PM PST by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex


John the Baptist the Forerunner and Great Prophet

30 posted on 12/13/2012 6:22:31 PM PST by annalex (fear them not)
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To: All
Regnum Christi

A Kingdom for the Violent?
| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY
Memorial of Saint Lucy, virgin and martyr



Father Walter Schu, LC

Matthew 11:11-15

Jesus said to the crowds: “Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force. All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe in your presence here with me as I humbly kneel before you to do you homage and praise you. I long for the reward you have promised to those who love you with undivided hearts. My heart is not at peace until it rests in you.

Petition: Lord, help me to long for and strive for the inexpressible joy of heaven.

1. None Greater Than John: In a phrase tinged with admiration, Christ pays St. John the Baptist the highest of compliments: “Among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist.” And Christ reveals why: He is the last of the prophets, the one who brings the age of the law and the prophets to a close. But he is even more. He is Elijah, the one sent before the promised Messiah to prepare the way for him. Then comes an unexpected reversal: “Yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” Do not Christ’s words awaken in our hearts an ardent longing for heaven? What else could matter in life but to arrive there, where the least of us will be greater than the greatest one on this earth?

2. Longing for Heaven: How much do we really desire to reach our final goal? Does our attitude sometimes reflect St. Augustine’s during the process of his conversion, before he received the final, definitive grace of entrusting his life entirely to God? Do we not have to confess that we often say to God, “Lord, please bring me to heaven—but not yet!”? St. Cyprian reflects on this phenomenon in one of his homilies: “How unreasonable it is to pray that God’s will be done, and then not promptly obey it when he calls us from this world! Instead we struggle and resist like self-willed slaves and are brought into the Lord’s presence with sorrow and lamentation, not freely consenting to our departure, but constrained by necessity. And yet we expect to be rewarded with heavenly honors by him to whom we come against our will!”

3. The Kingdom of Heaven Suffers Violence: A true longing for heaven is necessary, because it is not easy to arrive there. Christ assures us, “The kingdom of heaven suffers violence.” What does Our Lord mean by this enigmatic affirmation? Surely he does not intend to contradict his own new commandment of love? The “violence” Christ speaks of must be done exclusively to ourselves. In order to ascend the heights of holiness we need to follow in the footsteps of St. John the Baptist, dying to our earthly tendencies. Am I prepared to renounce what often seems most intimately a part of me? Can I beg the Lord for humility? “That others may be more loved than I. That others may be called to occupy posts and I may be forgotten. That others may be preferred to me in everything. Lord Jesus, make this my prayer” (from Litany of Humility, traditional prayer).

Conversation with Christ: Lord, you are showing me that heaven is not for the weak and the soft, but for those who are strong in dying to themselves and living for you and for souls. Help me to grow in fortitude in order to win heaven.

Resolution: Today, when I experience something painful or difficult, I will offer up the unpleasantness to God, knowing it is nothing in comparison to the reward of heaven that awaits me.


31 posted on 12/13/2012 7:56:40 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All

Listen and Understand

 

by Food For Thought on December 13, 2012 · 

Jesus is pleading with us to listen and understand. Today’s readings may be complex, but he doesn’t radically divert from what was prophesied by Elijah and John the Baptist. He reinforces what they’ve preached.

Having hearing and comprehension is a grace. But, if we choose to remain spiritually deaf and dumb to the Good News, we would be missing out on God’s simple, yet profound, message of hope and love for us all.


32 posted on 12/13/2012 8:13:22 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

 


<< Thursday, December 13, 2012 >> St. Lucy
 
Isaiah 41:13-20
View Readings
Psalm 145:1, 9-13 Matthew 11:11-15
 

CHRISTMAS TREES

 
"I will plant in the desert the cedar, acacia, myrtle, and olive; I will set in the wasteland the cypress, together with the plane tree and the pine." —Isaiah 41:19
 

The prophet Isaiah mentions Christmas trees: the cedar and pine trees. These trees will miraculously grow in the desert and wasteland. These Christmas trees are trees of life arising in the midst of death, under impossible circumstances.

Besides the Isaiah tree, there is the Genesis Christmas tree. Traditionally, Christmas trees remind us of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden of Eden (Gn 2:17). Also, the trees were decorated with apples to remind us of the first sin. This tree was a tree of death which cuts us off from the tree of life (Gn 3:22). Finally, Acts of the Apostles refers to the tree of Calvary (Acts 13:29). The Acts tree is Jesus' cross. This tree, as the tree of Christ's death, is the tree of eternal life.

What does your Christmas tree and your life stand for? Life or death? Salvation or sin? Victory or defeat? Calvary or Eden? Two weeks from today is Christmas Eve. "Prepare the way of the Lord" (Is 40:3).

 
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for the tree of Calvary, the tree of life, the Christmas tree. I give my life to You.
Promise: Jesus said, "I solemnly assure you, history has not known a man born of woman greater than John the Baptizer. Yet the least born into the kingdom of God is greater than he." —Mt 11:11
Praise: St. Lucy's mother opposed her vow of virginity in service of Jesus. Jesus healed her mother's physical condition and opened her heart to her daughter's vocation.

33 posted on 12/13/2012 8:27:23 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All



34 posted on 12/13/2012 8:28:27 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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