Free Republic

December 17, 2016 Saturday of the Third Week in Advent Reading 1 Gn 49:2, 8-10 Jacob called his sons and said to them:“Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob,listen to Israel, your father. “You, Judah, shall your brothers praise–your hand on the neck of your enemies;the sons of your father shall bow down to you.Judah, like a lion’s whelp,you have grown up on prey, my son.He crouches like a lion recumbent,the king of beasts–who would dare rouse him?The scepter shall never depart from Judah,or the mace from between his legs,While tribute is brought to him,and he receives the people’s homage.”...

Advent Dynamism FR. ROGER LANDRY Happy New Year! This week the Church, indeed, inaugurates a new year dedicated to our reliving in time the central mysteries of the life of Christ. Christ is the the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end (Rv 22:13), and the Church has us begin each year focusing both on the end and on the beginning so that we might better live the present. Advent is that season in which we prepare for Christ's coming in the past (in Bethlehem), his coming in the future (on the...

The Roman Catholic Lectionary Website compiled by Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. "O Antiphons" for the Week before ChristmasIntroduction: Most familiar today from the Advent hymn, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," the seven traditional "O Antiphons" are actually more than a thousand years old. They have long been used at the very end of Advent (Dec. 17-23) in the liturgical prayer of the Church, as Antiphons for the "Magnificat" sung or recited during Vespers (the Evening Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours). Since the Second Vatican Council, they have also been adapted (slightly reworded and rearranged) for the "Alleluia...

December 16, 2016 Friday of the Third Week in Advent Reading 1 Is 56:1-3a, 6-8 Thus says the LORD:Observe what is right, do what is just;for my salvation is about to come,my justice, about to be revealed.Blessed is the man who does this,the son of man who holds to it;Who keeps the sabbath free from profanation,and his hand from any evildoing.Let not the foreigner say,when he would join himself to the LORD,“The LORD will surely exclude me from his people.” The foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,ministering to him,Loving the name of the LORD,and becoming his servants–All who...

Advent and the Four Comings of ChristSam Guzman Can you believe it? Christmas is in ten days. For most of us, it has come much too fast. We feel caught off guard and unprepared. We are in panic mode, striving to finish up last minute preparations for family dinners and parties.Yet, during this season, Holy Mother Church asks us for a different kind of preparedness, a preparedness that does not involve shopping or wrapping gifts—She calls us to a preparedness of heart. Clear away the sin and attachments that crowd out Christ, she challenges us, and make room in your...

December 15, 2016 Thursday of the Third Week in Advent Reading 1 Is 54:1-10 Raise a glad cry, you barren one who did not bear,Break forth in jubilant song, you who were not in labor,For more numerous are the children of the deserted wifethan the children of her who has a husband,says the LORD.Enlarge the space for your tent,spread out your tent cloths unsparingly;lengthen your ropes and make firm your stakes.For you shall spread abroad to the right and to the left;your descendants shall dispossess the nationsand shall people the desolate cities. Fear not, you shall not be put...

“He Comes, We Come” (Isaiah 35:1-10) “You go, we go.” That’s what the Chicago Cubs told their centerfielder and leadoff man Dexter Fowler the last couple of years. “You go, we go.” In other words, “As you go, Dexter, so we will go. You are the guy who makes this team go. When you get on base and play well, our team will do well.” And that is what happened. Fowler played very well, and the Cubs won the World Series. “You go, we go.” And now that Dexter Fowler has signed with St. Louis, the Cardinals are hoping for...

What Ever Became of Advent Fasting and Penance? Msgr. Charles Pope • December 13, 2016 • I was explaining to a new Catholic recently that the reason the color purple (violet) is used during Advent is that Advent, like Lent, is considered a penitential season. During these times we are to give special attention to our sins and our need for salvation. Traditionally, Advent was a time when would take part in penitential practices such as fasting and abstinence, just as is done during Lent.In recent times, though, Advent has become almost devoid of any real penitential practices. Neither...

December 14, 2016 Memorial of Saint John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church Reading 1 Is 45:6c-8, 18, 21c-25 I am the LORD, there is no other;I form the light, and create the darkness,I make well-being and create woe;I, the LORD, do all these things.Let justice descend, O heavens, like dew from above,like gentle rain let the skies drop it down.Let the earth open and salvation bud forth;let justice also spring up!I, the LORD, have created this. For thus says the LORD,The creator of the heavens,who is God,The designer and maker of the earthwho established it,Not...

December 13, 2016 Memorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr Reading 1 Zep 3:1-2, 9-13 Thus says the LORD:Woe to the city, rebellious and polluted,to the tyrannical city!She hears no voice,accepts no correction;In the LORD she has not trusted,to her God she has not drawn near. For then I will change and purifythe lips of the peoples,That they all may call upon the name of the LORD,to serve him with one accord;From beyond the rivers of Ethiopiaand as far as the recesses of the North,they shall bring me offerings. On that dayYou need not be ashamed of all your...

St. Joseph Teaches Us How to Live Out AdventFr. Ed Broom, OMV Saint Joseph can help us to live a most fruitful Advent, and for many reasons. Let us quietly meditate upon five extraordinary virtues of this greatest of all saints so that we can live a most fervent Advent season and allow Jesus to be born in the depths of our hearts this Christmas!1. Silence. Not once in the Bible do we hear a word from the great Saint Joseph. This silence of Saint Joseph is very eloquent. It teaches us a fundamental attitude to enter into deep prayer:...

This is a timely video for this time of year. Get ready for Christmas. Remember the true meaning of the season!

It’s Getting Late Very Early Out There: On the Great Drama of Light at Advent and Christmas Msgr. Charles Pope • December 11, 2016 • Outside, there is a great drama of light and darkness is unfolding before us. The light is giving way to darkness.Here in the Northern Hemisphere the days are getting very short; and they’re going to get even shorter. In Washington D.C., where I live, it’s dark by 5:00 PM. On cloudy days, it’s almost dark by 4:00! My brothers both live farther north, one in St. Paul and the other in Seattle; it gets...

December 12, 2016 Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Reading 1 Zec 2:14-17 Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the LORD.Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day,and they shall be his people,and he will dwell among you,and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.The LORD will possess Judah as his portion in the holy land,and he will again choose Jerusalem.Silence, all mankind, in the presence of the LORD!For he stirs forth from his holy dwelling. Or Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab...

ST. DAMASUS, POPE SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2016 Saint Damasus was born in Rome at the beginning of the fourth century. His father, a widower, had received Holy Orders there and served as parish priest in the church of St. Laurence.Damasus was archdeacon of the Roman Church in 355 when the Pope, Saint Liberius, was banished to Berda. Damases followed him into exile, but afterwards returned to Rome. On the death of Saint Liberius in 366, our Saint was chosen to succeed him, at the age of sixty-two. A certain Ursinus, jealous of his election and desiring for himself that high office,...

The Perfect Gift – A Homily for the Third Sunday of Advent Msgr. Charles Pope • December 10, 2016 • What is the perfect gift? We tend to answer this question more in terms of what we want, but today’s Gospel teaches us that the perfect gift is what God is offering. One of the goals of the spiritual journey is to come to value, more than our latest desire, more than our perceived need—more than all else—what God offers.In reviewing today’s Gospel, I am going to take a stance regarding St. John the Baptist that I realize is...

December 11, 2016 Third Sunday of Advent Reading 1 Is 35:1-6a, 10 The desert and the parched land will exult;the steppe will rejoice and bloom.They will bloom with abundant flowers,and rejoice with joyful song.The glory of Lebanon will be given to them,the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;they will see the glory of the LORD,the splendor of our God.Strengthen the hands that are feeble,make firm the knees that are weak,say to those whose hearts are frightened:Be strong, fear not!Here is your God,he comes with vindication;with divine recompensehe comes to save you.Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,the ears...

“Be Patient until the Coming of the Lord” (James 5:7-11) Advent is a season of waiting. We’re waiting for Christmas. This is a time of penitential preparation awaiting that festive celebration. The season of Advent always begins on the Sunday closest to November 30, which can be as early as November 27, and that’s what it was this year. So this year we’re having the longest possible Advent, a full total of 28 days. But we get kind of antsy about waiting and letting Advent be Advent: “We gotta get the Christmas tree up!” “We gotta have the Christmas party...

December 10, 2016 Saturday of the Second Week in Advent Reading 1 Sir 48:1-4, 9-11 In those days,like a fire there appeared the prophet Elijahwhose words were as a flaming furnace.Their staff of bread he shattered,in his zeal he reduced them to straits;By the Lord’s word he shut up the heavensand three times brought down fire.How awesome are you, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds!Whose glory is equal to yours?You were taken aloft in a whirlwind of fire,in a chariot with fiery horses.You were destined, it is written, in time to cometo put an end to wrath before the day...

Advent: A Preparation for ChristmasAlan Scott As each year draws to a close, and Christmas fast approaches, we tend to focus on what is obvious – putting up our decorations, trimming our tree, shopping for friends and family and eating every type of desert known to man.And before you know it, time has escaped us.Suddenly it’s Christmas Eve night and all the wonders that come with it – reflecting on Bethlehem, the birth of Jesus, the angels singing, the shepherds in the field, the wise men beginning their decent from the east, all culminating in “Silent Night, Holy Night.”But wait!...