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December 18, 2009                                  Friday of the Third Week of Advent Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Jer 23:5-8 Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD,when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David;As king he shall reign and govern wisely,he shall do what is just and right in the land.In his days Judah shall be saved,Israel shall dwell in security.This is the name they give him:“The LORD our justice.” Therefore, the days will come, says the LORD,when they shall no longer say, “As the LORD lives,who brought the children of Israel...

The O AntiphonsThe O Antiphons developed from an ancient custom in the Church going back  to the seventh or eighth century. There are seven of these special antiphons, and their texts spring from the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures, the Prophetic and Wisdom Books. They are found in the Liturgy of the Hours, or Breviary, which clerics, some religious orders, and some lay people use for daily prayer. The O Antiphons are short prayers recited before and after the Magnificat, the great prayer of Mary used during Vespers, evening prayer, beginning on December 17, seven days before the Vigil of Christmas...

Christmas Novena Hail, and blessed be the hour and momentAt which the Son of God was bornOf a most pure VirginAt a stable at midnight in BethlehemIn the piercing coldAt that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee,To hear my prayers and grant my desires(mention request here). Through Jesus Christ and His most Blessed Mother. Day 1    Day 2    Day 3    Day 4    Day 5    Day 6    Day 7    Day 8     Day 9

December 17, 2009                                 Thursday of the Third Week of Advent     Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Gn 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...

Bill O'Reilly recently talked about it in positive terms, now today Time Magazine (online at least) has a story about Advent Conspiracy. The following is an excerpt from Time as featured on Yahoo where it is getting thousands of hits: As you might expect Time has done a surly hack-job on a movement designed to get Christmas back to its original intention. "McKinley is one of the leaders of an effort to do away with the frenzied activity and extravagant gift-giving of a commercial Christmas. Through a savvy viral video and marketing effort, the so-called Advent Conspiracy movement has exploded....

“Luke’s Lead-up to Christmas: The Nativity of St. John the Baptist and the Song of Zechariah, the Benedictus” (Luke 1:57-80)When last we left Zechariah, he was doing his best Marcel Marceau impression. In other words, he couldn’t speak! He was making signs and gestures to try to communicate. In other words, there were no words! Zechariah had been struck mute, unable to speak, because he had not believed the words the angel Gabriel had spoken to him, telling him that he and his wife Elizabeth were going to have a child, even though they were both old and had been...

December 16, 2009                               Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent   Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Is 45:6b-8, 18, 21b-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 creating it...

From NE Ohio December newsletter - Bishop's Article: On December third we held a special meeting of the synod council, deans, committee chairs and synod staff to take a look at the projected $250,000-$400,000 deficit for fiscal year 2010-11. Since a $400,000 deficit is a jaw-dropping number to me, I wanted advice on how to carry out the ministry that we do together as a synod. The short-term solution is to reduce hours and compensation for the entire staff. Developing a long-term solution is going to take a lot more work. I have had many people who are quick to...

December 15, 2009                                   Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Zep 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...

What The Baptist can Teach us about Joy December 14th, 2009 by Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D. On the third Sunday of Advent, the penitential purple of the season changes to rose and we celebrate “Gaudete” or “Rejoice!” Sunday.  “Shout for joy, daughter of Zion” says Zephaniah.  “Draw water joyfully from the font of salvation,” says Isaiah.  “Rejoice in the Lord always,” says St. Paul.  “Do penance for the judge is coming,” says John the Baptist.Wait a minute.  What’s that stark, strident saint of the desert doing here, on “Rejoice Sunday”?  His stern call to repentance does not seem to fit.Believe it...

Grave of the Craving December 15th, 2009 by Sonja Corbitt Advent is calling, beckoning Catholics to retrench, reconsider, re-evaluate. The economic downturn has revealed an enormous tragic flaw in personal and public policy, and one only has to listen for the wailing and gnashing of teeth to pinpoint its location.Oppressed by Egyptian taskmasters, the Lord heard the cries of His weary people and sent a deliverer. They left Egypt for the desert with spoils of gold and silver, but barely out of sight of their slavery, complaints ensued. The dry desert lack revealed a more insidious bondage.On the surface, their...

Like many Americans in interfaith households, I'm ping-ponging between traditions this weekend. The painted figures of the Nativity set are finally arranged in the front window; I've caught up on my Advent readings; and the Christmas-cookie-baking marathon is about to start. At the same time, the candles in the menorah are burning brightly; I'm practicing my Hebrew pronunciation for the blessing; and every corner of our apartment smells like latkes. More than any other time of year, December highlights the variety and mix of religious traditions in the United States. According to a 2008 study by the Pew Forum on...

December 14, 2009                                     Memorial of Saint John of the Cross,                                      priest and doctor of the Church       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Nm 24:2-7, 15-17a When Balaam raised his eyes and saw Israel encamped, tribe by tribe,the spirit of God came upon him,and he gave voice to his oracle: The utterance of Balaam, son of Beor,the utterance of a man whose eye is true,The utterance of one who hears what God says,and knows what the Most High knows,Of one who sees what the Almighty sees,enraptured, and with eyes unveiled:How...

December 13, 2009                                         Third Sunday of Advent   Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Zep 3:14-18a Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!Sing joyfully, O Israel!Be glad and exult with all your heart,O daughter Jerusalem!The LORD has removed the judgment against youhe has turned away your enemies;the King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,you have no further misfortune to fear.On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!The LORD, your God, is in your midst,a mighty savior;he will rejoice over you with gladness,and renew...

December 12, 2009                                     Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Zec 2:14-17 or Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab 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,...

“When Your Life Is Not Magically Golden” (Luke 7:18-28)I don’t know about you, but I try to keep an eye on what’s happening in our culture and society, including what’s happening politically. What are people thinking and saying? So the other day I was reading a political forum, one that comes from a very left-leaning perspective, and there was a discussion going on in which people were quite upset with the way things are going in our country. Some were even calling for a revolution! “A revolution! Yes, that’s what we need! A revolution to fix all the problems and...

December 11, 2009                                     Friday of the Second Week of Advent   Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Is 48:17-19 Thus says the LORD, your redeemer,the Holy One of Israel:I, the LORD, your God,teach you what is for your good,and lead you on the way you should go.If you would hearken to my commandments,your prosperity would be like a river,and your vindication like the waves of the sea;Your descendants would be like the sand,and those born of your stock like its grains,Their name never cut offor blotted out from my presence. Responsorial PsalmPs 1:1-2,...

December 10, 2009                                Thursday of the Second Week of Advent       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Is 41:13-20 I am the LORD, your God,who grasp your right hand;It is I who say to you, “Fear not,I will help you.”Fear not, O worm Jacob,O maggot Israel;I will help you, says the LORD;your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.I will make of you a threshing sledge,sharp, new, and double-edged,To thresh the mountains and crush them,to make the hills like chaff.When you winnow them, the wind shall carry them offand the storm shall scatter them.But you shall rejoice in the LORD,and...

“Luke’s Lead-up to Christmas: The Annunciation of Our Lord” (Luke 1:26-38)Our midweek series this year is called “Luke’s Lead-up to Christmas.” During Advent we’re looking at the events in Luke chapter one, which will prepare us for hearing the events of Luke chapter two at Christmas. Last week we began with the opening portion of Luke 1, “The Annunciation of St. John the Baptist” to Zechariah. Today then we continue with “The Annunciation of Our Lord,” our Lord Jesus Christ, to Mary. That’s the way Luke structures these first couple of chapters, on a kind of two-track model, switching from...

December 9, 2009                                    Wednesday of the Second Week of Advent   Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Is 40:25-31 To whom can you liken me as an equal?says the Holy One.Lift up your eyes on highand see who has created these things:He leads out their army and numbers them,calling them all by name.By his great might and the strength of his powernot one of them is missing!Why, O Jacob, do you say,and declare, O Israel,“My way is hidden from the LORD,and my right is disregarded by my God”? Do you not knowor have you...