A closing entry for the Year 2005

2005 draws to a close with a sunny afternoon. The radiant sunshine and the quiet serenity around my house show that it will be a very likely peaceful and quiet transition into 2006.

Is 2005 really so peaceful? Flipping through the pages of the year, it brings back both good and bad memories. The year started off with a calamity that woke the world up from its sleep.

Tsunami generously raged its waves around several areas in the world; causing great distraught and melancholy to the many citizens who call earth their home. However, the spirit of help, compassion and love that followed soon after by many people is commendable and shows that the human race does have a good side of it after all despite all the senseless bombings and killings that takes place daily.

Many other events came and went along the year. I guess each of them in their own ways affect us and give us some experience.

On a personal level, I guess everything pretty much remains the same for me. National service is still top on my agenda of “things-to-survive-through” daily. Not that its so bad that I’m crying out aloud, but it isn’t really a nice way to start the day every morning having to face an officer which pisses you off greatly and makes u really wonder how the hell he got his 2 bars on his shoulders. To lead, overcome and excel eh?? That’s leaves much to be desired about for him.

Fret not however, all things good or bad will and must come to an end……it will be 10months before I pop the champagne of freedom as I put an end to this 2years 2 months of experience. I wouldn’t say its bad all the way; I did learn new things and experience stuff which the outside world can never give you.

Church wise, all kinda looks the same. By God’s grace, the past 2 years have seen a great increase in young boys joining the Altar Servers ministry and getting their hands full serving the parish community during the masses. It is indeed a blessing and good sign; the generation continues to move and the good work that has been put in by the various senior servers will not extinct.

However the church in its organization aspect can really leave one scratching their heads and wonder at times, what is the exact motive for people to serve the church.

Self glory? Fame? Honour? To kill time? or izzit because your other half is serving in the church? Or does one really serve in the parish because he or she has the real zeal and commitment to serve God through his people regardless of how difficult things might turn out to be?

Liturgy needs renewal, however, this process seems to be fraught with many obstacles and troubles. It seems that people just cannot get it into their heads that the church has evolved since Vatican II council in the 1960s.

The church of today is one of having the laity involved and making decisions to a certain extent. This helps relieve the burden of the religious and will enable them to better administer to the spiritual side of the people. However, we will always have a group of people who cannot get over Vatican I and insist on having the religious make every single decision and the people will just have to follow what ever is told.

Sounds very much like the army? Well….its precisely that the church is running into such daily routine that the top brass decided that it’s wrong. Church isn’t and shouldn’t be run this way. It’s a universal thing and we are all part of the body of Christ.

Well, the decisions have been made and the new Vatican II council convened and ended. New initiatives has been made and given. The laity or rather the plain joe or jane sitting in the church every Sunday has been empowered and invited to play a more active role in building this earthly church of God.

Knowing very well that we as humans are useless and powerless without divine intervention, the ever wise and loving Abba Father through the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, came upon the religious and laity. Guidelines and rules are established. What can be done and what is prohibited is made clear and precise.

Tell me then? How izzit so possible that somebody in my parish can actually say that its ok to bend the guidelines and rules? We do no have to follow them closely? The people’s heart and zeal in serving God is more important and that they should be given chances again and again if they do not perform well on the 1^st time?

Now, I do not disagree with the people having zeal and the heart to serve is not important. Neither do I deny the fact that people should be given chances to serve again and again if they do not perform well the first time.

However, what cannot be accepted is that people can forsake the guidelines and rules set down by the church itself saying that its too rigid and that we as humans have to be flexible. It sounds so much like the supermarket catholics which His Grace Archbishop Nicholas Chia has mentioned about.

We choose the doctrines and parts of the faith that suits us and we believe in them. For the rest that pinches us and requires us to sacrifices our own personal values, we throw them out of the window and label it as rubbish?

Tell me then, if one really has the zeal and the heart to serve God, shouldn’t one be obedient to the guidelines and rules set down by the fore fathers of the church? Yes, we have to be flexible at times, but then….there must be a delicate balance between being flexible and keeping the faith in our hearts. You do not see Pope Benedict XVI giving in to the pressure of having the church allow contraceptives and abortion. Why? Plain simple fact, it is God who speaks not us.

Shouldn’t children listen to their parents? Its a very straight forward and simple theory. No need to argue further. As for giving people another chance, its no doubt very true. But does that mean we allow people to sing out of tune during mass? Allow people to misbehave during the sacraments? And then we say its ok…lets give them another chance? Hello!!? There is something called practice sessions and respect. Like I mentioned, if you really want to serve God, you’ll do your part and make sure you are well prepared and behave properly.

Next, the older generation encourages and want the young people to get involved in the church and expect us to be honest and open in our dealings. When we, the young people actually do it, why izzit then they react so greatly to it?

It seems just like an act; they are just saying things for the sake of saying and for the whole thing to look nice. They would just want us to be in the group and keep our mouth shut. So that when its time for glory and honour, they can tell outside people, “hey…look…we have young people involved in our parish” …..sorry people…it does not work this way. Its either you all truly invite us to get involved and respect us for who we are and our views just as we will accord you the respect that you deserve as someone elder.

Oh yah….and please don’t label us as people under the influence of satan when you get answers that you don’t desire to hear.

Those are just some thoughts that run through my mind as I reflected upon the year 2005. for those who read this entry and cannot take what was written, I have nothing much to say. I cannot offer my apologies either because those are my thoughts, my feelings. Respect people’s views are the only advice I can offer to this group of people.

So as 2005 draws to a close. I thank God for the many graces and love that he has given me and to the people around me. Let’s all pray that 2006 will be a better year with peace and joy on everyone’s mind.

Life is getting pretty lonely out there. For the coming year 2006, its my earnest hope that God will bless me with someone to journey with me and for me to love and cherish. I may not be perfect and cannot promise eternity, but there’s one thing I can promise; my whole hearted devotion and efforts to make things work…

With this I part the blogging scene for 2005. Good bye people! =D

What About Limbo?

Q: Three years ago my unbaptized granddaughter was murdered. She was two years old.

I know what the Bible says regarding Baptism, but the thought of her soul not ever being in heaven has taken control of my thoughts so much that I am frequently depressed.

Are unbaptized souls in a state of eternal happiness outside heaven or do they go to hell forever? I pray for my granddaughter’s soul.

A: I am very sorry to learn of your granddaughter’s murder and your anxiety over whether she can be saved. Thanks for writing.

I cannot imagine that a good and just God would allow a murdered, unbaptized two-year-old to be anywhere except in heaven.

The Order of Christian Funerals, approved by the Holy See for use in the United States, includes two prayers for children who died before Baptism:

“O Lord, whose ways are beyond understanding, listen to the prayers of your faithful people: that those weighed down by grief at the loss of this child may find reassurance in your infinite goodness....”

“God of all consolation, searcher of mind and heart, the faith of these parents is known to you. Comfort them with the knowledge that the child for whom they grieve is entrusted now to your loving care....”

The way we pray indicates what we believe. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: “As regards children who have died without Baptism, the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God, as she does in her funeral rites for them.

“Indeed, the great mercy of God who desires that all [people] should be saved, and Jesus’ tenderness toward children which caused him to say, ‘Let the children come to me, do not hinder them,’ allow us to hope that there is a way of salvation for children who have died without Baptism.

“All the more urgent is the Church’s call not to prevent little children coming to Christ through the gift of holy Baptism” (#1261).

Even according to earlier Church teaching, your granddaughter would be not in hell but in limbo, a state of natural happiness without enjoying God’s presence.

Why was there a teaching about limbo, anyway? It filled a gap. If you believe that Jesus Christ came for the salvation of all people and if you believe that Jesus sent the apostles to preach the Good News inviting people to be baptized, then you might tend to think that only baptized people can be saved.

If you do that, then you need a place for good people who were never baptized. Limbo was that place. The 1992 Catechism, however, maintains a very deliberate silence about limbo. We should take note of that.

Your granddaughter has been at peace for three years now. I hope that you too can be at peace—even as you ache for her presence.

Diving In:

God of Consciousness,may I dip beneath the frothy waves
to the whirling vortex
where communion occurs.
Give me the courage,
Master of the Deep,to take the dive!


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If all the calamities which have existed in the world since the creation and all the sufferings of hell were put into one side of a scale, and put one mortal sin into the other, it would outweigh all these evils, for it is incomparably greater.- Venerable Louis of Granada (1504-1588)

The Holy Family

"Holy Family of Nazareth,
make our family and home
more and more like yours,
until we are all one family,
happy and at peace in
our true home with you."

Feast of the Holy Family (B)

Sir 3:2-7, 12-14
Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5
Col 3:12-21 or Col 3:12-17
Lk 2:22-40

Although we usually are too polite to show it, let’s be honest—once in a while we receive a Christmas gift that is just the opposite of what we were expecting! Now, an unexpected Christmas gift may not be all that bad. Sometimes, years later, we may cherish such a gift more than those we’d have chosen for ourselves.

The infancy narratives in Luke’s Gospel offer us a similar “unexpected gift.” Between the lines of his accounts of the Holy Family, the infant in the manger or the shepherds visiting the manger, Luke is leading us to look ahead in the story, to the outcome of the Lord’s mission: his death and resurrection. Scripture scholars tell us that these stories point to wider themes of Luke’s Gospel, the revelation about Jesus’ identity and the challenge of being his disciples.

In today’s selection, the words of Simeon, who meets the Holy Family in the Temple, tell us that Jesus will encounter opposition and persecution, the opposite of the acclaim we might expect for the Messiah. He also reveals another reversal: Instead of being a tool to defeat Israel’s enemies, this child will be “a revealing light to the Gentiles.”

Mary and Joseph are models for us of patient expectation and openness to God. Today’s Gospel might suggest that we do the same. Are we open to God’s surprising love today?Are we flexible enough to expect change, even from those around us whom we know well? There may yet be some unexpected gifts in store.

Embracing Life:

Lamb of God,help me to escape
the boundaries of the mind,and to cross the line
from natural to supernatural,
stepping into the miracle of life!

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Live in abandonment to God and in the hands of Mary Immaculate.

- Blessed Eugena Ravasco (1845-1900)

What Is Excommunication?

Q: What is excommunication and what are the grounds for it?

A: There are two kinds of excommunications. One takes place by a public statement of the proper authority—John Doe is excommunicated because ________. We call this an imposed or declared excommunication. The second kind of excommunication is incurred ipso facto or latae sententiae. That means if you commit a certain crime or sin (and if all the conditions under law are present), you are by that very fact excommunicated.

All excommunications are meant to be medicinal. They are a kind of shock therapy intended to make sinners aware of the seriousness of their sin and their spiritual condition and call them to conversion.

An excommunicated person (Canon #133) is forbidden: 1) to have any ministerial part in the celebration of the sacrifice of the Eucharist or any other ceremonies of public worship; 2) to celebrate the sacraments or sacramentals and to receive the sacraments; 3) to exercise any ecclesiastical offices, ministries or acts of governance.

Some other provisions of the law forbid the exercise of certain privileges, outlaw the reception of any dignity, office or function in the Church, and invalidate acts of governance.

Automatic excommunication is incurred for the following sins: 1) apostasy, (ipso facto) heresy, schism (Canon #1364,1); 2) violation of the sacred species (Canon #1307); 3) physical attack on the pope (Canon #1370,1); 4) absolution of an accomplice in a sin against the Sixth Commandment (Canon #1378,1); 5) unauthorized ordination of a bishop (both the one ordaining and the one ordained are excommunicated) (Canon #1382); 6) direct violation by a confessor of the seal of confession (Canon #1388); 7) procuring an abortion (Canon #1398); 8) recording by a technical instrument or divulging in the communications media what was said by a confessor or a penitent in sacramental confession whether performed by oneself or another (added in 1988).

Because excommunication is a medicinal penalty, it must be absolved when the person truly repents. Sometimes remission of the penalty is reserved to the Holy See, for example, when a confessor directly violates the seal of confession. The usual place to begin the process for removing the excommunication is in the Sacrament of Confession or with the authority who imposed the excommunication.

For more details about what is necessary to incur an excommunication and how to be absolved, consult The Pastoral Companion, by John M. Huels, O.S.M., J.C.D. (Franciscan Press). Much of what I have said here is based on his book.

St. Thomas Becket (1118-1170)

"No one becomes a saint without struggle, especially with himself."

A strong man who wavered for a moment, but then learned one cannot come to terms with evil and so became a strong churchman, a martyr and a saint—that was Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, murdered in his cathedral on December 29, 1170.

His career had been a stormy one. While archdeacon of Canterbury, he was made chancellor of England at the age of 36 by his friend King Henry II. When Henry felt it advantageous to make his chancellor the archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas gave him fair warning: he might not accept all of Henry’s intrusions into Church affairs. Nevertheless, he was made archbishop (1162), resigned his chancellorship and reformed his whole way of life!

Troubles began. Henry insisted upon usurping Church rights. At one time, supposing some conciliatory action possible, Thomas came close to compromise. He momentarily approved the Constitutions of Clarendon, which would have denied the clergy the right of trial by a Church court and prevented them from making direct appeal to Rome. But Thomas rejected the Constitutions, fled to France for safety and remained in exile for seven years. When he returned to England, he suspected it would mean certain death. Because Thomas refused to remit censures he had placed upon bishops favored by the king, Henry cried out in a rage, “Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest!” Four knights, taking his words as his wish, slew Thomas in the Canterbury cathedral.

Within three years Thomas was a saint of the Church and his tomb a shrine of pilgrimage. Henry II himself did penance at Thomas’s tomb, but a later Henry (VIII) despoiled that tomb and scattered the saint’s relics. Thomas Becket, however, remains a hero-saint down to our own times.

Comment:

No one becomes a saint without struggle, especially with himself. Thomas knew he must stand firm in defense of truth and right, even at the cost of his life. We also must take a stand in the face of pressures—against dishonesty, deceit, destruction of life—at the cost of popularity, convenience, promotion and even greater goods.

Quote:

In T.S. Eliot's drama, Murder in the Cathedral, Becket faces a final temptation to seek martyrdom for earthly glory and revenge. With real insight into his life situation, Thomas responds:

"The last temptation is the greatest treason: To do the right deed for the wrong reason."

Prayer for Strength:

May Christ’s strength restore me to harmony
when sadness, depression or anger engulf me.

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For our sake Christ offered himself to the Father upon the altar for the cross. He now looks down from heaven on our actions and secret thoughts, and one day he will give each of us the reward his deeds deserve.

- St. Thomas Becket (1118-1173)

Christmas (B)

Is 52:7-10
Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6
Heb 1:1-6
Jn 1:1-18 or Jn 1:1-5, 9-14

Hello, I'm Franciscan Father Greg Friedman, with the "Sunday Soundbite" for the feast of Christmas. I want to tell you a true story that happened on a Christmas Eve many years ago.

One of my Franciscan confreres, Brother Tim, enjoys celebrating this season so much we’ve dubbed him "Father Christmas." Brother Tim credits his love of Christmas to his father. One Christmas Eve in the 1960s when Tim was a youngster, his dad piled all the kids into the car to get them out of the house so Mom could make final holiday preparations. As they drove past Sears, Tim's father suggested a walk through the toy department, to enjoy the sights and sounds.

One display attracted everyone’s attention—a huge auto racing set.

As the kids oohed and aahed over it, Tim's dad suddenly said, "You like it? Let’s take it home!" To the utter amazement of the children, he bought the set, squeezed it and the kids back into the car, and they all drove home.Even today, as Tim recalls his father’s extravagant gesture, tears come to his eyes.

The extravagance of Tim's father reminds me of God's extravagance in giving us Jesus. Our own Christmas giving is meant to symbolize God's generosity to us. As we give our gifts—large or small—let’s be grateful that the Father gave us the greatest gift of all.

Scripture:

•How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings, announcing peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation, and saying to Zion, “Your God is King!” (Isaiah 52:7)

•All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. (Psalm 98:3b)

•…in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe, who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word. (Hebrews 1:2,31)

•And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

Reflection:

•What gift do you bring this day?

•What gift do you hope to receive?

•Is Jesus born once or eternally in all hearts, announcing peace and bearing salvation?

Just imagine the incredible kindness and mercy! He was the only son, but he did not want to remain alone. So that humans might be born of God, God was born of humans. Begotten of God is he through whom, we were created; born of a woman is he through whom we are to be re-created. The Word first wished to be born of humans, so that you might be assured of being born of God. (Sermon on John 2:13)

What Is an Agnus Dei?

Q: Recently an older member of our congregation presented my wife and me with an Agnus Dei locket as a token of appreciation for the wonderful music we provided at the Christmas liturgy. The locket is about the size of a dime, heart-shaped and opens to reveal a spatter of wax.

Inscribed on the front are the words Agnus Dei, and on the back is a cross with rays radiating from its center. He indicated there was quite a story associated with the locket that included the pope and a candle which is lighted once every seven years. Do you know what the story is, and the significance behind this locket?

A: You can find information concerning the Agnus Dei in A Handbook of Catholic Sacramentals, by Ann Ball (Our Sunday Visitor Press).

According to Ms. Ball, Agnus Deis are small discs of wax taken from the Paschal Candle and blessed by the pope on the Wednesday of Holy Week in the first year of his pontificate and every seventh year following.

On one side of the disc is stamped the figure of a lamb representing Christ the paschal lamb sacrificed for our redemption.

The Agnus Dei is frequently encased in leather or silk and sometimes surrounded by lace and fancy embroidery.

The ceremony of blessing takes place after the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) of the Mass. In the ceremony the pope dips the wax discs in a mixture of water, balsam and chrism.

When the pope blesses the Agnus Dei, he prays for protection from fire, flood, storms and plagues and for safety in childbirth.

Ms. Ball further tells us that packets of Agnus Deis are placed in the miters of cardinals and bishops who come for them the Saturday of Easter Week.

Feast of the Holy Innocents

Herod “the Great,” king of Judea, was unpopular with his people because of his connections with the Romans and his religious indifference. Hence he was insecure and fearful of any threat to his throne. He was a master politician and a tyrant capable of extreme brutality. He killed his wife, his brother and his sister’s two husbands, to name only a few.

Matthew 2:1-18 tells this story: Herod was “greatly troubled” when astrologers from the east came asking the whereabouts of “the newborn king of the Jews,” whose star they had seen. They were told that the Jewish Scriptures named Bethlehem as the place where the Messiah would be born. Herod cunningly told them to report back to him so that he could also “do him homage.” They found Jesus, offered him their gifts and, warned by an angel, avoided Herod on their way home. Jesus escaped to Egypt.

Herod became furious and “ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under.” Since Bethlehem was a small town, the number of babies killed was perhaps 20 or 25. The horror of the massacre and the devastation of the mothers and fathers led Matthew to quote Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah,/sobbing and loud lamentation;/Rachel weeping for her children...” (Matthew 2:18). Rachel was the wife of Jacob/Israel. She is pictured as weeping at the place where the Israelites were herded together by the conquering Assyrians for their march into captivity.

Comment:

Twenty babies are few, in comparison to the genocide and abortion of our day. But even if there had been only one, we recognize the greatest treasure God put on the earth—a human person, destined for eternity and graced by Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Quote:

"Lord, you give us life even before we understand" (Prayer Over the Gifts, Feast of the Holy Innocents).

Christmas Light:

May the star of Christmas shine upon us and reflect its light to all that we touch!

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The children die for Christ, though they do not know it. The parents mourn for the death of martyrs. The Christ child makes of those as yet unable to speak fit witnesses to himself. While you vent your fury against the child, you are already paying him homage and do not know it. To what merits of their own do the children owe this kind of victory? They cannot speak, yet they bear witness to Christ. They cannot use their limbs to engage in battle, yet already they bear off the palm of victory.

- Bishop Saint Quodvultdeus (d. 450; from a Sermon on the Holy Innocents)

Vatican II and the Traditionalist Mass

Q: I am confused. What was Vatican II all about? Why all the changes? Were they made by the pope or just the American bishops? Is the Latin traditional Mass still acceptable? Did the pope give his blessing for traditional Catholics to attend the traditional Mass? What is the Society of St. Pius X?

A: The Council consisted of bishops from all over the world acting together with the pope. Therefore, Vatican II’s decisions were decisions of the worldwide Church.

When Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre would not accept the decisions of the Council, he finally led a group of like-minded followers into schism. He founded the Society of St. Pius X. Those who continued in the Society of St. Pius X separated themselves from Rome.

Whatever rationalizations or convoluted reasoning they used, they are not in union with Rome and the Holy Father. Pope John Paul II has made that abundantly clear.

Some followers of Lefebvre were unwilling to follow him into schism. They established the Priestly Society of St. Peter. They are conservative in matters of liturgy and religious practice. They are, however, in union with Rome and accept the authority of the pope.

Part of the Lefebvre conflict has been over the use of the Roman Missal, approved and published by Pope Pius V after the 16th-century Council of Trent. That missal was, of course, in Latin. With some changes and modifications that missal continued in use until after Vatican II. The rite in that missal is often called the Tridentine Mass.

After Vatican II came permission for the use of the vernacular (in our case English) in celebrating the liturgy. In 1970 the new Sacramentary and Novus Ordo (New Order of Mass), based on the decisions of Vatican II regarding the Mass, were put into use.

To identify the Latin Mass with the Tridentine Mass, though, is not quite correct. Latin may be used in celebrating Mass according to the New Order, and a Latin text for the ordinary prayers and eucharistic prayers can be found in Appendix IV of our English Sacramentary.

As I understand it, the Society of St. Pius X and those of the Lefebvrite school insist on the celebration of Mass according to the pre-Vatican II Tridentine Missal, in Latin. The literature of one of these groups suggests that the use of the New Order may result in invalid Masses.

For the sake of some people attached to the Tridentine Mass, near the end of the 1980’s the Holy See allowed the bishops to permit the use of the Tridentine Rite under certain conditions. Among those conditions were that celebrants would follow the latest edition of the old Roman Missal published in 1962.

Also, those who petition for this permission must have no ties with groups that call into doubt the lawfulness and doctrinal soundness of the form of Mass approved by Pope Paul VI in 1969.

Regarding your question about Catholic beliefs, the basic doctrines of the Church cannot and do not change. But surely the Church and papacy have seen any number of changes over the centuries. Any good history of the Church will show that.

After all, even the Tridentine Mass differs in language and rites from the way the Eucharist was celebrated in New Testament times before the fourth-century introduction of church buildings. The appearance of the first Code of Canon Law in 1917 and the revised Code in 1983 testify to changing laws as changes in society and cultures take place.

St. John the Apostle

It is God who calls; human beings answer. The vocation of John and his brother James is stated very simply in the Gospels, along with that of Peter and his brother Andrew: Jesus called them; they followed. The absoluteness of their response is indicated by the account. James and John “were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him” (Matthew 4:21b-22).

For the three former fishermen—Peter, James and John—that faith was to be rewarded by a special friendship with Jesus. They alone were privileged to be present at the Transfiguration, the raising of the daughter of Jairus and the agony in Gethsemane. But John’s friendship was even more special. Tradition assigns to him the Fourth Gospel, although most modern Scripture scholars think it unlikely that the apostle and the evangelist are the same person.

John’s own Gospel refers to him as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (see John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2), the one who reclined next to Jesus at the Last Supper, and the one to whom he gave the exquisite honor, as he stood beneath the cross, of caring for his mother. “Woman, behold your son....Behold, your mother” (John 19:26b, 27b).

Because of the depth of his Gospel, John is usually thought of as the eagle of theology, soaring in high regions that other writers did not enter. But the ever-frank Gospels reveal some very human traits. Jesus gave James and John the nickname, “sons of thunder.” While it is difficult to know exactly what this meant, a clue is given in two incidents.

In the first, as Matthew tells it, they (Mark says their mother) asked that they might sit in the places of honor in Jesus’ kingdom—one on his right hand, one on his left. When Jesus asked them if they could drink the cup he would drink and be baptized with his baptism of pain, they blithely answered, “We can!” Jesus said that they would indeed share his cup, but that sitting at his right hand was not his to give. It was for those to whom it had been reserved by the Father. The other apostles were indignant at the mistaken ambition of the brothers, and Jesus took the occasion to teach them the true nature of authority: “...[W]hoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:27-28).

On another occasion the “sons of thunder” asked Jesus if they should not call down fire from heaven upon the inhospitable Samaritans, who would not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem. But Jesus “turned and rebuked them” (see Luke 9:51-55).

On the first Easter, Mary Magdalene “ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, ‘They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him’” (John 20:2). John recalls, perhaps with a smile, that he and Peter ran side by side, but then “the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first” (John 20:4b). He did not enter, but waited for Peter and let him go in first. “Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed” (John 20:8).

John was with Peter when the first great miracle after the Resurrection took place—the cure of the man crippled from birth—which led to their spending the night in jail together. The mysterious experience of the Resurrection is perhaps best contained in the words of Acts: “Observing the boldness of Peter and John and perceiving them to be uneducated, ordinary men, they [the questioners] were amazed, and they recognized them as the companions of Jesus” (Acts 4:13).

The evangelist wrote the great Gospel, the letters and the Book of Revelation. His Gospel is a very personal account. He sees the glorious and divine Jesus already in the incidents of his mortal life. At the Last Supper, John’s Jesus speaks as if he were already in heaven. It is the Gospel of Jesus’ glory.

Comment:

It is a long way from being eager to sit on a throne of power or to call down fire from heaven to becoming the man who could write: “The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers” (1 John 3:16).

Quote:

A persistent story has it that John's "parishioners" grew tired of his one sermon, which relentlessly emphasized: "Love one another." Whether the story is true or not, it has basis in John's writing. He wrote what may be called a summary of the Bible: "We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him" (1 John 4:16).

Probing the Mystery:

Help me, Lamb of God,to understand the mystery of love.

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O Glorious Saint John, you were so loved by Jesus that you merited to rest your head upon his breast, and to be left in his place as a son to Mary. Obtain for us an ardent love for Jesus and Mary. Let me be united with them now on earth and forever after in heaven.

- Prayer to St. John the Apostle

Pope Benedict prays for peace

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Benedict XVI marked his first Christmas as pope Sunday, calling for concrete actions to back up "signs of hope" in the Middle East and urging peace in Darfur, Sudan and the Korean peninsula.

Thousands of cheering tourists and pilgrims braved a chilly downpour to hear Benedict's message, delivered from the same balcony of St. Peter's Basilica where he uttered his first public words as pope.

Benedict continued the tradition of Pope John Paul II by using the "Urbi et Orbi" message -- Latin for "to the city and to the world" -- to review conditions around the world and lament violence and poverty. Like John Paul, he delighted the crowd with Christmas greetings in more than 30 languages.

His brief appearance after celebrating his first Midnight Mass inside St. Peter's was broadcast by 111 television networks around the world, about half of them live.

Wearing shimmering gold vestments and a golden miter, Benedict told the crowd that God's love strengthened all of humanity.

"A united humanity will be able to confront the troubling problems of the present time: from the menace of terrorism to the humiliating poverty in which millions of human beings live, from the proliferation of weapons to the pandemics and the environmental destruction which threatens the future of our planet," he said in Italian.

In the Middle East, he prayed that God "grant courage to people of good will in the Holy Land, in Iraq, in Lebanon, where signs of hope, which are not lacking, need to be confirmed by actions inspired by fairness and wisdom."

He singled out the Darfur conflict in Africa in urging strength for all those working for peace, development and the prevention of conflicts. He urged protection "of the most elementary rights of those experiencing tragic humanitarian crises."

He asked God to favor continued dialogue on the Korean peninsula and elsewhere in Asia "so that by the settlement of dangerous disputes, consistent and peaceful conclusions can be reached in a spirit of friendship."

And he called for the people of Latin America to live in peace and harmony.

At the start of his message, Benedict recalled the "immense" progress that had been made in recent centuries in technology and science.

"But the men and women in our technical age risk becoming victims of their own intellectual and technical achievements, ending up in spiritual barrenness and emptiness of heart," he said.

To combat such a void, he urged the faithful to open their minds and hearts to Jesus Christ.

"Without the light of Christ, the light of reason is not sufficient to enlighten humanity and the world," he said.

Benedict has one other major public holiday appearance Monday, when he is to deliver a noontime prayer. Then he takes a break before presiding over an evening prayer service on New Year's Eve and celebrating Mass on New Year's Day, which the Catholic Church marks as World Peace Day.

**Source Courtesy of www.cnn.com and its relevant contributors**

NATIVITY SHOWS MARY’S CLOSENESS TO JESUS

St. Luke’s description of Christ’s birth invites us to consider that in every age those who wish to meet Jesus must find him with his Mother

At the General Audience of Wednesday, 20 November, the Holy Father returned to his catechesis on the Blessed Mother. In speaking of the Nativity, the Pope said: "Mary experiences childbirth in a condition of extreme poverty: she cannot give the Son of God even what mothers usually offer a newborn baby; instead, she has to lay him 'in a manger', an improvised cradle which contrasts with the dignity of the 'Son of the Most High'". Here is a translation of his catechesis, which was the 36th in the series on the Blessed Virgin and was given in Italian.

1. In the story of Jesus' birth, the Evangelist Luke recounts several facts that help us better understand the meaning of the event.

He first mentions the census ordered by Caesar Augustus, which obliges Joseph, "of the house and lineage of David", and Mary his wife to go "to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem" (Lk 2:4).

In informing us about the circumstances in which the journey and birth take place, the Evangelist presents us with a situation of hardship and poverty, which lets us glimpse some basic characteristics of the messianic kingdom: a kingdom without earthly honours or powers, which belongs to him who, in his public life, will say of himself: "The Son of man has nowhere to lay his head" (Lk 9:58).

2. Luke's account contains a few seemingly unimportant notes, which are meant to arouse in the reader a better understanding of the mystery of the Nativity and the sentiments of her who gave birth to the Son of God.

The description of the birth, recounted in simple fashion, presents Mary as intensely participating in what was taking place in her: "She gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger..." (Lk 2:7). The Virgin's action is the result of her complete willingness to co-operate in God's plan, already expressed at the Annunciation in her "let it be to me according to your word" (Lk 1:38).

Mary shares in Son's redeeming mission

Mary experiences childbirth in a condition of extreme poverty: she cannot give the Son of God even what mothers usually offer a newborn baby; instead, she has to lay him "in a manger", an improvised cradle which contrasts with the dignity of the "Son of the Most High".

3. The Gospel notes that "there was no place for them in the inn" (Lk 2:7). This statement, recalling the text in John's Prologue: "His own people received him not" (Jn 1:11), foretells as it were the many refusals Jesus will meet with during his earthly life. The phrase "for them" joins the Son and the Mother in this rejection, and shows how Mary is already associated with her Son's destiny of suffering and shares in his redeeming mission.

Rejected by "his own", Jesus is welcomed by the shepherds, rough men of ill repute, but chosen by God as the first to receive the good news of the Saviour's birth. The message the Angel gives them is an invitation to rejoice: "Behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people" (Lk 2:10), along with a request to overcome all fear: "Be not afraid".

Indeed, as it was for Mary at the time of the Annunciation, so too for them the news of Jesus' birth represents the great sign of God's goodwill towards men. In the divine Redeemer, contemplated in the poverty of a Bethlehem cave, we can see an invitation to approach with confidence the One who is the hope of humanity.

The angels' song: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!", which can also be translated as "men of goodwill" (Lk 2:14), reveals to the shepherds what Mary had expressed in her Magnificat: Jesus' birth is the sign of God's merciful love, which is especially shown towards the poor and humble.

4. The shepherds respond enthusiastically and promptly to the angel's invitation: "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us" (Lk 2:15).

They did not search in vain: "And they ... found Mary and Joseph, and the babe" (Lk 2:16). To them, as the Council recalls, "the Mother of God joyfully showed her first-born Son" (Lumen gentium, n. 57). It was the defining moment of their lives.

Mary pondered these events in her heart

The shepherds’ spontaneous desire to make known what "had been told them concerning this child" (Lk 2:17), after the wondrous experience of meeting the Mother and her Son, suggests to evangelizers in every age the importance and, even more, the necessity of a deep spiritual relationship with Mary, in order to know Jesus better and to become the joyful proclaimers of his Gospel of salvation.

With regard to these extraordinary events, Luke tells us that Mary "kept all these things, pondering them in her heart" (Lk 2:19). While the shepherds passed from fear to wonder and praise, the Virgin, because of her faith, kept alive the memory of the events involving her Son, and deepened her understanding of them by reflecting on them in her heart, that is, in the inmost core of her person. In this way she suggests that another mother, the Church, should foster the gift and task of contemplation and theological reflection, in order better to accept the mystery of salvation, to understand it more thoroughly and to proclaim it with renewed effort to the people of every age.

Today a Savior has been born...he is Jesus Christ our Lord!!



Merry Blessed Christmas to all !

Matthew and the Virginity of Mary

Q: As an article of faith we are taught and believe that Mary the Mother of God was "ever virgin." In speaking of St. Joseph, St. Matthew's Gospel (1:25) says: "and he had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son...." Does this not infer that after Jesus' birth Mary and Joseph lived as husband and wife? How does one explain this to nonbelievers?

A: Any number of commentaries will throw light on verses 18-25 of the first chapter of Matthew.

Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind is that the original text of Matthew was written in Greek and the author came from a Semitic background. Any English translation merely attempts to convey what the author meant in the original language.

Analyzing 1:25 in The Gospel According to Matthew (Sheed & Ward), Alexander Jones writes, "Matthew makes this statement of the period which directly concerns him, his purpose being to safeguard the virginal nature of the conception and birth of Jesus. Of the period following the birth he says nothing. His sentence would best be paraphrased: She brought forth a son without having relations with Joseph. The Semitic turn of phrase, 'not...until,' while denying the action for the period preceding the verb borne, implies nothing for the period which follows it: c.f. Genesis 8:7, 1 Timothy 4:13, etc."

Raymond E. Brown, S.S., says much the same thing in The Birth of the Messiah (Doubleday).

Brown notes that to understand this passage we must look at the verse in its immediate context and the context of the whole Gospel. Matthew's immediate concern is to stress Mary's virginity before the child's birth and the fulfillment of the Isaian prophecy. And he says, in English when something is negated until a particular time, occurrence after that time is usually assumed.

But in Greek and Semitic, he instructs us, "such a negation often has no implication at all about what happened after the limit of the 'until' was reached."

Jesus and the Title 'Son of Man'

Q: What is the explanation for calling Jesus the Son of Man when he is Son of God?


A: In both the Dictionary of the Bible by John McKenzie (Bruce) and Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Bible by Louis Hartman (McGraw-Hill), you will discover columns of material on the title "Son of Man."

The title appears to have its roots in Mideastern mythology, and the apocryphal books of Enoch and 4 Esdras.

According to McKenzie and Hartman, in mythology, Son of Man is the primordial man who becomes deified and returns in the final days to inaugurate the Kingdom of God.

In the apocryphal books of Enoch and 4 Esdras, the Son of Man appears before the Ancient of Days. He is the righteous one who reveals all hidden treasures. Chosen as judge, he overcomes kings, the powerful and sinners. He is the light and hope of peoples. People are saved in his name and the saved will eat and drink with him in eternity.

In speaking of himself as Son of Man, Jesus appears to have taken the title from the Book of Daniel 7:13. In Daniel, the prophet has a vision of four frightening beasts representing the Babylonian, Medean, Persian and Hellenistic empires. All come to destruction.

Daniel states that, as he watched, the Ancient One (Ancient of Days) took his throne with thousands upon thousands ministering to him. With judgment of the beasts the visions continue and Daniel sees "one like a Son of Man coming, on the clouds of heaven." From the Ancient One he receives dominion, glory and kingship. Nations and peoples of every language serve him. He receives an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away and a kingship that shall not be destroyed.

In the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) Jesus, and only Jesus, uses this title concerning himself some 70 times. In John, Jesus applies the title to himself 11 times. In general we can say that the term emphasizes Jesus' humanity. It makes him capable of suffering and as Son of Man he experiences his passion. He is indeed the Son of God, but as Son of Mary he is also a Son of "man."

At the same time the title evokes the image from Daniel and of Jesus as judge to come. His human experience and ability to identify with humankind make him a most appropriate judge for human beings.

St. Stephen

All we know of Stephen is found in Acts of the Apostles, chapters six and seven. It is enough to tell us what kind of man he was:

At that time, as the number of disciples continued to grow, the Hellenist (Greek-speaking) Christians complained about the Hebrew-speaking Christians, saying that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table. Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task, whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” The proposal was acceptable to the whole community, so they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit.... (Acts 6:1-5)

Acts says that Stephen was a man filled with grace and power, who worked great wonders among the people. Certain Jews, members of the Synagogue of Roman Freedmen, debated with Stephen but proved no match for the wisdom and spirit with which he spoke. They persuaded others to make the charge of blasphemy against him. He was seized and carried before the Sanhedrin.

In his speech, Stephen recalled God’s guidance through Israel’s history, as well as Israel’s idolatry and disobedience. He then claimed that his persecutors were showing this same spirit. “[Y]ou always oppose the holy Spirit; you are just like your ancestors” (Acts 7:51b).

His speech brought anger from the crowd. “But [Stephen], filled with the holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God....’ They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him....As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit....Lord, do not hold this sin against them’” (Acts 7:55-56, 58a, 59, 60b).

Comment:

Stephen died as Jesus did: falsely accused, brought to unjust condemnation because he spoke the truth fearlessly. He died with his eyes trustfully fixed on God, and with a prayer of forgiveness on his lips. A “happy” death is one that finds us in the same spirit, whether our dying is as quiet as Joseph’s or as violent as Stephen’s: dying with courage, total trust and forgiving love.

Christmas Day

On this day the Church focuses especially on the newborn Child, God become human, who embodies for us all the hope and peace we seek. We need no other special saint today to lead us to Christ in the manger, although his mother Mary and Joseph, caring for his foster-Son, help round out the scene.

But if we were to select a patron for today, perhaps it might be appropriate for us to imagine an anonymous shepherd, summoned to the birthplace by a wondrous and even disturbing vision in the night, a summons from an angelic choir, promising peace and goodwill. A shepherd willing to seek out something that might just be too unbelievable to chase after, and yet compelling enough to leave behind the flocks in the field and search for a mystery.

On the day of the Lord’s birth, let’s let an unnamed, “un-celebrity” at the edge of the crowd model for us the way to discover Christ in our own hearts—somewhere between skepticism and wonder, between mystery and faith. And, like Mary and the shepherds, let us treasure that discovery in our hearts.

Comment:

The precise dating in this passage sounds like a textbook on creationism. If we focus on the time frame, however, we miss the point. It lays out the story of a love affair: creation, the deliveranceof the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt, the rise of Israel under David. It climaxes with the birth of Jesus. From the beginning, some scholars insist, God intended to enter the world as one of us, the beloved people. Praise God!

The Dawn of Peace:

Thank God for the gift of Jesus! Today we celebrate the birth of the Messiah, the proof that, in God, all things—including our hopes for peace—are possible. Let us dwell on the coming peace, the peace Jesus brings into the world and leaves with us, and celebrate what a gift it is.

God Is With Us:

You became human
so that I can become divine.
I love you,Eternal God and Living Son!

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The Virgin today brings into the world the Eternal, and the earth offers a cave to the Inaccessible. The angels and shepherds praise him, the Magi advance with the star, for you are born for us, little Child, God eternal!

- St. Romanus the Melodist (d. 540)

The love that brought Christ from heaven to earth raised Stephen from earth to heaven.... His love of God kept him from yielding to the ferocious mob; his love for his neighbor made him pray for those who were stoning him. Christ made love the stairway that would enable all Christians to climb to heaven.

- Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe (from a sermon on the Feast of St. Stephen)

Is the Candy Cane a Religious Symbol?

Q: Last year I went into a restaurant during Christmastime, and on a wall next to the Christmas tree was a story written about the candy cane's red and white stripes. To the best of my memory, I think I read something about the red signifying the blood of Christ and the white signifying the tears of Mary. Can you provide a story about the candy cane and its colors?

A: In "surfing the Net," the Wise Man's assistant found two versions of the candy cane's origin.

According to one legend, the choirmaster of the Cologne Cathedral gave his young singers sugar sticks in 1670 to keep them quiet during a long creche ceremony. He bent them in the shape of shepherds' crooks.

The same source says that in 1847 a German-Swedish immigrant named August Imgard decorated a small tree in Wooster, Ohio, with candy canes.

Another Web site explains that an Indiana candymaker wanted to make a Christmas witness. He began with a stick of pure white hard candy to symbolize the virgin birth and sinless character of Jesus. Hard candy symbolized the Church's rock foundation. Upright, the staff-like shape represented Jesus the Good Shepherd. Upside down, the cane became the letter J for "Jesus."

The candymaker added one broad red stripe and three narrow ones. The broad stripe calls to mind the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross. The narrow ones represent the stripes of his scourging.

Peppermint, like hyssop, belongs to the mint family. It reminds us of the hyssop used in the Old Testament for purification and sacrifice.

Still another Web site attributes the present-day candy cane to one Bob McCormick in the 1920's.

Christmas at Greccio

What better way to prepare for the arrival of the Christ Child than to take a brief journey to Greccio, the spot in central Italy where St. Francis of Assisi created the first Christmas crib in the year 1223.

Francis, recalling a visit he had made years before to Bethlehem, resolved to create the manger he had seen there. The ideal spot was a cave in nearby Greccio. He would find a baby (we’re not sure if it was a live infant or the carved image of a baby), hay upon which to lay him, an ox and an ass to stand beside the manger. Word went out to the people of the town. At the appointed time they arrived carrying torches and candles.

One of the friars began celebrating Mass. Francis himself gave the sermon. His biographer, Thomas of Celano, recalls that Francis “stood before the manger…overcome with love and filled with a wonderful happiness…” For Francis, the simple celebration was meant to recall the hardships Jesus suffered even as an infant, a savior who chose to become poor for our sake, a truly human Jesus.

Tonight, as we pray around the Christmas cribs in our homes, we welcome into our hearts that same Savior.

Comment:

God’s choice to give human beings free will was, from the beginning, a decision to be helpless in human hands. With the birth of Jesus, God made the divine helplessness very clear to us, for a human infant is totally dependent on the loving response of other people. Our natural response to a baby is to open our arms, as Francis did, to the infant of Bethlehem and to the God who made us all.

Waiting Is Over:

Now our four weeks of preparation come to an end. Our practice of waiting, watching, listening, has all been for one purpose: to make room in our hearts for the “here-yet-still-coming” Prince of Peace. As much as we let the Peaceful Lord fill our lives, we take his mission of peace to our families, to our communities, to our world.

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Fight all error, but do it with good humor, patience, kindness, and love. Harshness will damage your own soul and spoil the best cause.

- St. John of Kanty (1390-1473)

Bethlehem became the link between heaven and earth; God and man met there and looked each other in the face.

- Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

What’s a Seraphic Saint?

Q: I am researching the history of St. Francis Seraph Parish. Could you inform me about the meaning of the word Seraph and its origin?

A: Sixth-century writer Dionysius the Areopagite drew on different scriptural texts to list nine choirs of angels: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominations, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels and Angels.

First in this hierarchy of angels are the Seraphim. An individual member of this group is called a Seraph.

The Seraphim are mentioned in Isaiah 6:1-7. There they stand before the throne of God praising him and crying out, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts." And it is a Seraph who touches the lips of Isaiah with a live coal, cleansing him from sin. Associated with the Seraphim is their burning love for God.

It is a Seraph who appears in the story of how Francis of Assisi received the stigmata (the wounds of Christ’s passion) in his body. Omer Englebert, drawing on St. Bonaventure, describes the event. Francis prayed to experience the pains of Christ’s passion and to feel the same love that made Christ sacrifice himself for us.

Then a seraph with six wings of flame came from heaven. He bore the likeness of a man nailed to a cross. Upon Francis’ body he imprinted the stigmata.

Because of this experience and his burning love of God, Francis is often called the Seraphic Saint and some parishes and institutions are named St. Francis Seraph.

The Time Is Near:

Today’s readings: Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24; Luke 1:57-66

For Elizabeth, the time has arrived. She gives birth to a son, who is named John. Can the birth of Jesus be far behind? These are days filled with blessings and promise. Find the time to slow down and spend peaceful time with your family. Don’t count the hours that remain. Savor them.

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We must pray without tiring, for the salvation of mankind does not depend on material success, nor on sciences that cloud the intellect. Neither does it depend on arms and human industries, but on Jesus alone.

- St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917)

The Ranking of Angels

Q: In the July issue of St. Anthony Messenger you explained the meaning of the word Seraph. I did not know until then there were nine different types of angels. In your answer you listed all nine choirs and said something to the fact that Seraphim were on the top.

Can we assume that the list you gave, of the nine categories or choirs of angels, is in the order of importance or ranking, with Seraphim ranking first followed by Cherubim and then Thrones, Dominations, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels and Angels ranking last?

A: According to Ludwig Ott in Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, the division of angels into nine orders is not a truth of faith but a free theological opinion.

At the turn of the sixth century Pseudo-Dionysius, drawing on references to angels in the Scriptures, divided the angels into three hierarchies with three choirs in each hierarchy. That became the common teaching of theologians and the Church.

According to Adolf Tanquerey in A Manual of Dogmatic Theology, St. Thomas puts the Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones in the first hierarchy. In the second are the Dominations, Virtues and Powers. The third is composed of Principalities, Archangels and Angels.

Tanquerey, following St. Thomas, says the "Seraphim excel in the supreme excellence of all, in being united to God through charity."

The World Upside-Down:

Today’s readings: 1 Samuel 1:24-28; Luke 1:46-56

Today we pray along with Mary, the Mother of God, her magnificat. It is a prayer of praise, of awe at the power of God to steer history in God’s direction. The lowly are important in God’s eyes. The rich go away empty-handed. What is God telling us today?

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We must pray without tiring, for the salvation of mankind does not depend on material success, nor on sciences that cloud the intellect. Neither does it depend on arms and human industries, but on Jesus alone.

- St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917)

Here comes Santa ... er, the pope

ROME, Italy (Reuters) -- He was not riding on a one-horse open sleigh, but when Pope Benedict XVI arrived on the pope mobile for his weekly audience in St. Peter's Square, on-lookers could have been forgiven for thinking Santa Claus was in town.

To keep warm against the bitter cold, the Pontiff wore a red velvet cap, trimmed with white fur which, together with his scarlet cape, gave him the look of Father Christmas.

The traditional hat, known as a camauro, was commonly worn by popes in the medieval period to keep their heads warm on cold days and it featured on many paintings at the time, but it has rarely been worn in modern times.

Benedict had already shown a taste for the garb of medieval popes, opting for delicate red slippers for daily wear rather than walking shoes favored by his predecessor John Paul II.

Benedict, who changed into his more familiar white skull cap when he arrived at the podium, told a packed St. Peter's Square Christmas was a time to remember the true roots of the faith.

Looking out over the square with its 30-meter (100-foot) Christmas tree, the German pope said that Christmas lights adorning cities and houses around the world should "remind us of another light, invisible to the eyes but not to the heart."

**interesting and cool eh? =p** credits to www.cnn.com and its sources for the article

Other Kinds of Worship O.K.?

Q: I am attracted to the Catholic faith because of the sacraments. My reluctance is that I enjoy worshiping the Lord in a more jubilant fashion than what I have seen in the Mass—not to mention that I do not understand much.

I enjoy praise songs. Is there anything wrong with other kinds of worship instead of the Mass?

A: Although there is nothing wrong with other kinds of worship besides Mass, the Eucharist is the greatest type of worship possible. At Vatican Council II, the bishops described it as “the source and summit of Christian life” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, #11).

In one sense, the Mass is a divine action in that it is God’s love that is active, God who is being praised, God’s word which we read in Scripture and Christ the priest who offers this sacrifice.

In another sense, the Mass is a human action in that human beings can communicate well or not so well, the singing can be inspirational or dull, etc.

The Church is never more Church than when it celebrates the Eucharist. Every celebration, however, cannot be equally intense, memorable or jubilant. Human beings have highs, lows and many so-so times.

A Journey of Faith:

Today’s readings: Song of Songs 2:8-14; Luke 1:39-45

Our thoughts turn to Mary today. How could they not as she prepares for the birth of Our Savior? How many more days, how many more hours she must be thinking as she sets out, in haste, to visit her cousin Elizabeth? Put aside your own cares. Who can you visit today who needs your presence and your utter trust?

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Never was an infant born and an instant after his birth announced by so many messengers from heaven singing the songs of His praise. Never was a whimpering bit of humanity so powerful that, while lying on His bed of straw, He could command the very stars to direct whom He wished to visit Him. Never a child so wise or so rich as this little Infant who was full of grace and incarnate truth. Never anyone so marvellous as to be at once so small and so great, true God and true Man, the Uncreated Word and weak human flesh, mighty King and a lowly slave.

- St. Peter Cannisus (1521-1597)

"If you have too much to do, with God's help you will find time to do it all."

-St. Peter Canisius (1521 - 1597)

Rosary Beads Needed?

Q: I say the rosary every day and sometimes I say it in the proper order but without the beads. Is this proper and acceptable?

A: What counts is the prayer. Beads are helpful for most people but are optional.

The Lord Is With You:

Today’s readings: Isaiah 7:10-14; Luke 1:26-38

This is the week of annunciation, when the Lord’s coming presence among us is announced to the People of God. Our longing for peace will be fulfilled. But the world did not understand the peace of Jesus when it came. We pray to understand Jesus’ peace and to bring it to the world.

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Christ built his classroom of redemption among the poor -- not because money is evil, but because money often makes slaves of those who worship the things of earth and forget about God.

- Archbishop Oscar Romero (from a homily given 12-25-1978)

What Is a Novena?

Q: A Hindu friend has asked me about devotions to Mary, particularly novenas. Isn’t it a rosary prayed for nine days? Is there a more comprehensive definition? How did novenas begin?

A: A novena is usually a nine-day period when a person prays for some special intention. Acts of the Apostles 1:13-14 says that Mary and the apostles spent the time between Jesus’ Ascension and Pentecost in prayer. That is nine days if you don’t count Pentecost itself.

No special prayers are required, though prayer books often have recommended prayers for asking saintly intercession or addressing God directly.

A novena could be nine of some day of the week. For example, the nine Tuesdays before the feast of St. Anthony of Padua (June 13) are considered a novena.

The Forest and the Trees:

Today’s readings: Judges 13:2-7, 24-25a; Luke 1:5-25

As Christmas draws ever nearer, our thoughts can easily turn to the demands that just won’t go away: last-minute shopping, mailing a few more cards, planning menus for meals with family and special guests. In today’s Gospel Luke tells the story of the birth of John the Baptist. We know full well what comes after that, but we can so easily get overwhelmed. Make time today for an act of kindness—one you don’t really have time for.

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The Incarnation teaches us how much God cares for us. Let us think of all the Lord has done for us, and then we shall realize how his goodness appears through his humanity. The lesser he became through his human nature, the greater was his goodness; the more he lowered himself for us, the dearer he is to me.

- St. Bernard of Clairvaux

short rants...

wondering readers out there......must be thinking where is the flurry entry eh.......apologies...been bz lately....but ..BUT! the entry will come ok..its being prepared and finalised........will finish and put it up within the week..when i can finally clear some leave away from my camp....

b4 i forget.....sincere thanks to a person for a little gift given.....though small and simple...it may look like nothing of great value.....but then..tats the physical side of it.....deep inside the heart....it is veri veri much appreciated and treasured like precious treasure.....rest assured..it will be used and displayed proudly... =)