This post was originally published on this site
God of love, Father of all, the darkness that covered the earth has given way to the bright dawn of your Word made flesh. Make us a people of this light. Make us faithful to your Word, that we may bring your life to the waiting world. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
This post was originally published on this site
The people of Olkusz in Bohemia in 1431 had every reason to be suspicious of their new pastor. They knew what a Cracow professor would think of their small rural town. But even more insulting, their town was once again being used as a dumping ground for a priest who was “in disgrace.” John had indeed been kicked out of his university position — unjustly. Rivals who resented John’s popularity with the students had cooked up a false charge against him. John was not even allowed to …
This post was originally published on this site
Most of us would like it if God would make it super clear to us what He wanted us to do. Even Mary at the Annunciation clearly knew what God was asking of her through the angel Gabriel’s message.
However, when Mary traveled to see her cousin Elizabeth directly after the Annunciation during the first days of her pregnancy, she went on a hint. She was a fifteen-year-old girl going to assist an elderly cousin and perhaps seek her advice simply because the angel Gabriel mentioned that Elizabeth, her cousin, was pregnant and was in her sixth month. There was nothing about Elizabeth being the mother of the forerunner of the Messiah. There was no clear-cut, can’t-be-missed declaration that it was God’s will that Mary go and visit her. There was just a mention. In the English translation, the mention is just about 20 words out of the 200 words she heard that morning.
Such an announcement would have left most of us wondering and worrying and scurrying about in concern for ourselves. Mary instead went in haste, putting her cousin first. Mary dropped everything and left, not because she was commanded to, but because she got the hint.
There are certain times when we make formal discernments as we seek the will of God in our lives. I’ve learned that most of the time, however, we discover God’s call to us by picking up on the hints He is dropping all around us.
Mary “got the hint” when she heard the mention of Elizabeth being with child, because she was ever seeking to please the Lord, attuned to the way God works in the world, and because her heart was full of compassion and kindness for others, putting their needs before her own. As we prepare for Christmas we are immersed in all three of these qualities of Mary’s heart: seeking, waiting and loving; being attuned to both God and others; putting others’ needs before our own.
In these remaining days of Advent and through the Christmas season, keep your eyes and ears and heart open to pick up on all the hints God is dropping. These hints are the way He indicates what He desires of you. If you do so, then your Christmas celebration will truly be joyous.
A la mayoría de nosotros nos gustaría que Dios nos dejara muy claro lo que quiere que hagamos. Incluso María en la Anunciación sabía claramente lo que Dios le estaba pidiendo a través del mensaje del ángel Gabriel.
Sin embargo, cuando María viajó para ver a su prima Isabel directamente después de la Anunciación durante los primeros días de su embarazo, siguió una pista. Era una joven de quince años que iba a ayudar a una prima mayor y tal vez buscar su consejo simplemente porque el ángel Gabriel mencionó que Isabel, su prima, estaba embarazada y estaba en su sexto mes. No mencionó nada acerca de que Isabel fuera la madre del precursor del Mesías. No había una declaración clara e ineludible de que era la voluntad de Dios que María fuera a visitarla. Solo había una mención.
Tal anuncio habría dejado a la mayoría de nosotros preguntándonos, preocupándonos y apresurándonos por nosotros mismos. María, en cambio, se apresuró a ir, poniendo a su prima en primer lugar. María dejó todo y se fue, no porque se le había ordenado, sino porque captó la indirecta.
Hay ciertas ocasiones en las que hacemos discernimientos formales mientras buscamos la voluntad de Dios en nuestras vidas. He aprendido que la mayoría de las veces, sin embargo, descubrimos el llamado de Dios para nosotros al captar las pistas que Él está dejando caer a nuestro alrededor.
María “captó la indirecta” cuando escuchó mencionar que Isabel estaba embarazada, porque siempre buscaba agradar al Señor, estaba en sintonía con la forma en que Dios obra en el mundo y porque su corazón estaba lleno de compasión y bondad por los demás, poniendo sus necesidades antes que las suyas. Mientras nos preparamos para la Navidad, estamos inmersos en estas tres cualidades del corazón de María: buscar, esperar y amar; estar en sintonía con Dios y con los demás; y poner las necesidades de los demás antes que las nuestras.
En estos últimos tres días de Adviento y durante la temporada navideña, mantén los ojos, los oídos y el corazón abiertos para captar todas las pistas que Dios está dejando caer. Estas pistas son la manera que te indica lo que desea de ti. Si lo haces, tu celebración navideña será verdaderamente llena de alegría.
Sr. Kathryn James Hermes, FSP, is an author and offers online evangelization as well as spiritual formation for people on their journey of spiritual transformation and inner healing. Website: www.touchingthesunrise.com My Books: https://touchingthesunrise.com/books/
Public Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/srkathrynhermes/ HeartWork Spiritual Formation Group: https://touchingthesunrise.com/heartwork/
Feature Image Credit: Giotto, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Visitation_%28Bible%29#/media/File:Giotto,_Lower_Church_Assisi,_The_Visitation_01.jpg
The post Picking Up on God’s Hints / Reconociendo las Pistas de Dios appeared first on Diocesan.
This post was originally published on this site
Thus says the LORD:
You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah
too small to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel;
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient times.
Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time
when she who is to give birth has borne,
and the rest of his kindred shall return
to the children of Israel.
He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock
by the strength of the LORD,
in the majestic name of the LORD, his God;
and they shall remain, for now his greatness
shall reach to the ends of the earth;
he shall be peace.
R. (4) Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
O shepherd of Israel, hearken,
from your throne upon the cherubim, shine forth.
Rouse your power,
and come to save us.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see;
take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted
the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
May your help be with the man of your right hand,
with the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
Then we will no more withdraw from you;
give us new life, and we will call upon your name.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
Brothers and sisters:
When Christ came into the world, he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
in holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight.
Then I said, ‘As is written of me in the scroll,
behold, I come to do your will, O God.’“
First he says, “Sacrifices and offerings,
holocausts and sin offerings,
you neither desired nor delighted in.”
These are offered according to the law.
Then he says, :Behold, I come to do your will.”
He takes away the first to establish the second.
By this “will,” we have been consecrated
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.”
– – –
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
This post was originally published on this site
O shepherd of Israel, hearken,
O guide of the flock of Joseph!
Rouse your power, and come to save us.
O Lord of hosts, restore us,
if your face shine upon us, then we shall be safe.
O Lord of hosts, how long will you burn with anger
while your people pray?
You have fed them with the bread of tears
and given them tears to drink in ample measure.
You have left us to be fought over by our neighbors,
and our enemies mock us.
O Lord of hosts, restore us,
if your face …
This post was originally published on this site
Bishop of Nilopolis, in Egypt. When the persecution was instituted by Emperor Trajanus Decius, Chaeromon Was quite elderly. He and several companions fled into the Arabian desert and were never seen again. The bishop and his companions are listed as martyrs.
This post was originally published on this site
Prior to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis last July, communities across the nation participated in Eucharistic processions in the streets, where priests carried our Lord out in the open for all to see. After one of these processions, a friend of mine shared with me that along the way, they passed a herd of sheep, who began walking alongside them. Further down the road, they passed some cows who were out to pasture. The cows looked at them quizzically at first, and then also began walking alongside them in procession. How incredible!!
As I imagined what it would be like to witness how even the animals sensed the presence of Jesus and followed along, it reminded me of the first Christmas. In that rugged semi-outdoor atmosphere, the sheep and cows knelt before our newborn Lord in adoration and kept him warm with their breath. Several years ago, our parish hosted a display of Eucharistic miracles, and many of them also recounted the uncharacteristic behavior of animals in the presence of the consecrated host.
If even cattle recognize our beloved Lord and follow Him, how much more so should we! The birthday of Christ our King is in just four days. Are we ready to bow down before him in homage and offer Him the gift of ourselves? Are our hearts filled with praise as our first reading proclaims? “Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!…The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior…”
I can’t even imagine how the people of that time felt, those who had been waiting for centuries for His arrival. He was really here, just as He promised! The time had come! I’m sure the hearts of each and every shepherd, magi, and visitor burned within them, just being in the presence of the Almighty. Heaven had come to earth!
And the same happens to us at every Mass when Jesus comes to us, comes into our very bodies to abide in us. Does your heart burn within you? Do you shout for joy? If not, now is the perfect time to examine why, and to make a change in order to celebrate the most joyful Christmas ever.
Antes del Congreso Eucarístico Nacional en Indianápolis el julio pasado, comunidades por todo el país participaron en procesiones eucarísticas en las calles, donde los sacerdotes llevaban a nuestro Señor al aire libre para que todos lo vieran. Después de una de estas procesiones, una amiga me contó que, en el camino, pasaron al lado de un rebaño de ovejas, que comenzaron a caminar junto con ellos. Más adelante, pasaron al lado de unas vacas que estaban pastando. Las vacas miraron a la gente con curiosidad al principio, y luego también comenzaron a caminar junto con ellos en procesión. ¡Qué increíble!
Mientras imaginaba cómo sería presenciar cómo incluso los animales percibían la presencia de Jesús y lo seguían, me recordó de la primera Navidad. En ese ambiente dura y medio al aire libre, las ovejas y las vacas se arrodillaron ante nuestro Señor recién nacido en adoración y lo mantuvieron caliente con su aliento. Hace varios años, nuestra parroquia albergó una exhibición de milagros eucarísticos, y muchos de ellos también relataron el comportamiento inusual de los animales en presencia de la hostia consagrada.
Si hasta el ganado reconoce a nuestro amado Señor y lo sigue, ¡cuánto más debemos hacerlo nosotros! El cumpleaños de Cristo nuestro Rey es en tan solo cuatro días. ¿Estamos listos para inclinarnos ante él en homenaje y ofrecerle el don de nosotros mismos? ¿Nuestros corazones están llenos de alabanza como proclama nuestra primera lectura? “Canta, hija de Sión, da gritos de júbilo, Israel, gózate y regocíjate de todo corazón, Jerusalén…. El Señor, tu Dios, tu poderoso salvador, está en medio de ti.”
No puedo ni siquiera imaginar cómo se sentía la gente de esa época, aquellos que habían estado esperando su llegada por siglos y siglos. ¡Él realmente estaba allí, tal como lo había prometido! ¡El momento había llegado! Estoy seguro de que los corazones de todos y cada uno de los pastores, magos y visitantes ardían dentro de ellos, solo por estar en la presencia del Todopoderoso. ¡El cielo había venido a la tierra!
Y lo mismo nos sucede a nosotros durante cada Misa, cuando Jesús viene a nosotros, entra en nuestro propio cuerpo para habitar dentro de nosotros. ¿Arde tu corazón? ¿Gritas de alegría? Si no es así, ahora es el momento perfecto para examinar por qué y hacer un cambio para celebrar la Navidad más alegre que jamás hayas tenido.
Tami Urcia grew up in Western Michigan, a middle child in a large Catholic family. She spent early young adulthood as a missionary in Mexico, studying theology and philosophy, then worked and traveled extensively before finishing her Bachelor’s Degree in Western Kentucky. She loves tackling projects, finding fun ways to keep her little ones occupied, quiet conversation with the hubby and finding unique ways to love. She works full time at Diocesan, is a guest blogger on CatholicMom.com and BlessedIsShe.net, and has been doing Spanish translations on the side for over 20 years.
Feature Image Credit: Leo_Visions, unsplash.com/photos/a-close-up-of-a-sheep-in-a-field-XaFqEeTbWDQ
The post Shout for Joy! The Lord is in Your Midst! / ¡Griten de Júbilo! ¡El Señor Está en Medio de Ustedes! appeared first on Diocesan.
This post was originally published on this site
“O my dove in the clefts of the rock,
in the secret recesses of the cliff,
Let me see you,
let me hear your voice,
For your voice is sweet,
and you are lovely.”
– – –
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
This post was originally published on this site
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ever faithful to your promises and ever close to your Church: the earth rejoices in hope of the Savior’s coming and looks forward with longing to his return at the end of time. Prepare our hearts and remove the sadness that hinders us from feeling the joy and hope which his presence will bestow, for he is Lord for ever and ever. Amen.
This post was originally published on this site
In 1565, the Vatican was looking for a secret agent. It was shortly after the Council of Trent and the pope wanted to get the decrees of the Council to all the European bishops. What would be a simple errand in our day, was a dangerous assignment in the sixteenth century. The first envoy who tried to carry the decrees through territory of hostile Protestants and vicious thieves was robbed of the precious documents. Rome needed someone courageous but also someone above suspicion. They chose …