BIG C CATHOLICS

Thought of the Day Prayer knows no distance or separation. Whereever we are it makes us a single heart and a single soul -- Pope Benedict XVI

May the blessing of Christmas be with you and your loved ones - now and forever.

Lord, now you let your servant go in peace; your word has been fulfilled: My own eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared in the sight of every people: a light to reveal you to the nations and the glory of your people Israel. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Mass a Guided Tour is a step by step explanation of the Catholic Mass from the entrance song to the concluding rites. In this book Father Thomas Richstatter uses simple, easy-to-understand language to explore and explain the Mass. The result is a guide to what the Mass means to our Catholic faith and how its different elements-the Introductory and Concluding Rites and Liturgies of the Word and the Eucharist-invite us to experience that faith more deeply and express it more fully. Richstatter approaches the Mass from a decidedly post Vatican II perspective. I don’t agree with all of his images conjured up in the text. At some points he waters down the subject, in my opinion. Other aspects of the book are well-worth the read. The author explains how the Mass takes place out of time, which is to say, the Mass is a unity of the Church past, present and future in one time and place. Richstatter does an excellent job explaining this and the other metaphysical dimensions of this holy sacr

Can you imagine what it would be like to be out walking one day and suddenly see a woman of perfect demeanor, her clothes shining like the sun? Well, this is pretty much what happened in 1531. Mary appeared to Juan Diego, a recent native convert, on Tepeyac Hill, in what is not Mexico City. She asked that Juan go to his bishop and ask that a church be built there, a “house for her son.” When the bishop asked for a sign, the woman told Juan to fill his cloak with flowers that appeared miraculously on the hill. Returning to the bishop, Juan opened his cloak to find not only the flowers but also an image of Mary, “clothed with the sun with the moon at her feet,” on his cloak. On Tepeyac Hill, Mary identified herself as Our Lady of Guadalupe, and she appeared at a time when human sacrifice was part of the native Aztec culture. It has been estimated that one out of every five children was sacrificed to the Aztecs’ gods. The image on Juan Diego’s cloak conveyed an important message to the

Simeon the Righteous (pictured) is the man who, in Luke 2:25-35 , met Mary, Joseph, and Jesus when they entered the Temple in Jerusalem to fulfill the requirements of the Torah forty days after Jesus' birth. Holding Jesus Simeon says the Nunc dimittis prayer also known as the Canticle of Simeon . Simeon prophesied about Christ’s future crucifixion. The Canticle of Simeon is said during complin or night prayer as part of the Liturgy of the Hours of the Catholic Church. The Prophecy of Simeon over the Infant Jesus is the first of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin.

Today (Dec. 8th) is the fest of the Immaculate Conception. The Immaculate Conception is, according to Roman Catholic Dogma, the conception of the Virgin Mary without any stain (macula in Latin) of original sin. The dogma states that, from the first moment of her existence, she was preserved by God from the lack of sanctifying grace that afflicts mankind, and that she was instead filled with divine grace. It is further believed by Catholics that she lived a life completely free from sin. Her immaculate conception in the womb of her mother, through sexual intercourse, may be contrasted with the doctrine of the virginal conception of her son Jesus, known as the Annunciation, and followed by the Virgin Birth. The dogma is based upon the following text from Luke; The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said,“Hail, full of grace! T