BIG C CATHOLICS

The Incarnation of Our Lord Jesus Christ is the seminal event in human history; fulfilling Old Testament prophecy and paving the way for His earthly ministry and atoning Passion and Death. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "Belief in the true Incarnation of the Son of God is the distinctive sign of Christian faith: 'By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God.' Such is the joyous conviction of the Church from her beginning whenever she sings 'the mystery of our religion': 'He [Jesus Christ] was manifested in the flesh.'" ( Catechism of the Catholic Church , 463) True God and True Man As we continue to celebrate the season of Advent in anticipation of Christmas, we proclaim what the Church has always professed: "that Jesus is inseparably true God and true man. He is truly the Son of God who, without ceasing to be God and Lord, became a man and our brother.&q

St. Augustine, the early Church Father, was a brilliant philosopher, theologian and bishop of Hippo [in present day Algeria]. He composed several short sermons on the Birth of Our Lord. Here, Augustine reflects upon the humility and great love that God exhibited for us in sending His only Son to assume our fallen humanity: "What human being could know all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden in Christ and concealed under the poverty of His humanity? For, 'being rich, he became poor for our sake that by his poverty we might become rich.' When He assumed our mortality and overcame death, He manifested Himself in poverty, but He promised riches though they might be deferred; He did not lose them as if they were taken from Him. How great is the multitude of His sweetness which He hides from those who fear Him but which He reveals to those that hope in Him!" ― St. Augustine of Hippo, Sermon 194 ________________________________________ Christmas Anticip

For Catholics, the new Liturgical Year commences with the first Sunday of Advent. In this new liturgical year, the Church not only wishes to indicate the beginning of a period, but the beginning of a renewed commitment to the Faith by all those who follow Christ, the Lord. This time of prayer and penance gives us a renewed impetus to truly welcome the message of the One who was Incarnated for us. In fact, the entire Liturgy of the Advent season, will spur us to an awakening in our Christian life as we pray and joyously wait for Our Lord Jesus who is coming: "Awaken! Remember that God comes! Not yesterday, not tomorrow, but today, now! The one true God, 'the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob', is not a God who is there in Heaven, unconcerned with us and our history, but he is the-God-who-comes" (Benedict XVI, First Vespers of Advent, Vatican Basilica, December 2006). The season of Advent is one of vigilant anticipation, preparing us to welcome the mystery of the W

In Matthew 2:11 it is written: "and on entering the house they [the wise men] saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh." Contrary to popular opinion, the wise men were not kings. They were, rather, according to several Church Fathers, men of intellectual renown and considerable means, most likely from the Orient. Whether such wealth was their own or it was bestowed by royalty, on whose behalf they acted, is the subject of debate. The wise men's gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, seem curious offerings to a child no more than two years of age [and perhaps far younger]. Both popular piety and Church Tradition suggest that the three gifts represent different dimensions or unique offices of Christ Incarnate. We Three Kings The verses of the carol "We Three Kings", while not altogether historically accurate, [ The wise men wer

The liturgical season of Advent has two parts, both of which look to the coming of the Lord. The first part of Advent, which immediately follows the feast of Christ the King and ends on December 16, looks to his second coming — the return of Jesus at the end of time. The second part of Advent begins on December 17 and is the Novena leading up to the feast of the Nativity of our Lord. In the second half of Advent, the Church places itself once again in the era anticipating the Lord’s birth in Bethlehem — looking forward to his first coming. Our attention shifts from the One who is to come to the One who has already come in the flesh. This second part of Advent is another period of intense training. ... The importance of O Antiphons is twofold: each one highlights a title for the long-awaited Messiah by the Jewish people: O Sapientia (O Wisdom), O Adonai (O Lord), O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse), O Clavis David (O Key of David), O Oriens (O Rising Sun), O Rex Gentium (O King o

As we all know the four weeks before Christmas, also known as Advent, is a time of preparation and anticipation. We prepare our hearts and our souls to welcome Christ anew, remembering how God became man 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem. Nativity scenes the world over commemorate the coming of the infant Jesus. Through His Incarnation, Jesus: 1.) showed us in His words and deeds how to be His disciple; 2.) named twelve Apostles to help spread the Gospel throughout the world and build the Church on earth; 3.) set Peter apart, giving him primacy among the Apostles; 4.) instituted the Eucharist and also the priesthood to administer the sacraments, and; 5.) as the unblemished offering, paid the ransom for humanity's transgressions. In so doing, Jesus conquered sin and death, and opened up for us the gates of heaven and hope for everlasting life. Thus, while Advent is a time of preparation in anticipation of Christmas, it points to something more. Christ did become human 2,000 years

In Matthew 2:11 it is written: "and on entering the house they [the wise men] saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh." Contrary to popular opinion, the wise men were not kings. They were, rather, according to several Church Fathers, men of intellectual renown and considerable means, most likely from the Orient. Whether such wealth was their own or it was bestowed by royalty, on whose behalf they acted, is the subject of debate. The wise men's gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, seem curious offerings to a child no more than two years of age [and perhaps far younger]. Both popular piety and Church Tradition suggest that the three gifts represent different dimensions or unique offices of Christ Incarnate. We Three Kings The verses of the carol "We Three Kings", while not altogether historically accurate, [ The wise men wer

From Father Daren Zehnle's blog, Servant and Steward , comes this: One of the things that strikes modern viewers of medieval illuminated manuscripts is the range of emotions displayed in them in many of the images found in them. This is partly why I enjoy them so much. You will find images of knights fighting snails, rabbits hunting humans, strange creatures of all sorts doing things that cannot quite be determined, husbands mourning their dead wive, mothers grieving their dead infants, and anything and everything in between. Yesterday Sarah Peverley shared a particularly tender and lovely depiction of the Birth of Jesus housed in the British Library: __________________________________________________________ To all Big C Catholics readers: May this season of Advent draw you closer to Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, who lives and reigns with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. [If you missed it, check out  our profile of Fr. Zehnl