Feast Of The Holy Innocents - They Cannot Speak, Yet They Bear Witness To Christ

It's easy to forget during all of our modern festivities, and maybe especially within the context of more recent tragedies, that the very first Christmas was itself heralded by deep and senseless tragedy. Today's feast reminds us that Christ came to free us from fear...and that, in spite of how it may seem and feel at the time, our King, our Saviour, our God, is never closer than in the midst of our pain, suffering and confusion. Today let us pray for all of the Holy Innocents, martyred by fear, by hate, and by the darkness and sickness of sin.On this day, let the words of this reflection, written as a letter to Herod, a letter that could be...

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"For A Child Has Been Born For Us, A Son Given To Us!"

From a sermon by Saint Leo the Great, pope Christian, remember your dignity Dearly beloved, today our Savior is born; let us rejoice. Sadness should have no place on the birthday of life. The fear of death has been swallowed up; life brings us joy with the promise of eternal happiness. No one is shut out from this joy; all share the same reason for rejoicing. Our Lord, victor over sin and death, finding no man free from sin, came to free us all. Let the saint rejoice as he sees the palm of victory at hand. Let the sinner be glad as he receives the offer of forgiveness. Let the pagan take courage as he is summoned to life. In the fullness of...

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Guadete Sunday - The voice is John, the Word is Christ

I woke up to this wonderful reflection by St. Augustine on the relationship between Jesus and John the Baptist, the voice and the Word. I love how Augustine moves his reflections from what we experience and know of our own world, lives and physical being, and shows what they can teach us about the things of God; From a sermon by Saint Augustine, bishop The voice is John, the Word is Christ John is the voice, but the Lord is the Word who was in the beginning. John is the voice that lasts for a time; from the beginning Christ is the Word who lives for ever. Take away the word, the meaning, and what is the voice? Where there is no understanding,...

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Mary - Mother of The Church

I was really quite moved by the dual imagery Blessed Isaac uses as he speaks about Mary and the Church in the second reading of today's Office of Readings. I especially loved the intimate connections he makes between Mary, the Church, and ourselves as individuals, all playing our own particular, complimentary, and essential roles in the birthing of Christ in the world;"Christ dwelt for nine months in the tabernacle of Mary’s womb. He dwells until the end of the ages in the tabernacle of the Church’s faith. He will dwell for ever in the knowledge and love of each faithful soul."Perhaps it inspires you, as with myself, to cry out all the louder...

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Year of Faith: The Church - Contending With The Chaos Of Sin

We had an interesting Bible Study on the book of Acts last night which brought up, among many other topics, the unique purpose and character of the Church as it began to form in the earliest days of humanity's creation. Often we only think of the Church as having come about through the work of Jesus. In reality, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church  tells us, the Church began to come together as God's response to the reality of sin that had come into the world through the first act of disobedience by Adam and Eve in the Garden; 761 The gathering together of the People of God began at the moment when...

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Second Sunday of Advent - The voice in the wilderness

From a commentary on Isaiah by Eusebius of Caesarea, bishopThe voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of our God. The prophecy makes clear that it is to be fulfilled, not in Jerusalem but in the wilderness: it is there that the glory of the Lord is to appear, and God’s salvation is to be made known to all mankind.It was in the wilderness that God’s saving presence was proclaimed by John the Baptist, and there that God’s salvation was seen. The words of this prophecy were fulfilled when Christ and his glory were made manifest to all: after his baptism the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit...

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Feast Of The Immaculate Conception - Virgin Mary, all nature is blessed in you!

From a sermon by Saint Anselm, bishopBlessed Lady, sky and stars, earth and rivers, day and night—everything that is subject to the power or use of man—rejoice that through you they are in some sense restored to their lost beauty and are endowed with inexpressible new grace. All creatures were dead, as it were, useless for men or for the praise of God, who made them. The world, contrary to its true destiny, was corrupted and tainted by the acts of men who served idols. Now all creation has been restored to life and rejoices that it is controlled and given splendor by men who believe in God.The universe rejoices with new and indefinable loveliness....

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Advent Week 1 - Love is Coming

Joe Paprocki shares what Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young have to do with Advent and gratitude; Carry On - Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young "The sky is clearing and the night has gone out. The sun, he comes, the world is all full of light. Rejoice, rejoice, we have no choice but to carry on. The fortunes of fables are able to sing the song. Now witness the quickness with which we get along. To sing the blues you've got to live the tunes and carry on. Carry on, love is coming, love is coming to us all." How does does Advent inspire you to find the sun in the darkness, the clear sky through the clouds and rejoice...rejoice? Why not have a listen?...

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On The Solemnity of Christ The King - Your Kingdom Come

On The Solemnity of Christ The King - Your Kingdom Come (Reading for Feast of Christ The King by Origen, one of the early Church Fathers) The kingdom of God in the words of our Lord and Savior, does not come for all to see; nor shall they say: Behold, here it is, or behold, there it is; but the kingdom ­of God is within us, for the word of God is very near, in our mouth and in our heart. Thus it is clear that he who prays for the coming of God's kingdom prays rightly to have it within himself, that there it may grow and bear fruit and become perfect. For God reigns in each of his holy ones. Anyone who is holy obeys the spiritual laws...

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The Year Of Faith: October 11, 2012 – November 24, 2013

 In promulgating the year of faith (October 11, 2012 to November 24, 2013), Pope Benedict XVI has set aside a special year for Catholics throughout the world to rediscover, and share with others, the precious gift of faith entrusted to the Church and the personal gift of faith that we have each received from God the father, God the son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Father notes insightfully that faith is not content alone. It is not merely knowledge of those intellectual propositions that one might find in the Catechism of the Catholic Church or in the documents of Vatican II. One can read and know what’s in these documents or may...

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Feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome - November 9

Today in our Church we celebrate the feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome. It is one of our most rare types of feasts in that, while most all others have specific persons and/or events as their focus (Think of the two we just had; All Saints and All Souls), this one has a particular place as the focus of our prayerful attention. Below you will find a bit on the history and purpose of this particular feast, as well as a wonderful reflection on the relationship between the Temple of the Church and the Temple of our own bodies - two spiritual themes that this feast points to. Enjoy! November 9 - Dedication of the Lateran...

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The Solemnity of Christ The King - Our Parish Patron - November 25, 2012

(edited from http://www.churchyear.net/ctksunday.html) In addition to being the name-sake or patron of our Parish, the Solemnity of Christ the King celebrates the all-embracing authority of Christ as King and Lord of the cosmos. This highest of Catholic Feasts  is celebrated on the final Sunday of Liturgical Year, the Sunday before Advent. This year, the feast falls on November 25th. Pope Pius XI instituted The Feast of Christ the King in 1925. The Feast of Christ the King was instituted during a time when respect for Christ and the Church was waning, when the feast was most needed. In fact, it is still needed today, as these...

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Feast of St. Luke

Today is the Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist, one of the authors of the gospels and the book of Acts. I thought I would share with you some info on Luke, a wonderful reflection on one of the themes of Luke's writings by Pope St. Gregory the Great, and a prayer. All taken from www.divineoffice.org . Enjoy! October 18 - Saint Luke the Evangelist: Feast “And he said to all, ‘If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it.” Today is the feast of St. Luke the Evangelist. Tradition...

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Unity in Prayer and Worship

The New Roman Missal has been out and in use since December of last year. One of the biggest questions and/or comments we hear about it is something along the lines of "what does it matter what words we say or whether everyone sits or stands or kneels? Isn't it enough for God that we show up?" Not sure if St. Cyprian struggled with introducing a newer translation of the Mass...but he sure knew how important unity was - not for God - but for us... From a Treatise on the Lord’s Prayer by Saint Cyprian, Bishop and Martyr Our prayer is communal Above all, he who preaches peace and unity did not want us to pray by ourselves in private or for...

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Christ the King Outdoor Mass & Picnic

Christ the King Outdoor Mass & BBQ Picnic Mass 10:00 a.m. –Followed by BBQ Picnic Sunday, June 24, 2012 (Outdoors – weather permitting) Bring your own chair, umbrella, portable gazebo and other picnic essentials (bug spray, sunscreen, etc). Games for everyone! Dino Bouncer, Entertainment, Music, Three legged races, Games for everyone BBQ after Mass Menu: Hotdogs, hamburgers, salad and ice cream HELP IS NEEDED to make this a special celebration for everyone! ~Donations list will be set up at the back of the church in June~ If you can help with any of the following:...

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The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Feast

“Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!” (Zeph 3:14) Today marks the day the Blessed Mother visited her cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s son, John, jumped in her womb and Elizabeth, upon hearing Mary’s greeting, was filled with the Holy Spirit proclaiming, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” Mary’s response has become known as her Magnificant; in which she expresses praise and thanksgiving to God the Father for his closeness of Spirit. The account can be found in the Gospel According to Luke, chapter 1, verses 39-56. ‘My soul magnifies...

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I Am The Vine, You Are The Branches: From a Commentary on the Gospel of John by Saint Cyril of Alexandria

The Lord calls himself the vine and those united to him branches in order to teach us how much we shall benefit from our union with him, and how important it is for us to remain in his love. By receiving the Holy Spirit, who is the bond of union between us and Christ our Savior, those who are joined to him, as branches are to a vine, share in his own nature. On the part of those who come to the vine, their union with him depends upon a deliberate act of the will; on his part, the union is effected by grace. Because we had good will, we made the act of faith that brought us to Christ, and received from him the dignity of adoptive sonship that...

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Confirmations and the Power of Prayer

Yesterday I had the great honor of sharing the celebration of the sacrament of Confirmation with 50 children of our parish and their families and friends. The celebration with His Grace Archbishop Daniel and our own Father Antony was wonderful and very exciting! But this post isn't so much about the celebration. Its about something I noticed this morning, with all of the preparations and celebrating behind me, as I worked at getting the last vestiges of our Saturday morning pre-confirmation retreat out of the Hall, packed up and put away for another year. The focus of the retreat was on prayer, that single act of God's...

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Happy Easter From Christ The King - Christ Is Risen! Alleluia! Alleluia!

The Resurrection Mural - Ron DiCianni On Easter Sunday, Christians celebrate the resurrection of the Lord, Jesus Christ. It is typically the most well-attended Sunday service of the year for Christian churches. Christians believe, according to Scripture, that Jesus came back to life, or was raised from the dead, three days after his death on the cross. As part of the Easter season, the death of Jesus Christ by crucifixion is commemorated on Good Friday, always the Friday just before Easter. Through his death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus paid the penalty for sin, thus purchasing for all who believe in him, eternal life in Christ Jesus....

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