BIG C CATHOLICS

Fr. Simon Francis Gaine O.P. Regent of Studies, English Province of the Dominicans Professor of Theology, Blackfriars Oxford, UK ( Click here for today’s readings ) Today’s Gospel takes us beyond the biological fact that Mary was a biological mother. It tells us more about her motherhood than that she gave birth. We learn how Mary, together with Joseph, had the baby circumcised when he was eight days old, introducing him into the covenant between God and the Jewish people. At the same time they gave the boy his name, Jesus, which means Savior, because he would save this people – and all peoples – from their sins.  With these actions, we see Mary undertaking the ongoing work of being a mother, treasuring every moment of this motherhood in her heart, just as she had already treasured her Son since she conceived him in her womb. Mary’s motherhood is not simply to conceive and give birth as a biological fact. Together with Joseph, she has the responsibility of nurturin

Fr. Charles Irvin Senior Priest Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for today’s readings ) Today we continue our Christmas celebration with a consideration of the Holy Family. This feast has the same first two readings every year but one of three different Gospels. The first reading is always the reading from Sirach about the honor that children should extend to their parents. The second reading is always the reading from Colossians about respecting each other’s position within the family. It is not a divine decree that women should be subordinated to men any more than was St. Paul’s admonition to slaves to be faithful to their masters is a divine endorsement of slavery. In today’s Gospel Mary and Joseph present Jesus in Jerusalem’s Temple in fulfillment of their religious tradition. You parents can remember when your children were infants. You couldn’t wait to show them off to family and friends. You probably had a big celebration on that very special day when you went to

December 31, 2017  The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph is the model for all Christian families. Beginning in the 17th century, devotion to the Holy Family spread throughout the Church. In 1893, Pope Leo XIII approved the feast of the Holy Family; composing part of the Divine Office observing it. Since ancient times, the Coptic Church has celebrated this memorial in light of the flight into Egypt. Succeeding Pontiffs have affirmed the feast as an efficacious means of reminding Christians of the sanctity of the family and it's essential role in disseminating and preserving the Faith. The example of the Holy Family at Nazareth is a template for the restoration of family life and a safeguard against diabolical, present-day efforts to redefine or end the institutions of marriage and the "Domestic Church" as ordained by God. For Mary and Joseph, having God Incarnate in their midst was an unrivaled joy. Looking at the Holy Family, we see the love, the protectio

Reflecting on the Feast of the Holy Family Pope Benedict XVI observed: "When he was 12 years old, [Christ] stayed behind in the Temple and it took his parents all of three days to find him. With this act he made them understand that he 'had to see to his Father's affairs.' …This Gospel episode reveals the most authentic and profound vocation of the family: that is, to accompany each of its members on the path of the discovery of God and of the plan that he has prepared for him or her. Mary and Joseph taught Jesus primarily by their example: in his parents he came to know the full beauty of faith, of love for God and for his Law, as well as the demands of justice, which is totally fulfilled in love. From them he learned that it is necessary first of all to do God's will..." — Pope Benedict XVI __________________________________ Prayer to the Holy Family Lord Jesus Christ, who, was made subject to Mary and Joseph, did so consecrate domestic life

Although Christmas is a joyous season celebrating the birth of the Infant Savior, it is nevertheless a holiday tinged with sadness. After all, it is the beginning of a journey, the sacred life of Christ, which must pass through Good Friday in order to reach the glory of Easter Sunday. For Christians, the Passion of Our Lord is foreshadowed by the Feast of the Holy Innocents, a somber commemoration that is solemnly observed a mere three days after the Incarnation, on December 28th. While the number of these holy innocents is unknown, some Biblical scholars speculate that there may have been as few as six, the reason for their death is what causes the Church to venerate them as martyrs. Matthew’s Gospel tells us that Herod, the king of Judea, was "greatly troubled" by the news, delivered to him by the Wise Men, that a different "king of the Jews" had been born. Insecure as he was on his throne, any threat to his power was cause for alarm. When the Magi did not re

Feast Day - December 27th  Saint John the Apostle, the son of Zebedee and Salome, was one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus. John was called by our Lord in the first year of His ministry. He is also known as John the Evangelist, John of Patmos and the Beloved Disciple. John's older brother and fellow Apostle was Saint James the Great. Jesus referred to the brothers as "Boanerges," meaning "sons of thunder." John was the longest living Apostle and the only one that did not receive the crown of martyrdom. Together with Peter and James, John witnessed the raising Jairus’ Daughter, the Transfiguration of Christ, the Olivet Discourse and the Agony of our Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane. John was the disciple who reported to Jesus that they had "'forbidden' a non-disciple from casting out demons in Jesus' name." Jesus stated in reply, "There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. He

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?

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel  The first chapter in the Gospel of John begins: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (Jn 1:1-5). And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son full of grace and truth" (Jn 1:14). Why did the Son of God come among us as a human being? Why was the "Word made flesh?" The Word became man to show the world God’s immense "grace and truth." The Word was God’s steadfast love in the person of Jesus. Christmas is more than just the birth of Our Savior. It is a celebration of God with us. It is the realization that God’s love and faithfulness dwells among us. It

Fr. Charles Irvin Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for Sunday’s readings ) As a young man, St. Augustine lived a hedonistic life, one in which sensuality and self-indulgence reigned supreme. Along the way, prior to his becoming a Christian he had a son by a woman to whom he was not married. Augustine was brilliant and renowned. By worldly standards he lived a spectacularly successful life. His mother Monica had prayed for his conversion for over thirty years and eventually her prayers were answered. All the while Augustine’s heart was hungering for something. He was aware that his inner self was empty. Even though his life was filled with sensuality and pleasure, fame and popularity, he knew there was something more. He also knew that nature of the human heart was destined for a higher and greater realty than what could be found in this world. In his classic work setting forth his odyssey to Christianity, known now as The Confessions of St. Augustine , he wrote: “Our hearts

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

Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. Provincial Superior, La Salette Missionaries of North America Hartford, Connecticut ( Click here for today’s readings ) About 20 years ago I was asked to speak to a group of candidates in the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, on the topic of “de-creation,” i.e., the fall of Adam and Eve and its negative impact of on creation and history. I began by showing them a very beautiful, truly artistic mug that had been given to me. It reflected the love of the artist, and of the one who gave it to me, just as the world created by God reflected his love. A little bit later, I “accidentally” knocked the mug off the podium and it shattered on the floor. As it began to fall, everyone in the group gasped. I concluded, “That is what creation did when Adam and Eve reached for the forbidden fruit. All creation gasped, crying out: ‘No! No! No!’” Almost 900 years ago, St. Bernard of Clairvaux delivered four homilies on today’s Gospel. Each one is easil

Father Michael J. Woolley (From a homily delivered in December 2005) Late in the afternoon that first Christmas eve, a man could be seen walking in front of a donkey, coming from the north on the road leading into the city. Passing by a field of shepherds with their sheep, this man, whose name was Joseph, led his donkey through the gates of the city of Bethlehem, to look for a place to stay the night. Riding atop the donkey was Joseph’s young wife, whom he had married a little less than a year ago, whose name was Miryam, a name meaning “the perfect and beautiful one”. Also riding on that donkey behind Joseph, in the virgin womb of His mother, was Joseph’s unborn Son by adoption, who He was to name Jesus. Jesus came riding into Bethlehem on a donkey, just as he was to go riding into Jerusalem on a donkey 33 years later. But what was Joseph, and his nine-month’s pregnant wife and child, and his donkey, doing there? Why did Joseph saddle up his donkey and journey 75 mile

Feast Day - December 12th   When Saint John Paul II declared Our Lady of Guadalupe to be patroness of both Mexico and the Americas, he was not merely acknowledging the miracles that took place on a hill near Mexico City in 1531. He was confirming in a powerful way the lesson that Our Lady had already taught when she chose a poor Indian peasant to be her ambassador of faith. He emphasized that all the Americas — north, south, central and the Caribbean — are one, and that all the peoples therein need to be treated equally. He pointed to the fact that the Blessed Mother, through her appearance as Our Lady of Guadalupe, is the Mary of the Magnificat, who stands with the lowly and the poor. And finally, the Pope reminded us that it was Mary’s wish to invite all people, both those native to Mexico and those who came there from Europe, to a profound conversion together in the name of her Son, Jesus. The story of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a beautiful one. It began near present-day Mexi

By Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. Provincial Superior, La Salette Missionaries of North America (Isaiah 61:1-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8,19-28) In her Magnificat (today’s Responsorial Psalm), Mary joyfully identified herself as God’s servant. This means she understood her role in God’s plan. John the Baptist identified himself as a Voice. He, too, knew his role, his place. The Beautiful Lady of La Salette did not identify herself in this way, but she did indicate her role: “I am here to tell you great news.” She identified herself, therefore, as God’s Messenger. Isaiah describes himself in similar terms. He is sent by God to bring tidings, to proclaim, to announce. What we do, however, does not define us completely. When St. Paul encourages the Thessalonians to rejoice, to pray, to refrain from evil, there is an underlying reality that explains the doing, the role, the behavior. They are disciples of Jesus Christ, and therefore they live in a certain way. That

[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

Optional Memorial - December 9th  Juan Diego, whose life is inextricably linked with Our Lady of Guadalupe, was the first indigenous American saint canonized by the Catholic Church. In his remarks in Mexico City on July 31, 2002, St. John Paul II said that Juan Diego "accepted Christianity without giving up his Indian identity" and is a "model of perfectly inculturated evangelization." To underscore the saint’s importance in that regard, present at the canonization were the members of 64 indigenous Mexican tribes. He was born in 1474, in a place called Cuauhtitlan, located about fourteen miles north of present-day Mexico City. Living at first under the rule of the Aztecs, he witnessed the conquest of Mexico by Hernan Cortes in 1521. When Franciscan missionaries arrived from Spain three years later, Juan Diego — whose native name was Cuauhtlatoatzin, “the eagle who speaks”— and his wife were among the first natives to receive Baptism. Juan Diego was an extre

Having excepted the holy Virgin Mary, concerning whom, on account of the honor of the Lord, I wish to have absolutely no question when treating of sins—for how do we know what abundance of grace for the total overcoming of sin was conferred upon her, who merited to conceive and bear him in whom there was no sin?—so, I say, with the exception of the Virgin, if we could have gathered together all those holy men and women, when they were living here, and had asked them whether they were without sin, what do we suppose would have been their answer?" ― St. Augustine, Nature and Grace , 36:42. _____________________________________________ Collect for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception Almighty ever living God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin prepared a worthy dwelling for your Son, grant, we pray, that, as you preserved her from every stain by virtue of the Death of your Son, which you foresaw, so, through her intercession, we, too, may be cle

Solemnity - December 8th  Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, "full of grace" through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception solemnly affirms, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854: "The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin." ( Catechism of the Catholic Church , no. 492) The Prince of Peace and the Lord of Lords chose Mary for the singular grace and honor of being His beloved mother. By the power of His Cross, He preserved her from all sin. Therefore, by His holy Benevolence and Love, we possess hope and bold confidence in God’s loving Will for our lives and the salvation of all humanity. Significantly in the first reading, the liturgy recalls the figure of Ev

December 7, 2016 Today we pray for all those intentions that reside in the silence of our hearts; especially those that concern our own welfare, and for the willingness to suffer for the sake of coming closer to Christ. To thee, O Virgin Mother, who was never touched by any spot of original or actual sin, we commend and entrust the purity of our hearts. We ask these things through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Immaculate Conception Novena - Day 9 O most pure Virgin Mary conceived without sin, from the very first instant, you were entirely immaculate. O glorious Mary full of grace, you are the mother of my God – the Queen of Angels and of men. I humbly venerate you as the chosen mother of my Savior, Jesus Christ. The Prince of Peace and the Lord of Lords chose you for the singular grace and honor of being His beloved mother. By the power of His Cross, He preserved you from all sin.

December 6, 2016 Today we pray for those who have fallen away from the faith. Jesus says that there will be great rejoicing in Heaven when one who was lost returns. O Mary most holy, intercede for families, especially parents, that they may lead their children to God. We pray that our loved ones who have gone astray will soon be welcomed home to the Church founded by Christ, to live in imitation of Him. Immaculate Conception Novena - Day 8 O most pure Virgin Mary conceived without sin, from the very first instant, you were entirely immaculate. O glorious Mary full of grace, you are the mother of my God – the Queen of Angels and of men. I humbly venerate you as the chosen mother of my Savior, Jesus Christ. The Prince of Peace and the Lord of Lords chose you for the singular grace and honor of being His beloved mother. By the power of His Cross, He preserved you from all sin. Therefore, by His power and love, I have hope and bold confidence in your prayers for my holiness