BIG C CATHOLICS

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

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

Third Sunday of Advent (A), December 11, 2016 By Msgr. Bernard Bourgeois Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10; Psalm 146; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11 "Be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord." (Jas 5:7) Advent coincides with one of the busiest times of the year. As people are gearing up for Christmas with frenzied shopping trips and the like, a very holy time can easily be lost. Christians need to reclaim the four Sundays and their corresponding weekdays before Christmas for Advent, in which the Church asks its people to stop, wait, listen, be patient, and pray, all in preparation for Christmas. On December 25 the world will celebrate the Incarnation, the feast of the coming of the Lord. At a certain point in time and history, God stepped into the human story as one who is fully human yet also fully divine. He did this with one purpose in mind: to show his deep love for the human person most especially through the passion, death, and resurrec

A baby born to a virgin, it’s one of the most familiar stories in the world. But how well do you really know the Gospels’ accounts of Jesus’ birth? Take this quiz and find out. Below is a selection of the questions asked. Remember, a number of our understandings about the Nativity come from popular piety, not Sacred Scripture. Q1. Which archangel announced Jesus’ birth to Mary? 1. Michael 2. Gabriel 3. Raphael 4. Uriel Q2. After Mary became pregnant with Jesus, her first action was to: 1. Explain to her parents what had happened 2. Explain to Joseph what had happened 3. Visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was also pregnant 4. Go into seclusion so as not to be an object of shame Q3. According to the Gospels, where was Jesus born? 1. In Bethlehem 2. In Nazareth 3. In Heaven 4. In Jerusalem Q4. During the reign of which Roman emperor was Jesus born? 1. Augustus 2. Tiberius 4. Nero Q5. Why was Jesus born in a manger? 1. In order to fulfill a prophecy 2. Becau

"The phrase admirabile commercium , current in the theology and spirituality of the Nativity, is used to describe this ‘admirable exchange between the divine and the human... The first act of that exchange comes about in Christ’s own humanity. The Word assumed our humanity and, in exchange, human nature was raised to divine dignity. The second act of the exchange consists in our real and intimate involvement in the divine nature of the Word... Thus Christmas is the feast in which God comes so close to man as to share the very act of being born, showing men and women their most profound dignity: that of being children of God. Humanity’s dream which began in the Garden of Eden – we want to be like God – is realized in an unexpected way, not through the greatness of man, who cannot make himself God, but through the humility of God Who came down among us in His humility, raising us to the true greatness of His being.'" — Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, January 4, 2

Adoration of the Magi , Giotto di Bondone, c. 1312.  1. Our Savior wasn’t born in 1 A.D. Scripture gives clues as to Christ’s year of birth based on references to rulers at the time. Matthew’s Gospel states that Jesus was born during the reign of King Herod [Matthew 2:1-2]. We know Herod died in 4 B.C. It was Herod who ordered all boys two years old and younger in the vicinity of Bethlehem to be killed in an attempt to destroy the Messiah. Jesus could have been as old as two before Herod’s death. Luke 3:23 asserts that: "Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age." Jesus commenced His ministry during the time John the Baptist preached in the wilderness. John’s ministry began “in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of A

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. Let us not forget that an unplanned [but greatly prophesied] pregnancy saved humanity. Join thousands of others worldwide in praying for more protections and a greater respect for all human life. 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. A God who became so small could only be mercy and love.   — St. Thérèse of Lisieux Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of t