· Today in honor of the Holy Trinity do the Divine Office giving your day to God. To honor God REST: no shopping after 6 pm Saturday till Monday. Don’t forget the internet
· Jesse Tree: Mary: Matt. 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38 Symbols: lily, crown of stars, pierced heart
· Full Cold Moon
o According to the almanac today is a Full Cold Moon; today would be a good day to take the children/grandchildren out in the cold and enjoy hot chocolate afterward.
o You wake up, feeling fancy. Start your day by putting on your favorite pearls, embracing the elegance of National Wear Your Pearls Day. Treat yourself to a batch of zesty lemon cupcakes, celebrating National Lemon Cupcake Day with a burst of citrusy flavor. Feeling overwhelmed? Take a deep breath and channel your inner cat herder, mastering the chaos of National Cat Herders Day with calm and grace.
o As the day progresses, why not shake things up by organizing a mini scavenger hunt? Hide small pearls or lemon cupcake-themed treats around the house, challenging yourself to find them all. Embrace the challenge of herding “cats” by trying to wrangle your friends or family members into joining you.
o Wrap up your day with a cozy movie night, snuggled up with your feline friends as you watch a film that highlights the importance of rights and freedom. Reflect on the significance of the Bill of Rights Day as you unwind, appreciating the liberties you have.
o In the end, remember to embrace the unexpected, find joy in the small moments, and celebrate the quirks that make life interesting.
33 days to Christmas-Start the 33 days to Eucharistic Glory[5]
Want to start a small group? Download our 33 Days to Eucharistic Glory Study Guide
Day 18
On this 18th day, to have to strength to pardon personal injuries in emulation of Christ who pardoned those who crucified him knowing they knew not what they were doing.
Copilot:
To have the strength to pardon personal injuries in emulation of Christ, who pardoned those who crucified Him, is a profound act of grace and love. Here are some spiritual practices and reflections that may help cultivate this strength:
Daily Spiritual Practices
1. Prayer for Forgiveness: Pray daily for grace to forgive those who have wronged you, asking for strength and compassion. A simple prayer like, "Lord, grant me the heart to forgive as You forgave," can be very powerful.
2. Reflect on Christ's Forgiveness: Meditate on passages such as Luke 23:34, where Jesus says, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Reflecting on Christ's example can inspire you to follow in His footsteps.
Strengthening the Resolve to Forgive
1. Sacraments: Regularly participate in the sacraments, especially Confession and the Eucharist. They provide the grace needed to forgive and be forgiven.
2. Seek Spiritual Guidance: Talk to a spiritual director or mentor about your struggles with forgiveness. They can offer guidance and support.
Reflecting on the Importance of Forgiveness
1. Acts of Kindness: Engage in acts of kindness toward those who have hurt you. Small gestures can help soften your heart and build bridges of reconciliation.
2. Gratitude Journaling: Keep a journal of moments when you have received forgiveness and the impact it had on your life. This can help foster a spirit of gratitude and a willingness to extend the same grace to others.
Example Prayer for Strength to Forgive
Here’s a prayer to help you seek the strength to forgive:
Heavenly Father,
Grant me the strength to forgive those who have wronged me, just as Christ forgave those who crucified Him. Fill my heart with compassion and understanding and help me to let go of resentment and pain. May Your love and grace flow through me, as I strive to live according to Your will.
Amen.
DECEMBER 15 Third Sunday of Advent
Isaiah, Chapter 12, Verse 2-4
2God indeed is
my salvation; I am confident and UNAFRAID.
For the LORD is my strength and my might, and he has been my salvation. 3With joy you will draw water
from the fountains of salvation, 4And you will say on that day: give thanks to the LORD,
acclaim his name; Among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted
is his name.
Indeed, the birth of Christ is the beginning of the salvation of his people, when on Christmas morning the virgin gave him birth and he is born the angels proclaim His victory over death. Blood of Christ, without which there is no forgiveness, save us.
He has torn down the barricades of hell and overthrown the
power of Satan. Today our Savior has shattered the bars and burst the gates of
death.
ON KEEPING THE LORD'S DAY HOLY[1]
CHAPTER I
DIES DOMINI
The Celebration of the Creator's
Work
To "keep holy" by
"remembering"
16. The commandment of the Decalogue
by which God decrees the Sabbath observance is formulated in the Book of Exodus
in a distinctive way: "Remember the Sabbath day in order to keep it
holy" (20:8). And the inspired text goes on to give the reason for this,
recalling as it does the work of God: "For in six days the Lord made
heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh
day; therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy" (v.
11). Before decreasing that something be done, the commandment urges
that something be remembered. It is a call to awaken remembrance of the
grand and fundamental work of God, which is creation, a remembrance which must
inspire the entire religious life of man and then fill the day on which man is
called to rest. Rest therefore acquires a sacred value: the faithful are
called to rest not only as God rested, but to rest in the Lord, bringing
the entire creation to him, in praise and thanksgiving, intimate as a child and
friendly as a spouse.
Third Sunday of
Advent[2]
THE nearer the coming of the Lord the more earnestly the Church calls upon us to rejoice; and to-day, therefore, at the Introit of the Mass, she sings in the words of St. Paul: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice. Let your modesty be known to all men: The Lord is nigh. Be nothing solicitous, but in everything by prayer let your petitions be made known to God.” (Phil. iv. 4-6.) “Lord, thou hast blessed Thy land; Thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob”.
Prayer.
We beseech Thee, O Lord, mercifully incline Thine ear unto our prayers, and enlighten the darkness of our minds by the grace of Thy heavenly visitation.
EPISTLE. Phil. iv. 4-7.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice. Let your modesty be known to all men: The Lord is nigh. Be nothing solicitous, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your petitions be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.
What does it mean to rejoice in the Lord?
It means to be glad in remembering the grace by which God called us to the true faith, and gave us the hope of eternal salvation, and to rejoice even in all our tribulations and adversities for the Lord’s sake, as St. Paul did (n. Cor. vii. 4). It also admonishes us to give a good example by modesty and an edifying life, and to fix our desires on God, Who will never fail us if we make our wants known to Him by prayer and supplication, and give Him thanks for benefits received.
In what does the peace of God consist?
It consists in a good conscience, such as St. Paul enjoyed. It is this peace, this tranquility of the soul, which sustained the holy martyrs in their agonies, and consoled others under persecution for Christ’s sake (St. Matt. v. 11, 12).
Aspiration.
O Lord grant that Thy peace, which Thou hast given us, and which the world knows not, may keep our hearts and minds in Thee. O wisdom! proceeding from the mouth of the Highest, and reaching to the ends of the world, who governest with power and grace, come and direct us all, that we may walk in the path of wisdom and of the peace which surpasseth all understanding. Amen.
THE BEST REMEDY IN THE HOUR OF SORROW.
In need, sorrow, and dejection the best means to relieve our distressed hearts is humble and confiding prayer, in which we can pour out our hearts before God, and give ourselves up to His love and mercy, as did Anna, the sorrowful mother of Samuel the prophet, Josaphat in painful uncertainty, Susanna falsely accused and condemned to death, and innumerable other servants of God. These all prayed to God and were delivered from their afflictions, receiving help and consolation. St. James therefore admonishes us,
“Is any one of you sad?
let him pray” (James v. 13); and St. Paul, in the epistle for this Sunday, encourages us not to be solicitous about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, to let our requests be known to God.
Are you, then, sad and discouraged?
Lift up your soul to God, and say with David, “Give joy to the soul of Thy servant, for to Thee, O Lord, I have lifted up my soul” (Ps. Ixxxv. 4).
GOSPEL. John i. 19-28.
At that time: The Jews sent from Jerusalem priests and Levites to John to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed and did not deny and he confessed: I am not the Christ. And they asked him:
What then? Art thou Elias? And he said: I am not. Art thou the prophet?
And he answered: No. They said, therefore, unto him:
Who art thou, that we may give an answer to them that sent us? what sayest thou of thyself?
He said: I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaias. And they that were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him and said to him:
Why then dost thou baptize, if thou be not Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet?
John answered them, saying: I baptize with water; but there hath stood One in the midst of you, Whom you know not. The same is He that shall come after me, Who is preferred before me: the latchet of Whose shoe I am not worthy to loose. These things were done in Bethania, beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Why did the Jews send messengers to John to ask him who he was?
Because his baptizing and preaching, with his life of austerity and penance, made such an impression that the people took him not for an ordinary prophet, but for the Messias Himself.
Why did the messengers ask John whether he was Elias or the prophet?
The Jews believed that either Elias or another of the prophets would return to earth to prepare the way for the coming of Christ; and from St. John’s denying that he was the Christ they concluded that he was either Elias or that prophet.
Why did St. John say that he was not that prophet, but only the voice of one crying in the wilderness?
He said so out of humility; but he uttered no untruth, since he was not the prophet predicted by Moses (Deut. xviii. 15), but only the voice of one crying in the wilderness,” Make straight the way of the Lord”, as the prophet Isaias said (Is. Ix. 3).
How do we make straight the way of the Lord?
By sincere penance, which consists not merely in going to confession, and making hollow resolutions, but in bringing forth fruits worthy of penance (Matt. iii. 8; Luke iii. 8).
How do we bring forth fruits worthy of penance?
If we wish to bring forth fruits worthy of penance, we must endeavor to make amends for what is past and use all possible means to avoid in future those sins to which we have been most given; we must love and serve God as much as and more than we before loved and served the world.
What was the baptism of John, and what was the effect of it?
It was a baptism of penance, for the forgiveness of sins; thus, it was a preparation for the Baptism of Christ, through which sins are actually forgiven, and the Holy Ghost received (Mark i. 4, 5).
What are we further taught by this gospel?
We are taught to always speak the truth, like St. John; not to desire to appear more, or better, than we are; and, in particular, to make a good and sincere confession. We should, therefore, before confession often ask ourselves,
Who am I?
How do I live?
How do I stand before God?
How do I deal with my neighbor?
We learn also from St. John to confess our sins without reserve, neither concealing nor excusing them; above all, we learn to be humble, for although he might have passed for the Messiah had he chosen to, he refused that honor, and held himself unworthy to loose the latchet of Christ’s shoe.
Prayer.
O Lord banish from my heart envy, self-love, and pride; give me grace so to know Thee and myself that, in contemplation of Thy majesty, omnipotence, love and wisdom, and other perfections, I may love Thee above all things, and in regarding my own nothingness, misery, and sins may always humble myself before Thee, and be little in my own eyes. Grant also that I may judge my neighbor with justness and tenderness, and love him as myself.
Gaudete Sunday[3]
A joyful warning comes from the Lord's heralds. "Rejoice: The Lord is nigh." As Christmas draws near, the Church emphasizes the joy which should be in our hearts over all that the birth of our Savior means for us. The great joy of Christians is to see the day drawing nigh when the Lord will come again in His glory to lead them into His kingdom. The oft-repeated Veni ("Come") of Advent is an echo not only of the prophets but also of the conclusion of the Apocalypse of St. John: "Come, Lord Jesus," the last words of the New Testament. Today is known as Gaudete Sunday. The term Gaudete refers to the first word of the Entrance Antiphon, "Rejoice". Rose vestments are worn to emphasize our joy that Christmas is near, and we also light the rose candle on our Advent wreath.
Spiritual Crib[4]
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.
·
5th day, December 15th: THE STRAW—Mortification
Today the infant Jesus desires mortification from us; therefore, let us watch
for opportunities with a joyful heart. Not look about when we are walking; not
lean back when sitting; not warm ourselves when cold; not satisfy the taste at
table; when tempted to impatience not to show it and yield our own opinion to
that of others. Today really listen to others.
Catechism of the Catholic Church Day 186
The sacrificial memorial of
Christ and of his Body, the Church
1362 The
Eucharist is the memorial of Christ's Passover, the making present and the
sacramental offering of his unique sacrifice, in the liturgy of the Church
which is his Body. In all the Eucharistic Prayers we find after the words of
institution a prayer called the anamnesis or memorial.
1363 In the
sense of Sacred Scripture the memorial is not merely the recollection of past
events, but the proclamation of the mighty works wrought by God for
men. In the liturgical celebration of these events, they become in a
certain way present and real. This is how Israel understands its liberation
from Egypt: every time Passover is celebrated, the Exodus events are made
present to the memory of believers so that they may conform their lives to
them.
1364 In the
New Testament, the memorial takes on a new meaning. When the Church celebrates
the Eucharist, she commemorates Christ's Passover, and it is made present the
sacrifice Christ offered once for all on the cross remains ever
present. "As often as the sacrifice of the Cross by which 'Christ our
Pasch has been sacrificed' is celebrated on the altar, the work of our
redemption is carried out."
1365 Because it is the memorial of Christ's Passover, the Eucharist is also a sacrifice. The sacrificial character of the Eucharist is manifested in the very words of institution: "This is my body which is given for you" and "This cup which is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my blood." In the Eucharist Christ gives us the very body which he gave up for us on the cross, the very blood which he "poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."
1366 The
Eucharist is thus a sacrifice because it re-presents (makes present) the
sacrifice of the cross, because it is its memorial and because it applies its
fruit:
[Christ], our Lord and God, was
once and for all to offer himself to God the Father by his death on the altar
of the cross, to accomplish there an everlasting redemption. But because his
priesthood was not to end with his death, at the Last Supper "on the night
when he was betrayed," [he wanted] to leave to his beloved spouse the
Church a visible sacrifice (as the nature of man demands) by which the bloody
sacrifice which he was to accomplish once for all on the cross would be
re-presented, its memory perpetuated until the end of the world, and its
salutary power be applied to the forgiveness of the sins we daily commit.
1367 The
sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single
sacrifice: "The victim is one and the same: the same now offers through
the ministry of priests, who then offered himself on the cross; only the manner
of offering is different." "In this divine sacrifice, which is
celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody
manner on the altar of the cross is contained and is offered in an unbloody
manner."
1368 The
Eucharist is also the sacrifice of the Church. the Church which is the Body of
Christ participates in the offering of her Head. With him, she herself is
offered whole and entire. She unites herself to his intercession with the
Father for all men. In the Eucharist the sacrifice of Christ becomes also the
sacrifice of the members of his Body. the lives of the faithful, their praise,
sufferings, prayer, and work, are united with those of Christ and with his
total offering, and so acquire a new value. Christ's sacrifice present on the
altar makes it possible for all generations of Christians to be united with his
offering.
In the catacombs the Church is
often represented as a woman in prayer, arms outstretched in the praying
position. Like Christ who stretched out his arms on the cross, through him,
with him, and in him, she offers herself and intercedes for all men.
Daily Devotions
·
Today's Fast: Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Families of St. Joseph.
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary.
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