Devotion for today: Readings from The Liturgy of the Hours for Christmas Eve

Saturday Morning Reading: Isaiah 11:1-5:  A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord, and His delight shall be the fear of the Lord. Not by appearance shall He judge, nor by hearsay shall He decide, but He shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’s afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around His waist, and faithfulness a belt upon His hips.

Saturday Morning Prayer: Come, Lord Jesus, do not delay; give new courage to your people who trust in your love. By your coming, raise us to the joy of your kingdom, where you live and reign with the Father and the Holy spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Evening Prayer I (to be said Saturday evening)

Canticle: Philippians 2:6-11: Though he was in the form of God, Jesus did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at. Rather, he emptied himself and took the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of men. He was known to be of human estate, and it was thus that he humbled himself, obediently accepting even death, death on a cross! Because of this, God highly exalted him, and bestowed on him the name above every other name, so that at Jesus’ name, every knee must bend in the heavens, on the earth, and under the earth, and every tongue proclaim to the glory of God the Father: JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!

Reading: Galatians 4:3-7: In the same way, while we were not yet of age we were like slaves subordinated to the elements of the world; but when the designated time had come, God sent forth his Son born of a woman, born under the law, to deliver from the law those who were subjected to it, so that we might receive our status as adopted sons. The proof that you are sons is the fact that God has sent forth into our hearts the spirit of his Son which cries out “Abba!” (“Father”) You are no longer a slave but a son! And the fact that you are a son makes you an heir, by God’s design.

Prayer: God our Father, every year we rejoice as we look forward to this feast of our salvation. May we welcome Christ as our Redeemer, and meet him with confidence when he comes to be our judge, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

For the last time, don't forget to say your Christmas Novena 15 times today for your special intention!

Christmas Novena
Hail, and blessed be the hour and moment
At which the Son of God was born
Of a most pure Virgin
At a stable at midnight in Bethlehem
In the piercing cold
At that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee,
To hear my prayers and grant my desires(mention request here). 
Through Jesus Christ and His most Blessed Mother.

Read more: http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/novena/christmas.htm#ixzz1f7YZnI

Devotion for today: Our last gift this advent: forgiveness

The “O” Antiphon for today: “O Emmanuel, God with us, our King and Lawgiver, the expected of the nations and their Savior: Come to save us, O Lord our God. Isaiah 7:14, 33:22.

Scripture for meditation: Isaiah 9:1, 5

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; upon his shoulder dominion rests.

Christ tells us: Luke 11: 2-4

He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins for we too forgive all who do us wrong; and subject us not to the trial.”

We learn in the Christopher News Notes for Dec. 5, 2011: Is there a “right time” to forgive someone? Well, there is no time like the present. Forgiveness is always in season. But right now, with Christmas just around the corner, righting old wrongs seems to be especially appropriate. Jesus came to us with a message, and at its heart was a simple instruction: forgive those who trespass against us. Of course, it’s easier said than done. And the difficulty seems to climb with the severity of the original offense. Still, the Lord made no exceptions. A trespasser is a trespasser, no matter the crime, and under all circumstances He calls for forgiveness. That concept was among the topics addressed at a recent southern California conference on the criminal justice system, a major subtext of which involved the forgiveness of offenders. Doris Benavides of The Tidings, the Los Angeles archdiocesan newspaper, effectively captured its mood in her report on the proceedings, which featured interviews with parents of…murdered sons. Helene Davis has forgiven her son Darrell Davis’ murderer, but still chokes up when describing how he was killed following a verbal confrontation with the offender. Dick Harris has also forgiven the gang members who killed his son Bryan and his girlfriend back in 1985, but becomes tearful when talking about it….And all can benefit from the story of Maria Boffa of New York, whose experience was chronicled earlier this year in the Daily News. Reporter Oren Yaniv told of the “heart-stirring moment of mercy” in a Brooklyn courtroom when the 78 year old woman told her son’s sobbing killer, “I forgive you.”…. “It just came out of me,” Boffa said of her remarkable act.  “I did it for my son’s sake.”  Some people can never forgive. Some are working at it. And some – like Maria Boffa – find that the words “just come out.” That’s clearly an ideal to strive for. The offense can be far less serious, of course, than the loss of life: an argument, an angry word, a slight. All call for forgiveness, and moving on. Any time, remember, can be the right time. But just about now seems perfect. http://www.christophers.org/.

My thoughts: We have finally arrived at the end of our Advent preparation. We have sought to learn God’s word, immersed ourselves in prayer, found God’s forgiveness in the confessional, and admitted our hindrances to a full and loving relationshipwith God. One last present remains for us to give to the newborn King, and that is the gift of forgiveness towards others. There is an old Chinese proverb which states, “It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” Isaiah reminds us that Christ came into the world to be its light, to show the way to the Father.Christ tells us that we must forgive others if we want to be forgiven ourselves, and we all know by now that our eternal salvation rests on our being forgiven of our sins. Today is the day to light the candle in our hearts, to dispel the darkness and create a warm and loving home for Christ. If the people in the above story could do it, so can we. First we must ask for Mary’s help, for as our Mother, she wants desperately to see all her children at peace. Secondly, we come before God and ask His forgiveness for our hard hearts which have kept us in anger and hurt for so long, and lastly, let us reach out to our offender, or the one we have offended, and offer a candle of mercy for their offense, or a candle of sorrow for our actions. Even if we are rejected in our efforts, we can rest assured that our hearts are now open for God to begin His saving work. This last gift, the gift of light to the world through us, is the one perfect gift we can give. May we all be blessed this Christmas season with loving and forgiving hearts, and may we all say, as Maria Boffa so magnificently taught us, “I did it for Your Son’s sake.” May all of you find peace and joy in the coming of our Savior.

Our prayer to God: The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, let me sow pardon. Where there is friction, let me sow union. Where there is error, let me sow truth. Where there is doubt, let me sow faith. Where there is despair, let me sow hope. Where there is darkness, let me sow light. Where there is sadness, let me sow joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned. It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Don't forget to say your Christmas Novena 15 times today for your special intention!

Christmas Novena
Hail, and blessed be the hour and moment
At which the Son of God was born
Of a most pure Virgin
At a stable at midnight in Bethlehem
In the piercing cold
At that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee,
To hear my prayers and grant my desires(mention request here). 
Through Jesus Christ and His most Blessed Mother.

Read more: http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/novena/christmas.htm#ixzz1f7YZnI

Devotion for today: Come home for Christmas

The “O” Antiphon for today: 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. Psalm2:7-8; Ephesians 2:14-20.

Scriptures for meditation: John 3:16-17 “Yes, God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him may not die, but may have eternal life. God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

John 6: 37-40: “All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me; no one who comes will I ever reject, because it is not to do My own will that I have come down from heaven, but to do the will of Him who sent Me. It is the will of Him who sent Me that I should lose nothing of what He has given Me; rather, that I should raise it up on the last day. Indeed, this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks upon the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life. Him I will raise up on the last day.”

Christ revealed to Saint Faustina: (1777) “My daughter, know that My Heart is mercy itself. From this sea of mercy, graces flow out upon the whole world. No soul that has approached Me has ever gone away unconsoled. All misery gets buried in the depths of My mercy, and every saving and sanctifying grace flows from this fountain.” (1784) “How very much I desire the salvation of souls! My dearest secretary, write that I want to pour out My divine life into human souls and sanctify them, if only they were willing to accept My grace. The greatest sinners would achieve great sanctity, if only they would trust in My mercy. The very inner depths of My being are filled to overflowing with mercy, and it is being poured out upon all I have created. My delight is to act in a human soul and to fill it with My mercy and to justify it. My kingdom on earth is My life in the human soul.”Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, Marion Press, 2007

My thoughts: Christmas is almost here. For four weeks we have been preparing our homes and our hearts for the birth of Christ the King. Now it is time to ask ourselves if there is anything standing between us and God. Are we hurt, angered, frustrated or disappointed over God’s will in our lives? Do we find ourselves half-heartedly dragging ourselves to Sunday Mass or saying only rote prayers to avoid an emotional, personal conversation with God. Do we feel we have hurt too many people, done too many awful things, or just plain walked away from God too many times to believe He can really love us? Christ answers all these questions so simply. He wants everyone in heaven with Him at the end of life. He has so much mercy to pour into everyone’s heart that He is sad when we don’t ask for it.  Christ loves us very, very much. There is no sin, no anger, no hurt and no disappointment that He hasn’t already faced. This Christmas, truly believe that God loves you very, very much, and come home to Him, with all your heart, mind and soul. Don’t spend another Christmas afraid or angry. Kneel before the baby Jesus, accept His smile and extended arms as His personal gift to you, and give Him your heart. If you do, I promise you, this will be your best Christmas ever. Here is your new song, “I’ll be home for Christmas,” in the arms of my loving Savior.

Don't forget to say your Christmas Novena 15 times today for your special intention!

Christmas Novena
Hail, and blessed be the hour and moment
At which the Son of God was born
Of a most pure Virgin
At a stable at midnight in Bethlehem
In the piercing cold
At that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee,
To hear my prayers and grant my desires(mention request here). 
Through Jesus Christ and His most Blessed Mother.

Read more: http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/novena/christmas.htm#ixzz1f7YZnI

Devotion for today: Jesus is God and man

The “O” Antiphon for today: O Dawn of the East, brightness of the light eternal, and Sun of Justice: Come, and enlighten them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. Psalm 19:6-7

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary, and she conceived by the Holy Spirit. (Hail Mary)

Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to Thy word (Hail Mary)

(Bow your head and say) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. (Hail Mary)

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray: Pour forth we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the incarnation of Christ Thy Son, was made know by the message of an angel, may by His passion and cross, be brought to glory of His resurrection, through the same, Christ our Lord. Amen

Today we look at the closing prayer of the Angelus. What exactly is the incarnation?

Scripture passage for meditation: Philippians 2:5-8: Your attitude must be that of Christ: though He was in the form of God, He did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at. Rather, He emptied Himself and took the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of men. He was known to be of human estate, and it was thus that He humbled Himself, obediently accepting even death, death on a cross.

John 4:2-3: This is how you can recognize God’s spirit: every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ come in the flesh belongs to God.

1 Timothy 3:16: Wonderful, indeed, is the mystery of our faith, as we say in professing it: “He was manifested in the flesh.”

Hebrews 10: 5-7: Wherefore, on coming into the world, Jesus said; “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you have prepared for me. Holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight in. Then I said, ‘As is written in the book (Psalm 40:7-9), I have come to do your will, O God.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us: 461- Taking up St. John’s expression, “The Word became flesh,” (John 1:14) the Church calls “Incarnation” the fact that the Son of God assumed a human nature in order to accomplish our salvation in it. 463- Belief in the true Incarnation of the Son of God is the distinctive sign of Christian faith. 464- The unique and altogether singular event of the Incarnation of the Son of God does not mean that Jesus Christ is part God and part man, nor does it imply that he is the result of a confused mixture of the divine and the human. He became truly man while remaining truly God. Jesus Christ is true God and true man. 460- The Word became flesh to make us “partakers of the divine nature” (2Peter 1:4): For this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word, and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God.

My thoughts: In the new translation used in the Mass, we profess a belief that Christ is consubstantial with the Father. “The Eternal Son, who was born of the Virgin Mary, is neither ‘like’ the Father nor ‘practically the same substance’ as the Father. The Eternal Son enjoys the very same substance as the Father. The Son possesses fully the Godhead of the Father.(Fr. Cessario,www.romanmissalchanges.com)

It does require God’s pouring grace into our hearts for us to fully appreciate this tremendous gift of God becoming Man. Our minds balk at the idea, and our senses tell us this cannot be. Yet it is, and it is why the world pauses for one day, to bend a knee and adore the King, the God, the Savior of the world, born to die so that man may be forever a son of God. Let us spend the next few days before Christmas in awe of the gift so freely given. Christ loves each and every one of us enough to come into our hearts, and show us the way to the Father. Let Him in, with praise and thanksgiving, in sorrow and in joy, and trust in His benevolent kindness and mercy. “Haste, haste to bring Him laude, the babe, the son of Mary!”

Don't forget to say your Christmas Novena 15 times today for your special intention!

Christmas Novena
Hail, and blessed be the hour and moment
At which the Son of God was born
Of a most pure Virgin
At a stable at midnight in Bethlehem
In the piercing cold
At that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee,
To hear my prayers and grant my desires(mention request here). 
Through Jesus Christ and His most Blessed Mother.

Read more: http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/novena/christmas.htm#ixzz1f7YZnI

Devotion for today: worthy of the promises of Christ

The “O” Antiphon for today: O Key of David, and Scepter of the House of Israel, who opens and no man shuts, who shuts and no man opens: Come, and bring forth the captive from his prison, he who sits in darkness and in the shadow of death.  Isaiah 22:22.

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary, and she conceived by the Holy Spirit. (Hail Mary)

Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to Thy word (Hail Mary)

(Bow your head and say) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. (Hail Mary)

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray: Pour forth we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the incarnation of Christ Thy Son, was made know by the message of an angel, may by His passion and cross, be brought to glory of His resurrection, through the same, Christ our Lord. Amen

Today’s line from the Angelus, “Pray for us O holy mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promise of Christ, begs the question: What are the promises of Christ for which we must be made worthy?

Scriptures for meditation:

Promise for followers of Christ:  John 12:26: If anyone would serve me, let him follow me; where I am, there will my servant be. If anyone serves me, him the Father will honor.

Promise of Comfort: Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart. Your souls will find rest, for my yoke is easy and my burden light.”

Promise of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist: John 6:51-58: “I myself am the living bread come down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread he shall live forever; the bread I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” “Let me solemnly assure you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. He who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has life eternal, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood real drink. The man who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the Father who has life sent me and I have life because of the Father, so the man who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and died nonetheless, the man who feeds on this bread shall live forever.”

Promise of Eternal Life: John 11:26: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, though he should die, will come to life; and whoever is alive and believes in me, will never die.”

Promise of Joy: John 15:9-12: “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Live on in my love. You will live in my love if you keep my commandments, even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and live in his love. All this I tell you, that your joy may be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you.”

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God: Padre Pio tells us: “When I think of the innumerable benefits received from this dear Mother, I am ashamed of myself, for I have never sufficiently appreciated her heart and her hand which have bestowed these benefits upon me with so much love. What troubles me most is that I have repaid the affectionate care of this Mother of ours by offending her.” “How often have I confided to this Mother the painful anxieties that troubled my heart, and how often has she consoled me. But in what did my gratitude consist? In my greatest sufferings, it seems to me that I no longer have a mother on this earth, but a very compassionate one in heaven. But, many times, when my heart was at peace, I have forgotten all this almost entirely. I have even forgotten my duty of gratitude towards this blessed heavenly Mother.” “But I am greatly indebted to our Mother Mary for driving away temptations of the enemy. Will you, too, thank this good Mother?”Padre Pio’s Words of Hope, Eileen Dunn Bertanzetti, Our Sunday Visitor Publishing, 1999

My thoughts: There are so many promises of Christ in the scriptures, so many pledges of mercy, love, kindness, forgiveness and eternal life. I listed a few, but you can spend the rest of your life pouring over scripture to see the beautiful promises God has for those who chose to know, love and serve Him in this world. As we prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ, let us turn to Mary, ask her to drive away any evil thought, word or deed that would keep us from Christ, and then let us remember to thank her for wrapping us in her protective mantle as she prepares to present us to her son on Christmas day. Venite Adoremus! O Come Let Us Adore Him!

Don't forget to say your Christmas Novena 15 times today for your special intention!

Christmas Novena
Hail, and blessed be the hour and moment
At which the Son of God was born
Of a most pure Virgin
At a stable at midnight in Bethlehem
In the piercing cold
At that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee,
To hear my prayers and grant my desires(mention request here). 
Through Jesus Christ and His most Blessed Mother.

Read more: http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/novena/christmas.htm#ixzz1f7YZnI

Devotion for today: and the word was made flesh…

The “O” Antiphon for today: O Root of Jesse, who stands for an ensign of the people, before whom kings shall keep silence and unto whom the Gentiles shall make supplication: Come to deliver us…Isaiah 11:1-3.

Prayer: The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary, and she conceived by the Holy Spirit. (Hail Mary)

Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to Thy word (Hail Mary)

(Bow your head and say) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. (Hail Mary)

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray: Pour forth we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the incarnation of Christ Thy Son, was made know by the message of an angel, may by His passion and cross, be brought to glory of His resurrection, through the same, Christ our Lord. Amen

Continuing onto the third line of the Angelus, we come to one of the most significant events in human history… “And the word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.”

Scripture for meditation: John 1:1-5, 10-14, 15-18

In the beginning was the Word; the Word was in God’s presence, and the Word was God. He was present to God in the beginning, Through Him all things came into being, and apart from Him nothing came to be. Whatever came to be in Him found life, life for the light of men. The light shines on in darkness, a darkness that did not overcome it. He was in the world, and through Him the world was made, yet the world did not know who He was. To His own He came, yet His own did not accept Him. Any who did accept Him He empowered to become children of God. These are they who believe in His name – who were begotten not by blood, nor by carnal desire, nor by man’s willing it, but by God. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us, and we have seen His glory. The glory of an only Son coming from the Father, filled with enduring love. Of His fullness we have all had a share – love following upon love. For while the law was given through Moses, this enduring love came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, ever at the Father’s side, who has revealed Him.

Christ tells us: John 14: 8-10

“Lord,” Philip said to Him, “show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”  “Philip,” Jesus replied, “after I have been with you all this time, you still do not know Me? Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?”

Alfred McBride, O. Praem. shares with us: Genesis taught that in the beginning, God created the world by speaking….. John’s gospel repeats this truth but amplifies the Genesis message by being more explicit. The Word was more than speech. The Word was God. This Word generates and energizes all life. In the case of Human beings, this life contains a potential for participation in divine life itself. In biblical thought God breathed life into each person; hence a human shimmers with an image of divinity already. But a person needs the ability to see this and embark on a journey to union with the divine. That is why the Word - who endows us with the beginning of life, is also our light to help us see our origins and our destiny. We need the light of the Word to appreciate the life received from the Word. This gospel says the world failed to recognize the Word. Even many of His own people did not accept Him. But some did and they were given power to be the children of God and believe in His name. Their union with divine Love did not come from merely being born. Nor was it caused by a human choice based on logic and common sense. They chose union with the Divine Word – Love – because Love first chose them. (The Divine Presence of Jesus: Meditation and Commentary on the Gospel of John; Alfred McBride, Our Sunday Visitor Publishing, 1992)

My thoughts: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” is so powerful we must bow our heads when we say it, for we are declaring that we believe Jesus is God, that He is both man and God, and that He came to earth to live among us. What wondrous love is this, O my Soul? This love is with us today, calling us to come to Him and believe in Him, hope in Him and love Him, for He made us, redeemed us and wants us home with Him in heaven. As we spend this last week of Advent preparing for Christmas, let us not forget to thank the Lord for the gift He so willingly gave to us – Himself – and return the favor by giving ourselves to Him. Emmanuel: God with us!

Don't forget to say your Christmas Novena 15 times today for your special intention!

Christmas Novena
Hail, and blessed be the hour and moment
At which the Son of God was born
Of a most pure Virgin
At a stable at midnight in Bethlehem
In the piercing cold
At that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee,
To hear my prayers and grant my desires(mention request here). 
Through Jesus Christ and His most Blessed Mother.

Read more: http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/novena/christmas.htm#ixzz1f7YZnI