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Daily Readings for:December 19, 2013
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, who through the child-bearing of the holy Virgin graciously revealed the radiance of your glory to the world, grant, we pray, that we may venerate with integrity of faith the mystery of so wondrous an Incarnation and always celebrate it with due reverence. 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

o Sugar Cookies with Nuts

ACTIVITIES

o Christmas Plays, Los Pastores and Las Posadas

o O Antiphon Days

o O Antiphon Tree Decorations

o O Antiphons - December 17 - 24

o Veni, Veni, Emmanuel or O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

PRAYERS

o Advent Tower

o Advent Wreath Prayers I

o Christmas Novena

o Advent Wreath Prayers II

o Novena to the Infant Jesus

o Roman Ritual Blessing Before and After Meals: Advent (2nd Plan)

o Christmas Anticipation Prayer

LIBRARY

o Now Is The Time For Conversion To Peace | Pope John Paul II

· Advent: December 19th

· Thursday of the Third Week of Advent

Today is the third of the O Antiphons. Christ the King, the Lord! Divine Wisdom, Adonai, the powerful God, is at the same time man with flesh and blood of the house of Jesse, the father of King David. Truly, the right of kingship has now passed from the house of David. The glory that once clothed the royal family has faded and withered, leaving only a blighted and withered root. But from this root is to spring a glorious blossom, the King of the world. "He shall rule from sea to sea and from the river unto the ends of the earth. Before Him the Ethiopians shall fall down and His enemies shall lick the ground. The kings of Tharsis and the islands shall offer presents: the kings of the Arabians and of Saba shall serve Him" (Ps. 71:8-11). To Him God has said, "Thou art My Son. . . . I will give Thee the Gentiles for Thy inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for Thy possession" (Ps. 2:7 f.).

O Antiphons ~ Root of Jesse

O Root of Jesse
"Come to deliver us and tarry not." The world cries out for Christ its King, who shall cast out the prince of this world (John 12:31). The prince of this world established his power over men as a result of original sin. Even after we had been delivered from the servitude of Satan through the death of Christ on the cross, the prince of this world attempts to exercise his power over us. "The devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour" (I Pet. 5:8). In these trying times, when faith in Christ and in God has largely disappeared, when the propaganda of a pagan culture is broadcast everywhere, and the forces of evil and falsehood rise up to cast God from His throne, who does not feel the power of the devil? Does it not appear that we are approaching that time when Satan will be released from the depths of hell to work his wonders and mislead, if possible, even the elect? (Apoc. 20:2; Matt. 24:24.)

"Come, tarry not." Observe how thoroughly the world of today has submitted to the reign of Satan. Mankind has abandoned the search for what is good and holy. Loyalty, justice, freedom, love, and mutual trust are no longer highly regarded. Establish, O God, Thy kingdom among us, a kingdom established upon truth, justice, and peace. "Come, tarry not." "Thy kingdom come."

Excerpted from The Light of the World by Benedict Baur, O.S.B.

3rd O Antiphon:
O Root of Jesse, who stands for an ensign of the people, before whom kings shall keep silence and unto whom the Gentiles shall make supplication:

COME
To deliver us, and tarry not.

Today is Day Four of the Christmas Novena.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Luke 1:5-25

3rd Week of Advent

He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb. (Luke 1:15)

What an inspiring thing to hear about John the Baptist! Wouldn’t you want to be filled with the Spirit from your very first days? Well, maybe if we compared John and Samson, whose story is told in today’s first reading, we may have second thoughts. Both were instruments of the Holy Spirit, but their lives teach us very different lessons.

Look at Samson. Like John the Baptist, he was born to a devout childless couple. He was to be set apart for the Lord and would be blessed and stirred by his Spirit. But if you fast-forward through his life, you see that Samson was compromised by his involvement with foreign women, most notably, Delilah. And even though he was supposed to be the beginning of Israel’s deliverance from the Philistines, his lack of self-control put the whole nation in peril (Judges 13:5). In the end, “stirred by the Spirit,” Samson acted heroically. But his story shows us that maybe being stirred by the Spirit wasn’t enough.

On the other hand, John the Baptist was formed by the Holy Spirit, not just stirred. The Spirit moved in him from the womb, just like Samson, but John responded by going into the desert so that the Spirit could teach him. He chose an environment where distractions were fewer so that he could keep his attention on God.

And what a difference that made! John may have been an unusual figure, but his testimony rang true. Because he learned to listen to the Spirit, he could speak words of repentance that drew crowds of people back to the Lord.

The closer we get to Christmas, the busier we can get. So many things can distract us. Don’t let that happen! In this week before Christmas, make an extra effort to set aside time for the Lord. Put aside the distractions of life, and focus on him. Ask the Spirit to do more than just stir you; ask him to transform you. Then see how his fruits of joy, peace, patience, and kindness shine forth from you this Christmas!

“Holy Spirit, I don’t want to be satisfied with occasional stirrings from you. I want you to form me and train me so that I can be your instrument!”

Judges 13:2-7, 24-25; Psalm 71:3-6, 16-17