Keep
your eyes open!...
Christmas Week, 2013
THE TRIB TIMES WILL RETURN IN EARLY JANUARY 2014, GOD
WILLING (James 4:15).
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL FROM THE ZAMBRANO FAMILY! BLESSINGS FOR A JOYOUS NEW YEAR!
(Luk 2:10-14) And
the angel said to them: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings
of great joy that shall be to all the people: For, this day is born to
you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. And this
shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in
swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. And suddenly there was with the
angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God and saying: Glory
to God in the highest: and on earth peace to men of good will.
VATICAN.VA: MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS FRANCIS FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE WORLD DAY OF PEACE 1 JANUARY 2014
POPE FRANCIS: Christmas
is a feast of joyful hope, for God has become one with us in the person
of his Son, true God and true man. He showed his love for us by
becoming part of our world, with all its conflicts, its suffering and
its poverty. Jesus is truly Emmanuel: God among us. This is the great
“gift” which he brings: a divine love which heals and transforms our
hearts, overcoming all uncertainty and pessimism. Our joyful
contemplation of the mystery of Christmas should make us realize that,
as God has become one of us, we too are called to become like God:
humble, close to others, especially the poor, and ever attentive to
their needs. This Christmas, let us ask Mary, Mother of Jesus and our
Mother, to help us see in our neighbour the face of Jesus, God made
man. May we be in this world a ray of that light which shone forth from
Bethlehem, bringing the joy and peace to the hearts of all men and
women.
EARLY CHURCH WRITINGS: Ode of Cosmas
O wondrous mystery, full of passing grace!
The grot becometh Heaven; the Virgin's breast
The bright Cherubic Throne; the stall, that place
Where He who fills all space vouchsafes to rest;
Christ our God, to whom we raise
Hymns of thankfulness and praise!
RON ROLHEISER, OMI: Reflection on the Virgin Birth
CATHOLIC HISTORY BLOG: The Pagan Origins of Christmas?
EXCERPT DIVINEMERCY.ORG: Have Yourself a Very 'Mercy' Christmas
The awesome Lord of all left
heaven and became a little child for our sake. Following His example,
He invites us to become like little children, growing in childlike
trust in God.
We all too easily forget that the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity
laid aside His glory and majesty to become small for our sake. It is an
invitation for us to trust in God's plan for our lives, too.
Saint Faustina was granted a powerful vision after Holy Communion in
which the veil was lifted and she recognized the Child Jesus as the
Lord of the universe:
... I suddenly
saw the Infant Jesus standing by my kneeler and holding on to it with
His two little hands. Although, He was but a little Child, my soul was
filled with awe and fear, for I see in Him my Judge, my Lord, and my
Creator, before whose holiness the angels tremble. At the same time, my
soul was flooded with such unspeakable love that I thought I would die
under its influence. I now see that Jesus first strengthens my soul and
makes it capable of abiding with Him, for otherwise I would not be able
to bear what I experience at such a moment (Diary, 566).
Notice how the Lord first strengthens Sr. Faustina so that she can
abide with Him and bear this mystical experience. Put another way, it
is her love and trust in the Lord that enable her to perceive the
greatness of the Child Jesus precisely in His smallness.
It is no surprise, then, that the Christ Child comes to Sr. Faustina at
Mass in another vision to teach her spiritual childhood — to ask her to
become little like Himself:
... I saw the
Infant Jesus near my kneeler. He appeared to be about one year old, and
He asked me to take Him in my arms. When I did take Him in my arms, He
cuddled up close to my bosom and said, It is good for Me to be close to
your heart. ... Because I want to teach you spiritual childhood. I want
you to be very little, because when you are little, I carry you close
to My Heart, just as you are holding me close to your heart right now
(Diary, 1481).
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Self-Control
60. They said of one
hermit that he sometimes longed to eat a cucumber. So he took one and
hung it in front of him where he could see it. He was not overcome by
his longing, and did not eat it, but tamed himself, and repented that
he had wanted it at all.
Week of December 15, 2013
(Luk 1:31-32) Behold
thou shalt conceive in thy womb and shalt bring forth a son: and thou
shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great and shall be called the
Son of the Most High. And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne
of David his father: and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever.
CRISIS MAGAZINE: An Advent Paean to Christian Hope by Regis Martin
EXCERPT ARCHBISHOP CHARLES J. CHAPUT, O.F.M. CAP.: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always’
One of the
biggest sadnesses of modern life is this: We’ve mistaken comfort for
happiness, and as a result, the pursuit of satisfaction has taken away
our joy. We live in a culture increasingly based on the strange idea
that whatever we want, we deserve — and we should have it, right now; a
culture that constantly teases our appetites, fabricates new “needs”
and then urges us to want more. This is a recipe for discontent.
As C.S. Lewis said more than 50 years ago, it’s little wonder that many
people, including many Christians, become so fed up with the “holiday”
season’s frenzy that they endure it rather than enjoy it, and can’t
wait for it to be over.
In contrast, the more deeply we live Advent, and the more prayerfully
and patiently we wait for the coming of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, then
the more fully we experience the joy of Christmas. For Catholics
throughout the centuries, Christmas Eve begins the Christmas season,
which continues through the Epiphany to the Baptism of the Lord. As the
popular saying rightly goes, Jesus is the reason for the season.
Taking Christ out of “the holidays” removes any real joy — the winter
solstice is an interesting natural fact, but the shortest day of the
year is a pretty thin reason to celebrate — and it makes “peace on
earth” a well-meaning but implausible platitude. There is no peace on
earth; nor can there ever be without the cross of Jesus Christ.
RON ROLHEISER, OMI: To
make a festival of Christmas, to surround Jesus' birthday with all the
joy, light, music, gift-giving, energy, and warmth we can muster is,
strange as this may sound, a prophetic act. It is, or at least it can
be, an expression of faith and hope. It's not the person who says:
"It's rotten, let's cancel it!" who radiates hope. That can easily be
despair masquerading as faith. No. It is the man or woman who, despite
the world's misuse and abuse of these, still strings up the Christmas
lights, trims the tree and the turkey, turns up the carols, passes
gifts to loved ones, sits down at table with family and friends, and
flashes a grin to the world, who is radiating faith, who is saying that
we are meant for more than gloom, who is celebrating Jesus' birth.
CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY MINISTRY: Contemplating with Joseph
RON ROLHEISER, OMI: Joseph and Christmas
EXCERPT: The Prince Of Peace: Meditations (1915) by Alban Goodier, S.J.
VIII.-THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS
"His name was called Jesus, which was called by the Angel before He was conceived in the womb." LUKE ii. 21.
1. It is not difficult to meditate upon the Holy Name, or to use the
Holy Name in prayer. More than any other name, perhaps alone among all
proper names, it is appropriate to the One Who owned it. Usually the
names of men are given at random; they mean nothing in themselves; a
man who happens to be called John might just as well have been called
Thomas or William· the mere name tells us nothing about him; it is a
convenient means of distinguishing him from others, a label put upon
him and little or no more. With a few human beings it has been
otherwise: Adam, Abraham, Josue, John the Baptist were given names that
signified the men on whom they were bestowed. But with none is this so
true as it is with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. With care it was
repeated to Joseph: " "Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for. He shall
save His people from their sins."
2. The Name stands as a complete sum mary and description of our Lord's
character and office, and it is under this aspect that it has been
regarded by thousands of saints, whose hearts have melted at its mere
sound. To them Jesus is their God, Jesus is their King, Jesus is their
Redeemer, Jesus is their Mediator, Jesus is their Saviour, Jesus is
their great Priest, Jesus is their Intercessor, Jesus is the Captain
under Whom they fight, Jesus is the Leader Whom they follow, Jesus is
their Teacher, Jesus is the Giver of their law, Jesus is the Spouse and
Shepherd of their souls, Jesus is their Light Jesus is their Life,
Jesus is the Judge before Whom they rejoice to think that they must one
day stand, Jesus is their final and eternal Reward, for which alone
they live.
3· But He is also to them the mirror of all the most glorious and
winning virtues. He is, and His Name tells them that He is unbounded
Charity, infinite Mercy, extremest Kindness, deepest Humility, most
devoted Piety, transparent Simplicity, uttermost Poverty, Chastity
wtthout a stain. It is the prerogative of love to transform those who
love into the likeness of Him Whom they love; and as the mere name of
one who is loved cannot sound in the ear or be thought of in the mind
without adding to the love which is already there, so the thought of
the Holy Name and the mention of the Holy Name have a kind of
sacramental power in the hearts of His saints. They seem to convey the
grace which enables men to think like Him, to speak like Him, to act
like Him, to sacrifice themselves like Him, and to Him, and for Him,
and along with Him, to make Him known to others, not by word only, but
also by reproduction of Him in themselves, and to win all men to love
Him.
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Self-Control
52. He also said,
'The serpent whispered to Eve and cast her out of paradise. The man who
whispers against his neighbours is like the serpent. He condemns the
soul of whoever listens to him, and he does not save his own.'
Week of December 8, 2013
(Rev 12:1) And
a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the
moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
ADVENT RESOURCE: God Still Comes: A Meditative Journey Through Advent by Rev. Johann G. Roten, SM
TERRA SANTA NEWS: Christians in the Holy Land and the Church
ADVENT MEDITATIONS
ARCHBISHOP CHARLES J. CHAPUT, O.F.M. CAP.: A listening heart and ‘The Joy of the Gospel’
RON ROLHEISER, OMI: The God Who Is Revealed In Christmas
RON ROLHEISER, OMI: Awakening the Christ-child
POPE FRANCIS: "The Immaculate Conception was inscribed in God’s plan; it was the fruit of God’s love whereby the world was saved".
PAPAL ENCYCLICALS: THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Ineffabilis Deus Apostolic Constitution issued by Pope Pius IX on December 8, 1854
"We declare, pronounce and define that the doctrine which holds that
the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the first instant of her conception, by a
singular privilege and grace of the Omnipotent God, in virtue of the
merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of mankind, was preserved immaculate
from all stain of original sin, has been revealed by God, and therefore
should firmly and constantly be believed by all the faithful...."
CNA ARCHIVE EXCERPT: Historian reveals how Pius IX decided to proclaim dogma of Immaculate Conception
French historian and professor Louis Baunard said that while gazing
upon the Mediterranean from the city, “the Pope mediated on remarks
made to him by Cardinal Luigi Lambruschini: Holy Father, you will not
be able to heal the world unless you proclaim the dogma of the
Immaculate Conception. Only this dogmatic definition will reestablish
the meaning of the Christian truths and bring minds back from the paths
of naturalism upon which they have become lost.”
According to Guglietta, naturalism, which rejected all supernatural
truth, could be considered the “backdrop” for the Pope’s proclamation
of the dogma. “The affirmation of the Immaculate Conception of the
Virgin laid a strong foundation for affirming and strengthening the
certainty of the primacy of grace and the work of Providence in the
lives of men.”
GUADALUPE: Our Lady of Guadalupe 'completely beyond' scientific explanation
MORE: Science Sees What Mary Saw From Juan Diego’s Tilma
Engineer José Aste Tonsmann of the Mexican Center of Guadalupan Studies
began his study in 1979. He magnified the iris of the Virgin's eyes
2,500 times and, through mathematical and optical procedures, was able
to identify all the people imprinted in the eyes.
The eyes reflect the witnesses of the Guadalupan miracle the moment
Juan Diego unfurled his tilma before the bishop, according to Tonsmann.
In the eyes, Tonsmann believes, it is possible to discern a seated
Indian, who is looking up to the heavens; the profile of a balding,
elderly man with a white beard, much like the portrait of Bishop
Zumárraga painted by Miguel Cabrera to depict the miracle; and a
younger man, in all probability interpreter Juan González.
Also present is an Indian, likely Juan Diego, of striking features with
a beard and mustache, who unfolds his own tilma before the bishop; a
woman of dark complexion, possibly a Negro slave who was in the
bishop's service; and a man with Spanish features who looks on
pensively, stroking his beard with his hand.
In summary, the Virgin's eyes bear a kind of instant picture of what
occurred at the moment the image was unveiled in front of the bishop,
Tonsmann says.
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Self-Control
51. He also said, 'It is better to eat meat and drink wine than to eat the flesh of the brothers by disparaging them.'
Week of December 1, 2013
(Rom 13:11-14) And
that, knowing the season, that it is now the hour for us to rise from
sleep. For now our salvation is nearer than when we believed. The night
is passed And the day is at hand. Let us, therefore cast off the works
of darkness and put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in
the day: not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and
impurities, not in contention and envy. But put ye on the Lord Jesus
Christ: and make not provision for the flesh in its concupiscences.
ICN REFLECTION:
Unlike Lent, the four weeks preceding the great feasts of Christ’s
birth and Epiphany are not times of great penance. We are asked to
prepare ourselves to welcome these feasts, but more in prayerful
anticipation and silent prayer, it is the season for wakefulness, being
attentive to the call of God right in our daily lives. It is also a
reminder that we anticipate not only the festivals of light and joy but
look beyond the limits of our world into that dark winter sky and see
in the twinkling of those so far distant stars a hint of the glory and
majesty of Christ our God who one day will come again.
Perhaps in our security of life we
might feel that this is a long way off, we have another Christmas to
get through, plenty to do, friends to contact, relations to visit. It
is a season of giving! And yet, the insistent voice of scripture tells
us that we have been promised that the Son of Man will come. Matthew in
his direct way prepares us for that second coming, reminding us to
stand ready and be prepared. That is very much the message of Advent;
that He will come again as surely as He came into the world as a little
child. This is why Isaiah tells us to walk in the light of the Lord,
why Paul tells us that the night is nearly over and the day is at hand!
RON ROLHEISER, OMI: Advent - A Time To Learn How To Wait
EXCEPT ARCHBISHOP CHARLES J. CHAPUT, O.F.M. CAP.: The Gift of Thanksgiving and the Advent Season
This weekend, on December 1, we also celebrate the First
Sunday of Advent, which opens the new Church year. It’s a chance
to begin again; a time to examine our hearts in the light of the
Gospel, repent of our sins and look for the coming of our Savior.
We can’t really experience or understand Christmas unless we first
conform our hearts to the longing of Advent. Advent calls us all
to refocus our lives on God’s promise of deliverance and the
flesh-and-blood reality of Jesus Christ, our Deliverer – who came to us
first in Bethlehem, comes to us today in the Eucharist, and will come
again at the end of time.
As the Church reminds us throughout our lives, our Catholic faith, if
it’s genuine, must have consequences – first in our private choices and
conduct, but also in our public witness. If we really believe in
the coming of a Messiah, our lives will reflect that in the way we
treat our families, our friends and business colleagues, the poor, the
homeless and the suffering.
Real faith will drive us to live our lives in a spirit of humility,
hope and courage, as Mary of Nazareth did. It will also guide us
to press our elected leaders – of both political parties — for laws and
social policies that respect the dignity of the human person, from
conception to natural death.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph knew the reality of poverty firsthand.
They knew the fear of being without shelter; of being hunted by enemies
and being “strangers in a strange land” as refugees in Egypt.
This week might be a good time to remember that millions of immigrants
in our own country – many of them undocumented; men and women who in
many ways underpin our economy – feel that same uncertainty and
vulnerability. That’s why continuing efforts at immigration
reform are so urgently necessary and so in need of Catholic involvement.
But immigration is only one of a dozen pressing issues like defending
the unborn child, religious liberty, strengthening marriage and the
family, and support for the elderly and disabled, which now face our
country and cry out for prayer and action by Christians. All
genuinely Catholic action begins and ends in the worship of Jesus
Christ. If we want to change the world, we begin by saying “yes”
to God, as Mary did. We begin with our own obedience to God, using Mary
as our model.
The Thanksgiving holiday and the season of Advent give us a chance to
start over; to begin the new Church year with a longing for God that
leads to Bethlehem, to our own renewal, and to the conversion of the
world.
ADVENT MEDIA
The Christmas Scale
10 Advent Songs to Cure the Christmas Craziness
New Film Puts Christ Back into Christmas
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Self-Control
50. He also said, 'Do not let your mouth speak an evil word: the vine does not bear thorns.'
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