Monday Night at the Movies
Luis Bunuel, Simon of the Desert, 1965.
Christopher’s Corner
· National Oatmeal Month “My last name in German is oatmeal”
· Eat waffles and Pray for the assistance of the Angels
· Bucket List trip: Acre “Crusader Stronghold”
· Carnival Time begins in Catholic Countries.
· Take down your Christmas Tree
· Monday: Litany of Humility
· Spirit hour: Lamb’s wool
· Try: Huachinango
· Plan winter fun:
o Soak in hot springs
o Hit the snow slopes
o Ride a snowmobile
o Ride a hot air balloon
January 6 Monday after Epiphany
TRADITIONAL EPIPHANY-ST.
ANDRE BESSETTE
Psalm 2, verse 11
Serve the LORD with FEAR;
exult with trembling, accept correction lest he become angry and you
perish along the way when his anger suddenly blazes up. Blessed are all who
take refuge in him!
To
fully understand this verse, we must know who the writer is referring to. In verse 10 the writer states “Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned,
O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear. Our God is a just God and to those who
have been given much; much is required. Kings (and the 1 percent’ers) to be
wise must humble themselves. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of
the needle then for a rich man to get into heaven. The "Eye of the Needle"
has been claimed to be a gate in Jerusalem, which opened after the main gate
was closed at night. A camel could only pass through this smaller gate if it
was stooped and had its baggage removed.[1]
I also with
this verse picture Mary Magdalene. Mary who by many accounts was a very rich
woman financed our Lord’s ministry. We see in this verse the shadowing of her
kissing of His feet and at the same time the hardening of Judas’ heart: who on
seeing her act of love and wanting riches refused to humble himself and died in
his pride.
Does Christ desire us to serve with Fear and trembling?
I noticed the other day that my two dogs when I come
in are so excited about seeing me that they tremble with excitement. I think
our God wants our hearts and our desires. I think we should have the humble
fear that a loved child has for his or her parents, full of love and respect
and that we should be excited too. So, let us approach each day with the kind
of excitement that makes us tremble ready to do the will of God.
Epiphany
is one of the greatest feasts of the liturgical year.
The
twelfth day after Christmas, it concludes Christmastide proper by celebrating
the "manifestation," or epiphaneia, of Christ to the Gentiles.
To this day the Eastern churches consider Epiphany more important than
Christmas. The Holy Spirit's guidance of these wise men to the Holy Land
through the aid of a star signifies the calling of all nations, not just the
Jews, to the New Covenant. But this "manifestation" to non-Jews also
calls to mind other manifestations of our Lord's divinity. The Nativity
continues to be remembered as the first crucial manifestation, but so too does
the Baptism of our Lord in the Jordan, since it affirms both His
divinity as well as His humanity. And the wedding of Cana comes to mind
because it was Christ's first public manifestation of His power with the
transubstantiation of water into wine. (It also comes to mind because the
Gospel uses the word "manifest" (ephanerosen) to describe this
event (Jn. 2.11).)
Finally,
the manifestations of Jesus Christ during His earthly existence ineluctably
lead us to consider His final manifestation in glory, a manifestation for which we have
longed throughout Advent and Christmastide. Hence St. John Chrysostom says in
his sermon on Epiphany:
There are two
manifestations of Christ, not one. The first is the one which has already
happened, His epiphany in the present. The second is the one of the future
which will come at the end of time with great splendor and glory. You have
heard read today what St. Paul writes to Titus about both of these epiphanies.
Concerning the first he says, "The grace of God our Savior has appeared to
all men..." About the second he writes, "We look for the blessed hope
and glorious coming of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ" (Titus
2.11-13) (On the Baptism of Christ).
It is for these reasons
that St. Gregory Nazianzus refers to Epiphany as the "the Holy light of
the manifestations."
The Three Kings
The Gospel of Matthew
mentions only that several Magi -- respected priestly scholars from Persia and
other neighboring countries -- came to worship the Christ Child from the East.
Tradition, however, has added a few details: that there were three of them,
that they were kings, and that their names were Gaspar, Melchior, and Baltasar.
Devotion to the three kings is a marked feature of Epiphany and was
traditionally encouraged in a number of ways. From Christmas onward, for
example, the figurines of the Magi, which had been kept a distance from the
crèche, were brought closer and closer until it reached the crèche on Twelfth
night. Another traditional observance was the solemn blessing of a home on the
Feast of the Epiphany, after which the initials of the Magi would be written on
the frame of the door, together with the year and several crosses that
connected all of the letters and numbers. There is even a special blessing for
the chalk in the Roman ritual.
Blessing of Water
The commemoration of our
Lord's Baptism in the Jordan led to a number of impressive blessings concerning
water. In Palestine, the river Jordan itself was blessed, with throngs of the
faithful immersing in it three times to obtain the blessing, while in Egypt,
the whole Christian population and its livestock would show up for the blessing
of the Nile and do the same thing. In Byzantium, Epiphany water was blessed in
church and then distributed. Rome followed this custom, instituting it on the
Vigil of the feast. The formula for the blessing may be found in the Roman
ritual.
Magi Plays
Like Christmas, Epiphany
was a favorite time for caroling; and like all great solemnities from the
Middle Ages, Epiphany encouraged mystery plays. These were called Magi plays
and featured the story of the Nativity, the slaughter of the Innocents, and the
visit of the Magi. They were also quite boisterous: the character of Herod was
portrayed as a raving lunatic, wreaking havoc with his wooden spear: hence
Shakespeare's line about overacting-- "it out-herods Herod!" (Hamlet
III.ii). Variations of these mystery plays have survived into the present day.
Feasting
And also like all great
solemnities, Epiphany was a day for great feasting. Though the dishes varied,
one consistently popular custom was Kings' or Twelfth-night cake, which
included a small object that identified its finder as the "king" for
the day. Many countries also use this occasion for the exchange of gifts.
The Feast of the Holy Family
Held on the Sunday after
Epiphany, 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.
Epiphany
Facts & Quotes[2]
·
Epiphany
Day is celebrated as a public holiday in Sweden, Finland and Iceland. Denmark
and Norway do not have the day off but do hold special mass and church
services. The day is also a holiday throughout much of Eastern Europe.
·
Frankincense,
a perfume, and myrrh, anointing oil, were traditional gifts for kings during
the time of Christ. Bodies were also prepared for burial with these
items. These were the gifts that the wise men brought to the baby Jesus.
·
In
Latin American culture, Epiphany, which means 'manifestation', is celebrated
with plays and special songs that celebrate the coming of the three kings, or
magi. Children
place boxes of hay under their beds for the magi' camels, and in return
they receive gifts.
·
In
some Eastern Orthodox Christian communities, Epiphany is celebrated by a
procession to the nearest river, lake, or pond. The priest blesses the
water and he throws a cross in the waves. People dive into the water to
retrieve the cross, and the one who finds it is thought to be particularly
blessed in the New Year.
·
It’s
a time to focus on the guiding star and the three men who out of curiosity
followed the star to Jesus, - Martin Modeús of the Church of Sweden
Epiphany Top Events and Things to Do
·
Take
down any decorations, you should have taken these down on Knut’s Day, the day
before Epiphany, but if you’ve been too busy eating, today is the day to get
them down.
·
Sing
We Three Kings, a traditional Epiphany hymn telling the story of the
magi.
·
Go
to an Orthodox service and witness a Epiphany procession. This often
includes pageantry of colorful robes and a large bowl of water centered in the
middle of the church. Churches are often decorated with flowers and
greenery.
·
In
some Western churches, church members share king cake, similar to the pastry
served on Mardi Gras in New Orleans. A coin or bean is cooked into the
cake, and whoever receives them gets to wear a crown for a day.
·
Watch
a Christmas themed movie. Our favorites include
1) Fanny and Alexander (1982), this film depicts a family in Uppsala,
Sweden during the 1900s and is a national favorite.
2) Santa Claus (1990)
3) Elf (2003), Will Ferrell’s modern Christmas classic
Home
Blessing for the Feast of Epiphany[3]
Today
would also be a good time to honor your Father in heaven by marking your home
in chalk; publicly stating who’s you are.
Every year the Carmelite
Pre-novitiate Community at Carith House in Chicago on the Feast of the Epiphany
blesses their home. We invite you to adopt this custom in your family. The
family gathers to ask God’s blessing on their home and on those who live in or
visit the home. It is an invitation for Jesus to be a daily guest in our home,
our comings and goings, our conversations, our work and play, our joys and
sorrows.
A traditional way of doing
this is to use chalk to write above the home’s entrance, 20 + C + M + B + 25.
The letters C, M, B have two meanings. They are the initials of the traditional
names of the three magi: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. They also abbreviate
the Latin words Christus mansionem benedicat, “May Christ bless the
house.” The “+” signs represent the cross and 2025 is the year.
Blessing the Chalk
V. Our help is the
name of the Lord:
R. The maker of heaven
and earth.
V. The Lord shall
watch over your going out and your coming in:
R. From this time
forth for evermore.
Let us pray.
Loving God, bless this
chalk which you have created, that it may be helpful to your people; and grant
that through the invocation of your most Holy Name that we who use it in faith
to write upon the door of our home the names of your holy ones Caspar,
Melchior, and Balthazar, may receive health of body and protection of soul for
all who dwell in or visit our home; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Instructions for
Blessing the Home
Using the blessed chalk
mark the lintel of your front door (or front porch step) as follows:
20 + C + M + B + 25 while
saying:
The
three Wise Men, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar followed the star of God’s Son
who became human two thousand and twenty-five years ago. May Christ bless our
home and remain with us throughout the New Year. Amen.
Then
offer the following prayer: Visit, O blessed Lord, this home with the
gladness of your presence. Bless all who live or visit here with the gift of
your love; and grant that we may manifest your love to each other and to all
whose lives we touch. May we grow in grace and in the knowledge and love of
you; guide, comfort, and strengthen us in peace, O Jesus Christ, now and
forever. Amen
“Chalking
the door” is a way to celebrate and literally mark the occasion of the Epiphany
and God’s blessing of our lives and home. With time the chalk will fade. As it
does, we let the meaning of the symbols written sink into the depths of our
heart and be manifest in our words and actions the Latin words, Christus
mansionem benedictat, “May
Christ bless the house.”
Whoever
acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God. We
have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and
whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. In this is love brought
to perfection among us, that we have confidence on the Day of Judgment because
as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but
perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one
who fears is not yet perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. (1
Jn 4:15-19)
Bl.
Andre Bessette - Day Thirteen[4]
Brother
André spent most of his days in a narrow lodge, with only a table, some chairs
and a bench as furnishings. He was attentive to the needs of all, smiling,
obliging. In the evening, he would engage in the difficult work of maintaining
the parlor and hallway floors. He was on his knees until late at night,
washing, polishing, and waxing by the dim light of a candle. — Abbey of
Saint-Joseph de Clairval
The
use of candles is one of the loveliest Christmas customs that we can keep on
using throughout the year. Now, more than ever, Christmas is a festival of
light in a dark world, a time to hold our candles high, and to teach our
children all the little ceremonies which make life gracious and full of
meaning. No matter how long we live, nor how learned we become, we may travel
the world over, and find nothing more beautiful than candlelight on the face of
a child. "Now the Lord be thanked because we have light." — Dorothy Albaugh
Stickell
·
Day
Thirteen Activity (Candles for the Domestic Church)
·
Recipe
(Yule Spice Cake)
Catholic Calendar[5]
Read: The Epiphany marks the arrival of
visitors, identified in Scripture as magi, to the place where Jesus was born.
Although we know virtually nothing about them, we do know they brought three
gifts:
·
Gold,
a symbol of wealth and power, identifies the recipient as a king.
·
Frankincense,
the crystalized resinous sap of a tree used as incense and as an offering, is
symbolic of prayer.
·
Myrrh,
another resinous tree sap, was used in healing liniments and as an embalming
ointment. Myrrh is an odd gift for a child—so, even at the beginning of
Jesus' life on earth, this gift foreshadows his death.
Reflect: Practice the ancient art of Lectio Divina today and reflect on the readings
on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord.
Pray: Say a blessing on your home on the Epiphany.
Act: Did you wish someone a Merry
Christmas today?
The
Christmas season continues until Sunday, which is the Feast of the Baptism of
the Lord. An easy way to evangelize is to wish someone a Merry Christmas during
the Christmas season after December 25 and explain why. The liturgical season
of Christmas begins with the vigil Masses on Christmas Eve and concludes on the
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
Epiphany: The Holy Light of the
Manifestations (January 6)[6]
Traditionally
today is the Feast of the Epiphany or the day the three kings presented gifts
to Christ. They are an example of men who overcame great obstacles and their
own fears to come and present gifts
to our Lord. They also being wise men knew that they could not trust Herod when
he asked them to return to him and tell him where Christ was. It is not always
possible to get to a win-win situation and we must also use our wisdom as the
three Kings did and know when we must fight, run, do nothing, compromise or
prepare for growth. Christ reveals Himself not just to the Jews, but to the
Gentiles, as the visitation of the Magi makes clear that the Light of Christ
did not come to illuminate one nation but all, and so on the Feast of the Epiphany we celebrate His first
manifestation (epiphaneia) to the Gentiles, the three Magi who followed
His star from the East. This manifestation also leads us to consider other
"firsts" -- the first manifestation of His mission at His Baptism and
the first manifestation of His power at the wedding of Cana. Hence both are
also remembered on the Feast of the Epiphany.
St. André Bessette
Brother André expressed a saint's faith by a lifelong devotion to Saint
Joseph.
Sickness and weakness dogged André from birth. He
was the eighth of twelve children born to a French-Canadian couple near
Montreal. Adopted at twelve, when both parents had died, he became a farmhand.
Various trades followed: shoemaker, baker, blacksmith-all failures. He was a
factory worker in the United States during the boom times of the Civil War.
At twenty-five, he applied for entrance into the
Congregation of the Holy Cross. After a year's novitiate, he was not admitted
because of his weak health. But with an extension and the urging of Bishop
Bourget, he was finally received. He was given the humble job of doorkeeper at
Notre Dame College in Montreal, with additional duties as sacristan, laundry
worker and messenger. "When I joined this community, the superiors showed
me the door, and I remained forty years."
In his little room near the door, he spent much of
the night on his knees. On his windowsill, facing Mount Royal, was a small
statue of Saint Joseph, to whom he had been devoted since childhood. When asked
about it he said, "Someday, Saint Joseph is going to be honored in a very
special way on Mount Royal!"
When he heard someone was ill, he visited to bring
cheer and to pray with the sick person. He would rub the sick person lightly
with oil taken from a lamp burning in the college chapel. Word of healing
powers began to spread.
When an epidemic broke out at a nearby college,
André volunteered to nurse. Not one person died. The trickle of sick people to
his door became a flood. His superiors were uneasy; diocesan authorities were
suspicious; doctors called him a quack. "I do not cure," he said
again and again. "Saint Joseph cures." In the end he needed four
secretaries to handle the eighty thousand letters he received each year.
For many years the Holy Cross authorities had tried
to buy land on Mount Royal. Brother André and others climbed the steep hill and
planted medals of Saint Joseph. Suddenly, the owners yielded. André collected
two hundred dollars to build a small chapel and began receiving visitors there
smiling through long hours of listening, applying Saint Joseph's oil. Some were
cured, some not. The pile of crutches, canes and braces grew.
The chapel also grew. By 1931 there were gleaming
walls, but money ran out. "Put a statue of Saint Joseph in the middle. If
he wants a roof over his head, he'll get it." The magnificent Oratory on
Mount Royal took fifty years to build. The sickly boy who could not hold a job
died at ninety.
He is buried at the Oratory and was beatified in
1982. On December 19, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI promulgated a decree recognizing
a second miracle at Blessed André’s intercession and on October 17, 2010, Pope
Benedict XVI formally declared sainthood for Blessed André. — Saint of the Day, Leonard Foley, O.F.M.
Things to Do:
·
Read more about the life of St. André.
·
Learn more about the Holy
Cross Brothers, the order of which Bl. André was a member. Pray
for an increase in vocations and for those who are already living the religious
life.
·
If you live close to St. Joseph's Oratory of
Mount Royal, make a pilgrimage. If that's not possible make a
virtual pilgrimage.
·
Say a prayer for the sick who were so dear to the
heart of Brother André.
·
Try the recipes offered to sample authentic French-Canadian
food.
Catechism of the Catholic
Church
PART TWO: THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN
MYSTERY
SECTION TWO-THE SEVEN
SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH
CHAPTER TWO-THE SACRAMENTS OF HEALING
Day
208
1420 Through
the sacraments of Christian initiation, man receives the new life of Christ.
Now we carry this life "in earthen vessels," and it remains
"hidden with Christ in God." We are still in our "earthly
tent," subject to suffering, illness, and death. This new life as a
child of God can be weakened and even lost by sin.
1421 The
Lord Jesus Christ, physician of our souls and bodies, who forgave the sins of
the paralytic and restored him to bodily health, has willed that his
Church continue, in the power of the Holy Spirit, his work of healing and
salvation, even among her own members. This is the purpose of the two
sacraments of healing: the sacrament of Penance and the sacrament of Anointing
of the Sick.
Article 4-THE
SACRAMENT OF PENANCE AND RECONCILIATION
1422 "Those who approach the sacrament of Penance
obtain pardon from God's mercy for the offense committed against him, and are,
at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their
sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their
conversion."
I. What is This Sacrament Called?
1423 It is called the sacrament
of conversion because it makes sacramentally present Jesus' call to conversion,
the first step in returning to the Father5 from whom one has strayed by sin.
It is called the sacrament of Penance, since it consecrates the Christian
sinner's personal and ecclesial steps of conversion, penance, and satisfaction.
1424 It is called the sacrament
of confession, since the disclosure or confession of sins to a priest is an
essential element of this sacrament. In a profound sense it is also a
"confession" - acknowledgment and praise - of the holiness of God and
of his mercy toward sinful man.
It is called the sacrament of forgiveness, since by the priest's sacramental
absolution God grants the penitent "pardon and peace."
It is called the sacrament of Reconciliation, because it imparts to the sinner
the love of God who reconciles: "Be reconciled to God."7 He who lives by God's merciful love is ready to
respond to the Lord's call: "Go; first be reconciled to your
brother."
II. Why a Sacrament of Reconciliation after Baptism?
1425 "YOU were washed, you
were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in
the Spirit of our God." One must appreciate the magnitude of the gift
God has given us in the sacraments of Christian initiation in order to grasp
the degree to which sin is excluded for him who has "put on Christ." But
the apostle John also says: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us." and the Lord himself taught
us to pray: "Forgive us our trespasses," linking our forgiveness
of one another's offenses to the forgiveness of our sins that God will grant
us.
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Restoring
the Constitution
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
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