From an Obama bumper sticker on a car:
"Pray for Obama. Psalm 109:8"

PLEASE JOIN US - Evening Prayer
Someone has said that if people really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless.
Did you know that during WWII there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every day at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace?

There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America. If you would like to participate: Every evening at 9:00 PM Eastern Time (8:00 PM Central) (7:00 PM Mountain) (6:00 PM Pacific), stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, and for a return to a Godly nation. If you know anyone else who would like to participate, please pass this along. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have. Please forward this to your praying friends.

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 ... 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)

December 2015

Pope's Intentions

Universal: Experiencing God's mercy, That all may experience the mercy of God, who never tires of forgiving.

Evangelization: Families, That families, especially those who suffer, may find in the birth of Jesus a sign of certain hope.

Daily Gospel Commentary

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph - Feast - Year C

Commentary of the day
Saint John-Paul II, Pope from 1978 to 2005
Christmas message, 25 December 1994 (Osservatore Romano)

The Holy Family and our families

My Christmas message this year is addressed especially to families. At the end of the year particularly dedicated to them, our thoughts return to the mystery of the Holy Family... Jesus prays to the heavenly Father that all may be one. This prayer came to his lips on the eve of his Passion, but from his birth he already bore it within him: "Father, grant that they may be one as we are one" (Jn 17,11). Was he not also praying at that very moment for the unity of human families? True, he was praying in the first place for the unity of the Church; but, sustained by a particular sacrament, the family is a vital cell of the Church and even, according to the teaching of the Fathers, a little domestic Church. Jesus, therefore, prayed from his coming into the world that those who believe in him would express their communion from the profound unity of their families, a unity which, besides, was part of God's design "from the beginning" (Mt 19,4) with regard to the conjugal love at the family's origin... He who made a "free gift of himself" when he came into the world prayed that all people, when they establish a family, should make a reciprocal and disinterested gift of themselves: husbands and wives, parents and children, and every generation of which the family is composed, each contributing its own proper gift. May the family, so closely united to the mystery we contemplate on the day of the Lord's birth, guide all the families on earth with its example!... Son of God, come amongst us amidst the warmth of one family, grant that all families may grow in love and contribute to the wellbeing of all humanity... Teach them for this reason to renounce egoism, deceit, the unbridled desire for personal gain. Help them to develop the immense resources of heart and mind which grow greater when it is you who inspire them.

Arlington Catholic Herald

GOSPEL COMMENTARY LK 2:41-52

Friends of Jesus

By FR. MATTHEW H. ZUBERBUELER

People who know a lot about history and language say that the word "teenager" is relatively new. The word is used frequently today in our society, and its use can invite a grimace, a response that can show how little we expect from this specific group of people. The scholars of the ancient and biblical languages no doubt would say the word "teenager" didn't exist in the time of Jesus. "Pre-teen" most likely did not either. But both categories existed because 12-year-olds have existed as long as years have been counted. And teenagers have too. Should we expect much or more from young people? Will "kids be kids"? Can society, school, the parish, the family, "the village" or the suburb treat all young people the same and expect that they are all the same? It is oftentimes true that people generalize about young people and settle for a low expectation of what they can and even what they should do. The Gospels show us something different. There is in the way of Jesus a personal approach -- person-by-person and person-to-person.

In the familiar Fifth Joyful Mystery story of the 12-year-old Jesus, St. Luke gives a valuable glimpse into the young life of Jesus. This story causes us to wonder about a few things. We wonder (in the scratch-our-heads sort of way) about the world's greatest parents ever, Mary and Joseph ... who manage to lose the most important Son of all time. Really? Quickly, though, our wonder becomes closer to wonder (in the marvel-at-the-marvelous sort of way) when we know that Mary and Joseph weren't suddenly irresponsible. Everything the Gospels teach us about these two holy ones brings us to the conclusion that their ways were faithful and attentive, aware of the special task entrusted to them. The Mother of the Savior and His guardian-protector were two people who took care of their Son. They knew many people in the caravan that day. Other relatives of theirs were traveling, too, as well as friends. One can imagine them leaving the city with grateful hearts, grateful for the blessings of the pilgrimage they had made. In our day it can seem shocking that they weren't nervously double-checking to see where Jesus was. Clearly, they proceeded with a confidence that He was where He should be, with people they knew and trusted. In our day we have lost much or most of the "small town" ways that made that possible. We have lost something important and great.

Jesus as a "pre-teen" and as a "teenager" was a boy who knew and loved many people personally. He interacted with the people of Nazareth. He looked them in the eye and spoke to them. He listened to them. He played with His friends. He ran and laughed and prayed, and His parents trusted Him.

A fruitful meditation for parents and for children might be a meditation on what young Jesus did in the caravan when He was 11 years old, the year before the story the Gospel tells us this week. For parents, it is useful to consider the influences they allow to be around the children entrusted to their care. Is there a healthy interaction among friends, neighbors, young and old? Is there a trustful and open way of communicating within the family? For children, as well, these ideas are important. It would seem, though, that they should grow up learning the healthy and wholesome ways of interacting, conversing and trusting. They can learn these ways by experiencing these things rather than by thinking about them. In other words, the overall atmosphere and surroundings young people have should be built carefully and thoughtfully defended so that the "small town" relationships can be found even in our big cities.

The next and maybe more important part of the story opens up for us another area of what can be fruitful wonder. Jesus' response to His parents when they find Him in the Temple gives us a beginning to understanding something that should be fundamental and normal in the lives of our young loved ones today: Each young person, with (or without) the help and example of faithful parents should have a relationship of faith and prayer with God the Father. Parents who encounter the question of how to support and respond to God's relationship with their children (and His) experience the great truth that Jesus still makes friends with young people on the journey. Do we not expect them to be found in His Father's house?

Fr. Zuberbueler is pastor of St. Louis Church in Alexandria.

The Work of God

Year C

- The Holy Family

Don't you know that I must be in my Father's house?

"Don't you know that I must be in my Father's house? Catholic Gospels - Matthew, Luke, Mark, John - Inspirations of the Holy Spirit "> Luke 2:41-52

41 And his parents went every year to Jerusalem, at the solemn day of the Passover,
42 And when he was twelve years old, they going up into Jerusalem, according to the custom of the feast,
43 And having fulfilled the days, when they returned, the child Jesus remained in Jerusalem; and his parents knew it not.
44 And thinking that he was in the company, they came a day's journey, and sought him among their kinfolks and acquaintance.
45 And not finding him, they returned into Jerusalem, seeking him.
46 And it came to pass, that, after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions.
47 And all that heard him were astonished at his wisdom and his answers.
48 And seeing him, they wondered. And his mother said to him: Son, why have you done this to us? behold your father and I have sought you sorrowing.
49 And he said to them: How is it that you sought me? did you not know, that I must be about my father's business?
50 And they understood not the word that he spoke to them.
51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them. And his mother kept all these words in her heart.
52 And Jesus advanced in wisdom, and age, and grace with God and men.

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

Don't you know that I must be in my Father's house?" My Mother Mary, and Joseph, my foster father, experienced my absence during three days, something symbolic about the three days that would happen after my death and also about the separation from God that every human being experiences.

Their joy was great when they found me in the Temple and I asked them why they were looking for me, didn't they know that that I had to be in the House of my Father?

My coming into the world was to build the temple of God, I, in my physical presence as the Temple of His Holy Word and Divinity, the one that would be destroyed but also rebuilt in three days with my resurrection; and every human being who is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who was sent to the world after my death to be the counsellor, the guide, the paraclete, the consoler, the light of the conscience that calls every soul to know God.

Everyone who listens to my voice receives a call to holiness. I am the way to the perfection that God expects, that's why I invite the soul to recollection, prayer, meditation and prayer, so that by these means he may enter in the interior temple where God listens and speaks, where a dialogue is established with the Creator who is always ready to welcome his children.

It is through these visitations to the altar of the interior temple, that the soul receives my blessings and my light; it is there that the Holy Spirit grants his gifts. It is there that I am always doing the work of my Father, who has sent me to raise this humanity from dust and darkness to light, from sin to grace, from the ailments and fragilities of human life to the glory and joy prepared for eternal life.

Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary

Archdiocese of Washington

God's Plan for Marriage and Family - A Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family

Msgr. Charles Pope December 26, 2015

Here in the middle of the Christmas Octave, the Church bids us to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. On the old calendar, the feast of the Holy Family fell on the Sunday after Epiphany, which makes some sense. For it is a bit odd with the new calendar to read a gospel portraying Jesus at twelve years of age when we celebrated His birth just a few days ago. And then next week, on the Feast of Epiphany, we revert back to a gospel in which He is an infant.

Nevertheless, here we are. Perhaps it is a good time to reflect on family life. For at Christmas time, immediate and extended family often gather together. On this feast of the Holy Family, let us consider three things: the structure of the family, the struggles of the family, and our strategy for the family.

I. Structure -- All through the readings for today's Mass, we are instructed on the basic form or structure of the family.

God sets a father in honor over his children; a mother's authority he confirms over her sons (Sirach 3:2).
May your wife be like a fruitful vine, in the recesses of your home; your children like olive plants, around your table (Psalm 128:3).
Wives, be subordinate to your husbands, as is proper in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and avoid any bitterness toward them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, so that they may not become discouraged (Colossians 3:20-21).
Each year, Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover ... Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety (Luke 2:45, 51,).
And he was obedient to them ... And Jesus advanced in age and wisdom and favor before God and man (Luke 2:51-52).

And thus we see the basic structure of the family:

A father in honor over his children
A wife and mother, supportive of her husband and his authority.
A mother, having authority over her children, supported, loved, and encouraged by her husband and obeyed by her children
Children who both honor and obey their parents
Fathers, and by extension mothers, who instruct and admonish their children, not in a way that badgers or discourages them, but in a way that encourages them and builds them up.
A family structure that helps children to advance in age, wisdom, and favor before God and man

This, then, is God's basic teaching on family and marriage. This is the basic structure that God sets for the family: a man who loves his wife; a woman who loves her husband; and children conceived within their stable, lasting, and faithful union of mutual support and love, and raised in the holy fear of the Lord.

Add to this the principal description of the book of Genesis, which describes how God sets forth marriage: A man shall leave his father and mother, cling to his wife, and the two of them shall become one flesh (Genesis 2:24). And to this first couple God gives the mandate, Be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:22).

And thus the Bible sets forth the basic structure for the family: a father, a mother, and children, all of whom are reverential and who support one another in their various roles and duties.

Note how the structure of the family take its basic form in terms of its essential fruit: the procreation and rearing of children. Why should marriage be a stable and lasting union? Why is Adam told to cling to his wife, to form a stable and lasting union with her?

Because this is what is best for children! Children both need and deserve the stable and lasting union of a father and a mother, as well as the complementary influence of the two different sexes. This is the best atmosphere in which to raise and form children. Hence, the family structure of a father and a mother, a male and a female parent, flows from what is best for children. The structure of the family, as set forth by God, is rooted in what is best for children. This is what is sensible. And it is what is best, both sociologically and psychologically, for the proper development of children.

Even without considering the Bible, it makes intuitive sense that a child should have both a father and a mother, a male and a female influence. There are things that a father, a male, can better teach and model for a child than can a mother, a female. And there are things that a mother, a female, can better teach and model for a child than can a father, a male.

This much is clear before we even open the Bible. Both male and female influences are essential for the proper psychological and sociological development of a child. Clearly, then, God's biblical mandate, that marriage should include both a father and a mother, is not without basis in simple human reason and common sense.

To intentionally deprive a child of this context is both unjust to the child and unwise. Hence, we see that the basic structure for marriage takes its shape from what is best for children. Both God and nature provide for a father and a mother, a male and a female, to conceive and raise a child.

It also makes sense based on simple human reasoning that the relationship should be stable, something upon which children can depend from day to day, month to month, and year to year throughout their formative years.

This, then, is the proper structure for marriage. It is set forth both by God and human reason.

II. Struggles -- And yet what should be obvious to us as a culture seems to be strangely absent in the minds of many. Let us be clear: sin clouds judgment, making many think that what is sinful and improper is in fact good and acceptable. It is not. In our current culture we gravely sin against God and against our children through consistent misconduct and by the refusal to accept what is obviously true. The words of St. Paul are fulfilled in our modern times: their senseless minds were darkened, and they became vain and foolish in their reasoning (Rom 1:21).

It is clear today that the family is in grave crisis. It is also clear that it is the children who suffer the most. Our modern age in the Western world displays a mentality that is both deeply flawed and gravely harmful to children.

Marriage and family are in great crisis due to the willful, sinful behavior of the vast majority of adults in our culture in the areas of sexuality, marriage, and family life. The rebellion of adults against God's plan has caused endless grief and hardship, and has created a culture that is poisonous to the proper raising and blessing of children.

Children have much to suffer in this world of our collective making. And while not all of us are equally guilty of contributing to their suffering, none of us is entirely innocent either, if for no other reason than our silence.

Consider that most children today are not born into the stable and lasting family unit they justly deserve, with a father and mother committed to each other till death do them part.

The problems begin with fornication, which is rampant in our culture today. And while most do not think of this as a sin of injustice, it is. This is so primarily because of what it does to children.

The fact is that many children today are conceived out of fornication. Tragically, most children who are thus conceived are outright murdered by abortion. Approximately 85% of abortions are performed on unmarried women. Despite all the claims that contraception makes every baby a "wanted" baby, nothing could be further from the truth. With the increased availability of contraception, abortion has skyrocketed. This is because the problem is not fertility; it is lust, promiscuity, fornication, and adultery. Contraception fuels these problems by further enabling them. The promises associated with contraception are lies; contraception does the opposite of what it promises.

Thus fornication and the contraceptive mentality (founded on lies) cause grave harm to children, beginning with abortion in huge numbers. And the children conceived of fornication who do manage to survive until birth are often subjected to the injustice of being born into irregular situations (e.g., households headed by single parents).

Add to this dismal picture the large number of divorced families. Make no mistake, these shredded families cause great hardship and pain for children. Children are shuttled back and forth between different households each week; they have to meet Daddy's new girlfriend or Mommy's new boyfriend; they endure all sorts of other family chaos. Blended families also dramatically increase the likelihood of sexual and emotional abuse because purely legal relationships seldom have the built-in protections of natural relationships.

All of this misbehavior, individual and cultural, harms children. Not being raised by parents in a traditional marriage dramatically increases a child's likelihood of suffering many other social ills, starting with poverty.

The chief cause of poverty in this country is single motherhood/absent fatherhood.
71% of poor families are not married.
Children of single parent homes are two times more likely to be arrested for juvenile crime,
two times more likely be treated for emotional and behavioral problems,
twice as likely to be suspended or expelled from school,
33% more likely to drop out of school,
three times more likely to end up in jail by age 30,
50% more likely to live in poverty as adults,
and twice as likely to have a child outside of marriage themselves [Getting the Marriage Conversation Right, by William B. May].

Added to the burdens that children experience is the new trend of same-sex adoption. Never mind that it is best for the psychological development of a child to have both a father and a mother, a male and a female influence. No, what is best for children must be sacrificed on the altar of political correctness. Same-sex couples seeking to adopt must now be given equal consideration under the law (in many states) to heterosexual couples. It is the adults and their rights that seem to matter most here; what is best for children is quite secondary.

These, then, are our struggles. Our families are in grave crisis; most children in our culture today are not raised in the stable and committed homes they deserve. And let us be even more clear: to intentionally deprive children of this sort of home by raising them outside of marriage or in same sex unions is sinful, wrong, and an injustice.

Let us also be clear that it is not possible to personally judge every case of a broken family. The modern world has experienced a cultural tsunami and many have been influenced by lies and false promises. If you are divorced, it may be the case that you tried to save your marriage but that your spouse was unwilling. Perhaps in a moment of weakness, or before your conversion to Christ, you fell and bore children outside of marriage but since then have done your best to raise them well.

In the end, though, children in our culture have had much to suffer on account of adult misbehavior. We need to repent and to beg God's grace and mercy for our grave sins of commission, omission, and silence. We have set forth a bitter world for our children to inherit.

III. Strategy -- So what are we to do? Preach the Word! Whatever the sins of those of us in this present generation (and there are many), we must be prepared to unambiguously re-propose the wisdom of God's Word to our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Even if we have fallen short, we cannot hesitate to announce God's plan for sexuality, marriage, and family.

Our strategic proclamation must include these key elements:

No sex before or outside of marriage, ever, or under any circumstances. Sexual intercourse is designed for procreation, the production of children, and there is no legitimate use of it except within marriage.
Children deserve and have the right to expect two parents, a father and mother, committed to each other till death do them part. Anything short of this is a grave injustice to children and a mortal sin before God.
Gay unions, or single mothers and fathers, are not acceptable alternatives to biblical marriage. To intentionally subject children to this for the sake of "political correctness" does them a grave injustice.
Marriage is about what is best for children, not adults.
Married couples must learn to work out their differences (as was done in the past) and not resort to divorce, which offends God (cf Malachi 2:16).
The needs of children far outweigh the preferences and needs of adults.

Whatever the personal failings of any of us in this present evil age (cf Gal 1:4), our strategy must be to preach the undiluted plan of God for sexuality, marriage, and family to our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Back to the Bible! Back to the plan of God! Away with modern experiments and unbiblical schemes! God has given us a plan. And we, thinking we had better ideas, have caused great sorrow and hardship for our descendants. We have acted unjustly. We have murdered or children through abortion. By sowing in the wind we have caused those who have survived our misbehavior to inherit the whirlwind. It is time to repent and to help our heirs to rejoice in chastity, marriage, and the biblical family. Otherwise we are doomed to perish.

God's plan must be our strategy in escaping from our struggles. We must get back to God's structure for our families.

This song says, "So, humbly I come to you and say. As I sound aloud the warfare of today. Hear me, I pray. What about the children?"

Video

Sunday Gospel Reflections

Holy Family Sunday
Reading I: Sir 3:3-7,14-17 II: Col 3:12-21

Gospel
Luke 2:41-52

⁴¹ Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover.
⁴² And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom;
⁴³ and when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it,
⁴⁴ but supposing him to be in the company they went a day's journey, and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances;
⁴⁵ and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him.
⁴⁶ After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions;
⁴⁷ and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.
⁴⁸ And when they saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously."
⁴⁹ And he said to them, "How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"
⁵⁰ And they did not understand the saying which he spoke to them.
⁵¹ And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
⁵² And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man.

Interesting Details

Nazareth is about 85 miles from Jerusalem.
Only St. Luke reports this event. It is the fifth joyful mystery of the Rosary.
St. Luke reports only two journeys that Jesus made to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. This event is the first, and the other immediately precedes his Passion. He was "lost" for three days in both events. The first marks the beginning of Jesus' adulthood as well as his mission. The last one marks the end of his mission as he rose victoriously after three days.
In Jewish society at the time of Jesus, boys and girls were at first primarily brought up by the women of the family. At the age of puberty, the boys made a transition and were reared primarily by their fathers or the men in the family.
When a boy reaches the age of twelve, the law of Moses requires that he journeys to Jerusalem for the Passover where, for the first time, he would be allowed to read the Words of God in the temple. This marks the beginning of his adulthood, and his care is transferred to the men in the family. It is a harsh transition for boys.
For such trips as the journey during the feast of Passover, the Jews traveled in large groups separate according to genders. Men and boys older than twelve travel together, while the women and smaller children travel in a separate group.
Mary must be joyful not finding the young Jesus with her thinking that he successfully made the transition to adulthood, electing to be with Joseph and all other boys. Joseph, on the other hand, felt disappointed to discover that Jesus was absent among the men. Joseph probably believed that the young Jesus still felt attached to his mother Mary. The young Jesus on the other hand made a spiritual transition into the care of God the Father.

One Main Point

One must, at some point in life, mature spiritually into the providence of God the Father and discover his own unique relation with God.

Reflections

Mary and Joseph nurtured the young Jesus spiritually so that he could reach the conclusion: "Did you know that I have to be in my Father's house?" Reflect on your one journey of faith. Who has nurtured you spiritually, and how? How and when did you discover your unique place in God's heart?
A family is the primary place to nurture spirituality. Read Luke (2:21-40) and contemplate the care that Mary and Joseph had for Jesus during his childhood. Contemplate your own spiritual responsibility in your family: the obstacles, the doubt, and the mission in bringing up your own children so that they will be able to grow into the wisdom and love of God.

Make a little bouquet of the sufferings of Jesus and carry them in the bosom of the soul.

St. Paul of the Cross

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4r9NtSkcc4

My band is singing this at Mass today, with a group of children.

“She works and she sings, the wife of the carpenter,
And the whole world smiles and sings as well.”

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)

"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42).

The Holy Family

The Holy Family
Jesus, Mary & Joseph
Feast Day
Sunday within the Octave of Christmas

Sunday After Christmas
When a Sunday does not occur between December 25 and January 1, this feast is celebrated on December 30 with only one reading before the Gospel.

The Holy Family - h h hitchcock (pencil)
Venerunt pastores festinantes, et invenerunt Mariam et Joseph et Infantem positum in praesepio (Luke 2:16)
The shepherds hastened to Bethlehem, where they found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. (Luke 2:16 - Entrance Antiphon)
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Collect for the Feast of the Holy Family
Scripture Readings
Pope John Paul II's prayer for the Family - 2004
Prayers for the Blessing of a Child, for a Happy Marriage
Directory of Popular Piety | Catechism of the Catholic Church
Church Documents on the Family | "Familiaris Consortio On the Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World'

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Collect:

O God, who were pleased to give us
the shining example of the Holy Family,
graciously grant that we may imitate them
in practicing the virtues of family life and in the bonds of charity,
and so, in the joy of your house,
delight one day in eternal rewards.
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. +Amen.
Readings for Mass:
RSV-CE translation
First Reading: Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 3: 2-7, 12-14
For the Lord honored the father above the children,
and He confirmed the right of the mother over her sons.
Whoever honors his father atones for sins,
and whoever glorifies his mother
is like one who lays up treasure.
Whoever honors his father will be gladdened by his own children,
and when he prays he will be heard.
Whoever glorifies his father will have long life,
and whoever obeys the Lord will refresh his mother;
he will serve his parents as his masters.

O son, help your father in his old age,
and do not grieve him as long as he lives;
even if he is lacking in understanding, show forbearance;
in all your strength do not despise him.
For kindness to a father will not be forgotten,
and against your sins it will be credited to you.
OR 1 Sm 1:20-22, 24-28
Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, "I have asked him of the LORD." And the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and to pay his vow. But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, "As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, that he may appear in the presence of the LORD, and abide there for ever."
And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine; and she brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh; and the child was young. Then they slew the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. And she said, "Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the LORD. For this child I prayed; and the LORD has granted me my petition which I made to him. Therefore I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives, he is lent to the LORD." And they worshiped the LORD there.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 84:2-3, 5-6, 9-10
R. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.
My soul longs, yea, faints for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young, at thy altars,
O LORD of hosts, my King and my God.
R. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.
5 Blessed are the men whose strength is in thee,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6 As they go through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
R. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.
9 Behold our shield, O God;
look upon the face of thine anointed!
10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
R. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.

Second Reading: Col 3:12-21
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
OR Col 3:12-17
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
OR 1 John 3:1-2,21-24
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. All who keep his commandments abide in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he has given us.
Gospel Reading - Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy Him." And he rose and took the child and His mother by night, and departed to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt have I called My Son."
But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, "Rise, take the child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead." And he rose and took the child and His mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus reigned over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

Pope John Paul II - Prayer from Angelus Message for the Feast of the Holy Family 2004
"May the Holy Family, who had to overcome many painful trials, watch over all the families in the world, especially those who are experiencing difficult situations. May the Holy Family also help men and women of culture and political leaders so that they may defend the institution of the family, based on marriage, and so that they may sustain the family as it confronts the grave challenges of the modern age!

"During this Year of the Eucharist may Christian families find the light and strength to be united and to grow as the 'domestic church' especially in their diligent participation in the celebration of the Eucharist on Sunday.
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The Scripture readings for the Feast of the Holy Family show the love between Mary, Joseph and Jesus, and also tell the mystery of the Incarnate God subjecting Himself to the authority of His earthly parents. Parents might offer a special blessing prayer for their children or for their marriage on this feast. Two such prayers are below:
The Blessing of a Child
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, who came to earth as an infant and thus sanctified childhood, pour the graces of thy blessing upon [Name], thy child, being mindful of the faith and devotion of the Church and of us, his {her} parents; so that, growing in virtue and wisdom before God and men, [Name] may attain a blessed old age and enjoy eternal salvation: Who livest and reignest forever and ever Amen.
A Prayer for a Happy Marriage
Lord Jesus Christ, who by thy presence at the wedding feast at Cana didst bless the state of Holy Matrimony; and by thy love and favor hath raised marriage to the dignity of a sacrament: Grant that we may be ever faithful to the marriage vows that we nave pledged. May all that we do bring us to greater love for each other and for thee. May no act of ours be unworthy in thy sight. May we never forget the ends for which matrimony has been instituted. And especially may we never, through selfishness, defile ourselves and our unity in mutual love by any action displeasing to thee. Teach us to trust in thy gracious mercy. May we gratefully receive children, and train and guide them with wise responsibility in the knowledge of thy love. Grant us the spiritual and temporal means to raise these children according to thy will. And may we worthily receive thy grace and favor through the sacramental bond of marriage. May every expression of our love for one another be united to our love for thee. Who livest and reignest forever and ever. Amen.
(Adapted from Mother's Manual, by A. Francis Comes, S.J., William J. Hirten Co., Inc., 1984)

From the Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy

The Feast of the Holy Family
112. The feast of the holy family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (Sunday in the Christmas octave) is a festive occasion particularly suitable for the celebration of rites or moments of prayer proper to the Christian family. The recollection of Joseph, Mary and Jesus' going up to Jerusalem, together with other observant Jewish families, for the celebration of the Passover (cf. Lk 2:41-42), should normally encourage a positive acceptance of the pastoral suggestion that all members of the family attend Mass on this day. This feast day also affords an opportunity for the renewal of our entrustment to the patronage of the Holy Family of Nazareth(120); the blessing of children as provided in the ritual(121); and where opportune, for the renewal of marriage vows taken by the spouses on their wedding day, and also for the exchange of promises between those engaged to be married in which they formalize their desire to found a new Christian family(122).
Outside of the feast, the faithful have frequent recourse to the Holy Family of Nazareth in many of life's circumstances: joining the Association of the Holy Family so as to model their own families on the Holy Family of Nazareth(123); frequent prayers to entrust themselves to the patronage of the Holy Family and to obtain assistance at the hour of death(124).

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church
533 The hidden life at Nazareth allows everyone to enter into fellowship with Jesus by the most ordinary events of daily life:

The home of Nazareth is the school where we begin to understand the life of Jesus - the school of the Gospel. First, then, a lesson of silence. May esteem for silence, that admirable and indispensable condition of mind, revive in us. . . A lesson on family life. May Nazareth teach us what family life is, its communion of love, its austere and simple beauty, and its sacred and inviolable character... A lesson of work. Nazareth, home of the "Carpenter's Son", in you I would choose to understand and proclaim the severe and redeeming law of human work. . . To conclude, I want to greet all the workers of the world, holding up to them their great pattern their brother who is God.

534 The finding of Jesus in the temple is the only event that breaks the silence of the Gospels about the hidden years of Jesus. Here Jesus lets us catch a glimpse of the mystery of his total consecration to a mission that flows from his divine sonship: "Did you not know that I must be about my Father's work?" Mary and Joseph did not understand these words, but they accepted them in faith. Mary "kept all these things in her heart" during the years Jesus remained hidden in the silence of an ordinary life.

Church Documents on Families
"Twenty years since 'Familiaris Consortio': The Anthropological and Pastoral Dimension" -- Pontifical Council for the Family Conclusions of the Theological-Pastoral Congress (December 20, 2001)
Message on Familiaris Consortio -- 20th Anniversary (November 22, 2001)
Preparation for the Sacrament of Marriage -- Pontifical Council for the Family (May 13, 1996)
The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality -- Guidelines for Education within the Family - Pontifical Council for the Family (December 8, 1995)
The Pastoral Care of the Family -- Message to Pontifical Council on the Family 1992
Charter of the Rights of the Family -- Pontifical Council on the Family (1983)
Familiaris Consortio -- On the Christian Family - Apostolic Exhortation, 1981

Familiaris Consortio -- on the Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World by Helen Hull Hitchcock (Nov 1, 2001)

God's Plan for Marriage and Family - A Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family
Focused on a Functional Family: A Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family
Imitating the Holy Family: Four Traits that Make It Possible

[Catholic Caucus] On the Holy Family [Angelus]
Biblical Teachings on Marriage and Family. A Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family
On Prayer in the Life of the Holy Family
The Holy Family - held together by Love through all their problems [Ecumenical]
Feast of the Holy Family: The Christian Family is a Domestic Church
Chesterton on "The Human Family and the Holy Family"
Joseph, Mary and Jesus: A Model Family
ADVICE TO PARENTS by Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
The Holy Family
St. Joseph as Head of the Holy Family (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)

Feast of the Holy Family
Feast of the Holy Family (Dom Guéranger OSB)
The Feast of the Holy Family
The Holy Family vs. The Holy Innocents: A Christmas season reflection [Catholic Caucus]
Vatican creche to place Holy Family in Joseph's carpentry workshop
The Redemption and Protection of the Family [Feast of the Holy Family]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1606480/posts
Unraveling Jesus' mystery years in Egypt
Gaudi’s Church of the Holy Family to be ready for worship in 2008
Imitating the Holy Family; Four Traits that Make It Possible
Lots of Graphics: Post your favorite image of the St. Mary and Child, the Holy Family...

Saint John the Evangelist

Saint John the Evangelist
Feast Day
December 27th

Collect for the Feast of Saint John
O God, who through the blessed Apostle John
have unlocked for us the secrets of your Word,
grant, we pray,
that we may grasp with proper understanding
what he has so marvelously brought to our ears.
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. +Amen
John, known as the Evangelist and the "beloved disciple" was born in Bethsaida. He was called to follow Jesus while mending his fishing nets. John wrote the fourth Gospel, three Epistles and the Apocalypse (Revelation). His passages on the pre-existence of the Word, who by His Incarnation became the light of the world and life of our souls, are among the most powerful of the New Testament.
He is the evangelist of the divinity of Christ and His fraternal love. With James, his brother, and Simon Peter, he was one of the witnesses of the Transfiguration. John is thought to have been especially close to Jesus; he alone was at the foot of the cross when Our Lord died, and it was to John that Jesus said "Behold thy Mother."
According to legend, the emperor Diocletian once tried to poison John by ordering him to drink a cup of poisoned wine. Saint John blessed the wine and the poison slithered away in the form of a snake.
First Reading:
I John 1: 1-4
Something which has existed since the beginning, that we have heard, and we have seen with our own eyes; that we have watched and touched with our hands: the Word, who is life -- this is our subject. That life was made visible: we saw it and we are giving our testimony, telling you of the eternal life which was with the Father and has been made visible to us. What we have seen and heard we are telling you so that you too may be in union with us, as we are in union with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. We are writing this to you to make our own joy complete.
Gospel Reading:
John 20:1a, 2-8
On the first day of the week Mary of Magdala came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb" she said "and we don't know where they have put Him". So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; he bent down and saw the linen clothes lying on the ground, but did not go in. Simon Peter who was following now came up, went right into the tomb, saw the linen cloths on the ground, and also the cloth that had been over His head, this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed.

Suggested family activities
Many countries have the tradition of blessing wine in the name of Saint John on this feast. Often a sweetened, spiced red wine is prepared and served hot (alcohol is evaporated after boiling for five minutes). At dinner on Saint John's Day, the father blesses a large cup of wine. Each member of the family takes a drink and passes the cup, saying "I drink to you in the love of Saint John".

Blessing of Saint John's Wine
Blessed art Thou, Lord God, who fillest the hungry and satisfiest the thirsty, And givest us wine to gladden our hearts. Grant that all who drink this wine in remembrance of Saint John may rejoice in Thee and be invited to sit at Thy heavenly banquet for ever and ever. Amen.

Catholic Word of the Day: JOHN THE APOSTLE, 03-08-11
The Twelve Apostles of the Catholic Church: St. John [Catholic Caucus]
The Book on Love from the Beloved Disciple
Feast of St. John (Apostle and Evangelist)
John the Apostle (Theologian)

The Falling Asleep of St. John the Evangelist and Theologian September 26
Where the Beloved Disciple Finally Rested
Orthodox Feast of The Falling Asleep of St. John the Evangelist and Theologian, September 26
St. John, Apostle and Evangelist
Mary's House — Walking in the Footsteps of St. John

Holy Spirit Interactive Kids: A Saint a Day

St. John the Apostle

Feast Day: December 27
Born :(around the time of Jesus) :: Died: (around 100)

St. John was born to Zebedee and Salome. He was a fisherman in Galilee and was called along with his brother St. James to be an apostle. Jesus gave these sons of Zebedee the nickname, "sons of thunder."

St. John was the youngest of the apostles and Jesus loved him dearly. At the Last Supper, John leaned his head on the chest of Jesus to comfort him.

John was also the only apostle who did not desert Jesus during his passion and stood at the foot of the cross. The dying Jesus asked John to care for his Blessed Mother, Mary.

Turning to Mary, he said to John, "Behold your mother." So the rest of her life on earth, the Blessed Mother lived with St. John. He alone had the great honor of assisting and caring for the all-pure Mother of God.

On Easter morning, Mary Magdalene and the other women went with spices to Jesus' tomb to anoint his body. They came running back to the apostles with exciting news. The body of Jesus was gone from the tomb.

Peter and John went to see if this was true. John arrived first but waited for Peter to go in ahead of him. Then he went in and saw the neatly folded linen cloths.

Later that same week, the disciples were fishing on the lake of Tiberias but did not catch any fish. A man standing on the beach asked them to let down their nets on the other side of the boat. When they pulled it up again it was full of large fish.

St. John, immediately knew this was Jesus, and called to Peter, "It is the Lord." With the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the apostles were filled with new courage and St. John and St. Peter were thrown into prison for preaching the good news without fear.

After the Ascension, John performed many miracles in the name of Jesus. Hearing him preach, hundreds of people were baptized and became followers of Jesus so St. John founded churches in Asia Minor for the people.

John lived for more than 100 years. He led a life of suffering, preached the Gospel, and became bishop of Ephesus. In the last years of his life, when he could no longer preach, his disciples would carry him to the crowds of Christians. His simple message was, "My dear children, love one another."

St. John died in Ephesus (modern Turkey) around the year 100. A church was built over his tomb and was later converted to a mosque.

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Sunday, December 27

Liturgical Color: White

Today is the Feast of St. John the Apostle and
Evangelist. He was known as the beloved
disciple and the author of the 4th Gospel. At
the Crucifixion our Savior entrusted the Blessed
Virgin into St. John's care with the words,
"Behold thy Mother."

Luke
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Luke 2
41.	And his parents went every year to Jerusalem, at the solemn day of the pasch,	Et ibant parentes ejus per omnes annos in Jerusalem, in die solemni PaschÃ¦.	ÎºÎ±Î¹ ÎµÏ€Î¿ÏÎµÏ…Î¿Î½Ï„Î¿ Î¿Î¹ Î³Î¿Î½ÎµÎ¹Ï‚ Î±Ï…Ï„Î¿Ï… ÎºÎ±Ï„ ÎµÏ„Î¿Ï‚ ÎµÎ¹Ï‚ Î¹ÎµÏÎ¿Ï…ÏƒÎ±Î»Î·Î¼ Ï„Î· ÎµÎ¿ÏÏ„Î· Ï„Î¿Ï… Ï€Î±ÏƒÏ‡Î±
42.	And when he was twelve years old, they going up into Jerusalem, according to the custom of the feast,	Et cum factus esset annorum duodecim, ascendentibus illis Jerosolymam secundum consuetudinem diei festi,	ÎºÎ±Î¹ Î¿Ï„Îµ ÎµÎ³ÎµÎ½ÎµÏ„Î¿ ÎµÏ„Ï‰Î½ Î´Ï‰Î´ÎµÎºÎ± Î±Î½Î±Î²Î±Î½Ï„Ï‰Î½ Î±Ï…Ï„Ï‰Î½ ÎµÎ¹Ï‚ Î¹ÎµÏÎ¿ÏƒÎ¿Î»Ï…Î¼Î± ÎºÎ±Ï„Î± Ï„Î¿ ÎµÎ¸Î¿Ï‚ Ï„Î·Ï‚ ÎµÎ¿ÏÏ„Î·Ï‚
43.	And having fulfilled the days, when they returned, the child Jesus remained in Jerusalem; and his parents knew it not.	consummatisque diebus, cum redirent, remansit puer Jesus in Jerusalem, et non cognoverunt parentes ejus.	ÎºÎ±Î¹ Ï„ÎµÎ»ÎµÎ¹Ï‰ÏƒÎ±Î½Ï„Ï‰Î½ Ï„Î±Ï‚ Î·Î¼ÎµÏÎ±Ï‚ ÎµÎ½ Ï„Ï‰ Ï…Ï€Î¿ÏƒÏ„ÏÎµÏ†ÎµÎ¹Î½ Î±Ï…Ï„Î¿Ï…Ï‚ Ï…Ï€ÎµÎ¼ÎµÎ¹Î½ÎµÎ½ Î¹Î·ÏƒÎ¿Ï…Ï‚ Î¿ Ï€Î±Î¹Ï‚ ÎµÎ½ Î¹ÎµÏÎ¿Ï…ÏƒÎ±Î»Î·Î¼ ÎºÎ±Î¹ Î¿Ï…Îº ÎµÎ³Î½Ï‰ Î¹Ï‰ÏƒÎ·Ï† ÎºÎ±Î¹ Î· Î¼Î·Ï„Î·Ï Î±Ï…Ï„Î¿Ï…
44.	And thinking that he was in the company, they came a day's journey, and sought him among their kinsfolks and acquaintance.	Existimantes autem illum esse in comitatu, venerunt iter diei, et requirebant eum inter cognatos et notos.	Î½Î¿Î¼Î¹ÏƒÎ±Î½Ï„ÎµÏ‚ Î´Îµ Î±Ï…Ï„Î¿Î½ ÎµÎ½ Ï„Î· ÏƒÏ…Î½Î¿Î´Î¹Î± ÎµÎ¹Î½Î±Î¹ Î·Î»Î¸Î¿Î½ Î·Î¼ÎµÏÎ±Ï‚ Î¿Î´Î¿Î½ ÎºÎ±Î¹ Î±Î½ÎµÎ¶Î·Ï„Î¿Ï…Î½ Î±Ï…Ï„Î¿Î½ ÎµÎ½ Ï„Î¿Î¹Ï‚ ÏƒÏ…Î³Î³ÎµÎ½ÎµÏƒÎ¹Î½ ÎºÎ±Î¹ ÎµÎ½ Ï„Î¿Î¹Ï‚ Î³Î½Ï‰ÏƒÏ„Î¿Î¹Ï‚
45.	And not finding him, they returned into Jerusalem, seeking him.	Et non invenientes, regressi sunt in Jerusalem, requirentes eum.	ÎºÎ±Î¹ Î¼Î· ÎµÏ…ÏÎ¿Î½Ï„ÎµÏ‚ Î±Ï…Ï„Î¿Î½ Ï…Ï€ÎµÏƒÏ„ÏÎµÏˆÎ±Î½ ÎµÎ¹Ï‚ Î¹ÎµÏÎ¿Ï…ÏƒÎ±Î»Î·Î¼ Î¶Î·Ï„Î¿Ï…Î½Ï„ÎµÏ‚ Î±Ï…Ï„Î¿Î½
46.	And it came to pass, that, after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions.	Et factum est, post triduum invenerunt illum in templo sedentem in medio doctorum, audientem illos, et interrogantem eos.	ÎºÎ±Î¹ ÎµÎ³ÎµÎ½ÎµÏ„Î¿ Î¼ÎµÎ¸ Î·Î¼ÎµÏÎ±Ï‚ Ï„ÏÎµÎ¹Ï‚ ÎµÏ…ÏÎ¿Î½ Î±Ï…Ï„Î¿Î½ ÎµÎ½ Ï„Ï‰ Î¹ÎµÏÏ‰ ÎºÎ±Î¸ÎµÎ¶Î¿Î¼ÎµÎ½Î¿Î½ ÎµÎ½ Î¼ÎµÏƒÏ‰ Ï„Ï‰Î½ Î´Î¹Î´Î±ÏƒÎºÎ±Î»Ï‰Î½ ÎºÎ±Î¹ Î±ÎºÎ¿Ï…Î¿Î½Ï„Î± Î±Ï…Ï„Ï‰Î½ ÎºÎ±Î¹ ÎµÏ€ÎµÏÏ‰Ï„Ï‰Î½Ï„Î± Î±Ï…Ï„Î¿Ï…Ï‚
47.	And all that heard him were astonished at his wisdom and his answers.	Stupebant autem omnes qui eum audiebant, super prudentia et responsis ejus.	ÎµÎ¾Î¹ÏƒÏ„Î±Î½Ï„Î¿ Î´Îµ Ï€Î±Î½Ï„ÎµÏ‚ Î¿Î¹ Î±ÎºÎ¿Ï…Î¿Î½Ï„ÎµÏ‚ Î±Ï…Ï„Î¿Ï… ÎµÏ€Î¹ Ï„Î· ÏƒÏ…Î½ÎµÏƒÎµÎ¹ ÎºÎ±Î¹ Ï„Î±Î¹Ï‚ Î±Ï€Î¿ÎºÏÎ¹ÏƒÎµÏƒÎ¹Î½ Î±Ï…Ï„Î¿Ï…
48.	And seeing him, they wondered. And his mother said to him: Son, why hast thou done so to us? behold thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.	Et videntes admirati sunt. Et dixit mater ejus ad illum : Fili, quid fecisti nobis sic ? ecce pater tuus et ego dolentes quÃ¦rebamus te.	ÎºÎ±Î¹ Î¹Î´Î¿Î½Ï„ÎµÏ‚ Î±Ï…Ï„Î¿Î½ ÎµÎ¾ÎµÏ€Î»Î±Î³Î·ÏƒÎ±Î½ ÎºÎ±Î¹ Ï€ÏÎ¿Ï‚ Î±Ï…Ï„Î¿Î½ Î· Î¼Î·Ï„Î·Ï Î±Ï…Ï„Î¿Ï… ÎµÎ¹Ï€ÎµÎ½ Ï„ÎµÎºÎ½Î¿Î½ Ï„Î¹ ÎµÏ€Î¿Î¹Î·ÏƒÎ±Ï‚ Î·Î¼Î¹Î½ Î¿Ï…Ï„Ï‰Ï‚ Î¹Î´Î¿Ï… Î¿ Ï€Î±Ï„Î·Ï ÏƒÎ¿Ï… ÎºÎ±Î³Ï‰ Î¿Î´Ï…Î½Ï‰Î¼ÎµÎ½Î¿Î¹ ÎµÎ¶Î·Ï„Î¿Ï…Î¼ÎµÎ½ ÏƒÎµ
49.	And he said to them: How is it that you sought me? did you not know, that I must be about my father's business?	Et ait ad illos : Quid est quod me quÃ¦rebatis ? nesciebatis quia in his quÃ¦ Patris mei sunt, oportet me esse ?	ÎºÎ±Î¹ ÎµÎ¹Ï€ÎµÎ½ Ï€ÏÎ¿Ï‚ Î±Ï…Ï„Î¿Ï…Ï‚ Ï„Î¹ Î¿Ï„Î¹ ÎµÎ¶Î·Ï„ÎµÎ¹Ï„Îµ Î¼Îµ Î¿Ï…Îº Î·Î´ÎµÎ¹Ï„Îµ Î¿Ï„Î¹ ÎµÎ½ Ï„Î¿Î¹Ï‚ Ï„Î¿Ï… Ï€Î±Ï„ÏÎ¿Ï‚ Î¼Î¿Ï… Î´ÎµÎ¹ ÎµÎ¹Î½Î±Î¹ Î¼Îµ
50.	And they understood not the word that he spoke unto them.	Et ipsi non intellexerunt verbum quod locutus est ad eos.	ÎºÎ±Î¹ Î±Ï…Ï„Î¿Î¹ Î¿Ï… ÏƒÏ…Î½Î·ÎºÎ±Î½ Ï„Î¿ ÏÎ·Î¼Î± Î¿ ÎµÎ»Î±Î»Î·ÏƒÎµÎ½ Î±Ï…Ï„Î¿Î¹Ï‚
51.	And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them. And his mother kept all these words in her heart.	Et descendit cum eis, et venit Nazareth : et erat subditus illis. Et mater ejus conservabat omnia verba hÃ¦c in corde suo.	ÎºÎ±Î¹ ÎºÎ±Ï„ÎµÎ²Î· Î¼ÎµÏ„ Î±Ï…Ï„Ï‰Î½ ÎºÎ±Î¹ Î·Î»Î¸ÎµÎ½ ÎµÎ¹Ï‚ Î½Î±Î¶Î±ÏÎµÏ„ ÎºÎ±Î¹ Î·Î½ Ï…Ï€Î¿Ï„Î±ÏƒÏƒÎ¿Î¼ÎµÎ½Î¿Ï‚ Î±Ï…Ï„Î¿Î¹Ï‚ ÎºÎ±Î¹ Î· Î¼Î·Ï„Î·Ï Î±Ï…Ï„Î¿Ï… Î´Î¹ÎµÏ„Î·ÏÎµÎ¹ Ï€Î±Î½Ï„Î± Ï„Î± ÏÎ·Î¼Î±Ï„Î± Ï„Î±Ï…Ï„Î± ÎµÎ½ Ï„Î· ÎºÎ±ÏÎ´Î¹Î± Î±Ï…Ï„Î·Ï‚
52.	And Jesus advanced in wisdom, and age, and grace with God and men.	Et Jesus proficiebat sapientia, et Ã¦tate, et gratia apud Deum et homines.	ÎºÎ±Î¹ Î¹Î·ÏƒÎ¿Ï…Ï‚ Ï€ÏÎ¿ÎµÎºÎ¿Ï€Ï„ÎµÎ½ ÏƒÎ¿Ï†Î¹Î± ÎºÎ±Î¹ Î·Î»Î¹ÎºÎ¹Î± ÎºÎ±Î¹ Ï‡Î±ÏÎ¹Ï„Î¹ Ï€Î±ÏÎ± Î¸ÎµÏ‰ ÎºÎ±Î¹ Î±Î½Î¸ÏÏ‰Ï€Î¿Î¹Ï‚

41. Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover.

CHRYS. At the feast of the Hebrews the law commanded men not, only to observe the time, but the place, and so the Lord's parents wished to celebrate the feast of the Passover only at Jerusalem.

AUG. But it may be asked, how did His parents go up all the years of Christ's childhood to Jerusalem, if they were prevented from going there by fear of Archelaus? This question might be easily answered, even had some one of the Evangelists mentioned how long Archelaus reigned. For it were possible that on the feast day amid so great a crowd they might secretly come, and soon return again, at the same time that they feared to remain there on other days, so as neither to be wanting in religious duties by neglecting the feast, nor leave themselves open to detection by a constant abode there. But now since all have been silent as to the length of Archelaus' reign, it is plain that when Luke says, They were accustomed to go up every year to Jerusalem, we are to understand that to have been when Archelaus was no longer feared.

42. And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.
43. And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.
44. But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.
45. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.
46. And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.
47. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
48. And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said to him, Son, why have you thus dealt with us? behold, your father and I have sought your sorrowing.
49. And he said to them, How is it that you sought me? wish you not that I must be about my Father's business?
50. And they understood not the saying which he spoke to them.

CYRIL; The Evangelist having said before that the Child grew and waxed strong, verifies his own words when he relates, that Jesus with the holy Virgin went up to Jerusalem; as it is said, And when he was twelve years old, &c.

GREEK EX. His indication of wisdom did not exceed the measure of His age, but at the time that with us the powers of discernment are generally perfected, the wisdom of Christ shows itself.

AMBROSE; Or the twelfth year was the commencement of our Lord's disputation with the doctors, for this was the number of the Evangelists necessary to preach the faith.

THEOPHYL; We may also say, that as by the seventh number, so also by the twelfth, (which consists of the parts of seven multiplied alternately by one another,) the universality and perfection of either things or times is signified, and therefore rightly from the number twelve, the glory of Christ takes its beginning, being that by which all places and times are to be filled.

THEOPHYL; Now that the Lord came up every year to Jerusalem at the Passover, betokens His humility as a man, for it is, man's duty to meet together to offer sacrifices to God, and conciliate Him with prayers. Accordingly the Lord as man, did among men what God by angels commended c men to do. Hence it is said, According to the custom of the feast day. Let us follow then the journey of His mortal life, if we delight to behold the glory of His divine nature.

GREEK EX. The feast having been celebrated, while the rest returned, Jesus secretly tarried behind. As it follows, And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and his parents knew not of it. It is said, When the days were accomplished, because the feast lasted seven days. But the reason of His tarrying behind in secret was, that His parents might not be a hindrance to His carrying on the discussion with the lawyers; or perhaps to avoid appearing to despise his parents by not obeying their commands. He remains therefore secretly, that he might neither be kept away nor be disobedient.

ORIGEN; But we must not wonder that they are called His parents, seeing the one from her childbirth, the other from his knowledge of it, deserved the names of father and mother.

THEOPHYL; But some one will ask, how was it that the Son of God, brought up by His parents with such care, could be left behind from forgetfulness? To which it is answered, that the custom of the children of Israel while assembling at Jerusalem on the feast days, or returning to their homes, was for the women and men to go separately, and the infants or children to go with either parent indiscriminately. And so both Mary and Joseph each thought in turn that the Child Jesus, whom they saw not with them, was returning with the other parent. Hence it follows, But they, supposing him to have been in the company, &c.

ORIGEN; But as when the Jews plotted against Him He escaped from the midst of them, and was not seen; so now it seems that the Child Jesus remained, and His parents knew not where He was. As it follows, And not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem seeking for him.

GLOSS. They were on their way home, one day's journey from Jerusalem; on the second day they seek for Him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance, and when they found Him not, they returned on the third day to Jerusalem, and there they found Him. As it follows, And it came to pass, after three days they found him.

ORIGEN; He is not found as soon as sought for, for Jesus was not among His kinsfolk and relations, among those who are joined to Him in the flesh, nor in the company of the multitude can He be found. Learn where those who seek Him find Him, not every where, but in the temple. And do you then seek Jesus in the temple of God. Seek Him in the Church, and seek Him among the masters who are in the temple. For if you wilt so seek Him, you shall find Him. They found Him not among His kinsfolk, for human relations could not comprehend the Son of God; not among His acquaintance, for He passes far beyond all human knowledge and understanding. Where then do they find Him? In the temple! If at any time you seek the Son of God, seek Him first in the temple, thither go up, and verily shall you find Christ, the Word, and the Wisdom, (i.e. the Son of God.)

AMBROSE; After three days He is found in the temple, that it might be for a sign, that after three days of victorious suffering, He who was believed to be dead should rise again anti manifest Himself to our faith, seated in heaven with divine glory.

GLOSS. Or because the advent of Christ, which was looked for by the Patriarchs before the Law, was not found, nor again, that which was sought for by prophets and just men under the Law, but that alone is found which is sought for by Gentiles under grace.

ORIGEN; Because moreover He was the Son of God, He is found in the midst of the doctors, enlightening and instructing them. But because He was a little child, He is found among them not teaching but asking questions, as it is said, Sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions. And this He did as a duty of reverence, that He might set us an example of the proper behavior of children, though they be wise and learned, rather to hear their masters than teach them, and not to vaunt themselves with empty boasting. But He asked not that He might learn, but that asking He might instruct.

For from the same source of learning is derived both the power of asking and answering wisely, as it follows, All who heard him were astonished at his wisdom.

THEOPHYL; To show that He was a man, He humbly listened to the masters; but to prove that He was God, He divinely answered those who spoke.

GREEK EX. He asks questions with reason, He listens M with wisdom, and answers with more wisdom, so as to cause astonishment. As it follows, And they who saw it were astonished.

CHRYS. The Lord truly did no miracle in His childhood, yet this one fact St. Luke mentions, which made men look with wonder upon Him.

THEOPHYL; For from His tongue there went forth divine wisdom, while His age exhibited man's helplessness, and hence the Jews, amid the high things they hear and the lowly things they see, are perplexed with doubts and astonishment. But we can in no wise wonder, knowing the words of the Prophet, that thus unto us a Is Child is born, that He abides the mighty God.

GREEK EX. But the ever-wonderful mother of God, moved by a mother's feelings, as it w were with weeping makes her mournful inquiry, in every thing like a mother, with confidence, humility, and affection. As it follows, And his mother said to him, Son, what have you done?

ORIGEN; The holy Virgin knew that He was not the Son of Joseph, and yet calls her husband His father according to the belief of the Jews, who thought that He was conceived in the common way. Now to speak generally we may say, that the Holy Spirit honored Joseph by the name of father, because he brought up the Child Jesus; but more technically, that it might not seem superfluous in St. Luke, bringing down the genealogy from David to Joseph. But why sought they Him sorrowing? Was it that he might have perished or been lost? It could not be. For what should cause them to dread the loss of Him whom they knew to be the Lord? But as whenever you read the Scriptures you search out their meaning with pains, not that you suppose them to have erred or to contain any thing incorrect, but that the truth which they have inherent in them you are anxious to find out; so they sought Jesus, lest perchance leaving them he should have returned to heaven, thither to descend v hen He would. He then who seeks Jesus must go about it not carelessly and idly, as many seek Him who never find Him, but with labor and sorrow.

GLOSS. Or they feared lest Herod who sought Him in His infancy, now that He was advanced to boyhood might find an opportunity of putting Him to death.

GREEK EX. But the Lord Himself sets every thing at rest, and correcting as it were her saying concerning him who was His reputed father, manifests His true Father, teaching us not to walk on the ground, but to raise ourselves on high, as it follows, And he says to them, What is it that you ask of me?

THEOPHYL; He blames them not that they seek Him as their son, but compels them to raise the eyes of their mind to what was rather due to Him whose eternal Son He was. Hence it follows, Knew you not? &c.

AMBROSE; There are two generations in Christ, one from His Father, the other from His mother; the Father's more divine, the mother's that which has come down for our use and advantage.

CYRIL; He says this then by way of showing that He surpasses all human standards, and hinting that the Holy Virgin was made the handmaid of the work in bringing His flesh unto the world, but that He Himself was by nature and in truth God, and the Son of the Father most high Now from this let the followers of Valentinus, healing that the temple was of God, be ashamed to say that the Creator, and the God of the law and of the temple, is not also the Father of Christ.

EPIPH. Let Ebion know that at twelve years old, not thirty, Christ is found the astonishment of all men, wonderful and mighty in the words of grace. We can not here fore say, that after that the Spirit came to Him in Baptism He was made the Christ, that is, anointed with divinity, but from His very childhood He acknowledged both the temple and His Father.

GREEK EX. This is the first demonstration of the and power of the Child Jesus. For as to what are called you acts of His childhood, we can not but suppose them to be the work not only of a childish but even of a devilish mind and perverse will, attempting to revile those things which are contained in the Gospel and the sacred prophecies. But should one desire to receive only such things as are generally believed, and are not contrary to our other declarations, but accord also with the words of prophecy, let it suffice that Jesus was distinguished in form above the sons of men; obedient to His mother, gentle in disposition; in appearance full of grace and dignity; eloquent in words, kind and thoughtful of the wants of others, known among all for a power and energy, as of one who was filled with all wisdom; and as in other things, so also in all human conversation, though above man, Himself the rule and measure. But that which most distinguished Him was His meekness, and that a razor had never come upon His head, nor any human hand except His mother's. But from these words we may derive a lesson; for when the Lord reproves Mary seeking Him among His relations, He most aptly points to the giving up of all fleshly ties, showing that it is not for him to attain the goal of perfection who is still encompassed by and walks among the things of the body, and that men fall from perfection through love of their relations.

THEOPHYL; It follows, And they understood him not, that is, the word which He spoke to them of His divinity.

ORIG. Or they knew not whether when He said about my Father's business, He referred to the temple, or something higher and more edifying; for every one of us who does good, is the seat of God the Father; but whoever is the seat of God the Father, has Christ in the midst of him.

51. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
52. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

GREEK EX. All that time of the life of Christ which He passed between His manifestation in the temple and His baptism being devoid of any great public miracles or teaching, the Evangelist sums up in one word saying, And he went down with them.

ORIGEN; Jesus frequently went down with His disciples, for He is not always dwelling on the mount, for they who were troubled with various diseases were not able to ascend the mount. For this reason now also He went down to them who were below. It follows: And he was subject to them,.

GREEK EX. Sometimes by His word He first institutes laws, and He afterwards confirms them, by His work, as when He says, The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. For shortly after seeking our salvation He poured out His own life. But sometimes He first sets forth in Himself an example, and afterwards, as far as words can go, draws therefrom rules of life, as He does here, showing forth by His work these three things above the rest, the love of God, honor to parents, but the preferring God also to our parents. For when He was blamed by His parents, He counts all other things of less moment than those which belong to God; again, He gives His obedience also to His parents.

THEOPHYL; For what is the teacher of virtue, unless he fulfill his duty to his parents? What else did He do among us, than what He wished should be done by us?

ORIGEN; Let us then also ourselves be subject to our parents. But if our fathers are not let us be subject to those who are our fathers. Jesus the Son of God is subject to Joseph and Mary. But I must be subject to the Bishop who has been constituted my father. It seems that Joseph knew that Jesus was greater than he, and there fore in awe moderated his authority. But let every one see, that oftentimes he who is subject is the greater. Which if they who are higher in dignity understand they will not be elated with pride, knowing that their superior is subject to them.

GREG. NYSS. Further, since the young have not yet perfect understanding, and have need to be led forward by those who have advanced to a more perfect state; therefore when He arrived at twelve years, He is obedient to His parents, to show that whatever is made perfect by moving forward, before that it arrives at the end profitably embraces obedience, (as leading to good.)

BASIL; But from His very first years being obedient to His parents, He endured all bodily labors, humbly and reverently. For since His parents were honest and just, yet at the same time poor, and ill supplied with the necessaries of life, (as the stable which administered to the holy birth bears witness,) it is plain that they continually underwent bodily fatigue in providing for their daily wants. But Jesus being obedient to them, as the Scriptures testify, even in sustaining labors, submitted Himself to a complete subjection.

AMBROSE; And can you wonder if He who is subject to His mother, also submits to His Father? Surely that subjection is a mark not of weakness but of filial duty. Let then the heretic so raise his head as to assert that He who is sent has need of other help; yet why should He need human help, in obeying His mother's authority? He was obedient to a handmaid, He was obedient to His pretended father, and do you wonder whether He obeyed God; Or is it a mark of duty to obey man, of weakness to obey God.

THEOPHYL; The Virgin, whether she understood or whether she could not yet understand, equally laid up all things in her heart for reflection and diligent examination. Hence it follows, And, his mother laid up all these things, etc. Mark the wisest of mothers, Mary the mother of true wisdom, becomes the scholar or disciple of the Child. For she yielded to Him not as to a boy, nor as to a man, but as unto God. Further, she pondered upon both His divine words and works, so that nothing that was said or done by Him was lost upon her, but as the Word itself was before in her womb, so now she conceived the ways and words of the same, and in a manner nursed them in her heart. And while indeed she thought upon one thing at the time, another she wanted to be more clearly revealed to her; and this was her constant rule and law through her whole life.

It follows, And Jesus increased in wisdom.

THEOPHYL. Not that He became wise by making progress, but that by degrees He revealed His wisdom. As it was when He disputed with the Scribes, asking them questions of their law to the astonishment of all who heard Him. You see then how He increased in wisdom, in that He became known to many, and caused them to wonder, for the showing forth of His wisdom is His increase. But mark how the Evangelist, having interpreted what it is to increase in wisdom, adds, and in stature, declaring thereby that an increase or growth in age is an increase in wisdom.

CYRIL; But the Eunomian Heretics say, "How can He be equal to the Father in substance, who is said to increase, as if before imperfect." But not because He is the Word, but because He is made man, He is said to receive increase. For if He really increased after that He was made flesh, as having before existed imperfect, why then do we give Him thanks as having thence become incarnate for us? But how if He is the true wisdom can He be increased, or how can He who gives grace to others be Himself advanced in grace. Again, if bearing that the Word humbled Himself, no one is offended (thinking slightingly of the true God,) but rather marvels at His compassion, how is it not absurd to be offended at hearing that He increases? For as He was humbled for us, so for us He increased, that we who have fallen through sin might increase in Him. For whatever concerns us, Christ Himself has truly undertaken for us, that He might restore us to a better state. And mark what He says, not that the Word, but Jesus, increases, that you should not suppose that the pure Word increases, but the Word made flesh; and as we confess that the Word suffered in the flesh, although the flesh only suffered, because of the Word the flesh was which suffered, so He is said to increase, because the human nature of the Word increased in Him. But He is said to increase in His human nature, not as if that nature which was perfect from the beginning received increase, but that by degrees it was manifested. For the law of nature brooks not that man should have higher faculties than the age of his body permits. The Word then (made man) was perfect, as being the power and wisdom of the Father, but because something was to be yielded to the habits of our nature, lest He should be counted strange by those who saw Him, He manifested Himself as man with a body, gradually advancing in growth, and was daily thought wiser by those who saw and heard Him.

GREEK EX. He increased then in age, His body growing to the stature of man; but in wisdom through those who were taught divine truths by Him; in grace, that is, whereby we are advanced with joy, trusting at last to obtain the promises; and this indeed before God, because having put on the flesh, He performed His Father's work, but before men by their conversion from the worship of idols to the knowledge of the Most High Trinity.

THEOPHYL. He says before God and men, because we must first please God, then man.

GREG. NYSS. The word also increases in different degrees in those who receive it; and according to the measure of its increase a man appears either an infant, grown up, or a perfect man.

Catena Aurea Luke 2

December 27, 2015

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

Reading 1 Sir 3:2-6, 12-14

Or 1 Sm 1:20-22, 24-28

Responsorial Psalm Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5

Or Ps 84:2-3, 5-6, 9-10

Reading 2 Col 3:12-21

Or Col 3:12-17

Or 1 Jn 3:1-2, 21-24

Alleluia Col 3:15a, 16a

Or cf. Acts 16:14b

Gospel Lk 2:41-52