Advent - A Time to Invite God Anew Into Our Lives

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December 19, 2015 - Saturday, 3rd Week of Advent:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“O God, who through the child-bearing of the holy Virgin
graciously revealed the radiance of your glory to the world,
grant, we pray,
that we may venerate with integrity of faith
the mystery of so wondrous an Incarnation
and always celebrate it with due reverence.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflections:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-12-19

‘Reasons For Hope’, Advent Meditation by Bishop Robert J. Baker:
www.ewtn.com/advent/reasonsforhope/index.htm
 
December 20, 2015 - 4th Sunday of Advent:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord,
your grace into our hearts,
that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ your Son
was made known by the message of an Angel,
may by his Passion and Cross
be brought to the glory of his Resurrection.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflections:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-12-20

‘Reasons For Hope’, Advent Meditation by Bishop Robert J. Baker:
www.ewtn.com/advent/reasonsforhope/index.htm
 
December 21, 2015 - Monday, 4th Week of Advent:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“Hear in kindness, O Lord,
the prayers of your people,
that those who rejoice
at the coming of your Only Begotten Son in our flesh
may, when at last he comes in glory,
gain the reward of eternal life.
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.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflections:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php

‘Reasons For Hope’, Advent Meditation by Bishop Robert J. Baker:
www.ewtn.com/advent/reasonsforhope/index.htm​

Note: December 21 is the optional memorial of St. Peter Canisius. For today’s liturgy, see:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=13518469#post13518469
 
December 22, 2015 - Tuesday, Fourth Week of Advent

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“O God, who, seeing the human race fallen into death,
willed to redeem it by the coming of your Only Begotten Son,
grant, we pray,
that those who confess his Incarnation with humble fervor
may merit his company as their Redeemer.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.”

Today’s Scripture Readings and reflection:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php
catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-12-22

‘Reasons For Hope’, Advent Meditation by Bishop Robert J. Baker:
www.ewtn.com/advent/reasonsforhope/index.htm
 
"ADVENT: A TIME TO OPEN OUR HEARTS TO THE LORD"

"On this last Sunday of Advent, so near the solemnity of Christmas, we are expected to give the final touches to the preparation we have been carrying out during the past weeks. The Lord is already at the gate. It is now for us to open wide the door of our hearts to welcome him as he deserves.

In practical terms, this means to have in ourselves a deep desire to do the Father’s will, as the eternal Son himself proclaimed when he was about to come into this world. It means to receive the Lord with the same eagerness, humility, and gratitude with which Elizabeth welcomed him, though still hidden in the womb of his earthly Mother, Mary Most Holy.

The Sun of the day of our salvation is about to rise. Let us open the doors and windows of our hearts that he may flood us with the splendor of his grace and the abundance of his peace!" ((Euchalette, 4th Sunday of Advent, 12/20/2015, p.1.)
 
December 20, 2015 - Fourth Sunday of Advent:

Today’s Scripture Readings and reflections:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php

A reflection on today’s Scripture Readings from the Euchalette, 12/20/2015, p.4:

ATTITUDES AND ACTIONS MOLDED BY THE SPIRIT

"Mankind had a bad record from the very beginning of its history – the criminal record of shutting God out of its plans and life. Such an attitude had few exceptions in Abram, Moses, the prophets . . . . And even those exceptions were not always 100% clear. It was only with Mary that a different attitude started to prevail: an attitude of total openness to the action of God in one’s life and of full availability to cooperate with Him in the actualization of His plan.

Mary was the most open of all to the inspirations and promptings of the Holy Spirit. Like a very sensitive harp, she let the Spirit produce in her and through her the wonderful melody of man’s salvation which only the divine love can initiate and bring to completion. In this way, the miracle of the Incarnation took place, with the Trinity taking the initiative, and Mary responding freely and generously to the Spirit’s action in her. It is in response to the lead of the Spirit that Mary set out for Elizabeth’s house, to share with her relative the “Good News” she was carrying within her.

Like mankind before Mary and Christ, we, too, may have a bad record when it comes to “openness to God.” We may not be any better than Adam and Eve, or the people before the Flood (see Gn 6:5-6), or the builders of the Tower of Babel. (See Gn 11:3-4.)

Advent is for all of us an opportunity to evaluate our standing in this respect and to take appropriate action. If we decide to imitate Mary and Elizabeth in their openness to the Spirit, we may be sure that He will work wonders also in us, no matter how insignificant and weak we may consider ourselves. (See Mi 5:1.)

We need the Spirit to get out of ourselves, to show an interest in others and share with them the blessings we have received from the Lord, including our joy. (See attitude of Mary, Lk 1:46-49.)

We need to be open to the Spirit in imitation of Mary in order to have Christ formed in us, or better, in order to be molded unto him. If we cultivate such an openness and availability, we shall ever more become Christ-like in our thoughts, aspirations, attitudes, actions. And thus, we shall be totally committed to do our share in carrying out the Father’s plan of saving love as Christ did. (See Heb 10:5-7.)"
 
December 23, 2015 - Wednesday, 4th Week of Advent:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“Almighty ever-living God,
as we see how the Nativity of your Son
according to the flesh draws near,
we pray that to us, your unworthy servants,
mercy may flow from your Word,
who chose to become flesh of the Virgin Mary
and establish among us his dwelling,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflections:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php

‘Reasons For Hope’, Advent Meditation by Bishop Robert J. Baker:
www.ewtn.com/advent/reasonsforhope/index.htm​

Note: December 23 is the optional memorial of St. John of Kanty. For today’s liturgy, see:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=13521386#post13521386
 
December 24, 2015 - Thursday, 4th Week of Advent:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“Come quickly, we pray, Lord Jesus,
and do not delay,
that those who trust in your compassion
may find solace and relief in your coming.
Who live and reign with God the Father
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflections:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-12-24

Note: This evening, we have the Vigil Mass of the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas).

‘Reasons For Hope’, Advent Meditation by Bishop Robert J. Baker:
www.ewtn.com/advent/reasonsforhope/index.htm
 
As we near the end of the Advent season and approach Christmas and the New Year, we hear ourselves praying louder: Maranatha! O Lord! Come!

Some of us may ask: But where is He? Where can He be found? The answer lies in silent prayer.

Venerable Fr. Marie-Eugene of the Child Jesus, Carmelite, writes in his booklet, ‘15 Days of Prayer’:

*"Silent prayer has us seek God in the center of our soul. Where could we find Him more intimately than in our inner depths where He communicates His divine life, making each one of us personally His child?

God, who is present and acting within me, is truly my Father, for He begets me unceasingly by the outpouring of His life; I can embrace Him myself with a filial embrace in these regions where He is giving Himself. My Lord and my God truly dwells within me; and when my soul is purified enough to receive the power to see God as He is, I will discover Him penetrating, enveloping my soul in those intimate regions where I now seek Him in faith.

…By keeping me in the company of the Holy Trinity who dwells there, silent prayer is more than a preparation for eternal life; it is a real beginning of that very life beneath the veil of faith".* (p. 17; emphasis added.)

“Where is God? Within me. At the well-spring of my being; in that deepest of places wherein He begets me; in …the secret place from whence the Father calls me, where I can trust, where I can answer in complete freedom: in my soul.” (p. 19; emphasis added.)
(Please read on for continuation of thought.)
 
Where is God? - continued:

So, where is God?

He is in the center of my soul! He is in my inner depths - me, as His child; He, as my Father!

Yes! God is within me, always present within me … Often, however, I am absent, pre-occupied, distracted and at times caught in a stupor by the overwhelming trials of life which I try to handle alone …

During these remaining days of Advent, let us ask our Blessed Mother to help us make sure that we are ever present to the Lord. In spite of the rush and preparations for Christmas celebrations, let us make sure that we are truly present to welcome the Lord Jesus on Christmas Day. Then, we can thank Him for becoming one of us, for identifying Himself with us so that He can speak a language we can understand … so that He can atone for our sins and restore friendship once again between us and the Almighty. Let us thank the almighty Father and the Holy Spirit for initiating this restoration of our ruptured relationship with the Almighty.

Then, after our Christmas celebration is over, let us remain ever present to the Lord in our soul - thanking, praising, and loving Him as the Source of our being, and for Whose sake we will continue to handle the daily duties of our state in life as faithfully as we can.

May we all have a wonderful Christmas encounter with the Lord Jesus on His birthday! And may this Christmas encounter spur us on towards a purer and more delicate friendship with our Lord - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
 
December 25 - Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas):

Collect (Opening Prayer At the Vigil Mass):
“O God, who gladden us year by year
as we wait in hope for our redemption,
grant that, just as we joyfully welcome
your Only Begotten Son as our Redeemer,
we may also merit to face him confidently
when he comes again as our Judge.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflections:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-12-25

Collect (Opening Prayer at Mass during the day):
“O God, who wonderfully created the dignity of human nature
and still more wonderfully restored it,
grant, we pray,
that we may share in the divinity of Christ,
who humbled himself to share in our humanity.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.”

Note: “THE NEXT days of the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord show that the Nativity of the Lord is also a feast of Christ’s final coming, when he will be surrounded by his angels and saints, represented by St. Stephen [December 26], St. John the Apostle [December 27], and the Holy Innocents [December 28].” (Ordo.)​

Thank you, Lord for the gift of your Son,
for all the blessings you have given us this year,
in the past, and for all the blessings you will be giving us
in the coming years! Amen.

Wishing you all
a very Blessed Christmas
and a Happy New Year! 🙂
 
grateful_child said:
Wishing you all
a very Blessed Christmas
and a Happy New Year! 🙂
Click to expand...
Have a wonderful Christmas, too, grateful_child, and everyone here! May the Infant Jesus bless us all, and may He give each of us and our families, fullness of peace and joy during this Christmas Season and throughout the coming years!

Merry Christmas!!!
 
December 27, 2014 - The Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord [Christmas] -
Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“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.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflections:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php

"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 word, holding up to them their great pattern, their brother who is God" (CCC533). (Daily Roman Missal, MTF.)

For more on the Feast of the Holy Family, see links:
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-12-27
www.ncregister.com/site/article/the-holy-family-at-christmas-model-of-faith-and-love
 
December 27, 2015 - Feast of the Holy Family:

Today’s Scripture Readings and reflections:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-12-27

A wise reminder/reflection from the Euchalette, 12/27/2015, p.1,4:

FAMILIES CENTERED IN GOD, WITH GRATITUDE AND HOPE

"By a happy coincidence, this year the Feast of the Holy Family falls on the last Sunday of the year. This gives us a further reason to raise our minds and hearts to God in gratitude for the many blessings He has granted our families during the year that is about to end. Although we may not be fully aware of all the blessings we have received from the Lord, the little we know is more than enough to bring us to thank Him with all our hearts, especially through this Eucharistic Sacrifice.

This is also the time to entrust our own family, as well as all the families throughout the world, to the protection of the Holy Family of Nazareth during the new year we are about to begin. May the Lord be he heart of our family. May we love and serve Him as Jesus, Mary, and Joseph did. May He watch over us as He loved and protected the Holy Family of Nazareth." (p.1;emphasis added.)

“It is in the family that the reform of society begins, because it is there that we learn to respect and help one another, we practise patience and justice, we learn to share and to love in an unselfish and practical manner.” (p.4; emphasis added.)​

O Holy Family of Nazareth, may your example teach our families to ever remain united in peace and mutual respect. O Lord, enable us to support one another, especially in times of trial; and may you grant each member of our family holiness of life, the gift of gratitude, good health, and stability in life. Amen.

Here’s Fr. Leo Clifford’s reflection on GRATITUDE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6oQtWRAqYQ
 
Our Advent preparation has taken us safely to the Christmas Season. And now, as we approach January 1, the start of a New Year, our Mother Church invites us to start the year right by continuing our journey with Mary, the Holy Mother of God.

January 1 has been designated by the Church as The Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God.

Inviting you to read on The Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God from:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=13541838#post13541838
 
Although the *Advent / Christmas Season *will soon be over, the graces and blessings we received during this time need not be. For, the graces and lights we received during this time can be used to draw new graces and blessings during the year, as we continue on our challenging spiritual journey.

In the following poem by Jess P. Balon found in the Euchalette, we are reminded that the Lord is ever present in our life. He is ever ready to give us His light to light up our way toward finding Him, especially in times of darkness … And, like the Magi, if we trustingly follow His light, we will surely find Him!

Please read on for J. P. Balon’s poem,*** Light Up Our Star Again!***
 
A poem by Jess P. Balon (from the Euchalette, January 4, 2015, p.4):

Light Up Our Star Again!

"In the dark night of human problems and tragedies,
blessed are those who can direct the course of their life
by the God-lit star of vision, courage, and faith.
It shines brightly in their sky
even when all else shakes, or crumbles,
or vanishes into nothing.

But even stars do disappear some nights,
behind the black curtain of stormy clouds.
And so, for us, one day (one night) may come
when all the sky grows dark,
and we feel lost,
wandering aimlessly in an aimless life.
Nor can we say how far down we shall keep tumbling
from fall to fall -
from sin to sin …
So far from the pearly sky lighting the peaks
that used to be our home …

Who can remove for us
the dark cloud that hides our star?
Or who can light for us
a brand new star to lead us safe
to our eternal home?
We surely can’t.
Lighting a star is not for us to do.
But He who made the sun to shine
and out of the dark chaos order,
and light brought forth,
He can fill our sky and lives
with countless stars.
‘The Lord’ is His name.
‘Love’ is His badge.
And out of love,
He can dispel the dark that chokes us.
He alone is our light. He’s our salvation.
He can re-light in us
the star of our vision, courage, and faith,
and draw us out again
from death to life.

This, He alone can do.
This will He do, for sure,
For He loves us.
And then shall we, frail, bruised children,
lost in the desert of a star-less world,
feel the wounds heal,
under the soothing radiance
of our new-found star.
Then, shall we be like the Wise Men of old,
who, for a while, had lost sight of their bright guide.
Then will our hearts throb with joy like theirs,
upon seeing again, bright in the sky,
the friendly light leading us with them
to the brightest star of all -
Jesus, the Sun of life."
(Euchalette, Jan. 4, 2015, p.4.)​

Yes! Jesus is our Star, whose light on that first *‘Holy Night’ *will ever be there to light up our way, especially in times of darkness. All we need to do is ask for His light, trustingly, from a humble heart; then, watch for His light to come through …

youtube.com/watch?v=JxCO5BGQIcs&feature=related
 
January 10, 2016 - The Baptism of the Lord (Feast):
(Sunday after the Epiphany of the Lord.)

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“Almighty ever-living God,
who, when Christ had been baptized in the River Jordan
and as the Holy Spirit descended upon him,
solemnly declared him your beloved Son;
grant that your children by adoption,
reborn of water and the Holy Spirit,
may always be well pleasing to you.
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.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflections:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php
www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/b16baptLord10.HTM
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2016-01-10
 
grateful_child said:
January 10, 2016 - The Baptism of the Lord (Feast):
(Sunday after the Epiphany of the Lord.)

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“Almighty ever-living God,
who, when Christ had been baptized in the River Jordan
and as the Holy Spirit descended upon him,
solemnly declared him your beloved Son;
grant that your children by adoption,
reborn of water and the Holy Spirit,
may always be well pleasing to you.
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.”

Today’s Scripture readings and reflections:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php
www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/b16baptLord10.HTM
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2016-01-10
Click to expand...
On Sunday, January 10, 2016, Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, *Christmas Time *ends. The Ordinary Time of the Liturgical Year then begins on Monday, January 11. It then continues until February 9, Tuesday before Ash Wednesday (February 10) which starts the Lenten Season. The Ordinary Time then resumes on May 16, the day after Pentecost, and it continues on until November 26, the day before Advent 2016 begins.

Advent, Christmas Time, Lent, and Eastertime are seasons of the Liturgical Year which celebrate a specific mystery of Christ. Ordinary Time, which consists of the remainder of the Liturgical Year dedicates its celebrations to “the mystery of Christ in all its fullness.”

As we all know, the Baptism of the Lord is the first mystery of the *Luminous Mysteries *of the Holy Rosary. In addition to the links provided above, following are some thoughts to refresh us on the importance of this great mystery of our Faith:

A Reflection by Pope Saint John Paul II:
(www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayers/rosary/Baptism.htm)
 
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