Information: St. Mary di Rosa

Feast Day:	December 15
Born:	November 6, 1813, Brescia, Italy
Died:	1855, Brescia, Italy
Canonized:	12 June 1954 by Pope Pius XII

St. Nino

Feast Day: December 15
Born:(around) 250 :: Died:(around) 320

Nino was a Christian girl who was captured and carried off to Iberia as a slave. The people of Iberia did not believe in God but the people there admired Nino's goodness and purity.

Noticing how much she prayed, they asked her about her religion. The simple answer she gave them was that she adored Jesus Christ as God. God chose this pure, pious slave-girl to bring Christianity to Iberia.

One day, a mother brought her sick child to Nino, asking her to suggest a cure. The saint wrapped the baby in her cloak. Then she told the mother that Jesus Christ can cure the worst cases of sickness. She handed the child back and the mother saw that her child was completely cured.

The queen of Iberia learned of this miracle. Since she herself was sick and nobody could cure her, she asked Nino to come to the palace. Nino politely refused saying that she was a slave girl who had no place in a palace.

So the queen went to Nino who prayed over her and when she, too, was healed, she tried to thank the Christian girl. But Nino said: "It is Christ's work, not mine. And he is the Son of God who made the world." The queen wanted to reward her so Nino asked her to become a follower of Jesus Christ.

The queen told King Mirian the whole story of her cure. She repeated to her husband what the slave-girl had said of Jesus Christ.

Soon after this, the king got lost in a fog while out hunting. Then he remembered what his wife had told him. He said that if Jesus Christ would lead him safely home, he would believe in him. At once, the fog lifted, and the king kept his promise.

St. Nino herself taught the king and queen the truths of Christianity. They gave her permission to teach the people. Meanwhile, the king began building a Christian church.

Then he sent messengers to the Christian emperor, Constantine, to tell him of his conversion. He asked the emperor to send bishops and priests to Iberia. So it was that a poor slave brought a whole country into the Church.

This good work begun, Nino went to live alone in prayer on a mountainside at Bodbe, Kakheti where she died around the year 320.

Matthew
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Matthew 17
9.	And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying: Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of man be risen from the dead.	Et descendentibus illis de monte, præcepit eis Jesus, dicens : Nemini dixeritis visionem, donec Filius hominis a mortuis resurgat.	και καταβαινοντων αυτων εκ του ορους ενετειλατο αυτοις ο ιησους λεγων μηδενι ειπητε το οραμα εως ου ο υιος του ανθρωπου εκ νεκρων αναστη
10.	And his disciples asked him, saying: Why then do the scribes say that Elias must come first?	Et interrogaverunt eum discipuli, dicentes : Quid ergo scribæ dicunt, quod Eliam oporteat primum venire ?	και επηρωτησαν αυτον οι μαθηται αυτου λεγοντες τι ουν οι γραμματεις λεγουσιν οτι ηλιαν δει ελθειν πρωτον
11.	But he answering, said to them: Elias indeed shall come, and restore all things.	At ille respondens, ait eis : Elias quidem venturus est, et restituet omnia.	ο δε ιησους αποκριθεις ειπεν αυτοις ηλιας μεν ερχεται πρωτον και αποκαταστησει παντα
12.	But I say to you, that Elias is already come, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they had a mind. So also the Son of man shall suffer from them.	Dico autem vobis, quia Elias jam venit, et non cognoverunt eum, sed fecerunt in eo quæcumque voluerunt. Sic et Filius hominis passurus est ab eis.	λεγω δε υμιν οτι ηλιας ηδη ηλθεν και ουκ επεγνωσαν αυτον αλλα εποιησαν εν αυτω οσα ηθελησαν ουτως και ο υιος του ανθρωπου μελλει πασχειν υπ αυτων
13.	Then the disciples understood, that he had spoken to them of John the Baptist.	Tunc intellexerunt discipuli, quia de Joanne Baptista dixisset eis.	τοτε συνηκαν οι μαθηται οτι περι ιωαννου του βαπτιστου ειπεν αυτοις

9. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.

JEROME: It follows; And as they came down from the mount, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell no man this vision, until the Son of Man shall rise from the dead. He will not be preached among the people, lest the marvel of the thing should seem incredible, and lest the cross following after so great glory should cause offense.

REMIG; Or, because if His majesty should be published among the people, they should hinder the dispensation of His passion, by resistance to the chief Priests; and thus the redemption of the human race should suffer impediment.

HILARY; He enjoins silence respecting what they had seen, for this reason, that when they should be filled with the Holy Spirit, they should then become witnesses of these spiritual deeds.

10. And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the Scribes that Elias must first come?
11. And Jesus answered and said to them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
12. But I say to you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done to him whatsoever they would. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.
13. Then the disciples understood that he spoke to them of John the Baptist.

JEROME; It was a tradition of the Pharisees following the Prophet Malachi, that Elias should come before the coming of the Savior, and bring back the heart of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, and restore all things to their ancient state. The disciples then consider that this transformation which they had seen in the mount was His coming in glory, and therefore it is said, And his disciples asked, him, saying, How then say the Scribes that Elias must first come? As though they had said, If you have already come in glory, how is it that your forerunner appears not yet? And this they say chiefly because they see that Elias is departed again.

CHRYS; The disciples knew not of the coming of Elias out of the Scriptures; but the Scribes made it known to them; and this report was current among the ignorant multitude, as was that concerning Christ. Yet the Scribes did not explain the coming of Christ and of Elias, as they ought to have done. For the Scriptures speak of two comings of Christ; that which has taken place, and that which is yet to be. But the Scribes, blinding the people, spoke to them only of His second coming, and said, If this be the Christ, then should Elias have come before Him. Christ thus resolves the difficulty, He answered and said, Elias truly shall come, and restore all things; but I say to you, that Elias has already come. Think not that here is a contradiction in His speech, if He first say that Elias shall come, and then that he is come. For when He says that Elias shall come and restore all things, He speaks of Elias himself in his own proper person, who indeed shall restore all things, in that he shall correct the unbelief of the Jews, who shall then be to be found; and that is the turning the hearts of the fathers to the children, that is, the hearts of the Jews to the Apostles.

AUG; Or; He shall restore all things, that is those whom the persecution of Antichrist shall have overthrown; as He Himself should restore by His death those whom He ought.

CHRYS; But if there shall so much good arise out of the presence of Elias, why did He not send him at that time? We shall say, Because they then held Christ to be Elias, and yet believed not on Him. But they shall hereafter believe Elias, because when he shall come after so great expectation announcing Jesus, they will more readily receive what shall be taught by Him. But when He says that Elias is come already, He calls John the Baptist Elias from the resemblance of their ministry; for as Elias shall be the forerunner of His second coming, so was John the forerunner of His first. And He calls John Elias, to show that His first coming was agreeable to the Old Testament, and to prophecy.

JEROME; He then who at the Savior's second coming should come in the truth of His body, come now in John in power and spirit. It follows, And they knew him not, but did to him whatsoever they would, that is, despised and beheaded him.

HILARY; As he announced the Lord's coming, so he was also to foreshow His passion by the example of his own suffering and wrong; whence it follows, So also shall the Son of Man suffer of them.

CHRYS; He takes the opportunity from the passion of John to refer to His own passion, thus giving them much comfort.

JEROME; It is inquire how, seeing that Herod and Herodias were they that killed John, it can be said that Jesus also was crucified by them, when we read that He was put to death by the Scribes and Pharisees? It must be answered briefly, that the party of the Pharisees consented to the death of John, and that in the Lord's crucifixion Herod united his approval, when having mocked and set Him at nothing, he sent Him back to Pilate, that he should crucify Him.

RABAN; From the mention of His own passion which the Lord had often foretold to them, and from that of His forerunner, which they beheld already accomplished, the disciples perceived that John was set forth to them under the name of Elias; whence it follows; Then understood the disciples that he spoke to them of John the Baptist.

ORIGEN; That He says of John, Elias is already come, is not to be understood of the soul of Elias, that we fall not into the doctrine of metempsychosis, which is foreign to the truth of Church doctrine, but, as the Angel had foretold, he came in the spirit and power of Elias.

Catena Aurea Matthew 17

John the Baptist in the desert with an angel

Elisavetgrad Gospel
16c.

Catholic

Almanac:

Saturday, December 15
Liturgical Color: Violet
St. Virginia Centurione Bracelli died on this day in 1651. Widowed with two children at the age of 20, she dedicated her life to helping the elderly, the sick, and orphaned and abandoned children.

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: December 15, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, who for the defense of the Catholic faith made the Priest Saint Peter Canisius strong in virtue and in learning, grant through his intercession, that those who seek the truth may joyfully find you, their God, and that your faithful people may persevere in confessing you. 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.

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The Mystery of Man's Reconciliation with God | St. Leo the Great

Advent: December 15th

Saturday of the Second Week of Advent

Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end. And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:31-35).

Jesse Tree ~ King Solomon

The Three Feasts of the Nativity
When we celebrate Christmas we are commemorating the three nativities of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the reason for the three Masses celebrated on this day. The first is the eternal begetting of God the Son from all eternity within the mystery of the Blessed Trinity by the Father, “You are My Son. Today I have begotten You.” This first nativity was before the seven days of Creation, when everything was darkness. This is why the first Mass is at midnight to recall the darkness that prevailed during that first eternal birth of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.

The second nativity, or birth, of the Second Person of the Trinity is commemorated on Christmas day when He became man, born of the Virgin Mary, in Bethlehem. For the world, the darkness was beginning to be dispelled. This is why the second Mass is celebrated at dawn when the dawn is beginning to dispel the darkness.

The third nativity of Christ is when He is born in our souls, through His in-dwelling, when man, through grace, becomes enlightened. Thus the third Mass is celebrated during the day when the sun is bright. For man is truly enlightened when he has Christ in his soul.

The first nativity reminds us of the Spirit of poverty, the Spirit that tells us that all the things God created is His, to be used for His glory and not for man’s enjoyment. Even man was to use himself for the glory of God. This represents the six days of creation. If Adam, being the head of creation, had observed the spirit of poverty and used all of creation for the glory of God, then he would have entered into the Sabbath, God’s rest… i.e. eternal happiness. But Adam messed up everything. And the consequence: the whole of mankind could not enter God’s rest.

The second nativity reminds us of the Spirit of chastity. That Spirit reminds us to give up all physical comforts, pleasure and conveniences. And Christ in the manger is a clear example of this. It is a continuous reminder that true happiness can only be found in God and that we are on earth to seek God. All the rest will come with that find. True rest can only be found in God.

The third nativity reminds us of the Spirit of obedience. It is only when we can say, “Not my will but Your will be done,” can Christ be born in our souls. The apostolic commission at the end of St. Matthew’s Gospel reiterates this, reminding us of the role of the Church and the men of the Church: “… teach all My commands and how to observe them.”

Christmas reminds us of one lesson. Christ was born to die. For us the message is clear. We are born to die to oneself. And to die to oneself means reaching a point in our lives when we no longer do our own will but the will of the Father in heaven. This is to lose one’s life in order to find it. If we have learned the lessons of the first nativity, if we have learned the lesson of the second nativity, our reward is the third nativity, when Christ is born in our souls….indeed our eternal Christmas. This is truly a Merry Christmas.

— Excerpted from Fr. Odon de Castro, Bo. San Isidro, Magalang, Pampanga, Philippines

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Matthew 17:9-13

2nd Week of Advent

“The disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.” (Matthew 17:13)

John the Baptist, the epitome of a fearless prophet, prepared the way for Jesus by shaking people out of their sin and calling for repentance. He called members of the religious establishment a “brood of vipers” and even dared to take on members of the Roman occupying army (Matthew 3:7; Luke 3:14). His preaching eventually landed him in prison, where he was beheaded on Herod’s orders.

Then came Jesus, with a ministry of healing and forgiveness. He turned ideas like “an eye for an eye” on their head and told people to go out of their way to be kind and forgiving. Yet as gentle as he was, Jesus was just as clear about sin and our need for repentance. And he too was arrested and put to death for his preaching.

Both John and Jesus died because they spoke uncomfortable truths. Who among us doesn’t like to be complimented? We like people to approve of us and affirm what is good in us. But we also know that the people who love us the most are the ones willing to tell us the truth about the things we need to change. We know their primary goal is not to bring us down but to help us grow.

So when someone offers you constructive criticism—even if it’s delivered in a harsher tone than you expected—step back and listen carefully. Ask the Lord to show you how to respond. Is there truth in what was shared? How can you make a change, even if it is a small step forward? Always remember that God is with you to help you. He isn’t there to condemn but to save. He isn’t there to tear down but to build up.

Jesus wants us to become holy. He wants us to turn from sin. He may use a firebrand like John the Baptist, or he may use a gentle shepherd like Jesus, but the message is the same: The kingdom is coming, so get ready! May we be open to these words, and to the grace that always accompanies them. For our God will never ask something of us without also offering all the help we need to do it.

“Jesus, I don’t want to miss your voice of truth. Help me to welcome your call to change. Lord, I want to become like you!”

Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11 Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19

Marriage = One Man and One Woman

Til' Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for December 15, 2012:

“The time came for Elizabeth to have her child, and she gave birth to a son.” (Lk1:57) Elizabeth waited a long time to have a child. Do you know anyone anxiously hoping to have a child? God willing, their time will come. If not, may they give life from their hearts

Vultus Christi

Massacre of the Innocents

By

Father Mark

on December 15, 2012 9:01 AM |

A Hellish Crime

The massacre of innocent children and of others ten days before Christmas, in my own home state of Connecticut, is evidence enough of the implacable hatred of the Evil One, the incorporeal Herod, who everywhere seeks and finds breaches in the souls of men, in families, and in society, into which he sends his infernal troops, full of contempt for human life, to plunder, ravage, and destroy. The devil, mocking the liturgical calendar of the Church, follows his own calendar of feasts of death and seasons of destruction.

With the Mother of Sorrows

And so do we find ourselves, in these last days of Advent, faced with the most bitter irony of praying the Stabat Mater Dolorosa. The Mother of God, and hundreds of thousands of mothers with her, never leave their station at the Cross, where the blood of an incalculable number of lambs is mingled with the tears of their hearts and with the Blood of the One Lamb that, alone, can wrest the world from the powers of darkness.

Plunged in grief the mother stood,
Weeping where the crimsoned wood
Held on high her dying son.

Through her soul, whose mourning low,
Told how grievous was her woe,
Sorrow like a sword had gone.

Oh! how sad, how sorrow laden,
Stood the meek and blessed maiden,
God's true mother undefiled.

Trembling, weeping, whelmed in woes,
Witnessing the dying throes
Of her own immortal child.

Who is he who would not weep,
Could he know what anguish deep,
Pierced the mother of the Lord?

Who from sorrow could refrain,
Gazing on that mother's pain,
Weeping with her son adored?

She beheld the torments sore,
He for his own people bore,
Bowed beneath that scourging dread.

She beheld her only-born,
Death struck, utterly forlorn,
When his parting spirit fled.

Come, O mother, love's sweet spring,
Let me share thy sorrowing,
Let my tears unite with thine.

Let my heart be all on fire,
Still to seek with fond desire
Christ, my God, my love divine.

Holy mother, this impart,
Deeply print upon my heart,
All the wounds my saviour bore.

Let me share his pains with thee,
Who so tenderly for me
Deigned his sacred blood to pour.

Let our tears in mingling tide
Flow for Jesus crucified,
Till life cease within my breast.

By the cross to take my station,
Sharing thy sweet lamentation,
This is my most fond request.

Holiest of the virgin train,
Do not thou my prayer disdain;
Come and share thy griefs with me.

Let me trace his sufferings o'er;
Bear the very death he bore,
When they nailed him to the tree:

Tell his wounds within my heart,
In his chalice take my part,
All for love of thy dear Son.

Wrapt in flames of love divine,
Keep me still, O mother mine,
When the judgement day draws on.

Lord, when these my days are done,
Let thy mother lead me on
To the palm of victory.

When this mortal body dies,
May my soul to heaven uprise,
Glorified and blest for thee. Amen.

Regnum Christi

Bethlehem and the Cross

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Saturday of the Second Week of Advent

Father Walter Schu, LC

Matthew 17:9a, 10-13

As they were coming down from the mountain, the disciples asked Jesus, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” He said in reply, “Elijah will indeed come and restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased. So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, your disciples sincerely tried to comprehend your identity and believe in you. I come before you today with my doubts and problems, hoping to find in this prayer an answer to my deepest aspirations. I want to believe with unwavering faith, and I want to love you with a devout heart. I offer you this time of prayer as my token of gratitude for all I have received from you.

Petition: Mary, help me to embrace God’s will in my life, just as Christ embraced the Father’s plan for our salvation.

1. John the Baptist as Elijah: Once again the Gospel refers to John the Baptist as the one whose role is to prepare us for the One who is to come. Through the prophet Malachi, the Jews expectation of the return of Elijah, who will prepare the way for the promised Messiah, has grown. But they have come to view him as a figure of great power, someone who will sweep men away. So they fail to recognize Elijah’s presence in the person of John the Baptist, whose only power is that of the Spirit of God, calling all people to conversion of heart in order to receive the Christ. How many times in my life do I fail to recognize the presence of Christ in my life because I’m seeking something other than Christ’s promises to his followers? Christ doesn’t offer an easy path of comfort and consolations.

2. Bethlehem and the Cross: Why did Christ become a helpless baby at Bethlehem? Why did he take on a fragile human body? Precisely so he could suffer for us in order to redeem us. What does that mean for our lives as Christians? It means nothing less than the fact that suffering is a gift from God. It is the Father’s gentle caress, molding us into the image of his Son. The cross is the source of our fruitfulness, not only in our personal spiritual growth, but also in the mission to win graces for others, for all of the souls God has mysteriously entrusted to our care.

3. Obedience unto Death: Christ’s desire to embrace suffering rose from his loving obedience to his Father’s plan, without condition or limit. This loving obedience is what gives suffering its redemptive value. From the moment of his birth at Bethlehem, Christ shows us what it means to obey with love. Bethlehem is a school of obedience. In Bethlehem, Christ teaches us that only a loving obedience frees, only loving obedience redeems and sanctifies, only loving obedience enriches. Loving obedience alone saves, loving obedience alone frees us from sin and loving obedience alone pleases God. Let us embrace the cross of obedience in the challenging circumstances of our daily lives, in the trials brought by the passing of years, in the sorrow that afflicts us when God calls our loved ones back to him. Loving obedience is the path to holiness, the way to the Father’s house.

Conversation with Christ: Thank you, Lord, for giving us a school of loving obedience at Bethlehem, throughout your life and in your death on the cross. Help me to embrace suffering like you did and to be confident in its power to make me holy and win graces for souls.

Resolution: I will seek to recognize God’s presence in my day by patiently welcoming the suffering and trials he permits, so he can bring about a greater good.

One Bread, One Body

<< Saturday, December 15, 2012 >>

Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11
View Readings

Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19

Matthew 17:9-13

FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE

"Why do the scribes claim that Elijah must come first?" —Matthew 17:10

Before the Messiah comes, Elijah must come and restore everything (Mt 17:11). Before Christ's Christmas coming, people like Elijah and John the Baptizer must come into our lives. Before we will be ready for Christmas, we need to hear prophetic words which will lead us to repentance. We need to hear the two-edged sword of God's word so that it will penetrate our hearts and judge our thoughts and reflections (Heb 4:12). We must be immersed in the baptism of repentance (Lk 3:3) before becoming immersed in Christmas festivities. Otherwise, we will not meet Christ in our Christmas activities; rather, we will miss Him amid all our Christmas distractions.

Therefore, don't even think about Christmas. Think Advent. Don't act as if Christmas has already come. Focus on John the Baptizer, not Santa. Seek prophecy (1 Cor 14:1), repentance, restoration, and Confession. Christmas will be an obstacle between you and the Lord unless you prepare the way of the Lord (Mt 3:3). We need a holy Advent to have a blessed Christmas.

Prayer: Father, enable me to understand that I need Advent before Christmas as much as a mother needs pregnancy before giving birth.

Promise: "You are destined, it is written, in time to come to put an end to wrath before the day of the Lord, to turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons, and to reestablish the tribes of Jacob." —Sir 48:10

Praise: Raul, a Baptist deacon, received the gift of praising God in tongues while stuck in a traffic jam listening to a Catholic radio program. Later, his pastor and several members of his congregation also received this gift.

December 15, 2012

Saturday of the Second Week of Advent

Reading 1 Sir 48:1-4, 9-11

Responsorial Psalm Ps 80:2ac and 3b, 15-16, 18-19

Gospel Mt 17:9a, 10-13

St. Nino

Daily Readings for: December 15, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)

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Saturday of the Second Week of Advent

Meditation: Matthew 17:9-13

Massacre of the Innocents

One Bread, One Body

FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE

December 15, 2012

Saturday of the Second Week of Advent

Reading 1 Sir 48:1-4, 9-11

Responsorial Psalm Ps 80:2ac and 3b, 15-16, 18-19

Gospel Mt 17:9a, 10-13

St. Nino

Daily Readings for: December 15, 2012(Readings on USCCB website)

RECIPES

ACTIVITIES

PRAYERS

LIBRARY

Saturday of the Second Week of Advent

Meditation: Matthew 17:9-13

Massacre of the Innocents

One Bread, One Body

FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE

Daily Readings for: December 15, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)