[Salvation]

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.

RECIPES

• Luscious Coffee Ring

ACTIVITIES

• Christmas Field Trip
• Gifts for Jesus, the Advent Manger
• Preparing the Christmas Gifts
• Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
• Religion in the Home for Preschool: December

PRAYERS

• Advent Wreath Prayers I
• Advent Wreath Prayers II
• Roman Ritual Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (2nd Plan)
• December Devotion: The Immaculate Conception
• Christmas Anticipation Prayer

LIBRARY

• 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

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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

[Salvation]

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