BIG C CATHOLICS

Misericordia et Misera (Mercy and Misery) is Pope Francis' apostolic letter in which he concludes the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. He returns to the central theme contained in the document Amoris Laetitia , in asking the Church to "regard all human problems from the standpoint of God’s love, which never tires of welcoming and accompanying." The Holy Father explains how we are called to live out mercy in both its corporal and spiritual dimensions. No one is excluded from such charity as we strive to serve our brothers and sisters in imitation of Christ. He writes in part: "Now is the time to unleash the creativity of mercy, to bring about new undertakings, the fruit of grace. The Church today needs to tell of those ‘many other signs’ that Jesus worked, which ‘are not written’ (Jn 20:30), so that they too may be an eloquent expression of the fruitfulness of the love of Christ and the community that draws its life from Him. Two thousand years have passed,

From L-R: Sr. Anselm, Sr. Reginette, Sr. Judith, Sr. Marguerite. A petition on change.org to Zeid bin Ra'ad, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the President of India asks them to facilitate the release of Fr. Uzhunnalil, the Indian priest held by ISIS since March. The petition page states: "It has been 6 months since Father Tom Uzhunnalil's kidnapping in Yamen. Indian foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj (quoted by Asia News May 18) said 'Father Tom Uzhunnalil is alive and 'safe', and 'last efforts' are being made to 'ensure his release'. But he is still missing and we have no information about him. Father Tom was seized on the 4th of March after a militant group stormed into a home for the sick and elderly, run by the Blessed Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of the Charity in Aden, ... Four sisters of the religious congregation (pictured) and 12 lay people, were killed in the attack on the facility. (More on the attack her

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

December 15th, the feast of St. Virginia Centurione Bracelli, a 16th century Italian lay woman who founded the Sisters of Our Lady of Refuge on Mount Calvary and the Daughters of Our Lady on Mount Calvary, is celebrated in Italy. She was born in Genoa, Italy to a noble family, the only daughter of Giorgio Centurione, and Lelia Spinola, and forced into marriage at 15. She bore two daughters and was widowed in 1607 aged 20. She refused another marriage and made a vow of chastity. She devoted her life to helping the needy and the sick and died in 1651. She was canonized by Saint John Paul II on May 18, 2003. At her canonization Mass, St. John Paul praised her selfless devotion in these words: "In response to the exhortation of the Apostle John, [Virginia Centurione Bracelli] wanted to love not only "with words", "or with her lips", but "with deeds and in truth" (I Jn 3:18). Disregarding her noble origins, she devoted herself to assisting the lowlies

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

Mine are the heavens and mine is the earth. Mine are the nations, the just are mine and mine the sinners. The angels are mine, and the Mother of God, and all things are mine; and God himself is mine and for me, because Christ is mine and all for me. What do you ask, then, and seek my soul? Yours is all of this, and all is for you. Do not engage your self in something less or pay heed to the crumbs that fall from your Father's table. Go forth and exult in your Glory! Hide yourself in it and rejoice, and you will obtain the supplications of your heart. — St. John of the Cross St. John of the Cross was imprisoned three times while trying to reform his own order. He was shamefully persecuted by his brethren and publicly disgraced. The physical and emotion suffering he endured during this time was immense. This total abandonment by creatures deepened his interior peace and longing for God.

December 14th, is the memorial of Saint John of the Cross, (1542-1591) the 16th century Spanish Carmelite priest, mystic-poet, theologian, and Doctor of the Church, who was instrumental in the Counter-Reformation. Born Juan de Yepes He was the youngest child of a poor silk weaver in the village of Fontiberos, Toledo, Spain. From the very start, John yearned for God. His father was of noble birth; he had married much beneath him, and for that offense had been entirely cut off by his family. He took up silk weaving as his livelihood, but did not profit greatly from it. Soon after John was born, his father died, leaving the family in dire poverty. His family was unable to pay for an apprenticeship. John became the servant of the poor in the hospital of Medina, while pursuing his sacred studies. In 1563, at the age of 21 he offered himself as a lay-brother to the Carmelite friars, who, knowing his intellectual gifts, ordained him a priest. He once contemplated entering the Carthusian O