Friday in the Octave of Christmas
feast of the holy family
Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 28
We know that all things work for
good for those who LOVE God, who
are called according to his purpose.
The
spirit filled life does not promise us success and that everything will be
rosy, but it does free us from the law of sin and death. Paul tells us that
there is a difference between Christian mentoring and worldly mentoring.
The
Spirit Filled Life[1]
Christians
somehow even in the mist of challenges have lives of liberty, hope and power
because the Holy Spirit guides our lives. This is the gift of the Father and
the Son. Observe how the Holy Spirit navigates life for us:
1.
He
intercedes and groans for us (Rom. 8:22)
2.
He
directs and testifies to us (John 16:13)
3.
He
empowers and anoints for service (Acts 1:8)
4.
He
searches and enables us to discern (Rom. 8:26)
5. He confirms, and bears witness with us (Rom. 8:14)
Feast of the Holy Family[2]
According to the Mosaic Law, a Hebrew boy was not part of the family until he was circumcised eight days after his birth; only then was he given his name, i.e., his identity as an individual and as a son of Abraham. But there is a deeper reason as well. Paradoxically, it is only after we have contemplated the various revelations of the Light to both Jew and Gentile that we can appreciate the period of Jesus' life that is shrouded in obscurity. It is because we now know who the boy Jesus truly is that we can understand the importance of His family and the excellence of His so-called hidden life. Like the shepherds of Bethlehem, we now recognize Him as the Messiah for whom the Jews yearned; like the Magi, whose gifts bespoke their convictions, we now recognize Him as a King worthy of gold, as God worthy of frankincense, and as the Suffering Servant to be one day buried with myrrh. And like the Blessed Virgin, who -- as we learn from the Gospel on this feast-- kept all these things in her heart, we are now in a position to appreciate the unique role of His Holy Family in the economy of our salvation. The Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph holds up the domestic life of Jesus, his mother, and foster father as the perfect model for all Catholic households. As Pope Leo XIII explains, there is a lesson in this family for everyone: for fathers, for mothers, for children; for nobility (the Holy Family was from the royal house of David), for the poor (they gave up their possessions in fleeing to Egypt), and so on. There are no prescribed or uniform customs for the feast, but that does not mean no observances were made. The following is an account from Father Weiser of Holy Family Sundays at our own parish, Holy Trinity German Church, in the 1940s.
The annual Holy
Childhood procession, on the feast of the Holy Family, is one of the most
attractive ceremonies. In former years this procession was called the
"Shepherds' Procession" as the children marched through the church
dressed as shepherds and shepherdesses -- a lovely relic of popular medieval
piety (Holy Trinity Parish, 1844-1944, p. 37).
This feast is also an
ideal time to pray any of the devotions to the Holy Family that are given in
the Raccolta, the Church's old official list of indulgences. The
fact that many of these prayers are no longer indulgenced does not make them
any less meaningful or worthy of use. Let
us reflect that the Holy family was holy because of how they interacted with
each other and the world.
A
good practice during the twelve nights of Christmas would be to turn off the TV
and to rest and have joyful prayer with the family. It is good to
remember that Christ’s primary teachers in the faith were Joseph and
Mary. We also should remember to not rely on schools to bring up our
children in devotion to the Lord and that we are the primary teachers of Faith,
Hope and Love in our families (Especially in light of COVID 19)
The Holy Family
Marriage is too often conceived as the sacrament which unites a man and a woman
to form a couple. In reality, marriage establishes a family, and its purpose is
to increase the number of the elect, through the bodily and spiritual fecundity
of the Christian spouses.
1. Every marriage intends children.
Although Mary and Joseph were not united in a carnal way, their marriage is a
true marriage: an indissoluble, exclusive union, wholly subordinated to the
child. Mary and Joseph are united only in order to bring Jesus into the world,
to protect and raise him. They have only one child, but he contains the whole
of mankind, even as Isaac, an only child, fulfilled the promise made to Abraham
of a countless progeny.
2. The purpose of every marriage is to
establish a Christian family. The Holy Family observed the religious laws of
Israel; it went in pilgrimage to Jerusalem every year with other Jewish
families (Lk. 2:41). Jesus saddens and amazes his father and his mother because
to their will and company he prefers "to be in his Father's house".
Thus it may happen that God's will obliges the family to make disconcerting
sacrifices. Yet every Christian family must live in harmony and in prayer,
which are the pledges of joy and union.
3. "He remained obedient to
them." Jesus was God. And through the fullness of grace Mary stood above
Joseph. Nevertheless — if we except the event in the Temple — Joseph remained
the head of the family; he took the initiative (as when the Holy Family fled to
Egypt), and in Nazareth Jesus obeyed his parents.
—Excerpted
from Bread and the Word, A.M. Roguet
Things to
Do[3]
·
Let us imitate the Holy Family in our Christian
families, and our family will be a stronghold and a prefiguration of the
heavenly family. Say a prayer dedicating your family to the Holy Family. Also
pray for all families and for our country to uphold the sanctity of the
marriage bond which is under attack.
·
Read more about Pope Leo XIII
who instituted the Feast of the Holy Family and read his encyclical On Christian Marriage. You can also check out the Vatican's
page of Papal documents on the Family.
·
Read the explanation of Jesus' knowledge in the
activities section. Read Pope Pius X's Syllabus of
Errors which condemns the modernist assertion that Christ did not
always possess the consciousness of His Messianic dignity.
·
Have the whole family participate in cooking
dinner. You might try a Lebanese meal. Some suggestions: stuffed grape leaves,
stuffed cabbage rolls, lentils and rice, spinach and meat pies, chicken and
dumplings, hummus, Lebanese bread, tabbouleh — a Lebanese salad and kibbi, a
traditional Lebanese dish of specially ground meat mixed with spices and
cracked wheat. This is the same kind of food that Mary served Jesus and St.
Joseph. It's healthy and delicious.
Christmas Calendar[4]
Reflect: "Christmas celebrates the fruit of Mary and Joseph's trust in God. The long-awaited Messiah, sent to save us from our sins and win back the eternal blessedness lost by Adam's sin, is born. The Son of God is like us in all things but sin. We learn from the Incarnation that our success is in God's hands. Without the Father's love, we would be lost for all eternity. Mary and Joseph sacrificed greatly to make the arduous journey to Bethlehem, to obey God's directive to flee into Egypt, and to go to Nazareth to raise Jesus. Ambiguity, uncertainty, and brokenness touched the Holy Family. Their lives teach us that we cannot understand God's designs. This wonderful lesson urges parents to put their families in God's hands and trust that their efforts will bear fruit. Faithful parents are examples for us, single or married. We, too, are to put ourselves in God's hands. In so doing, God's grace helps us realize better the depths of who we are and what we are called to become."
Pray: Pray for families.
Act: "A few minutes can be found each day to come together before the living God, to tell him our worries, to ask for the needs of our family, to pray for someone experiencing difficulty, to ask for help in showing love, to give thanks for life and for its blessings, and to ask Our Lady to protect us beneath her maternal mantle." —Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia, no. 318
At the start of this
New Year, make a commitment to pray together as a family every day.
Sixth Day of
Christmas-Six Geese a-Laying = the six days of creation[5]
1st Day: Creation of light and its
separation from darkness
2nd Day: Creation of the firmament
and division of the waters
3rd Day: Collection of waters (sea)
and formation of dry land (earth); creation of plants according to their own
likeness
4th Day: Creation of heavenly bodies
in the firmament (sun, moon, and stars)
5th Day: Creation of sea creatures
and winged fowl from the waters
6th Day: Creation of cattle, creeping
things, and beasts from the dry land; creation of mankind, male and female
December
30, Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas - Day Six[6]
God is your beatitude. The things of time
are toys. You are eternity's child, and your eternity has already begun! There
is a compelling urgency to every day and every hour of the day. In it we are to
witness to the truth — that God greeted and gifted us at Christmas.
If you know what witness means, you understand why God brings St. Stephen, St. John, and the Holy Innocents to the crib in the cave as soon as Christ is born liturgically. To be a witness is to be a martyr. Holy Mother Church wishes us to realize that we were born in baptism to become Christ — He who was the world's outstanding Martyr. — Love Does Such Things, by Rev. M. Raymond, O.C.S.O.
· Day Sixth activity
(Gingerbread Bowls)
· Day Sixth recipe
(Lamb's Wool)
Fitness Friday- “on the sixth day God created man”
Charles Atlas Inspired Workout[7]
Below is a workout that
can challenge the entire body and be performed in around 25 minutes. This
workout will include movements and time for each. Squeeze and contract the
muscle like you would with resistance. Feel a stretch before performing the
next rep. Take 30 seconds of rest between each exercise before moving on to the
next.
|
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
|
Pushup (2 Sec Hold) |
1 |
10 |
|
Standing Chest Fly (2 Sec Hold) |
1 |
10 |
|
Row Squeeze (2 Sec Hold) |
1 |
10 |
|
Vertical Pull |
1 |
10 |
|
High Elbow Row |
1 |
10 |
|
Shoulder Press |
1 |
10 |
|
Bicep Curl (1 Sec Hold) |
1 |
10 |
|
Close Grip Push Up (1 Sec Hold) |
1 |
10 |
|
Squat |
1 |
15 |
|
Good Morning |
1 |
15 |
|
Seated Toe Raise |
1 |
15 |
|
Standing Calf Raise |
1 |
15 |
|
Crunch |
1 |
10 |
|
Single Lying Leg Raise |
1 |
10 Each |
Give the program a shot
for yourself. It can be performed as a beginner routine for up to 6 weeks
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
PART THREE: LIFE IN CHRIST
SECTION TWO-THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
CHAPTER ONE-YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR
GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND
Article 2-THE SECOND COMMANDMENT
III.
The Christian Name
2156 The sacrament of Baptism is conferred "in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." In Baptism, the
Lord's name sanctifies man, and the Christian receives his name in the Church.
This can be the name of a saint, that is, of a disciple who has lived a life of
exemplary fidelity to the Lord. the patron saint provides a model of charity;
we are assured of his intercession. the "baptismal name" can also
express a Christian mystery or Christian virtue. "Parents, sponsors, and
the pastor are to see that a name is not given which is foreign to Christian
sentiment."
2157 The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his
activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." the baptized person dedicates the
day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in
the Spirit as a child of the Father. the sign of the cross strengthens us in
temptations and difficulties.
2158 God calls each one by name. Everyone's name is
sacred. the name is the icon of the person. It demands respect as a sign of the
dignity of the one who bears it.
2159 The name one receives is a name for eternity. In the
kingdom, the mysterious and unique character of each person marked with God's
name will shine forth in splendor. "To him who conquers . . . I will give
a white stone, with a new name written on the stone which no one knows except
him who receives it." "Then I looked, and Lo, on Mount Zion
stood the Lamb, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name
and his Father's name written on their foreheads."
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: The
lonely and destitute.
·
Litany of the Most
Precious Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
· Rosary
[1] John Maxwell, The Maxwell
Leadership Bible.
[3]http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2016-12-30
[6]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2019-12-30
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