December 1, 2013

First Sunday of Advent

Reading 1 Is 2:1-5

This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz,
saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In days to come,
the mountain of the LORD’s house
shall be established as the highest mountain
and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it;
many peoples shall come and say:
“Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may instruct us in his ways,
and we may walk in his paths.”
For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and impose terms on many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
one nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again.
O house of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the Lord!

Responsorial Psalm Ps 122: 1-2, 3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
“We will go up to the house of the LORD.”
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
May those who love you prosper!
May peace be within your walls,
prosperity in your buildings.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Because of my brothers and friends
I will say, “Peace be within you!”
Because of the house of the LORD, our God,
I will pray for your good.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

reading 2 Rom 13:11-14

Brothers and sisters:
You know the time;
it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep.
For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed;
the night is advanced, the day is at hand.
Let us then throw off the works of darkness
and put on the armor of light;
let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day,
not in orgies and drunkenness,
not in promiscuity and lust,
not in rivalry and jealousy.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

Gospel Mt 24:37-44

Jesus said to his disciples:
“As it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
In those days before the flood,
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage,
up to the day that Noah entered the ark.
They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away.
So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.
Two men will be out in the field;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Two women will be grinding at the mill;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Therefore, stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

From: Isaiah 2:1-5

The Glory of Zion and Peace Among the Nations

[1] The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and
Jerusalem.
[2] It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be raised above the hills;
and all the nations shall flow to it,
[3] and many peoples shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
[4] He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.
[5] O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

2:1-4:6. This section opens with a new “dispute” (”rib”) in which we find echoes
of the teaching about the “day of the Lord” (2:12; cf. Amos 5:18-20). Previously,
the people were accused of forsaking God (cf. 1:2-3); now we are told why God
has forsaken them (cf. 2:6): it was on account of their arrogance and their idola-
try (cf. 2:6-4:1). However, it is not really the case that God has forsaken his peo-
ple; his “forsaking” them is a way of describing the punishment he inflicts on
them on account of their sins. When the Lord’s sentence is revealed, human
arrogance will be brought low, and the Lord will be exalted (cf. 2:9, 11, 17).

Oracles about the splendor that will be Zion’s on that day introduce (cf. 2:1-5)
and round off (4:2-6) this “dispute”.

2:1-5. Despite the sins of the people and the disastrous situation in Judah that
is described in this first part of the book, from the very start a glimmer of hope
is provided in this vision of messianic and eschatological restoration which
shows that the salvation of the world centers on Zion, “the mountain of the Lord”,
that is, Jerusalem.

All the nations will converge on the holy city, but not to despoil it of its wealth:
they will come in peace to hearken to the word of the Lord and receive instruc-
tion in his law. This note of hope, struck, strategically, at the very start of the
book, and at its end (66:18-24), constitutes one of its most important messa-
ges.

The poem in vv. 2-5 (found also, with slight variations, in Micah 4:1-3) links the
Law with the temple, the spiritual center of Jerusalem after the national recon-
struction that took place when the exiles returned from Babylon.

In contrast with the strife and desolation that sin brings in its wake (cf. 1:2-9),
peace is the outcome of reverence for God and readiness to obey his precepts,
of the practice of virtue and of love of neighbor. The weapons of war become
tools for development and agriculture: “Insofar as men are sinful, the threat of
war hangs over them, and hang over them it will until the return of Christ. But
insofar as men vanquish sin by a union of love, they will vanquish violence as
well and make these words come true: ‘They shall turn their swords into plough-
shares, and their spears into sickles. Nation shall not lift up sword against na-
tion, neither shall they learn war any more’ (Is 2:4)” (”Gaudium Et Spes”, 78).

These words of Isaiah announcing God’s salvific intervention in the fullness of
time will come true with the birth of Christ, who will open up an era of perfect
peace and reconciliation. The Church uses this text in the liturgy of the first Sun-
day in Advent, encouraging us to look forward to the second coming of Christ as
we prepare to recall his first coming at Christmas.

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Romans 13:11-14

Love, the Fulfilling of the Law (Continuation)

[11] Besides this you know what hour it is, how it is full time now for you to wake
from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed; [12] the
night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness
and put on the armor of light; [13] let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the
day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not
in quarrelling and jealousy. [14] But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no
provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

11-14. The Church uses this inspired text in the liturgy of Advent to help us pre-
pare for the coming of the Lord. Christ came into the world by his Incarnation; he
also comes to souls through grace; and at the end of time he will come as Judge.
Rising like the sun, he dispelled the darkness when he came into the world, and
he continues to dispel whatever darkness remains in souls the more he obtains
mastery over the hearts of men.

13-14. Souls who have become members of the Church through Baptism are al-
ways in need of conversion to a new life. Sometimes God uses Sacred Scripture
to awaken people from their spiritual lethargy. In fact, he used these particular
words of Scripture to move the heart of St Augustine and have him take the last
step towards casting off the attachments of the flesh. “I felt myself still enslaved
by my iniquities, and therefore did I groan to myself, ‘How long? How long must
I continue saying Tomorrow, tomorrow? Why not now? Why not, at one instant,
make an end of all uncleanness?’ [...] And behold I heard a voice, like that of a
child in the house next door, repeating in a sing-song tone, ‘Take up and read.
Take up and read’ [...]. I rose up [...] and returned to where I had left the book of
the Apostle; I took it quickly into my hand, opened it and read in silence the first
passage on which my eye happened to fall.” Having transcribed the verses we
are now commenting, Augustine continues: “I read no further, nor was there any
need to; for with the end of this sentence, as by a clear and constant light in-
fused into my heart, the darkness of all former doubts was immediately driven
away” (”Confessions”, VII, 12, 28-29).

14. All Christians “put on” Christ in Baptism (cf. Gal 3:27). Starting with this ini-
tial configuration to Christ, they are steadily transformed into him by frequent re-
ception of the sacraments, particularly the sacrament of Penance. “’Induimini
Dominum Iesum Christum.’ ‘Put on the Lord Jesus Christ,’ says St Paul to the
Romans. It is in the Sacrament of Penance that you and I put on Jesus Christ
and his merits” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 310).

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Matthew 24:37-44

The Time of the Second Coming of Christ and of the Last Judgment

(Jesus said to his disciples,) [37] “As were the days of Noah, so will be the
coming of the Son of man. [38] For as in those days before the flood they were
eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah
entered the ark, [39] and they did not know until the flood came and swept them
all away, so will be the coming of the Son of man. [40] Then two men will be in
the field; one is taken and one is left. [41] Two women will be grinding at the mill;
one is taken and one is left.

Vigilance. The Faithful Servant

[42] “Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
[43] But know this, that if the householder had known in what part of the night
the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have let his house
be broken into. [44] Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is co-
ming at an hour you do not expect.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

37-39. In a few strokes our Lord sketches man’s perennial insensitivity and care-
lessness towards the things of God. Man thinks it is more important to eat and
drink, to find a husband or wife; but if that is his attitude he is forgetting about
the most important thing — eternal life. Our Lord also foretells that the end of the
world will be like the great flood; the Son of man’s second coming will happen
unexpectedly, taking people by surprise, whether they are doing good or evil.

40. It is in the context of the ordinary affairs of life — farmwork, housework, etc.
— that God calls man, and man responds: that is where his eternal happiness
or eternal punishment is decided. To be saved, one does not need to meet any
special conditions, or to be in a special position in life: one simply has to be
faithful to the Lord in the middle of ordinary everyday affairs.

42. Jesus himself draws from this revelation about the future the practical moral
that a Christian needs to be on the watch, living each day as if it were his last.
The important thing is not to be speculating about when these events will hap-
pen and what form they will take, but to live in such a way that they find us in
the state of grace.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Readings at Mass

First reading

Isaiah 2:1-5 ©

The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

In the days to come

the mountain of the Temple of the Lord

shall tower above the mountains

and be lifted higher than the hills.

All the nations will stream to it,

peoples without number will come to it; and they will say:

‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

to the Temple of the God of Jacob

that he may teach us his ways

so that we may walk in his paths;

since the Law will go out from Zion,

and the oracle of the Lord from Jerusalem.’

He will wield authority over the nations

and adjudicate between many peoples;

these will hammer their swords into ploughshares,

their spears into sickles.

Nation will not lift sword against nation,

there will be no more training for war.

O House of Jacob, come,

let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Psalm

Psalm 121:1-2,4-5,6-9 ©

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

I rejoiced when I heard them say:

‘Let us go to God’s house.’

And now our feet are standing

within your gates, O Jerusalem.

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

It is there that the tribes go up,

the tribes of the Lord.

For Israel’s law it is,

there to praise the Lord’s name.

There were set the thrones of judgement

of the house of David.

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

For the peace of Jerusalem pray:

‘Peace be to your homes!

May peace reign in your walls,

in your palaces, peace!’

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

For love of my brethren and friends

I say: ‘Peace upon you!’

For love of the house of the Lord

I will ask for your good.

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

Second reading

Romans 13:11-14 ©

You know ‘the time’ has come: you must wake up now: our salvation is even nearer than it was when we were converted. The night is almost over, it will be daylight soon – let us give up all the things we prefer to do under cover of the dark; let us arm ourselves and appear in the light. Let us live decently as people do in the daytime: no drunken orgies, no promiscuity or licentiousness, and no wrangling or jealousy. Let your armour be the Lord Jesus Christ.

Gospel Acclamation

Ps84:8

Alleluia, alleluia!

Let us see, O Lord, your mercy

and give us your saving help.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 24:37-44 ©

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘As it was in Noah’s day, so will it be when the Son of Man comes. For in those days before the Flood people were eating, drinking, taking wives, taking husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark, and they suspected nothing till the Flood came and swept all away. It will be like this when the Son of Man comes. Then of two men in the fields one is taken, one left; of two women at the millstone grinding, one is taken, one left.

‘So stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming. You may be quite sure of this that if the householder had known at what time of the night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break through the wall of his house. Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’

Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

Pray the Rosary

1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

3. The Lord's Prayer: OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)

5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.

Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.

End with the Hail Holy Queen:

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Final step -- The Sign of the Cross

The Mysteries of the Rosary

By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary.
The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.

The Glorious Mysteries
(Wednesdays and Sundays)
1.The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-18, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-29) [Spiritual fruit - Faith]
2. The Ascension (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:6-11) [Spiritual fruit - Christian Hope]
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-13) [Spiritual fruit - Gifts of the Holy Spirit]
4. The Assumption [Spiritual fruit - To Jesus through Mary]
5. The Coronation [Spiritual fruit - Grace of Final Perseverance]

December Devotion: The Immaculate Conception

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The month of December is traditionally dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. The Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first moment of her conception, by a singular privilege of Almighty God, and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, our Savior and hers, was preserved from all stain of original sin. This age-old belief of the Church was defined by Pope Pius IX in 1854 as an article of revealed truth.

Mary was in need of redemption and she was indeed redeemed by the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. The manner of Mary's redemption, however, was unique. Instead of being freed from original sin after having contracted it, she was preserved from contracting it. This was a most fitting favor for the Mother of the Redeemer.

INVOCATION
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

The Immaculate Conception from the Catechism of the Catholic Church

To become the mother of the Savior, Mary “was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role.” The angel Gabriel at the moment of the annunciation salutes her as “full of grace”. In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God’s grace.

Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, “full of grace” through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854:

The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.

The “splendor of an entirely unique holiness” by which Mary is “enriched from the first instant of her conception” comes wholly from Christ: she is “redeemed, in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son”. The Father blessed Mary more than any other created person “in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” and chose her “in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love”.

The Fathers of the Eastern tradition call the Mother of God “the All-Holy” (Panagia), and celebrate her as “free from any stain of sin, as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature”. By the grace of God Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long.

PRAYER OF POPE PIUS XII
This prayer, dedicated to Mary Immaculate, was composed by the Pope for the Marian Year (December 8, 1953-December 8, 1954), which was proclaimed to mark the centenary of the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.

Enraptured by the splendor of your heavenly beauty, and impelled by the anxieties of the world, we cast ourselves into your arms, 0 Immacuate Mother of Jesus and our Mother, Mary, confident of finding in your most loving heart appeasement of our ardent desires, and a safe harbor from the tempests which beset us on every side.

Though degraded by our faults and overwhelmed by infinite misery, we admire and praise the peerless richness of sublime gifts with which God has filled you, above every other mere creature, from the first moment of your conception until the day on which, after your assumption into heaven, He crowned you Queen of the Universe.

O crystal fountain of faith, bathe our minds with the eternal truths! O fragrant Lily of all holiness, captivate our hearts with your heavenly perfume! 0 Conqueress of evil and death, inspire in us a deep horror of sin, which makes the soul detestable to God and a slave of hell!

O well-beloved of God, hear the ardent cry which rises up from every heart. Bend tenderly over our aching wounds. Convert the wicked, dry the tears of the afflicted and oppressed, comfort the poor and humble, quench hatreds, sweeten harshness, safeguard the flower of purity in youth, protect the holy Church, make all men feel the attraction of Christian goodness. In your name, resounding harmoniously in heaven, may they recognize that they are brothers, and that the nations are members of one family, upon which may there shine forth the sun of a universal and sincere peace.

Receive, O most sweet Mother, our humble supplications, and above all obtain for us that, one day, happy with you, we may repeat before your throne that hymn which today is sung on earth around your altars: You are all-beautiful, O Mary! You are the glory, you are the joy, you are the honor of our people! Amen.

Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954

Litany of the Blessed Virgin

Lord, have mercy on us
Christ, have mercy on us
Lord, have mercy on us
Christ, hear us
Christ, graciously hear us

God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us God the Son, Redeemer of the World, have mercy on us God the Holy Spirit, ...
Holy Trinity, one God, ...

Holy Mary, pray for us
Holy Mother of God, pray for us
Holy Virgin of virgins, ...
Mother of Christ, ...
Mother of Divine Grace, ...
Mother most pure, ...
Mother most chaste, ...
Mother inviolate, ...
Mother undefiled, ...
Mother most amiable, ...
Mother most admirable, ...
Mother of good counsel, ...
Mother of our Creator, ...
Mother of our Saviour, ...
Virgin most prudent, ...
Virgin most venerable, ...
Virgin most renowned, ...
Virgin most powerful, ...
Virgin most merciful, ...
Virgin most faithful, ...
Mirror of justice, ...
Seat of wisdom, ...
Cause of our joy, ...
Spiritual vessel, ...
Vessel of honour, ...
Singular vessel of devotion, ...
Mystical rose, ...
Tower of David, ...
Tower of ivory, ...
House of gold, ...
Ark of the covenant, ...
Gate of heaven, ...
Morning star, ...
Health of the sick, ...
Refuge of sinners, ...
Comforter of the afflicted, ...
Help of Christians, ...
Queen of Angels, ...
Queen of Patriarchs, ...
Queen of Prophets, ...
Queen of Apostles, ...
Queen of Martyrs, ...
Queen of Confessors, ...
Queen of Virgins, ...
Queen of all Saints, ...
Queen conceived without original sin, ...
Queen assumed into heaven, ...
Queen of the most holy Rosary, ...
Queen of Peace, ...

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord, Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord, Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Grant we beseech Thee, O Lord God,
that we, Thy servants, may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body: and, by the glorious intercession of the blessed Mary, ever Virgin, be delivered from present sorrow and enjoy eternal gladness.
Through Christ, our Lord.

Amen

Why Catholics Believe in the Immaculate Conception

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION NOVENA [Prayer]
Essays for Lent: The Immaculate Conception
"I Am The Immaculate Conception"
The Corona of the Immaculate Conception [Catholic Caucus]
Catholic Caucus: Immaculate Conception Novena Prayer Thread
New chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Lebanon at National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
Feast of the The Conception by St. Anna of the Most Holy Theotokos December 9th
On the Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Mary: "Trust Jesus, he will save you" (Catholic Caucus)
I Love that Woman! My Unworthy Reflections on The Immaculate Conception

LAND OF MARY IMMACULATE [Ecumenical]
Mary as the New Eve - St. Irenaeus
Mary - the Immaculate Ark of the New Covenant [Catholic Caucus]
THE LIFE OF BLESSED JOHN DUNS SCOTUS, Defender of the Immaculate Conception [Catholic Caucus]
An Unfathomable Marian Richness [Catholic Caucus]
Catholic Biblical Apologetics: The Immaculate Conception of Mary
History of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception - December 8 [Catholic Caucus]
Preserved Sinless from the Moment of Humanity (Dogma of the Immaculate Conception) [Catholic Caucus]
I Love that Woman! My Unworthy Reflections on The Immaculate Conception [Catholic Caucus]
Father Marquette's Devotion to the Immaculate Conception (Catholic Caucus)

St. John Neumann and the Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception (Catholic Caucus)
Our Jewish Roots: The Immaculate Conception [Ecumenical]
And It Was Night. The Real Story of Original Sin [Ecumenical]
I Love that Woman! My Unworthy Reflections on The Immaculate Conception
Mary Immaculate: Patroness of the United States [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Catholic/Orthodox Caucus: The Immaculate Conception: A Marvelous Theme - Novena Starts Nov. 30
THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION - Satan's Mighty Foe(Catholic Caucus)
Ark of the new covenant
Historian reveals how Pius IX decided to proclaim dogma of Immaculate Conception (Catholic Caucus)
The Immaculate Vs. the Proud

Immaculate Conception Novena -- starts November 30th [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Blessed John Duns Scotus Champion Of Mary's Immaculate Conception (CATHOLIC CAUCUS)
The Crusade of Mary Immaculate - St. Maximilian Kolbe (Catholic Caucus)
The Early Church Fathers on the Immaculate Conception - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
Three Reasons the Church’s Enemies Hate The Immaculate Conception
Her saving grace - the origins of the Immaculate Conception
Mary Is a Model Who Works With Us and in Us
U.S. Catholic bishops to renew consecration of nation to Immaculate Conception
Catholic Meditation: To the Immaculate Conception on this Election Day
Saint Bernadette of Lourdes (Sermon from 1934)

Zenit.org

With Open Eyes, Astonished and New

Lectio Divina: 1st Sunday of Advent, Year A

Paris, November 29, 2013 (Zenit.org) Monsignor Francesco Follo | 559 hits

1) Vigilance and discernment

In the Canticle of the Sun [2] (recited in the liturgy of the Hours during Advent), Saint Francis of Assisi expresses his contemplation of the world and elevates his praise to God calling Him “Most high, all powerful, all good.” In Revelation God calls himself with a name that better explains what Advent is: God is “The One that is, was and will be.”

It is very important to meditate on the aspect of the God “that comes” because he did get in touch with men and continues to do so with constant love. We are waiting for the coming of the Lord and, maybe, we believe that it will happen only when we die or at the end of the world. However we should know that God comes always, today, tomorrow and forever in eternity. For this reason our soul should always live the continuous surprise of the encounter with the Lord.

The first thing we should do is a vivid attention, a constant waiting for the Lord and a perseverant tension toward Him who is the loving Truth of our life.

This is why today’s liturgy invites us to be vigil by proposing the text from the Gospel of Matthew. We are reminded that we cannot plan our encounter with Christ but must wait for it leaving in our life room also for His presence.

Christian vigilance if done with eyes open and capable of wonder, allows us to read into the events so to discover through discernment the “coming” of the Lord.

To be vigilant doesn’t mean to go inside oneself but to go outside oneself to meet a God, who comes and donates himself and, I dare say, abandons himself to us.

The word “vigilance’ doesn’t indicate something to do, but a way of living and observing. We don’t know when the master is coming and consequently we cannot plan neither the imminence of his return or the tardiness of it. It is silly to act as the wicked servant who, thinking that the master was delayed, began “to beat his fellow servants and eat and drink with the drunkards” (Mt 24:44). In this narration the lack of vigilance is indicated having two characteristics: a dissolute life and abuse of other men. If we are satisfied with material things we close our eyes with a sleepiness that makes us miss the appointment with God. If we lord others we become slaves of power and even if our eyes are open, our heart is closed. If we are clear-headed and awake, our eyes are open, full of wonder, new and able to see Christ our joy who comes to live with us.

The joy of Advent is the joy of the waiting for the encounter of love with the Love that has wrapped us with his warm even before we were born and, through our mother, has given us life.

We are not like the ones that hopelessly and nostalgically let the Saturday evening disappear because they do not remember the coming Sunday. The Christian knows that the eternal Sunday is near. The Christian has the joyful prediction in the certitude that comes from the participation to the supernatural life through the sacraments and the life of communion with the Church.

We are happy because we know that the Loved One comes; in fact he goes before us. The waiting for Christ is not like the uncertain waiting of the loved one. In the human love there is uneasiness in waiting often because of the angst that he will not come or that he doesn’t love us any more or that he has gone away because of another person.

The Christian waiting is the waiting full of the certain hope that the Loved One loves us fully and always.

2 See, walk, illuminate

One must wait for the Lord persevering and being a witness, not speculating over the end of the world. The life of the consecrated Virgins is an example of this.

Be vigilant, says Jesus. It happens that we are asleep to what concerns God, even the Virgins in the parable were asleep, and this is why our Christian life then is very poor. If God comes we don’t see it. One of the most severe faults of the spiritual life is that we are asleep. The soul must be awake, attentive and vigilant in prayer to be able to recognize the coming of Christ among us. If we open our eyes, purified from the sin that makes us obtuse, we can recognize the good and loving face of Destiny, even if outside it is still dark.

The key word of Advent is “vigilance” which I think is the fundamental attitude of a consecrated person. The one that in the waiting falls asleep is closed in on himself and doesn’t perceive the reality outside but only the reflected shades of his mind. However, if at the cry of “The bridegroom is coming”, he wakes up and perceives the reality surrounding him, he opens himself to it, abandons the boundaries of the road where he had fallen asleep and puts himself on the Way. This is what the consecrated Virgins do.

In our times we are convinced to be very “awake”, much more than our predecessors because we have a better knowledge of the world and our eye reaches the most far away distances either spatial or temporal. At the same time we can enter into the deepest corner of matter, up to the last particles that make it up. The horizon has been enlarged enormously as are our possibilities of action in this world. Despite this, however, we should say that this world, in a deeper sense, sleeps. It is closed on itself because it sees only what it can do or have and stops at the exterior facade of reality, at the material things that we hold in our hands.

The virginal consecration above all, but already the baptismal one, makes us able to see the transparence of divine light inside the created matter and inside ourselves.

Thanks to Advent, the Church makes us listen to the word of the Lord that urges us to wake up, to get out from this jail of the material and the ephemeral, to open our eyes of our heart and to begin seeing the greatest reality, the sign of God in the world and God’s presence in Jesus Christ the Lord, in his words and in the sacraments.

The consequence of this invitation is to proceed on the Way that is Christ opening the eyes of the heart and helping our friends, our enemies and our peers so that they can start seeing the true depth and the true greatness of reality.

To see means also to “start walking” and consequently from the word vigilance comes the other one typical of Advent: “to meet the Lord” as did the Virgins in the parable. Faith is not the acceptance of ideas but an adventure of life, a journey, a walk towards the Lord. The journey outward should be above all an inner journey, going out of oneself to meet God, true reality, love and our neighbor.

The third thing to do during Advent is: to illuminate. The word of God who is called Light, invites us to light the lamps of our being to reach the Lord. What does that mean? If we look at the history of the Church and at the one of the saints, we see that these people are lighted “lamps’’ that illuminate the world. They not only illuminate our time, but also will be light in the eternal feast of God’s love.

The consecrated Virgins are truly lighted lamps that brighten, let us see that there is light and

that mankind is not a failed creature but can be similar to God. We are similar to God if we walk along the path of love because God is love. Let’s pray Jesus the Lord to illuminate us, to let us listen and to fulfill his Word. Doing so we will be more and more aware to be his sons and daughters and we will do his works of wisdom and divine charity.

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Roman Rite

Is 2:1-5; Ps 122; Rm 13:11-14; Mt 24:37-44

Arlington Catholic Herald

From bad sleep to good

Fr. Paul Scalia

There are two different kinds of sleep. There is the healthy sleep — the “good night’s sleep” we do not get often enough. When we do get it we might say, “I slept like a baby” — because we associate it with innocence. Sometimes it is termed the “sleep of the just,” because it conveys that clarity of conscience that enables peaceful rest. Our Lord displays this most of all: He sleeps peacefully in the stern as the storm at sea and the anxiety of the apostles rage around Him (cf. Mk 5:35-41). He, the eternal Son, is completely at peace in the bosom of the Father (cf. Jn 1:18). He is perfectly innocent and just. Nothing — not even a storm — disturbs His rest.

But we know that there is another kind of sleep — a sleep contrary to our good. Even our children’s stories teach this. Snow White is condemned to a sleep not of her choosing — a sign of evil’s power. Again because of evil’s work, Sleeping Beauty’s entire kingdom must sleep until a savior arrives. And Mowgli is put to sleep by the wicked Kaa. But in reality this “sleep” is not usually physical. It is a spiritual fog, an intellectual stupor. It indicates not innocence and integrity but sloth and laziness. So we say that someone is “asleep at the wheel” or needs to “wake up and smell the coffee.” And the saddest occurrence is in the Garden of Gethsemane, when sleep overcomes the apostles — both spiritually and physically.

The world tempts us into this kind of slumber. Our fallen human nature happily cooperates. And the devil encourages it all. Our creature comforts lead us into that sleepy attitude ripe for neglect. Jesus teaches this danger in the parable of the rich fool, who fails to prepare for eternity, saying to himself, “You have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!” (Lk 12:19). Indeed, our material wealth slowly but surely anaesthetizes us to the needs of the soul and the call of our Lord. This somnolence reduces the vitality of the spiritual life. It takes effort to stir oneself to pray. The examination of conscience requires a wakeful subject, and Mass calls for full, active participation — not sleepy pew-sitting.

Likewise, this spiritual slumber dulls our reason. Intellectually, we grow accustomed to the path of least resistance. It takes effort to think rightly and vigilance to oppose error. The sleepy soul easily slouches into the pat phrase, the sound bite, the unquestioned theory: “born that way;” “love is love;” “reproductive rights;” “choice.” A little rational thought would pop the balloons of modern jargons. But we have difficulty waking up to think. And of course this sleepiness leads to moral decay as well. The moral life requires watchfulness to avoid occasions of sin and to resist temptations. With our stupor we cannot seem to do that. But we do not rush headlong into sin so much as sleepwalk into it — omissions here and negligence there, until we are far down the path. It is a gradual descent.

Our Lord comes to wake us from our spiritual, intellectual and moral slumber. Hence mother church begins the liturgical year with His command, “Stay awake!” (Mt 24:42) He desires not a mere physical wakefulness but a spiritual vigilance and alertness, a keenness of spirit — to watch constantly for Him. This is a daily task, rubbing the sleep from our spiritual eyes so that we can see Him more clearly and choose Him more strongly. “It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep” (Rom13:11). It requires periodic “wake up calls” — making the morning offering upon rising, stopping to pray the Angelus, making a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, pausing to examine our conscience. These little practices make the soul vigilant. They shape us into sentinels watching for the Lord.

The wonderful paradox is that when we respond to His call to wakefulness He will lead us to rest. Vigilance here brings us to the eternal rest He promises. “Stay awake,” He commands. And elsewhere He says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28). Only by heeding the command can we respond to the invitation.
Fr. Scalia is Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde's delegate for clergy.

The Work of God

Year A Matthew 24:37-44

37 And as in the days of Noah, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, even till that day in which Noah entered into the ark,
39 And they knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so also shall the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then two shall be in the field: one shall be taken, and one shall be left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill: one shall be taken, and one shall be left.
42 So stay awake, because ye do not know at what hour your Lord will come.
43 But know this, that if the householder knew at what hour the thief would come, he would certainly watch, and would not suffer his house to be broken open.
44 Therefore you also must be ready, because you don’t know at what hour the Son of man will come.

Inspiration of the Holy Spirit - From the Sacred Heart of Jesus

First Sunday of Advent, Year A - And as in the days of Noah, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Noah’s time was a time in the history of mankind when the world was covered with sin; this aroused God’s anger to purify the earth through the big flood. But I tell you, today the world finds itself in a worse situation than in those days and my Father’s just anger is only being placated by the action of my Divine Mercy. Mercy is having its time but it cannot stop indefinitely the coming of the Divine Justice, the time will come when the old world must give way to the new one as I have predicted.

Sin is full of pride and leads the soul to lose fear of God. Man is weak and surrenders to his passions very easily, the spiritual effect that this has is to open the doors of the soul to the evil spirits who come violently to take possession, to pervert and to destroy. It becomes a very difficult task to eradicate evil from a perverted soul, and only my Grace can reach straight into the darkness of the soul to place a firm desire for repentance.

I have provided the remedy for the infirmities of the soul. With the shedding of my blood, I have opened the fount of divine medicine to destroy the poison of evil, I have poured it upon the world and it continues to have infinite power to purify souls from sin.

I allowed wicked men to lacerate my body and to cover it with many wounds, I poured my blood drop by drop to purify the earth, I finally allowed my heart to be opened by a lance. I created a refuge for all humanity in my holy wounds so that as in the time of Noah you may now repent and enter in communion with me to avoid the punishment that is to come.

By my holy wounds you are healed, by my precious blood your souls are purified and covered with white robes for eternity. By my Holy Spirit you are inflamed with desire for your purification, so that everyone can have the opportunity to repent, amend his or her life and be saved.

I am knocking on the door of every heart, I don’t want anyone to perish; the font of my Divine Mercy is inviting everyone to be purified before it is too late. Death may come anytime without warning, it does not choose age, sex or race, it comes to sinners and to just, no one can escape from it.

Prepare yourself daily and protect the soul, the temple of your spirit, close your doors to evil and maintain it in a state of grace so that you will be happy at the time of my coming. Have fear of God when you think about the time of judgement; in the meantime strive to be holy, this way you will not have to worry about the things to come.

Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary

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