FEAST OF THE
Genesis, Chapter
43, Verse 23
He replied, “Calm down! Do not fear! Your God and the God of your father must have put treasure in
your bags for you. As for your money, I received it.” With that, he led Simeon
out to them.
Being calm under
pressure or threat is the ultimate way we can show trust in God. Here are some
more verses to ponder on calming down:[1]
·
Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun set on your anger, and
do not leave room for the devil. (Ep. 4:26-27)
·
For God did not give us a spirit of
cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. (2Tm. 1:7)
·
He hushed the storm to silence; the
waves of the sea were stilled. They rejoiced that the sea grew calm,
that God brought them to the harbor they longed for. (Ps. 107:29-30)
·
He got into a boat and his disciples
followed him. Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea,
so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep. They came and
woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are
you terrified, O you of little faith?” Then he got up, rebuked the winds and
the sea, and there was great calm. The men were amazed and
said, “What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?”
(Mt. 8:23-27)
This feast, which in recent times has been kept not only throughout
the whole of Spain, but also in many other parts of the Catholic world, owes
its origin to the bishops of the 10th Council of Toledo, in 656. These prelates
thought that there was an incongruity in the ancient practice of celebrating
the Feast of the Annunciation on the 25th of March, inasmuch as this joyful
solemnity frequently occurs at the time when the Church is intent upon the
Passion of Our Lord, so that it is sometimes obliged to be transferred into
Easter time, with which it is out of harmony for another reason. They therefore
decreed that, henceforth, in the Church of Spain there should be kept, eight days
before Christmas, a solemn Feast with an octave, in honor of the Annunciation,
and as a preparation for the great solemnity of Our Lord's Nativity. In the
course of time, however, the Church of Spain saw the necessity of returning to
the practice of the Church of Rome and of the whole world, which solemnize the
25th of March as the day of Our Lady's Annunciation and the Incarnation of the
Son of God. But such had been, for ages, the devotion of the people for the
Feast of the 18th of December, that it was considered requisite to maintain
some vestige of it. They discontinued, therefore, to celebrate the Annunciation
on this day; but the faithful were requested to consider, with devotion, what
must have been the sentiments of the Holy Mother of God during the days
immediately preceding Her giving Him birth. A new Feast was instituted, under
the name of "the Expectation of the Blessed Virgin's Delivery." This
Feast, which sometimes goes under the name of Our Lady of O, or the Feast
of O, on account of the great antiphons which are sung during these days,
and, in a special manner, of that which begins O Virgo virginum (which
is still used in the Vespers of the Expectation—see below, together with
the O Adonai, the antiphon of the Advent Office), was kept with great
devotion in Spain. A High Mass was sung at a very early hour each morning
during the octave, at which all who were with child, whether rich or poor,
considered it a duty to assist, that they might thus honor Our Lady's
Maternity, and beg Her blessing upon themselves. It is no wonder that the Holy
See approved of this pious practice being introduced into almost every other
country. We find that the Church of Milan, Whose Advent fast lasted 40 days,
long before Rome conceded this Feast to the various dioceses of Christendom,
celebrated the Office of Our Lady's Annunciation on the sixth and last Sunday
of Advent, and called the whole week following the Hebdomada de Exceptato
(for thus the popular expression had corrupted the word Expectato). But
it, too, has given way to the Feast of Our Lady's Expectation, which the Church
has established and sanctioned as a means of exciting the attention of the
faithful during these last days of Advent.
Most just indeed it is, O Holy Mother of God, that we should unite
in that ardent desire Thou hadst to see Him, Who had been concealed for nine
months in Thy chaste womb; to know the features of this Son of the Heavenly
Father, Who is also Thine; to come to that blissful hour of His birth, which
will give glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to men of good will.
Yes, dearest Mother, the time is fast approaching, though not fast enough to
satisfy Thy desires and ours. Make us redouble our attention to the great
mystery; complete our preparation by Thy powerful prayers for us, that when the
solemn hour has come, our Jesus may find no obstacle to His entrance into our
hearts.
O Virgin of virgins! How shall this be? For never was there one
like Thee, nor will there ever be. Ye daughters of Jerusalem, why look ye
wondering at Me? What you behold is a divine mystery.
Come
and redeem us with outstretched arm.
O Lord and Ruler of
the House of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the flame of the burning bush and
gave him the law on Sinai: Come and redeem us with outstretched arm.
Spiritual Crib[3]
A special devotion that can be performed during Advent to
prepare for the coming of the Infant Savior. It can be adapted for adults
and/or children and applied as is appropriate to your state in life.
·
8th day, December 18th THE MULE—Patience
To practice this virtue, we must complain of no one or nothing. No shade of
impatience should be seen on our countenance, nor an impatient word heard. Be
brave. The Infant Jesus suffered much more for you.
During this Advent season let us take up the nature of God by
reflecting on these traits that make us a model for our children and our
sisters and brothers in Christ. Today reflect on:
Generosity vs. Stinginess
Realizing that all I have belongs to God and using it for His purposes (II Corinthians 9:6)
1832 The fruits of
the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits
of eternal glory. The tradition of the Church lists twelve of them:
"charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity,
gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity."
2227 Children in turn contribute to the
growth in holiness of their parents. Each and
everyone should be generous and tireless in forgiving one another for offenses,
quarrels, injustices, and neglect. Mutual affection suggests this. The charity
of Christ demands it.
2373 Sacred Scripture and the Church's
traditional practice see in large families a
sign of God's blessing and the parents' generosity.
"Read
these counsels slowly. Pause to meditate on these thoughts. They are things
that I whisper in your ear-confiding them-as a friend, as a brother, as a
father. And they are being heard by God. I won't tell you anything new. I will
only stir your memory, so that some thought will arise and strike you; and so
you will better your life and set out along ways of prayer and of Love. And in
the end you will be a more worthy soul."
Surely God's Love is worth any love.
“Beware
the Pogonip”
Definition: The word pogonip is a meteorological term
used to describe an uncommon occurrence: frozen fog. The word was coined by
Native Americans to describe the frozen fogs of fine ice needles that occur in
the mountain valleys of the western United States in December. According to
Indian tradition, breathing the fog is injurious to the lungs.
Daily Devotions
·
Add this "O
Antiphon" to your daily or meal-time prayer today: "O Leader of the
House of Israel, giver of the Law to Moses on Sinai: come to rescue us with
your mighty power."
·
Take
time to bless the family creche in preparation for the coming of Jesus.
(Based on your family's tradition, you may choose to hide the baby Jesus until
Christmas morning.)
[1]
http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Being-Calm
[4]http://graceonlinelibrary.org/home-family/christian-parenting/49-godly-character-qualities/
[5]http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/the_way-point-1.htm
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