BIG C CATHOLICS

Editor's note: Each Tuesday we will feature posts discussing Saint John Paul the Great's Theology of the Body; his reflection on our nature and life as persons made in the image and likeness of God, conjugal love, the meaning of celibacy, and the eternal beatitude to which every human being is called. ____________________________ In his Theology of the Body, Saint John Paul II discusses the concept of "Original Nakedness". The Garden of Eden was Paradise. All creation was ordered to its proper end. Although they were naked, Adam and Eve were not ashamed. Their lack of shame resulted from the fact they did not view each other as sexual objects to be used for their own gratification. Instead, each saw the other with all the peace of the interior gaze. But what exactly does this mean, for them and us? When a man and a woman fall in love with each other "looks" might initially draw them together. Over time, as the relationship grows and deepens, this in

December 20, 2016 The Blessed Virgin Mary accepted God's will in consenting to be the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. Today, we pray for all mothers who have chosen life for their children — especially those who have adopted their children. We pray for the couples who desire to be parents, but struggle with infertility and other crosses that prevent them from becoming parents. May they be blessed with children. The Christmas Novena - Day 5  – Love O Lord, infant Jesus, inspire in us Your selfless love! You humbled yourself to become like us in all things but sin, and even humbled yourself to die on a cross. We pray that you will help us to love as You love this Christmas. (There are two versions of the novena prayer) The Circumcision O most sweet infant Jesus, circumcised when eight days old, and called by the glorious name of Jesus, and proclaimed both by your name and by your blood, to be the Savior of the world. Have mercy on us. Have mer

Consider the following: Our original state of grace was forfeited when our first parents rejected God's love in favor of the Devil's lies. God loves us so much that even if you were the only person to have ever lived, Christ would have suffered and died just for you. We cannot deny God's love, but we can deny, ignore and perpetuate our own sinfulness. The former is inscrutable. The later, undeniable. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1836) and C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) were not collegial contemporaries save for a brief period when their respective philosophies illuminated (to varying degrees) the firmament of modern Christian apologetics. Reputedly, when  The Times  (of London) sent out an inquiry to famous authors inquiring, "What is wrong with the world today?", Chesterton honestly replied: Dear Sirs, I am. Yours, G.K. Chesterton Regarding our fallen nature and propensity to sin, C. S. Lewis was equally candid. His essay. " The problem with X... " discu

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,

When a cause of sainthood is opened to determine whether a person is worthy of the approbation "Saint", an exhaustive examination of their lives ensues. Should they be found to have led a life of "heroic virtue" (along with the prerequisite miracle attributed to their intercession) they are thereafter beatified and called "Blessed" (the penultimate step toward canonization). To many, the notion of living a life of heroic virtue seems a daunting if not impossible task. Indeed, we are all called to be saints, or as the Baltimore Catechism succinctly states: Q: Who made you? A: God Q: Why did He make you? A: God made me to know Him, to love Him and to serve Him in this life, so as to live with Him forever in the next. Fortunately, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the 19th century French cloistered Carmelite nun shows us that sainthood is possible for everyone. Six years after entering the cloister, determined to become a saint, Thérèse saw the limita

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