January 25

A reflection on the Apostle’s conversion from the book

Praying with Saint Paul by Magnificat

No Eyewitness, but a Witness Nonetheless

Rebecca Vitz Cherico

 “I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received:

that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures;

that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in 

accordance with the scriptures; that he appeared to Cephas,

then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than

five hundred brothers at once.” (1 Cor 15:3-6)  

One of the most striking things about Saint Paul’s conversion and belief is that he did not himself know Jesus. Paul was not one of the Twelve, and never met Jesus of Nazareth in the flesh. But it almost seems silly to mention it, when we consider his importance in the early Church and the strength of his commitment and conversion: Paul certainly knew Christ. Paul is a great person for twenty-first century Christians to look to–who, more than Paul, understands the situation of those who come after–those whose faith is based on trusted testimony and on the experience of a newness in life whose origin is in him. Saint Paul, as a former persecutor of Christians, is uniquely qualified to witness to Christ. If a Jewish man who never knew Jesus personally and even hated and distrusted Christians can be converted, then the evidence for believing in Christ must truly be convincing.  

Paul handed on to the early Christians what had been handed on to him–he is not an eyewitness, but he is truly a witness nevertheless; a witness who was told by Jesus himself that persecuting Christians was the same as persecuting him. While he did not see Christ risen in his human form, he heard his voice and witnessed his saving power in dramatic ways and places: in his own conversion; in the Areopagus; and in many other miraculous events. But he knows that all that has happened to him depends on the truth that he received–the truth that Jesus came, died for our sins, was raised, and was seen: both by his first followers, and then by many more. This is of first importance, because everything else we believe depends on it. We have inherited a truth that we can now verify in our own lives; let us not shrink from the task that is set before us.

Lord, let me remember the truth of your sacrifice. Do not let my remoteness from your Son in time and place confuse me; he is with me today if I will only seek him out. Help me to recognize you in my present reality and witness to you today.

ATTENTION all educators and evangelists, teachers and preachers!

What the Pope said today could become a new year’s resolution for all of us…

Stay connected to Christ through His Word, Sacraments, and prayer if you are to witness and teach, educate and mature the faith of those entrusted to your care.

Believe strongly in the presence and action of the Holy Spirit, invoke Him and receive Him in you through prayer and the sacraments.

Claim nothing as your own, especially not your mission-effectiveness or “your” disciples, but like John the Baptist (and all other Christmas characters) point to Christ alone at all times.

These are among the things the Holy Father said to parents and godparents on the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, as he baptized 16 children in the Sistine Chapel (Sunday, January 8, 2012.)

He called us all to remember the duty we have undertaken to be educators in the Faith, witnesses to Christ, Christ-bearers, light-bearers, men and women of prayer who learn God from God and teach God to the children and youth entrusted to our spiritual care.

In his homily for the Baptism of Our Lord, the pope spoke of witnessing, of proclaiming, of announcing and educating others in the Faith… humbly and prayerfully – a theme highlighted throughout the entire Christmas Season with its many feasts and figures.

What the Pope said should become a new year’s resolution for all of us…

The pope began by reminding the parents and godparents and all present that they had come, as they stated, so that their newborn children might receive “the gift of the grace of God, the seed of eternal life.” They have asked the Church for baptism for their children, “the sacrament that marks the entrance into the Christian life. We can say that this was your first educational choice as a witness of faith to your children, the fundamental choice. The task of parents aided by the godparents is to educate your son or daughter. To educate is very challenging; it is sometimes difficult for our human capacities which are ever limited. But education is a wonderful mission if it is accomplished in partnership with God – He who is the first and true educator of every man”, the pope said.

God speaks to His people just like an educator in the First Reading , the pope continued: “He tries to warn the children of Israel of the danger of trying to quench their thirst and hunger from the wrong sources: ‘Why spend money for what is not bread, your earning for what does not satisfy?’ (Is 55) God wants to give us good things to eat and drink, things that are good for us; but sometimes we misuse our resources: we use them, in fact, for things that are even harmful. God wants to give us, above all, Himself and especially His Word. He knows that if we distance ourselves from Him we will soon find ourselves in difficulty, like the prodigal son in the parable, and above all, lose our human dignity. For this reason, He assures us that He is infinite mercy; that His thoughts and His ways are not like ours – fortunately for us – that we can always come back to the Father’s house; and then He assures us that, if we accept His word it will bring forth good fruit in our lives, as the rain that waters the earth.”

We draw from various good sources “for our own good and for those entrusted to our care”, the pope continued as he addressed especially the parents and godparents reflecting on the Psalm’s “wellsprings of salvation.” These wellsprings are “the Word of God and the Sacraments. Adults are the first ones who must nourish themselves from these sources in order to guide the young ones in their growth… Parents must (also) receive; otherwise they will become empty and dried up. Parents are not the sources, just like we priests are not the source: rather, we are channels through which must pass the lifeblood of God’s love. If we detach from the source, we ourselves will become adversely affected, and we will no longer be able to educate others. This is why we proclaim together: ‘We will draw with joy at the wellsprings of salvation.’ (Isaiah 12)”

The Pope, commenting on the Second Reading and the Gospel, spoke of witnessing, calling John the Baptist “a great teacher of his disciples because he led them to the encounter of Jesus of whom he had witnessed. He did not exalt himself. He did not want to keep his disciples for himself. John was a great prophet: his fame was very great. When Jesus arrived, he pulled back and pointed to him: ‘He who comes after me is mightier than I. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’ (Mark 1:7-11) The true educator does not bind people to himself; he is not possessive: he wants the child or disciple to learn to know the Truth and establish a personal relationship with it. The teacher fulfills his duty to the end; his careful and faithful presence is never lacking. But his goal is that the student learns the voice of Truth speaking to his heart, and to follow it in a personal journey.”

Making reference to the Second Reading and the Gospel once more where the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus like a dove, the Pope spoke of the Holy Spirit as the true witness who reveals and gives witness that Jesus is the only-begotten Son of the Father , the same Holy Spirit which Jesus promised to send upon us that we too may witness to His divinity and glory: “Jesus says to His disciples: ‘When the Paraclete comes whom I will send from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will witness to me and you too bear witness to me for you are with me from the beginning.’ This is a great comfort to us in our commitment to teach the Faith because we know that we are not alone, and that our testimony is supported by the Holy Spirit. It is very important for you, parents and godparents, to believe strongly in the presence and action of the Holy Spirit, invoke Him and receive Him within you through prayer and the sacraments. It is He who illuminates the mind and warms the heart of the educator so that he knows how to transmit the knowledge and love of Jesus. Prayer is the first criteria of being a good educator, because by praying we make ourselves available to leave to God the initiative, to entrust the children to Him who knows them first and better than us, and knows what is their true good. And at the same time, when we pray, we listen to God for the inspiration of God to do a good job.” He added that the sacraments, especially Penance and the Eucharist allow us to educate in union with Christ, renewed by His forgiveness, receiving the light of Christ to be tender yet strong, to use gentleness and strength, silence and speech at the right times, and to discipline and correct justly.

The Holy Father invoked the Holy Spirit as he entrusted the children to be baptized to the maternal guidance of Mary that they “become true Christians, faithful and joyful witnesses of God’s love.”

I love the Christmas Season and the main characters highlighted therein for the reasons mentioned by the pope.

The biblical figures highlighted during this Season are giants of faith yet “little people” who (with the exception of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, perhaps) are seldom thought of or prayed to by most of us throughout the year and throughout our lives of apostolic outreach. What a loss! These great men and women were among the very first witnesses to the Incarnation! St. Elizabeth and St. John the Baptist in her womb were, of course, the very first to witness to Christ’s presence during Mary’s Visitation to St. Elizabeth (May 31), soon after the Annunciation of the Angel to Mary (March 31), and we see John the Baptist again today as we celebrate the Baptism of Our Lord giving witness to the One who was to come and has come to baptize us in the Holy Spirit and power. But at the Birth of Christ, it is the angels on high, and the shepherds, and the Wise Men, then Simeon and Anna who clearly proclaim the glory of God and adore the Newborn King! These are the first witnesses to Christ’s arrival into our midst, the first to profess and proclaim that the Anointed One has come, He who will anoint and baptize us and give us share in His divine and eternal life. They see and hear, they believe and testify, in simplicity and humility, with great joy and little fanfare and no self-seeking. They seek and find the only One worth drawing attention to: Christ the Lord.

We ought to learn from them.

We ought to imitate them.

We ought to pray to them for their intercession. (I do, at the end of every Rosary!)

We, like they, ought to have eyes and ears and hearts and mouths wide open to see and hear and believe and reveal the God who has revealed Himself to us.

ATTENTION all parents and godparents, baptized and adoptive families!

We who are baptized are all adopted children, adopted into God’s family and thus co-heirs with Christ.

We have been led and have led others to the “agency adoption”, to the Church’s baptismal font where our children and godchildren have been adopted into God’s family and depend on us to mature the faith they have received.

We are all called to know and love and live the Faith because, “This is our faith. This is the faith of the Church. We are proud to profess it, in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (The Roman Ritual, “The Rite of Baptism for Children,” no. 96) In so doing, we become better educators and evangelists, teachers and preachers to children, youth, and peers alike.

A new year has just begun. Do not abdicate or ignore your call. Make good use of you time, treasure, and talents to know and love and serve the Lord… and to do so better this year than last.

Know that you have been grafted onto to Christ. Know that you have been baptized into His death, “buried with Him, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live a new life.” (Romans 6:4)

Know that the light of Christ has been entrusted to you. Know that souls have been entrusted to you. Know that the faith of the children who have given birth too –physically and spiritually– will grow and mature and become strong if your own faith grows and matures and you witness to them what it means to be a new creation in Christ Jesus Our Lord, a true Christian disciple…

 …anointed with the oil of gladness and chrism of salvation that delivers us from evil and the Evil One

…washed clean at the waters of regeneration

…wearing always the white garments of an unsoiled soul

…bearing the light of Christ to all who live in darkness

…accepting the challenges that come from being signed with the Cross of Christ so as to respond valiantly to the Master’s call to take up our cross and follow Him.

ATTENTION all educators and evangelists, teachers and preachers!

Know that if “history has not known a man born of woman greater than John the Baptizer”, as Jesus says in Matthew 11:11, and John the Baptizer insisted in declaring “I am not” when asked who he was, then you and I are not, we are nothing compared to the One we witness to, the One who is to come, the One for whom we prepare the way.

Know that it is Christ who is the great “I AM”, while we are the small “I am not”, “I am nothing” – nothing but a mere “voice that cries in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord!’”, a mere voice that lets the world hear the Word made flesh. We are but mere instruments, and just like the greatest man born of woman we too should consider ourselves, at all times and in every situation, unworthy even to untie the straps on Jesus’ sandals! (Mark 1:1ff)

Know that, if you and I are to be effective educators and evangelists, teachers and preachers, we must at all times and in every situation know who we are and remain humble so as never to take the spotlight, but rather, like the star that led the Wise Men, simply fade into the background. The star had one purpose in the Gospel account: to lead others to Christ. A simple mission. No glory for the star. No feast day for the star. No headlines. No further mention. No praise. The star could well declare what Jesus says you and I must say: “We are unworthy servants who have only done our duty.” (Luke 17:10)

Fulfill your call with the utmost simplicity and humility, fidelity and care.

Be a star: lead wise men who still seek and find Christ where Christ can be found –in the crib, the cross, the chalice, and the church– and then… disappear, withdraw into the background, your job accomplished once others have found the Christ, the Anointed One, the One who anoints and baptizes and feeds His People with His very Body and Blood, soul and divinity all who come to eat and drink what money cannot buy.

I am an educator and evangelizer, a teacher and preacher.

I would not write what I write and say what I say if I didn’t intend to keep this in the forefront of my mind at all times and in every situation.

I know what is expected of me in this regard – and I call upon the Holy Spirit daily to assist me in every way that I might only and always seek the glory of God and the good of His People, He who wants only and always my good.

I am a parent – a godparent. I have a son and three daughters.

I am the godmother of a little blue-eyed baby boy who so quickly became a handsome young man.

I am the godmother of a sweet, quiet little girl who has become a fine and loving young lady.

I am the godmother of another fine Christian soldier who asked me to be her Confirmation “madrina” and still looks to me to witness to the Faith despite her own maturity in Christ.

I am the godmother of a vivacious eight year-old who calls me her “spiritual mother” and shows signs of herself being an evangelist one day.

I know I have been called to witness to the Faith in a particular way to my three, no, four children. God called me to aid in the spiritual growth of four of His beloved children. I accepted the challenge –and the privilege– of helping them grow in their knowledge and love of God, until they, like I, become another Christ, “holy as the Lord our God is holy.” (Matthew 5: 48; Leviticus 11:44)

I accepted the call to do all I can to help their parents keep these children’s light aflame and their garments unsullied; living Monday through Saturday what they profess each Sunday; shouldering the cross; their heads and hearts, ears and mouths anointed by the oil of gladness so that, in hearing the Word of God, they may live it and share it freely.

This year’s celebration of the Baptism of the Lord and the words of the Holy Father have reminded me again of the call placed upon me by the Lord, a call I gladly accepted and cannot neglect:

 …the call to know and live and teach the Faith to my godchildren and to all who God puts in my path

…the call to be a star, one who leads others to the King of kings and disappears once my job is done

…the call to joyfully draw from the wellsprings of salvation and, nourished by Word and sacraments, to await the Second Coming of Christ with the same longing with which Simeon and Anna awaited His First Coming and with the shepherds, the Wise Men, and John the Baptist and his mother received Christ into their hearts, just as Mary and Joseph had received the Christ Child into her womb and his home.

I pray you do the same, dear parent, godparent, educator, evangelist, teacher, and preacher.

Let us take to heart the words of the Pope and pray in a special way this year for our bishops -in our respective dioceses, across the US, and across the globe- as we collaborate with them in embracing and sharing the truth of Christ with others through our pastoral services and in our personal lives of holiness and service.

I pray you enjoy a happy, holy, and healthy 2012, as we prepare to celebrate the Year of Faith and enter more fully through the door of faith, porta fidei (http://www.vatican.va/latest/sub_index/latest_index_en.htm) and carry out an evermore effective new evangelization!

For now, happy Epiphany of Our Lord and close of the Christmas Season with the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord on Monday!

Pope’s Homily at Mass for Feast of Epiphany

“Not Only Are We Restless for God: God’s Heart Is Restless for Us”

VATICAN CITY, JAN. 6, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Here is a Vatican translation of the homily Benedict XVI gave today at Mass for the feast of the Epiphany. During the Mass, he conferred episcopal ordination on Monsignor Charles John Brown, apostolic nuncio to Ireland, and Monsignor Marek Solczynski, apostolic nuncio to Georgia and Armenia. * * *

Dear Brothers and Sisters! The Epiphany is a feast of light. “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you” (Is 60:1). With these words of the prophet Isaiah, the Church describes the content of the feast. He who is the true light, and by whom we too are made to be light, has indeed come into the world. He gives us the power to become children of God (cf. Jn 1:9,12). The journey of the wise men from the East is, for the liturgy, just the beginning of a great procession that continues throughout history. With the Magi, humanity’s pilgrimage to Jesus Christ begins – to the God who was born in a stable, who died on the Cross and who, having risen from the dead, remains with us always, until the consummation of the world (cf. Mt 28:20). The Church reads this account from Matthew’s Gospel alongside the vision of the prophet Isaiah that we heard in the first reading: the journey of these men is just the beginning. Before them came the shepherds – simple souls, who dwelt closer to the God who became a child, and could more easily “go over” to him (Lk 2:15) and recognize him as Lord. But now the wise of this world are also coming. Great and small, kings and slaves, men of all cultures and all peoples are coming. The men from the East are the first, followed by many more throughout the centuries. After the great vision of Isaiah, the reading from the Letter to the Ephesians expresses the same idea in sober and simple terms: the Gentiles share the same heritage (cf. Eph3:6). Psalm 2 puts it like this: “I shall bequeath you the nations, put the ends of the earth in your possession” (v. 8).

The wise men from the East lead the way. They open up the path of the Gentiles to Christ. During this holy Mass, I will ordain two priests to the episcopate, I will consecrate them as shepherds of God’s people. According to the words of Jesus, part of a shepherd’s task is to go ahead of the flock (cf. Jn 10:4). So, allowing for all the differences in vocation and mission, we may well look to these figures, the first Gentiles to find the pathway to Christ, for indications concerning the task of bishops. What kind of people were they? The experts tell us that they belonged to the great astronomical tradition that had developed in Mesopotamia over the centuries and continued to flourish. But this information of itself is not enough. No doubt there were many astronomers in ancient Babylon, but only these few set off to follow the star that they recognized as the star of the promise, pointing them along the path towards the true King and Saviour. They were, as we might say, men of science, but not simply in the sense that they were searching for a wide range of knowledge: they wanted something more. They wanted to understand what being human is all about. They had doubtless heard of the prophecy of the Gentile prophet Balaam: “A star shall come forth out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel” (Num24:17). They explored this promise. They were men with restless hearts, not satisfied with the superficial and the ordinary. They were men in search of the promise, in search of God. And they were watchful men, capable of reading God’s signs, his soft and penetrating language. But they were also courageous, yet humble: we can imagine them having to endure a certain amount of mockery for setting off to find the King of the Jews, at the cost of so much effort. For them it mattered little what this or that person, what even influential and clever people thought and said about them. For them it was a question of truth itself, not human opinion. Hence they took upon themselves the sacrifices and the effort of a long and uncertain journey. Their humble courage was what enabled them to bend down before the child of poor people and to recognize in him the promised King, the one they had set out, on both their outward and their inward journey, to seek and to know.

Dear friends, how can we fail to recognize in all this certain essential elements of episcopal ministry? The bishop too must be a man of restless heart, not satisfied with the ordinary things of this world, but inwardly driven by his heart’s unrest to draw ever closer to God, to seek his face, to recognize him more and more, to be able to love him more and more. The bishop too must be a man of watchful heart, who recognizes the gentle language of God and understands how to distinguish truth from mere appearance. The bishop too must be filled with the courage of humility, not asking what prevailing opinion says about him, but following the criterion of God’s truth and taking his stand accordingly – “opportune – importune”. He must be able to go ahead and mark out the path. He must go ahead, in the footsteps of him who went ahead of us all because he is the true shepherd, the true star of the promise: Jesus Christ. And he must have the humility to bend down before the God who made himself so tangible and so simple that he contradicts our foolish pride in its reluctance to see God so close and so small. He must devote his life to adoration of the incarnate Son of God, which constantly points him towards the path.

The liturgy of episcopal ordination interprets the essential features of this ministry in eight questions addressed to the candidates, each beginning with the word “Vultis? – Do you want?” These questions direct the will and mark out the path to be followed. Here I shall briefly cite just a few of the most important words of this presentation, where we find explicit mention of the elements we have just considered in connection with the wise men of today’s feast. The bishops’ task is praedicare Evangelium Christi, it is custodire et dirigere, it is pauperibus se misericordes praebere, it is indesinenter orare. Preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, going ahead and leading, guarding the sacred heritage of our faith, showing mercy and charity to the needy and the poor, thus mirroring God’s merciful love for us, and finally, praying without ceasing: these are the fundamental features of the episcopal ministry. Praying without ceasing means: never losing contact with God, letting ourselves be constantly touched by him in the depths of our hearts and, in this way, being penetrated by his light. Only someone who actually knows God can lead others to God. Only someone who leads people to God leads them along the path of life.

The restless heart of which we spoke earlier, echoing Saint Augustine, is the heart that is ultimately satisfied with nothing less than God, and in this way becomes a loving heart. Our heart is restless for God and remains so, even if every effort is made today, by means of most effective anaesthetizing methods, to deliver people from this unrest. But not only are we restless for God: God’s heart is restless for us. God is waiting for us. He is looking for us. He knows no rest either, until he finds us. God’s heart is restless, and that is why he set out on the path towards us – to Bethlehem, to Calvary, from Jerusalem to Galilee and on to the very ends of the earth. God is restless for us, he looks out for people willing to “catch” his unrest, his passion for us, people who carry within them the searching of their own hearts and at the same time open themselves to be touched by God’s search for us. Dear friends, this was the task of the Apostles: to receive God’s unrest for man and then to bring God himself to man. And this is your task as successors of the Apostles: let yourselves be touched by God’s unrest, so that God’s longing for man may be fulfilled.

The wise men followed the star. Through the language of creation, they discovered the God of history. To be sure – the language of creation alone is not enough. Only God’s word, which we encounter in sacred Scripture, was able to mark out their path definitively. Creation and Scripture, reason and faith, must come together, so as to lead us forward to the living God. There has been much discussion over what kind of star it was that the wise men were following. Some suggest a planetary constellation, or a supernova, that is to say one of those stars that is initially quite weak, in which an inner explosion releases a brilliant light for a certain time, or a comet, etc. This debate we may leave to the experts. The great star, the true supernova that leads us on, is Christ himself. He is as it were the explosion of God’s love, which causes the great white light of his heart to shine upon the world. And we may add: the wise men from the East, who feature in today’s Gospel, like all the saints, have themselves gradually become constellations of God that mark out the path. In all these people, being touched by God’s word has, as it were, released an explosion of light, through which God’s radiance shines upon our world and shows us the path. The saints are stars of God, by whom we let ourselves be led to him for whom our whole being longs. Dear friends: you followed the star Jesus Christ when you said “yes” to the priesthood and to the episcopacy. And no doubt smaller stars have enlightened and helped you not to lose your way. In the litany of saints we call upon all these stars of God, that they may continue to shine upon you and show you the path. As you are ordained bishops, you too are called to be stars of God for men, leading them along the path towards the true light, towards Christ. So let us pray to all the saints at this hour, asking them that you may always live up to this mission you have received, to show God’s light to mankind.

 © Copyright 2011 – Libreria Editrice Vaticana | More © Innovative Media, Inc. Reprinting ZENIT’s articles requires written permission from the editor.

But remember Christmas after the party is over tonight…

http://www.archsa.org/evangelization/Christmas

I watched Joanna Bogle’s EWTN “Seasons and Feasts” this morning (find her recipes, book, and shows online for tips on celebrating the Catholic Faith throughout the year): she mentioned that we overdo the Christmas themes during the Advent Season and thus feel we have little to celebrate during the 12 days of Christmas. (The 12 days of Christmas go from Christmas Day to the Epiphany of Our Lord, a favorite feast of mine as Christ is revealed as the king of kings who come to pay Him homage. In the U.S., being a movable feast, the 12 days of Christmas become more like 14 days of Christmas.)

But most don’t celebrate Christmas beyond a day: the true day-by-day celebration of the meaning of Christmas is lost so quickly – once the presents are opened and the decorations are taken down and even trashed, and we move on to new year’s champagne and glitter, fireworks and resolutions. The true celebration of the entire Christmas Season and each of the themes proposed during the 12 days is unfortunately influenced by the world’s short memory and hurry to move on to “the next thing.”

And most people, even among practicing Catholics, don’t even know that once we celebrated Christmas through Candlemas or the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple on February 2 (another favorite feast of mine because I love Simeon and Anna -devout, Spirit-led, prayerful, Christ-awaiting believers!- and because the feast reminds us how Christ has revealed Himself as light to the nations and the glory of His people, Israel. It was also my Dad’s birth day.)

I hope and pray we do better next year, as we enter into the Year of Faith (10/11/12 through 11/24/13) and slow down during Advent, delay the Christmas carols till Christmas, truly season up the Season, live up each moment and mystery therein, and get the most out of this most important mystery of faith!

O come, o come, Sapientia, Adonai, Radix Jesse, Clavis David, Oriens, Rex Gentium, Emmanuel!

The O Antiphons are here as we begin the last lap of our Advent journey. They invite us to pray with longing to and for the coming of the Most High who promises to come soon in power and in love to save us. The Catholic Culture website explains:

Beginning on December 17, as the final phase of preparation for Christmas, the Church recites or chants the O Antiphons preceding the Magnificat during Vespers of the Liturgy of the Hours.

The O Antiphons express the Church’s longing and expectation for the Messiah, her startled wonderment at the fullness of grace which the Christ-Child is about to bestow on the world. Their theme is the majesty of the Savior, His wisdom, His faithfulness and sanctity, His justice and mercy, His covenant with His chosen people, who in their ingratitude broke faith with Him. They are concerned with His power and love as King and Redeemer of the world, His relation to every soul as Emmanuel, God-with-us. (With Christ Through the Year by Bernard Strasser)

According to Professor Robert Greenberg of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Benedictine monks arranged these antiphons with a definite purpose. If one starts with the last title and takes the first letter of each one — Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia — the Latin words ero cras are formed, meaning, “Tomorrow, I will come.” Therefore, the Lord Jesus, whose coming we have prepared for in Advent and whom we have addressed in these seven Messianic titles, now speaks to us, “Tomorrow, I will come.” So the “O Antiphons” not only bring intensity to our Advent preparation, but bring it to a joyful conclusion. (Fr. William Saunders)www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/seasons/advent/O_ant.cfm

Let us pray!

Come, Lord Jesus, come!

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=958

Christmas Novena

Hail, and blessed be the hour and moment
At which the Son of God was born
Of a most pure Virgin
At a stable at midnight in Bethlehem
In the piercing cold
At that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee,
To hear my prayers and grant my desires
(mention request here). 

Through Jesus Christ and His most Blessed Mother.

Read more: http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/novena/christmas.htm#ixzz1gjB6ytfB
]]> http://ievangelize.wordpress.com/2011/12/16/let-us-pray-christmas-novena-december-16-24/feed/ 0 Nacimiento4 archsaevangelization http://ievangelize.wordpress.com/2011/12/15/jeff-cavins-is-coming-to-town/ http://ievangelize.wordpress.com/2011/12/15/jeff-cavins-is-coming-to-town/#comments Thu, 15 Dec 2011 06:39:36 +0000 archsaevangelization http://ievangelize.wordpress.com/?p=2794 Read more]]> Give the gift of Revelation this Christmas!

The gift is perfect…

The price is right…

The time is now…

Unpack The Mysteries of Revelation

with Jeff Cavins on February 25

and be fed for free on February 24!

 Have you ever had questions about the “End Times”?

Have you been warned about “The Rapture” or been told that the “Second Coming” of Christ is near?

Then you won’t want to miss your chance to hear renowned Catholic Bible teacher Jeff Cavins…

“Unpack the Mysteries of Revelation”

Join us on Saturday, February 25, 2012 at St. Matthew Catholic Church as Jeff Cavins presents “Unpack the Mysteries of Revelation” and provides understandable insights into one of the most talked-about yet least-understood books in Sacred Scripture! Find out… 

• How the Kingdom established by Christ in His Church is intimately connected with the Kingdom of Heaven, especially through the celebration of the Mass
• What all the mysterious figures and images of Revelation represent
• What has already happened, and what is happening now in salvation history
• What will happen at the Second Coming of Christ

You’ll also have an opportunity to attend a FREE talk on Friday, February 24, 2012 as Jeff Cavins presents “I’m Not Being Fed: Discovering the Food that Satisfies the Soul”  on the all-important topic of Jesus Christ’s Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist (7:00-9:00 pm.) 

Mail your registration form (attached) and payment by January 24, 2012 to:

SanAntonio_Feb24-25_RevelationFlyer

Office for Evangelization

2718 West Woodlawn Avenue

San Antonio, Texas 78228

From the days when Jesus and His Apostles and their disciples walked the streets and visited homes, to this very day when hundreds of Catholics walk the streets and visit homes worldwide, the Word of God, Jesus Christ, has been brought to people everywhere! No need to stop now – quite opposite! We have a lot more to offer people than any atheist, secularist, relativist, or humanist out there – in fact, more than all of them combined. Really! We have the Living Word of God , Jesus Christ and the deposit of faith he left for all who see for the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

If you’ve ever wanted to share your faith within your neighborhood and parish boundaries with the many who have fallen away from the Catholic Church and want to be better equipped to share the Good News with the many who have no religious background, this workshop is for you!

Thanks to a grant, we will hold one two FREE Home Visitation Training Workshops this December on two dates and in two languages to choose from:

Tuesday, December 13, 2011 (English) from 6:00-9:00 pm

Wednesday, December 14, 2011 (Spanish) from 6:00-9:00 pm

Light dinner included

St. Joseph Catholic Church (South San Antonio)

535 New Laredo Highway

San Antonio, TX 78211

 Martha Fernández-Sardina, Director of the Office for Evangelization, will present the various moments, methods and means of evangelization! You will learn…

·      How home visits energizes parishioners, the parish, and the neighborhood

·      How to prepare and share a personal testimony

·      How to speak about Christ with friends and strangers

·      How to explain Faith matters to others

·      How to prepare the ground to evangelize the unchurched

Spread word, invite others, and mail/email your completed registration form by December 7 to:

Office for Evangelization

2718 West Woodlawn Avenue

San Antonio, Texas 78228

Evangelization@archsa.org

Months before leaving for Los Angeles, Archbishop José H. Gomez stated in You Will Be My Witnesses: A Pastoral Letter to the People of God of San Antonio On the Christian Mission to Evangelize and Proclaim Jesus Christ:

“I am very enthusiastic about the growth of evangelization teams in parishes throughout our Archdiocese.  This is just the kind of pastoral initiative we need! The parish exists in order to spread the Good News. I call upon pastors and parish leaders, in cooperation with our Office for Evangelization, to become even more committed to equipping parishioners to defend their faith and to give account for the hope that is in them. Our people must know their faith well… and they must know the urgency of the duty to evangelize.” (No. 16)

Help make your parish anevangelized and evangelizing community of faith! Join the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization in its efforts to reach inactive Catholics and the growing number of unchurched and secularized people, and countering what pope Benedict called “the dictatorship of relativism” – a religion of unbelief!

Thanks to a grant, we will hold one FREE Advent Parish Evangelization Team Training Workshop and two FREE Home Visitation Training Workshops this December! 

Saturday, December 10, 2011

10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Light lunch included

Sacred Heart Catholic Church (Del Rio)

307 E. Losoya Street

Del Rio TX 78840

Learn…

•What Pope Benedict XVI’s #1 priority is

•What the New Evangelization is

•What key Church documents say about evangelization outreach

• Why Parish Evangelization Teams (P.E.T.s) are important for parish life

• Who should be invited to be on a P.E.T.

• How to design a parish plan and implement outreach goals and strategies

• How to mobilize parish organizations and parishioners into action

Register, spread word, and invite others to  register… by phone… email… or postal mail… by December 5.

PET_flyer_&_registration_-_Sacred_Heart_Parish_(Uvalde_Deanery)

The King will come. He did already, in His First Coming. He comes daily in Word and Sacrament. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead at His Second Coming. Are you ready? Get ready!

The Lord will make all things new on that great and glorious day, Sacred Scripture assures us. And to train and prepare us for this final change and newness, the King sees to it that we become accustomed to gradual, meaningful, and lasting change and growth here on earth, as we journey to our heavenly homeland. His Church gives us various liturgical seasons in which to emphasize various aspects of His multiple comings and His self-giving – be it in the Crib, the Cup, the Cross, and the Church.

Today we begin one such liturgical season -the Advent Season- one filled with prayerful awaiting, reflection, anticipation, awe (real awe in the presence of the only truly awesome One!)

With this Season, we inaugurate the Liturgical Year or Church Year, which gives us all a new opportunity to start again, to focus again on what really matters – the mystery of Faith!

Furthermore, in several Anglophone (English-speaking) countries, we also begin the implementation of the new English translation of the Roman Missal, third edition.

This is, thus, a triply blessed time: new year (new beginning!), new Season (new grace), and new translation (new appreciation for the timeless mystery of the Holy Mass!) May this triply blessed time help us all renew our hearts and minds and renew our commitment to Christ in His Church.

It can be challenging to keep a good Advent. We are all stressed this time of year, and increasingly so due to the economic crisis and its effects on our lives, especially for those without a job or barely meeting their needs. The consumeristic society in which we live bombards us with daily ads and lures to want more, buy more, have more, give more. Giving in to instant gratification and the “show of life” can ruin our Advent. Be sober and alert. If we fail to remain vigilant, the enticements of this so-called “holiday season” will barely leave any room for the spiritual aspects and true celebration of the Holy Days that make up the great and glorious Christian Seasons of Advent and Christmas. Our focus should be on preparing well to celebrate Christ’s Incarnation – His taking on our human nature to save us and give us a share in His divine life – and His coming to us daily and one day in glory.

Are you ready? Get ready! Don’t miss out on the graces and joy of this Season and the next!

You will find information and resources elsewhere in this blog related to the new English translation of the third edition of the Roman Missal, including information of my 4-part television series on the topic: be sure to catch the last episode airing this week on Catholic Television of San Antonio (CTSA). I hope to have all 4 episodes available online very soon. Here are some additional resources which I believe you will find useful as we celebrate Advent and keep holy the Lord’s Day with the help of the new Mass translation: 

http://mmredeemer.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Advent-Ltr-2011-CJC.pdf

http://www.thebostonpilot.com/article.asp?ID=14017

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/senior-bishops-predict-great-results-from-new-mass-translation/

http://www.aciprensa.com/noticia.php?n=35435

http://www.zenit.org/article-41008?l=spanish