BIG C CATHOLICS

Fr. Charles Irvin Senior Priest Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for today’s readings ) All of the shopping, all of the rushing about, all of the busy-ness of Christmas is now over. Today the streets are deserted. A quiet and peaceful stillness lays over all. Now the religious meaning of Christmas is allowed to emerge from beneath all of the mall music, the shopping, and the frantic preparations for this day. But to what do we turn our attention? To peace on earth toward men of good will? Yes, and something more. To the sharing of love with family? Yes, and something more. To joining together with the ones we love? Yes, but more. Christmas is more than having a lovely time, more than family sharing, more than the so-called “happy holidays.” We celebrate today what so many are looking for. We focus our attention today on that which will give peace to many who are lonely, uneasy with themselves, and who are searching for meaning in their lives. The centerpiece of the Mass

Fr. Charles Irvin Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for Sunday’s readings ) My dear brothers and sisters, all of our ideals, all of our dreams of what we want to be, and of what our world can be… all of our visions and understandings of God, and of God’s ways with us, are focused now on a child… God’s Anointed One, God’s Christ. For a child us born unto us, a son is given us, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying powerless in a manger, there being no room for him elsewhere in our world for his birth. It is a sacred moment into which we now enter, a precious moment, a holy hour observed all over the world in Midnight Masses. Midnight Mass gathers so many different people in a lovely moment of peace and happiness – Blacks and Whites, Asians, Africans, Latinos and Anglos…. Catholics, both active and devout as well as marginal and estranged, Protestants, members of others great faiths, and even doubtful believers with hesitant faith. It is a transcendent moment when we suspend busine

Father Pius Parsch God became Man . Utterly incomprehensible is this truth to our puny human minds! That the eternal God whom heaven and earth cannot contain, who bears the world in His hand as a nutshell, before whom a thousand years are as one day, that this eternal, omnipotent God should become Man! Would it not have been a tremendous condescension if for the redemption of mankind He had simply sent an angel? Would it not have proven His loving mercy had He appeared for a mere moment in the splendor of His majesty, amid thunder and lightning, as once on Sinai? No, such would have shown far too little of His love and kindness. He wanted to be like us, to become a child of man, a poor child of poorest people; He wished to be born, in a cave...in hostile surroundings. Cold wind, hard straw, dumb animals — these were there to greet Him. The scene fills us with amazement; what other can we do than fall down in silence and adore! In heaven only will we comprehend the profound imp

Fr. Charles Irvin Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for Sunday’s readings ) All of the shopping, all of the rushing about, all of the busy-ness of Christmas is now over. Today the streets are deserted. A quiet and peaceful stillness lays over all. Now the religious meaning of Christmas is allowed to emerge from beneath all of the mall music, the shopping, and the frantic preparations for this day. But to what do we turn our attention? To peace on earth toward men of good will? Yes, and something more. To the sharing of love with family? Yes, and something more. To joining together with the ones we love? Yes, but more. Christmas is more than having a lovely time, more than family sharing, more than the so-called “happy holidays.” We celebrate today what so many are looking for. We focus our attention today on that which will give peace to many who are lonely, uneasy with themselves, and who are searching for meaning in their lives. The centerpiece of the Mass, the essenc

By Msgr. Bernard Bourgeois Mass at Midnight Isaiah 9:1-6; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14 “While [Mary and Joseph] were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room... in the inn.” (Lk 2:7) One of my favorite childhood memories of Christmas is sitting on the floor in front of my grandmother’s fake, silver Christmas tree, mesmerized by its changing colors every few seconds. As of yet I hadn’t noticed the spotlight on the floor with a rotating cover that was blue, red, and yellow, each color giving way to the next as the cover rotated over the spotlight illuminating the tree. I just sat there by the hour watching that tree! Christmas was my grandmother’s favorite time of year. Among her prized possessions was her mother’s Nativity scene. I remember it sprawled out on top of her massive Zenith console television (remember those?

For when peaceful stillness encompassed everything  and the night in its swift course was half spent,  Your all-powerful Word O Lord,  leapt down from Your royal throne. Alleluia. — Wisdom 18:14-15 O God, who marvelously created and yet more marvelously restored the dignity of human nature, grant that we may share the divinity of Him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son, Jesus Christ; who...reigns with you.  — From the Divine Liturgy of the Nativity of the Lord Almighty God, who sent Your only Son to redeem creation, on this feast of Our Lord's Nativity, enable us, we pray, to attain the joys of so great a salvation and to celebrate them always with worship and glad rejoicing. Loving Father, we duly praise You for Your Son, Jesus Christ, for He is Emmanuel, the Hope of all people. He is the Wisdom that teaches and guides us. He is the Savior of the world. May we imitate Him in every way. We ask this in Our Lord's most holy name. Amen.

Saint Ephraim the Syrian, the 4th century theologian and Doctor of the Church wrote nineteen metrical poems on the Incarnation of Our Lord. These hymns on the Nativity of Christ in the flesh contain profound insights into the love of God. Here, St. Ephraim extols how God became man for our good and our salvation: Blessed be the Child Who today delights Bethlehem. Blessed be the Newborn Who today made humanity young again. Blessed be the Fruit Who bowed Himself down for our hunger. Blessed be the Gracious One Who enriched all our poverty and filled our need. Blessed be He Whose mercy inclined Him to heal our sickness. Blessed be the Holy Child of Bethlehem! On this day when the Rich One was made poor for our sake, let the rich man also make the poor man a sharer at his table. On this day a gift came out to us without our asking for it; let us then give alms to those who cry out and beg from us. This is the day when the high gate opened to u

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

[On the night of Our Savior's Birth] The Angel announces that a king is born, and the choirs of angels join their voices, and rejoicing together they cry, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those of good will.' Before our redeemer was born in the flesh there was a discord between us and the angels, from whose brightness and purity we stood afar, not only as the result of original sin but also because of our daily offenses. Because through sin we had become strangers to God, the angels as God's subjects had cut us off from their fellowship. But because we have now acknowledged our King, the angels have received us as fellow citizens. ― St. Gregory the Great  _______________________________________ Collect Prayer for the Nativity of the Lord Almighty ever-living God, who gladdens us year by year as we wait in hope for our redemption grant that, just as we joyfully welcome your Only Begotten Son our Redeemer, we may also merit to face him c

Reflecting on the second week of Advent Pope Benedict XVI observes, "As the journey of Advent continues, as we prepare to celebrate the nativity of Christ, John the Baptist's call to conversion sounds out in our communities. It is a pressing invitation to open our hearts and to welcome the Son of God Who comes among us to make divine judgement manifest. The Father, writes St. John the Evangelist, does not judge anyone, but has entrusted the power of judgement to the Son, because He is the Son of man." Benedict explains John's call thusly: "And it is today, in the present, that we decide our future destiny. It is with our concrete everyday behavior in this life that we determine our eternal fate. At the end of our days on earth, at the moment of death, we will be evaluated on the basis of our likeness or otherwise to the Baby Who is about to be born in the poor grotto of Bethlehem, because He is the measure God has given humanity." His Holiness explain

Angels Announcing the Birth of Christ to the Shepherds , Flinck, 1639. Fr. Charles Irvin Senior Priest Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for today’s readings ) Homily originally delivered in 2010 While Christmas is delightful for children and it is nice that we get caught up in their joy, Christmas is something that we adults vitally need. We celebrate Christmas this difficult year with dark clouds of terrorism looming over our heads. The gloom of the recession darkens our spirits. Our broken governmental establishment in Washington spends our future incomes on earmarks attached to spending bills that stagger our comprehension. Joblessness and hunger are not confined to Third World countries, they stalk our own populace. Amidst all of this darkness let there be light. I give you the message of the angels. There is also another darkness that afflicts many of us – an inner darkness of spirit, of heart, and of soul. Many folks have spoken to me about the pace of life i

There fared a mother driven forth Out of an inn to roam; In the place where she was homeless All men are at home. The crazy stable close at hand, With shaking timber and shifting sand, Grew a stronger thing to abide and stand Than the square stones of Rome. For men are homesick in their homes, And strangers under the sun, And they lay on their heads in a foreign land Whenever the day is done. Here we have battle and blazing eyes, And chance and honour and high surprise, But our homes are under miraculous skies Where the yule tale was begun. A Child in a foul stable, Where the beasts feed and foam; Only where He was homeless Are you and I at home; We have hands that fashion and heads that know, But our hearts we lost - how long ago! In a place no chart nor ship can show Under the sky's dome. This world is wild as an old wives' tale, And strange the plain things are, The earth is enough and the air is enough For our

Angel Appearing to Zacharias , Domenico Ghirlandaio, 1490. St. Luke devotes the first two chapters of his Gospel to events in the infancy of Christ. Luke's infancy narratives consider six episodes structured in pairs about the early lives of John the Baptist and Jesus; two annunciations, two births and circumcisions and two scenes set in the Temple. The account also features many canticles (the Magnificat , the Benedictus , the Gloria , and the Nunc dimittis — all of which praise God for the redemption of man. The stories, like the canticles, reference Old Testament passages showing that God's salvation was imminent. The central event is the Annunciation of Mary wherein the Word (Jesus) becomes flesh. The Blessed Virgin gives her fiat , (her yes), to God's plan. From the very moment of Christ's conception in her womb Mary's life is inextricably bound up with God's redemptive ministry. She serves under her Son in perfect obedience. Luke portrays Zechari

December 19, 2016 Today, we pray for an openness to life. Also, that we will be open to the Lord’s promptings each day, and to all of His blessings. We pray that society as a whole will be respectful of the gift of new life from God. May the culture of death which makes idols out of abortion, contraception and euthanasia give way to love.  The Christmas Novena - Day 4  – Hope O Lord, infant Jesus, bring us the Hope that saves! Your birth to the Virgin Mary brought a Hope to the world that continues to sustain us. We pray for a saving Hope this Christmas. (There are two versions of the novena prayer) The Holy Nativity O most sweet infant Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem, wrapped in poor swaddling clothes, laid in the manger, glorified by angels, and visited by shepherds. Have mercy on us. Have mercy on us, O Lord.  Have mercy on us. We pray also for these intentions… (State your intentions here) Hail Mary… Virgin Mary, where,

Fr. Charles Irvin Senior Priest Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for today’s readings ) My dear brothers and sisters, all of our ideals, all of our dreams of what we want to be, and of what our world can be… all of our visions and understandings of God, and of God’s ways with us, are focused now on a child… God’s Anointed One, God’s Christ. For a child us born unto us, a son is given us, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying powerless in a manger, there being no room for him elsewhere in our world for his birth. It is a sacred moment into which we now enter, a precious moment, a holy hour observed all over the world in Midnight Masses. Midnight Mass gathers so many different people in a lovely moment of peace and happiness – Blacks and Whites, Asians, Africans, Latinos and Anglos…. Catholics, both active and devout as well as marginal and estranged, Protestants, members of others great faiths, and even doubtful believers with hesitant faith. It is a transcendent moment when

St. Joseph’s Dream , illuminated manuscript, T’oros Roslin, c. 1260. Fr. Thomas J. Lane S.T.D. Associate Professor of Sacred Scripture Mt. St. Mary's Seminary Emmitsburg, MD  ( Click here for today’s readings ) We are all busy preparing for Christmas. A lot of preparation had to be made for the first Christmas also by Mary and Joseph. They had to prepare by saying “yes” to God’s plan for the birth of Jesus. Today our Gospel focuses on the preparation made by Joseph for that first Christmas. It was a most difficult preparation for him. At that time Jews were betrothed one year before they got married. When a couple were betrothed to each other one year before marriage they were then legally united but did not live together. A year later the wedding ceremony took place and then the couple came to live together. During the year before marriage after they had been betrothed, Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant. What suffering he must have endured. The angel Gabrie

The Christmas Novena begins on December 16th, and concludes on Christmas day. This devotion honors the Incarnation of Christ, and is prayed especially for an end to abortion. The birth of our Savior was, and is, an occasion of unrivaled joy for all of humanity. So to will His second coming be a glory that is completely beyond our comprehension. In fact, the birth of Christ heralds His passion, death, and resurrection through which the world is redeemed and we are saved. A God who became so small could only be mercy and love. — St. Thérèse of Lisieux There is no better time to reflect on the most vulnerable of this world than during Advent and Christmas when we prepare for the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ who came to us as a small baby. Advent also reminds us that Christ will come again at the conclusion of history, not as a helpless infant, but as a triumphant King and just Judge, at whose name every knee will bend. Join thousands of others worldwide in praying for more pr

Nativity, Giotto, Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, c. 1316. When we celebrate Christmas we are commemorating the three nativities of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the reason for the three Masses celebrated on this day. The first is the eternal begetting of God the Son from all eternity within the mystery of the Blessed Trinity by the Father, “You are My Son. Today I have begotten You.” This first nativity was before the seven days of Creation, when everything was darkness. This is why the first Mass is at midnight to recall the darkness that prevailed during that first eternal birth of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. The second nativity, or birth of the Second Person of the Trinity is commemorated on Christmas day when He became man, born of the Virgin Mary, in Bethlehem. For the world, the darkness was beginning to be dispelled. This is why the second Mass is celebrated at dawn when the dawn is beginning to dispel the darkness. The third nativity of Christ is w

The Incarnation of Christ is the seminal event in history. The Catechism of the Catholic Church  states: 463 "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 was manifested in the flesh.'" 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." (CCC 469) The following links discuss the Incarnation and Nativity of Christ. We submit them for your consideration. Why God Became a Baby , Fr. Michael Najim Why Isn’t Jesus N