Feast of Mary, Mother of God (Theotokos - God Bearer)

One of my favorite extra-Sunday feasts is that of Mary, the Mother of God, celebrated around the globe on January 1st every year (No that Mass you see listed each year on the 1st is NOT a New Year's Mass!). I love especially the imagery that is called up by the Eastern Title of Theotokos or 'God Bearer' for Mary. The Old testament presents us a number of interesting images for how God's promised salvation is to the world, the Ark in which the one righteous family of Noah provides hope for the future, the little basket of reeds that carried Moses down the Nile safely so that he could bring salvation to his people in God's name, the great golden Arc of the Covenant that served as a constant reminder for the People of God that God was indeed present and active among them...

All of these point to the single most significant act of God in fulfilling His divine promise to bring all persons back to Him...that of God taking human flesh and dwelling, teaching and ultimately dying and rising again so that His Spirit may fill the world and enact it's salvation for all time. And how is this action of God carried into the world? Through the 'Yes' of the most innocent, beautiful arc in salvation history, Mary herself who carried the fruit of God's promise within her own body as a gift for the world!

Amazing!

A little more about this very special feast that is the First of only two Holy Days of Obligation (Days that are just as important for worship as Sundays!) in our Church taken from Churchyear.net;

In the 4th and 5th centuries debates about the nature of Christ raged in the Church. The debate was about the relationship of Christ's divine and human natures. At the center of this debate was a title of Mary. Since at least the 3rd century, Christians had referred to Mary as theotokos, meaning "God-bearer." The first documented usage of the term is in the writings of Origen of Alexandria in AD 230. Related to theotokos, Mary was called the mother of God. Referring to Mary this way was popular in Christian piety, but the patriarch of Constantinople from 428-431, Nestorius, objected. He suggested that Mary was only the mother of Jesus' human nature, but not his divine nature. Nestorius' ideas (or at least how others perceived his arguments) were condemned at the Council of Ephesus in AD 431, and again at the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451. The Church decided that Christ was fully God and fully human, and these natures were united in one person, Jesus Christ. Thus Mary could be called "mother of God" since she gave birth to Jesus who was fully divine as well as human. Since this time, Mary has been frequently honored as the "mother of God" by Catholics, Orthodox, and many Protestants.

The Solemnity of Mary Mother of God falls exactly one week after Christmas, the end of the octave of Christmas. It is fitting to honor Mary as Mother of Jesus, following the birth of Christ. When Catholics celebrate the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God we are not only honoring Mary, who was chosen among all women throughout history to bear God incarnate, but we are also honoring our Lord, who is fully God and fully human. Calling Mary "mother of God" is the highest honor we can give Mary. Just as Christmas honors Jesus as the "Prince of Peace," the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God honors Mary as the "Queen of Peace" This solemnity, falling on New Year's Day, is also designated the World Day of Peace.

From Evening Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours;
Father,
Source of light in every age,
the virgin conceived and bore your Son
who is called Wonderful God, Prince of Peace.
May her prayer, the gift of a mother's love,
be your people's joy through all ages.
May her response, born of a humble heart,
draw your Spirit to rest on your people.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
Amen

Peace and God Bless

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Fr. Barron on Christmas

Our struggle as Christians is to fit this subversive image of the infant, swaddled and impoverished king into the very domesticated form of our world's modern version Christmas...

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The Nativity of Our Lord and the Feast of the Holy Family

So many of the great figures of our Advent preparations, John the Baptist, Mary, and Joseph, have served as examples of self-sacrifice, faith and obedience to God's Word. These are people who heard the Word of God, whispered, dreamed and shouted into their lives and were moved to respond. They underline for us just how important it is that we do not simply sit back, and enjoy the celebrations, good-will and peace that the Nativity of our Lord and King has heralded in, but that we actively and concretely respond to the Word whose birth we have just witnessed.

Today, on this Feast of the Holy Family, a feast which highlights how the family of Jesus can serve as a model for all struggling Christian families, we are invited to gaze upon our Lord, held in faith and hope by Mary and Joseph our two great models of faith in action and pray for the courage to respond in kind.

A great part of our Christian tradition is celebrated in the days and the feasts of the Christmas season. The liturgies and feasts of Christmas are integral to complete acquaintance with the entire rich deposit of faith. The liturgies of the Christmas season celebrate and emphasize each of the primary, essential truths of Christianity and Catholicism.

Now that you have spent time spiritually preparing for the coming of Christ in your heart at
Christmas, where in life do you most need Christ to come down? What in your life is in most
need of God’s salvation? If Christmas also celebrates those who have witnessed to Christ
through martyrdom, can you name some small ways that you have been a similar witness? In
what way have you taken up the cross for the sake of the Gospel in your lifetime? How
would you say you have exemplified John the Baptist’s insistence that he must decrease so
Christ could increase. In what way have you become less in order for God to become all in
all? In what way is your heart prepared for the coming of Christ this Christmas?

DECISION FOR CHANGE: What one bothersome behavior or attitude might God be calling
you to change in preparation for Christmas? What one spiritual activity are you willing to
engage in as Christmas draws near? Have you remembered the poor in your Christmas giving?



Prayers For Our Families

A Prayer for the Family

Jesus, our most loving redeemer,
You came to enlighten the world
with your teaching and example.
You willed to spend the greater part of Your life
in humble obedience to Mary and Joseph
in the poor home of Nazareth.
In this way, You sanctified that family,
which was to be an example for all Christian families.

Graciously accept our family,
which we dedicate and consecrate to You this day.
Be pleased to protect, guard, and keep it
in holy fear, in peace,
and in the harmony of Christian charity.
By conforming ourselves to the Divine model
of Your family,
may we attain to eternal happiness.
New St. Joseph People's Prayer Book


A Prayer for a Child's Return to the Faith

Dear Lord,
You became Man, suffered, and died
to win salvation for all souls.
Look graciously on the soul of my child
who has drifted away from You and the Faith.
Grant him/her your grace
to see the error of his/her ways
and return to the fold of Your care.

Teach me to stay close to him/her
during this trying time
and strive to convert him/her by action and prayers
more than by words that may antagonize.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust You
to do everything to bring my child back to You
New St. Joseph People's Prayer Book

Peace and God Bless

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A Christmas Message from Fr. Barron

Matthew's genealogy of the Christ presents a variety of very surprising and unexpected men and women who underline just what kind of people are invited to be joined to the family of the savior...

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Prayers for Christmas Day

Though we've spent the past four weeks preparing for the Lord's coming, we cannot forget the deep spiritual significance of all we do throughout the feast of Christmas. As you and your family and friends share gifts of love with one another and gather for the great feasting and celebrating that this season deserves, here are a few prayers to help you center yourselves on the great love God has for us in sending His only Son to be our Lord, our King, our Christ;




From The Liturgy of the Hours (The Divine Office) for Christmas Day:
Almighty God and Father of light,
a child is born for us and a son is given to us.
Your eternal Word leaped down from heaven
in the silent watches of the night,
and now your Church is filled with wonder
at the nearness of her God.
Open our hearts to receive his life
and increase our vision with the rising of dawn,
that our lives may be filled with his glory and his peace,
who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

Prayer for Opening Gifts
Loving God:
We gather surrounded by a wealth of signs, symbols and reminders. Our tree, ever green and fragrant, reminds us of the everlasting life you’ve promised.

Our Home is decorated with signs of our joy at the presence of Jesus among us. Spread at our feet are gifts, symbols of the love we share.

We pray in gratitude for the gifts,
And even more, for the givers. In each gift we see a sign of love, Love that begins with you and finds its fullest expression in your greatest gift to us: Your Son, Jesus. Through Jesus we pray in joy and thanksgiving on this Christmas Day.
Amen.

Christmas Day Table Prayer
Lord God of life,
together with the beautiful traditions of decorating the Christmas tree, or singing carols and giving gifts, this Christmas dinner is an important part of our celebration of the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Come, Lord Jesus
And surround our feast day table as we delight in this joyous season of Christmas. Gift us in this meal with the taste of happiness as we savor this coming together of family and friends. As sparkling stars and singing angels rejoiced at the birth of the Christ Child in Bethlehem, so may we take great joy in this our Christmas dinner celebration.

May you, our God
Bless our feast, our family and our friends in Your holy name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Amen+

From your parish family, we wish you and all your loved ones the happiest and merriest of Christmas Feasts. May this season of blessings and joy be for you the start of a New Year filled with all of the graces you seek.

Merry Christmas!

Peace and God Bless

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Fourth Week of Advent - The Miracle of Jesus

Even as the world around us has filled with the hustle and bustle of the season of giving, we have worked together to still our souls, de-clutter our lives, and lift our hearts and minds to God so as to prepare a fitting space for the light of Christ to be born within us. In the midst of dark and cold, an angel's voice rings out with hope to a world in desparate need, and a new mother's cry pierces the night inflaming our hearts with her love.

Let us pray;

“Lord, fill our hearts with your love,and as you revealed to us by an angel the coming of your Son, so lead us through his suffering and death to the glory of his resurrection, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen”

Read Matthew 1:18-24
“...an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’”

Reflect
Today we rest in awe, in wonder, at how our God entered our world and came to be with us. We pause to receive the gift offered us: that the Spirit of God will open up our lives and that Jesus will really come into our hearts. May we have watchful hope today, believing what the Lord promises us. We pray that we might be God's servants, that we might be instruments of God's love for our families and all we serve this week.

Pray
Father, all-powerful God, your Word took flesh on our earth when the Virgin Mary placed her life at the service of your plan. Lift our minds in watchful hope to hear the voice which announces his glory and open our minds to receive the Spirit who prepares us for his coming. Amen

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THE DIGITAL STORY OF NATIVITY - ( or Christmas 2.0 )

One of our teachers emailed this to the office just today, and like all of the Good News...it just screams to be shared! Enjoy;














THE DIGITAL STORY OF NATIVITY - ( or Christmas 2.0 )







Peace and God Bless

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Third Week of Advent - The Word Among Us

The Third Sunday of Advent has been traditionally known as "Gaudete" or "Rejoicing" Sunday. Why rejoicing? Kids get this far easier than adults. For them, the anticipation is building so much that by this point they're about to burst! Christmas is almost here! The Messiah is close, the Word soon will be made flesh. Are we ready? Is His space prepared?

Let us pray;

“Lord God, may we, your people, who look forward to the birthday of Christ experience the joy of salvation and celebrate that feast with love and thanksgiving. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen ”

Read Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10
“Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
‘Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God.
He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.’
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.”

Reflect
Our candle today is pink, a color of joy and celebration. The Prophet's words give us a reason to celebrate...our God, for whom we are waiting, is near! What would you do differently if you were to treat everyone you met as if he or she were Jesus?

Pray
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the earth rejoices in hope of the Savior's coming and looks forward with longing to his return at the end of time. Prepare our hearts and remove the sadness that hinders us from feeling the joy and hope of his presence, for he is Lord for ever and ever. Amen

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Prayers of Intercession - Sunday December 12, 2010

 

PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT

DECEMBER 12, 2010

 

OUR RESPONSE TODAY: Come Lord Jesus, Come.

 

1. Let us pray for the Church,

   called to make Jesus real to our brothers and sisters everywhere,

   We pray to you Lord,

RESPONSE: Come, Lord Jesus Come.

 

2. Let us pray that as our youth plan their life's work,

   that they give prayerful consideration to the priesthood and religious life,

   We pray to you Lord,

RESPONSE: Come, Lord Jesus Come.

 

3. Let us pray that our hearts be strengthened,

   for the coming of the Lord,

We pray to you, Lord,

RESPONSE: Come, Lord Jesus Come.

 

4. Let us pray for the joy filled children of our parish,

   as they journey through Advent,

We pray to you Lord,

RESPONSE: Come, Lord Jesus Come.

 

5. Let us pray for those who have died

   and for those who mourn their loss,

We pray to you Lord,

RESPONSE: Come, Lord Jesus Come.

 

6. Let us now pray in silence for our personal intentions,

(Pause 5-7 seconds)

We pray to you Lord,

RESPONSE: Come, Lord Jesus Come.

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The Feast of The Immaculate Conception

December the 8th (Today) is the Feast of The Immaculate Conception.

You can learn all about this feast honoring Mary at Churchyear.net - All About The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

The following prayer comes to us from the official prayer of the Church, the Liturgy of the Hours;

Father,
you prepared the Virgin Mary
to be the worthy mother of your Son.
You let her share beforehand
in the salvation Christ
would bring by his death,
and kept her sinless
from the first moment of her conception.
Help us by her prayers
to live in your presence without sin.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever. Amen

Want to join your church in praying the psalms morning and night? Check out http://divineoffice.org/ providing the Liturgy of the Hours at your fingertips every day.

Peace and God Bless

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Prayers of the Faithful - December 5, 2010

 

PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

DECEMBER 5, 2010

 

 

1. Let us pray for all Christians,

   called to work together to prepare the way of the Lord,

   We pray to you Lord,

RESPONSE: Lord, hear our prayer.

 

2. Let us pray that the atmosphere in our homes may be such as to develop a

   love for all things spiritual,

   We pray to you Lord,

RESPONSE: Lord, hear our prayer.

 

3. Let us pray for the peace of which Isaiah dreamt and which the Spirit promises,

We pray to you, Lord,

RESPONSE: Lord, hear our prayer.

 

4. Let us pray for all those working to make the season more festive,

   for those in need,

We pray to you Lord,

RESPONSE: Lord, hear our prayer.

 

5. Let us pray for those who are suffering with illness

   that they be strengthened and comforted in the knowledge

   that God is walking with them through their time of need,

We pray to you Lord,

RESPONSE: Lord, hear our prayer.

 

6. Let us now pray in silence for our personal intentions,

(Pause 5-7 seconds)

We pray to you Lord,

RESPONSE: Lord, hear our prayer.

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Feast of St. Nicholas - Candy Cane Blessing

December 6th is the day in the Church's tradition where we commemorate the death of St. Nicholas, bishop of Myra, a city in Lycia, a province of Asia Minor. Little is known about his save for a small collection of stories underling his great generosity as well as the fact that he attended the First Council of Nicaea in 325AD where our Creed was first adopted.

At some point along the way, it bacame tradition in our Church to bless the sweets given to children during the Christmas season on the feast of this very popular saint. Today in our homes we will often gather in the evening to bless our festive candy canes on this feast before placing them on our trees;

St. Nicholas Day Blessing of Candy Canes
by Edward Hays

Good St. Nicholas, we honor you
on this your holy feast day.
We rejoice that you are the patron saint
and the holy symbol of joy
for many peoples of many lands.

Come, great-hearted saint,
and be our patron and companion
as we, once again, prepare our homes and hearts
for the great feast of Christmas,
the birth of the Eternal Blessing, Jesus Christ.

May these sweets, these candy canes,
be a sign of Advent joy for us.
May these candy canes,
shaped just like your Bishop's staff,
be for us a sign of your benevolent care.

We rejoice that you are the holy bringer of gifts
and that so many have been delighted
through your great generosity.
Help us to be as generous of heart.

Wherever these candy canes are hung,
on tree or wall or door,
may they carry with them
the bright blessing of God.
May all who shall taste them
experience the joy of God
upon their tongues and in their hearts.

We ask God, now, to bless
these your brightly striped sweets
in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

To learn more about St. Nicholas, head on over to the St. Nicholas site at St.Nicholas.org. Tons of fun facts and great prayer reflections and home activities for individuals and families!

Peace and God Bless

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Second Week of Advent - Hope for Change

As our Second week of Advent begins, our prayer of hope and deasire for peace continues. As you continue to share prayer with us, may you be truly blessed and may you receive the graces you need most from your Father who loves you.

Let us pray;

“God of power and mercy, open our hearts in welcome. Remove the things that hinder us from receiving Christ with joy, so that we may share his wisdom and become one with him when he comes in glory, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen”

Read Isaiah 11:1-10
“On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him...Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them.”

Reflect
Today we hear this wonderful proclamation of the end of violence and a promise of justice and peace. Let us experience today what it will be like to be freed from the power of injustice, conflict and division. Our longing, our desire: that we might be set free.

Pray
Dear Lord, through the darkness, I look for your wisdom. I want my heart to be open to you. Let me be a peacemaker in my own life, and in the world. Let me pray especially for this difficult world and those who are so in need of an end to violence. My heart begs for this in your name. Amen.

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Christmas Mass Times

To help with your Christmas and Holiday planning here are the times when our parish Community will be gathering to offer worship to God and share the Eucharist which is, of course, the focus and font of all our other celebrations and traditions;

December 24- Anticipated Christmas Mass; 7:00 p.m.

December 25: Midnight & 10:00 a.m. - Christmas Day; A Holy Day of Obligation

December 26: 10:00 a.m. - Sunday Mass; Feast of The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

December 31: 5:00 p.m.; A Special Mass of Thanksgiving for the blessings of this past year...NOT an anticipated January 1st Mass

January 1: 10:00 a.m.; Feast of Mary, Mother of God; A Holy Day of Obligation

Januarcy 2: 10:00 a.m.; Regular Sunday Mass

As both Christmas and The Feast of Mary, Mother of God fall on Saturday's this year, and both are Holy Days of Obligation, these very important feast supersede any anticipated Masses a parish may do prior to their regular Sunday celebrations. Practically this means that for Saturday December 25th and Saturday January 1st we are unable to have our usual Saturday Evening celebrations of the Anticipated Sunday Mass. These extremely important feasts must always be celebrated in place of any regular anticipated masses in a parish.

Questions about the scheduling of Mass times for Holy Days of Obligation (like Christmas and January 1st) or Sunday Masses verses anticipated Masses in general? Our Bishops have had a lot to say on the matter and, thanks to the wonders of the internet, now you can read all about it in the comfort of your home or wherever you happen to be; CCCB on The Celebration of Christmas Masses.

Wondering what the heck a 'Holy Day of Obligation' is? Catholic Online has all your answers!

May your prayerful and spirit-led preparations this Advent help to create a holy space in your home and in your heart for the birthing of our Lord of Light and Love...Jesus Christ.

Peace and God Bless

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First Week of Advent - The Advent Wreath and Keeping Awake

As we reach the mid-point of our first week of hope-filled waiting and preparation the following two videos should be of great help. The first from Franciscan communications is a brief description of the Advent wreath and an explanation of where the tradition originated and how and why we use this rich symbol as a part of our Advent waiting.

The Second is a brief reflection on some of the themes of this first week of Advent, brought to you by the folks at Catholic Digest. I hope you enjoy both of these and that your Advent preparations help you to create a space in heart and home for the birthing of our Lord;












Peace and God Bless

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