Fourth Sunday Of Advent
CHANUKAH Begins at Sunset
Proverbs, Chapter 22,
Verse 4
The result of
humility and fear of the LORD is
riches, honor and life.
In reflecting on this stanza; the first thing I
noticed is that the rewards listed in this proverb are reversed. In that riches
are not more important to obtain for oneself than honor and honor is not as
valuable as life…. or is it. In thinking about this I questioned are we talking
about material riches or some other kind of riches? Gandhi has said, wealth
without work is one of the great evils in the world. It has also been said that
even if a poor person was suddenly rich, they often again lose their wealth
like the story of the prodigal son. True riches it seems actually comes from
having sound and grounded thoughts, habits and philosophies; being humble and
submitting all to God. Steve Siebold noted author of “How Rich People Think,”
noticed that yes rich people do think differently than the middle class or even
the poor. If we can maintain our fear of the Lord, and develop these habits of
thought, we can not only bless ourselves but also all those around us. Here are
some of my favorite norms Steve lists from the 100 in his book.
1.
Middle class focuses on
saving…World class focuses on earning.
Imagine if instead of building up barns of wealth a blessed person used their
excess to benefit others and sought the general wealth fare of mankind and
focused on earning souls and true happiness for others by serving and solving
problems.
2.
Middle class believes building
wealth is a solitary effort…World class believes building wealth is a team
effort. We cannot
bring about the kingdom of heaven without a team effort; we must have the help
of a team of saintly persons from all three churches help us here is the
corporal church on earth; in the suffering church in purgatory and in the
glorified church in heaven. The world class knows it takes a team to build
wealth, and they focus much of the effort on finding the right people to
leverage their actions and ideas.
3.
Middle class believes money is
negative…World class believes money is positive. The love of money must be avoided but money is a necessary
tool that can be used to create great good and it must be managed while maintaining a spirit of poverty. Money is
seen by the rich a a positive tool that has the power to create freedom and
opportunity for themselves and their families; whereas the heavenly class see
it as a tool to bring the kingdom for God.
4.
Middle class believe rich people
are shallow…World class believes rich people are strategic. We are in a battle and I like the
word strategic. Note that the Catholic Church is one of the wealthiest
organizations in the world we must use our resources in the battle for the Lord
and souls. Being poor is not virtuous; you should not be giving your money to
God if you cannot pay your rent. Like the rich we can build an empire but not
for ourselves but for the Lord. We should use our resources like the rich, in
honest and strategic ways, to serve others.
5.
Middle class believes money is
earned through labor…World class believes money is earned through thought. Independent creative thinking is
the most valuable asset anyone can acquire. Steve Forbes has said, “The real
source of wealth in this new era is not material things. It is the mind, and
human spirit, the human imagination, and our faith in the future.” Imagine the
power of the creative mind inspired by the Holy Spirit for the glory of God!
Fourth Sunday Of Advent
THE nearer we approach to the coming of Christ
the more the Church sighs in her prayers for the Savior of mankind. She sings,
therefore, at the Introit, drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the
clouds rain the just (Is. xlv. 8); “The heavens show forth the glory of God,
and the firmament declareth the work of His hands” (Ps. xviii. 2).
Prayer.
Stir up Thy might, we beseech Thee, O Lord, and
come and succor us with great power, that, by the help of Thy grace, the
indulgence of Thy mercy may accelerate what our sins impede.
EPISTLE, i. Cor. iv. 1-5.
Brethren: Let a man so account of us as of the
ministers of Christ, and the dispensers of the mysteries of God. Here now it is
required among the dispensers, that a man be found faithful. But to me it is a
very small thing to be judged by you, or by man s day, but neither do I judge
my own self. For I am not conscious to myself of anything: yet I am not hereby
justified: but lie that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore, judge not before the
time, until the Lord come: Who both will bring to light the hidden things of
darkness and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall
every man have praise from God.
How
should priests be regarded by the faithful?
The Church wishes to inspire us with respect
and veneration towards priests, who are ministers of Christ, dispensers of the
mysteries of God, and advocates of religion. The Scripture says, “Let the
priests that rule well be esteemed worthy of double honor, especially they who
labor in the word and doctrine” (i. Tim. v. 17). “He that heareth you, heareth
Me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth Me”; (St.
Luke x. 16).
Why is
this epistle read to-day?
The Church wishes, by pointing to the second advent of Christ, to
remind the faithful to avoid judging their neighbors, but to judge themselves,
and to cleanse their hearts for the reception of Jesus as our Savior, that they
may not have to shrink from Him when He comes as Judge.
Can
priests administer the holy sacraments as they please?
No, for, as the stewards of Jesus Christ, they
must observe His will, which is that they should administer the sacraments for
the glory of God and the salvation of the faithful. They are not permitted to “give
that which is holy unto dogs” (Matt. viii. 6), and cannot, therefore, give
absolution, or any sacrament, to those who are unfit, lest they thereby condemn
themselves.
Why
should they esteem it a small matter to be judged by men?
Because men generally judge by appearances, and
not by reality. St. Paul says: “If I pleased men, I should not be the servant
of Christ (Gal. i. 10). But not only priests, the faithful also, must seek to
please God more than men. How foolish are they who follow all silly and
scandalous fashions in dress, gesture, and manners; who neglect the holy
exercises of religion, and ask constantly, “What will the world say?” but
never, “What will my God and Savior say?” if I do this or that”.
Why does St. Paul say, “But neither do I judge
my own self”?
Because he could not know how God would judge
him, “For man knoweth not whether he be worthy of love or hatred (Eccles. ix.
1); therefore, he adds, “I am not conscious to myself of anything, yet am I not
hereby justified, but He that judgeth me is the Lord.” We should, therefore,
examine ourselves thoroughly whether we are in sin; but if we find nothing in us which displeases God we are not on that
account at liberty to think ourselves better than others, for before the mirror
of our self-esteem we look quite different to what we are in truth before God, Who cannot be bribed.
Oh, how many, who now think themselves innocent and holy, shall appear at the
day of judgment stripped of their disguises, and the most secret workings of
their hearts revealed by God to their eternal disgrace! This should determine
us not to judge before the time, either ourselves or anyone else, of whose
hearts we must know even less than of our own. “Let us therefore work out our
salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. ii. 12).
Aspiration.
O Lord enter not into judgment with Thy
servant, for in Thy sight no man living shall be justified (Ps. cxlii. 2).
GOSPEL. Luke iii. 1-6.
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate
being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip his
brother tetrarch of Iturea and the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias
tetrarch of Abilina, under the high priests Annas and Caiaphas: the word of the
Lord was made unto John the son of Zachary, in the desert. And he came into all
the country about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of penance for the
remission of sins, as it was written in the book of the sayings of Isaias the
prophet : A voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the
Lord, make straight His paths. Every valley shall be filled: and every mountain
and hill shall be brought low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the
rough ways plain. And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
Why is the time at which St. John began to
preach so minutely described?
Because in that happy year the prophecy of
Jacob was fulfilled, and the sceptre being taken from Juda, the long-expected
Messias showed Himself to the world, was baptized by John, and declared by His heavenly
Father to be His beloved Son, Whom men should hear. Accordingly, that this time
should never be forgotten, the evangelist, contrary to his usual custom,
describes it particularly, mentioning the names both of the spiritual and temporal
rulers.
Aspiration.
Oh, that Thy way, Jesus, may be well prepared
in my heart! Alas! assist me, O my Savior, to do what I cannot do by myself.
Fill up the valley of my heart with Thy grace, and straighten my crooked and
perverted will, till it shall conform to Thine own. Soften my rough and unruly mind;
bring low, destroy, and remove whatever in me impedes Thy way, that Thou mayest
come to me without hindrance, and possess and govern me forever. Amen.
Chanukah
(Hebrew: ×—× ×•×›×”) is an eight-day
Jewish festival, also known as the festival of lights. On each day a Menorah
(an eight branched candelabra) is lit with an ascending number of candles to
match the day. The reason for Chanukah is based on the story of the
Maccabees battle with the Greeks. It is told that one pure bottle of
olive oil lasted for eight days in the Holy Temple. It should have lasted
only for the first day.
Chanukah Facts
·
It
is customary to eat fried foods on Chanukah because of the significance of oil
to the holiday. Among Ashkenazic Jews, this usually includes latkes
(potato pancakes fried in oil) and doughnuts.
·
A
popular game during Hanukkah is dreidel. The dreidel is a four-sided
spinning top with one Hebrew letter inscribed on each face/side. These
letters are Nun (like N), Gimel (like G), Hei (Like H) and Shin (like Sh).
These letters stand for the Hebrew phrase Nes Gadol Hayah Sham, a great
miracle happened there, referring to the miracle of the oil.
·
There
is a special prayer called for the Miracles said during all prayer
sessions and grace after meals. In this prayer the Lord is thanked for
allowing the Jewish minority to overcome their much larger and stronger enemies
(a recurrent theme in Jewish survival).
·
Chanukah
is not one of the Biblical festivals and Jews are permitted to work on Chanukah.
Hanukkah Top
Events and Things to Do
·
An
event that gathers much attention is the White House Hanukkah Party.
Watch it on TV (some parts are broadcast) or YouTube.
·
Play
a dreidel game, which consists of spinning a special four-sided block with
Hebrew letters. Once you're out of game pieces, you can either get a loan or
you're out until one person collects all of the game pieces.
·
Make
latkes and donuts at home. Many recipes can be found online.
·
Listen
to a special song is sung after the lighting of the candles, called Maoz Zur,
'the Rock of our Salvation'. Many renditions of it can be found on
YouTube.
Every Christmas although the same
in many ways is always new for each Christmas expresses a hope learned from a
lifetime of praising God. For every Christmas if we open our eyes to truth, we
will see the handiwork of God; the rock of our salvation. Perhaps in these
final days of anticipation it would do us well to reflect on the virtues of
Mary Christ’s very own mother and in these final days in some way reflect them
in our own lives.
Mary
carried Jesus in her womb with great patience. As a child I remember Christmas
was always a great strain on my patience. Can you imagine the strain on this
poor young girl from Nazareth? She of course could not have done this without
first having the virtues of humility, generosity, and a chase heart which led
her to have great patience.
Patience
the
courage of a serene soul
This world being a
place of merit is rightly called a valley of tears; for we are all placed in it
to suffer, that we may, by patience, gain our own souls unto life
eternal, as our Lord Himself says, In
your patience you shall possess your souls. [Luke 21 19] God
gave us the Blessed Virgin Mary as a model of all virtues, but more especially
as an example of patience. St. Francis de Sales, amongst other things,
remarks, that it was precisely for this reason that at the marriage-feast of
Cana Jesus Christ gave the Blessed Virgin an answer, by which He seemed to
value her prayers but little: Woman,
what is that to thee and to Me? [John 2:4] And He did this
that He might give us the example of the patience of His most holy Mother. But
what need have we to seek for instances of this virtue? Mary's whole life was a
continual exercise of her patience; for, as the Angel revealed to St.
Bridget, "as a rose grows up amongst thorns, so did the Blessed Virgin
grow up amongst tribulations." Compassion alone for the Redeemer's
sufferings sufficed to make her a martyr of patience. Hence St.
Bonaventure says, "that a crucified Mother conceived a crucified
Son." In speaking of her dolors, we have already considered how much she
suffered, both in her journey to Egypt, and during her residence there, as also
during the time she lived with her Son in the house at Nazareth. What Mary
endured when present at the death of Jesus on Calvary is alone sufficient to
show us how constant and sublime was her patience: There stood by the Cross of Jesus His Mother.
Then it was that precisely by the merit of her patience, as Blessed Albert the
Great says, she brought us forth to the life of grace." If we, then, wish
to be the children of Mary, we must endeavor to imitate her in her patience:
"For what," says St. Cyprian, "can enrich us with greater merit
in this life, and greater glory in the next, than the patient enduring of
sufferings?" God said, by the prophet Osee, I will hedge up thy way with thorns.
[2:6] To this St. Gregory adds, that "the way of the elect is hedged with
thorns." As a hedge of thorns protects a vineyard, so does God protect His
servants from the danger of attaching themselves to the earth, by encompassing
them with tribulations. Therefore St. Cyprian concludes that it is patience
that delivers us from sin and from Hell. It is also patience that makes Saints:
Patience hath a perfect
work, [James 1:4] bearing in peace, not only the crosses which come
immediately from God, such as sickness, poverty, but also those which come from
men---persecutions, injuries, and the rest. St. John saw all the Saints bearing
palm branches---the emblem of martyrdom---in their hands; After this I saw a
great multitude, and palms were in their hands; [Apoc. 7:9] thereby denoting
that all adults who are saved must be martyrs, either by shedding their blood
for Christ or by patience.
Happiness is being patient with yourself
Happiness is a choice; just as love is a choice. We
either decide to be happy or we do not. No amount of money or material things
will bring us joy, no amount of pleasure or power either. Mary knew that true
happiness comes from God’s mercy. That is a choice too. God’s mercy is given to
those who fear Him and then in turn honor the gift of love. We in order to
accept the gift of mercy must be open to receive. We make a choice. It is funny
Mary’s whose name means bitterness was just the opposite. She emptied herself
to be filled to the brim with God’s love and within three days we commemorate
that she gave birth to Christ our redeemer. I imagine she pondered on this day
ages ago as she felt His movement within her that his mercy is overpowering.
Let us empty ourselves of all our bitterness and resentments asking Mary to
pray for us as we do. Let us in these remaining days before Christmas do all we
can to prepare for our Lord Jesus. Let us receive God’s mercy through the
sacraments which He has established through His Apostle’s down through the ages
to us today. If you have not gone to confession-do. Receive His mercy. Receive
the Eucharist be made whole and prepare for his birth. Give mercy in return to
any you have offended, pray and do good works toward those who have offended
you. In this way we emulate our God whose power is perfected in mercy.
Be at peace.
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.
·
12th day, December 22nd: ST.
JOSEPH—Obedience Today you
must try to please the Divine Infant by cheerful, and very prompt obedience. Be
obedient for the love of Jesus in great and little things or in easy ones. Do
nothing without permission.
Evening
Antiphon
O King of the
Gentiles and their desired One, the Cornerstone that makes both one; Come, and
deliver man, whom You formed out of the dust of the earth.
Daily
Devotions
·
54 Day Rosary
day 51
·
Today in honor of the Holy Trinity do the Divine Office giving
your day to God. To honor God REST: no shopping after SUNSET ON SATURDAY till
Monday. Don’t forget the internet.
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