Christmas Meditation

"A royal Virgin of the stem of David is chosen, to be impregnated with the sacred seed and to conceive the Divinely-human offspring in mind first and then in body. And lest in ignorance of the heavenly counsel she should tremble at so strange a result, she learns from converse with the angel that what is to be wrought in her is of the Holy Ghost. Nor does she believe it loss of honor that she is soon to be the Mother of God. For why should she be in despair over the novelty of such conception, to whom the power of the most High has promised to effect it. Her implicit faith is confirmed also by the attestation of a precursory miracle, and Elizabeth receives unexpected fertility: in order that there might be no doubt that He who had given conception to the barren, would give it even to a virgin." (Pope St. Leo the Great, Doctor of the Church)

"Although God can do by His own power all that is effected by created natures, nevertheless in the counsels of His loving Providence He has preferred to help men by the instrumentality of men. And, as in the natural order He does not usually give full perfection except by means of man's work and action, so also He makes use of human aid for that which lies beyond the limits of nature, that is to say, for the sanctification and salvation of souls. But it is obvious that nothing can be communicated amongst men save by means of external things which the senses can perceive. For this reason the Son of God assumed human nature - 'who being in the form of God... emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of man' (Philipp. ii., 6,7) - and thus living on earth He taught his doctrine and gave His laws, conversing with men." (Pope Leo XIII, "Satis Cognitum", 1896 A.D.)

"He united to His divine Person a truly human nature, individual, whole and perfect, which was conceived in the most pure womb of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Ghost. Nothing, then, was wanting to the human nature which the Word of God united to Himself. Consequently He assumed it in no diminished way, in no different sense in what concerns the spiritual and the corporeal: that is, it was endowed with intellect and will and the other internal and external faculties of perception, and likewise with the desires and all the natural impulses of the senses. All this the Catholic Church teaches as solemnly defined and ratified by the Roman Pontiffs and the general councils. 'Whole and entire in what is His own, whole and entire in what is ours.' 'Perfect in His Godhead and likewise perfect in His humanity.' 'Complete God is man, complete man is God.'" (Pope Pius XII, "Haurietis Aquas", 1956 A.D.)

"The faithful should also consider the salutary lessons which Christ at His birth teaches before He begins to speak. He is born in poverty; He is born a stranger under a roof not His own; He is born in a lonely crib; He is born in the depth of winter! For St. Luke writes as follows: And it came to pass, that when they were there, her days were accomplished, that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her first-born, and wrapped him up in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. Could the Evangelist have described under more humble terms the majesty and glory that filled the heavens and the earth? He does not say, there was no room in the inn, but there was no room for him who says, the world is mine, and the fullness thereof. Another Evangelist has expressed it: He came unto his own, and his own received him not." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)

"Let the righteous then rejoice in the Lord, and let the hearts of believers turn to God's praise, and the sons of men confess His wondrous acts; since in this work of God especially our humble estate realizes how highly its Maker values it: in that, after His great gift to mankind in making us after His image, He contributed far more largely to our restoration when the Lord Himself took on Him 'the form of a slave.' For though all that the Creator expends upon His creature is part of one and the same Fatherly love, yet it is less wonderful than man should advance to divine things than that God should descend to humanity. But unless the Almighty God did deign to do this, no kind of righteousness, no form of wisdom could rescue any one from the devil's bondage and from the depths of eternal death. For the condemnation that passes with sin from one upon all would remain, and our nature, corroded by its deadly wound, would discover no remedy, because it could not alter its state in its own strength." (Pope St. Leo the Great, Doctor of the Church)

"And, dearly beloved, this very fact that Christ chose to be born of a Virgin does it not appear to be part of the deepest design? I mean, that the devil should not be aware that Salvation had been born for the human race, and through the obscurity of that spiritual conception, when he saw Him no different to others, should believe Him born in no different way to others. For when he observed that His nature was like that of all others, he thought that He had the same origin as all had: and did not understand that He was free from the bonds of transgression because he did not find Him a stranger to the weakness of mortality... For the pride of the ancient foe not undeservedly made good its despotic rights over all men, and with no unwarrantable supremacy tyrannized over those who had been of their own accord lured away from God's commands to be the slaves of his will. And so there would be no justice in his losing the immemorial slavery of the human race, were he not conquered by that which he had subjugated." (Pope St. Leo the Great, Doctor of the Church)

"The Child that is born of Mary and is couched in the Crib at Bethlehem, raises his feeble voice to the Eternal Father, and calls him, My Father! He turns towards us and calls us My Brethren! We, consequently, when we speak to his Father, may call him Our Father! This is the mystery of adoption, revealed to us by the great event [of Christmas]. All things are changed, both heaven and on earth: God has not only one Son, he has many sons; henceforth we stand before this our God, not merely creatures drawn out of nothing by his power, but children that he fondly loves. Heaven is now not only the throne of his sovereign Majesty; it has become our inheritance in which we are joint-heirs with our brother Jesus, the Son of Mary, Son of Eve, Son of Adam, according to his Human Nature, and (in the unity of Person) Son of God according to his Divine Nature. Let us turn our wondering and loving thoughts first to this sweet Babe, that has brought us all these blessings, and then to the blessings themselves, to the dear inheritance made ours by him. Let your mind be seized with astonishment at creatures having such a destiny! And then let our heart pour out its thanks for the incomprehensible gift!" (Dom Gueranger)

"For it is an equally dangerous evil to deny in Him the reality of our nature and the equality with the Father in glory. When, therefore, we attempt to understand the mystery of Christ's nativity, wherein He was born of the Virgin-mother, let all the clouds of earthly reasonings be driven far away and the smoke of worldly wisdom be purged from the eyes of illuminated faith: for the authority on which we trust is divine, the teaching which we follow is divine. Inasmuch as whether it be the testimony of the Law, or the oracles of the prophets, or the trumpet of the gospel to which we apply our inward ear, that is true which the blessed John full of the Holy Spirit uttered with his voice of thunder:' in the beginning was the Word: and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was nothing made.' And similarly is it true what the same preacher added: 'the Word became flesh and dwelt in us: and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father.' Therefore in both natures it is the same Son of God taking what is ours and not losing what is His own; renewing man in His manhood, but enduring unchangeable in Himself." (Pope St. Leo the Great, Doctor of the Church)

"And so God, the Son of God, equal and of the same nature from the Father and with the Father, Creator and Lord of the Universe, Who is completely present everywhere, and completely exceeds all things, in the due course of time, which runs by His own disposal, chose for Himself this day on which to be born of the Blessed Virgin Mary for the salvation of the world, without loss of the mother's honor. For her virginity was violated neither at the conception nor at the birth: 'that it might be fulfilled,' as the Evangelist says, 'which was spoken by the Lord through Isaiah the prophet, saying, behold the virgin shall conceive in the womb, and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which is interpreted, God with us.' For this wondrous child-bearing of the holy Virgin produced in her offspring one person which was truly human and truly Divine, because neither substance so retained their properties that there could be any division of persons in them; nor was the creature taken into partnership with its Creator in such a way that the One was the in-dweller, and the other the dwelling; but so that the one nature was blended with the other. And although the nature which is taken is one, and that which takes is another, yet these two diverse natures come together into such close union that it is one and the same Son who says both that, as true Man, 'He is less than the Father,' and that, as true God, 'He is equal with the Father.'" (Pope St. Leo the Great, Doctor of the Church)

The Immaculate Conception - Feast 08th of December 2013

By Saint Joseph Mary Escrivá

Seek God in the depths of your pure, clean heart; in the depths of your soul when you are faithful to him. And never lose that intimacy.


Turn to Mary

—And if ever you do not know how to speak to him or what to say, or you do not dare to look for Jesus inside yourself, turn to Mary, tota pulchra, all pure and wonderful, and tell her: Our Lady and Mother, the Lord wanted you yourself to look after God and tend him with your own hands. Teach me, teach us all, how to treat your Son!
(The Forge, 84) 

I was moved by the heartfelt petition that came from your lips: “My God, my only desire is to be pleasing in your sight; nothing else matters to me. My Mother Immaculate, may I be motivated exclusively by Love.”
(The Forge, 1028) 

How people like to be reminded of their relationship with distinguished figures in literature, in politics, in the army, in the Church!... Sing to the Immaculate Virgin, reminding her: Hail Mary, daughter of God the Father: Hail Mary, Mother of God the Son: Hail Mary, Spouse of God the holy Spirit...

Greater than you, none but God!
(The Way, 496) 

When you see yourself with a dry heart


When you see yourself with a dry heart, without knowing what to say, go with confidence to the Virgin Mary. Say to her, “My Mother Immaculate, intercede for me.”

If you invoke her with faith, she will make you taste in the midst of your dryness the proximity of God.
(Furrow, 695) 


May I give you some advice for you to put into practice daily? When your heart makes you feel those low cravings, say slowly to the Immaculate Virgin: Look on me with compassion. Don’t abandon me, my Mother! —And recommend this prayer to others.
(Furrow, 849)


Like a family reunion


Seeing how so many Christians express their affection for the Virgin Mary, surely you also feel more a part of the Church, closer to those brothers and sisters of yours. It is like a family reunion. Grown-up children, whom life has separated, come back to their mother for some family anniversary. And even if they have not always got on well together, today things are different; they feel united, sharing the same affection.
(Christ is passing by, 139)  

Virgin Immaculate, my Mother!, do not abandon me. See how my poor heart is filled with tears. — I do not want to offend my God!

—I already know, and I trust I shall never forget, that I am worth nothing. My smallness and my loneliness weigh upon me so much! But... I am not alone. You, Sweet Lady, and my Father God will never leave me.

Faced with the rebellion of my flesh and the diabolical arguments against my Faith, I love Jesus and I believe: I do Love and do Believe.
(The Forge, 215)  


John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, brought Mary into his home, into his life. Spiritual writers have seen these words of the Gospel as an invitation to all Christians to bring Mary into their lives. Mary certainly wants us to invoke her, to approach her confidently, to appeal to her as our mother, asking her to "show that you are our mother."
(Christ is passing by, 140) 


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1st Sunday Advent 2013

1st Sun Advent 2013

Fr. Charles Irvin

1^st Advent [A] 2013

Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:37-44

 

In today’s first reading we hear the prophet Isaiah calling us to climb to the top of the mountain and look for the Lord’s advent, the Lord’s coming into our lives. At the end of today’s first reading when we hear Isaiah cry out, “O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!” We need to understand that Isaiah isn’t simply talking about nature’s daylight and nighttime’s darkness, he is talking about what we see with our minds and hearts. He’s calling us to rise above our daily worries, concerns and anxieties in order to take a look over the whole of our lives with all of their peaks and valleys. As Christians we do that in the vision of Christ, the Light of the World, God’s gift to us.

 

The problem you and I face comes not from the fact that we are unconcerned or apathetic or lazy. The problem you and I have is that we’re far too concerned about so many other things. Often these are legitimate concerns, worries that are thrust upon us by the world in which we live. We are so caught up in all of the events of our days that we do not pay attention to our souls, our inner spirits, and our inner selves. This spiritual blindness is spoken of in biblical language as darkness. And what do we do in darkness? Usually we sleep. We sleep because we shut down, tune out, and turn off.

 

When we, through accident, through chance, or in some other unexpected event, become aware of God’s activity in our lives, we suddenly pay attention -- we wake up. And in that moment of waking up we likely think that God’s coming to us is sudden, unexpected, startling. God has, however, always been there. He is actively present to us all of the time, each and every day. It’s our awareness of Him that has changed. God hasn’t changed in the slightest way. He is constant; He is always present. It is we who are inconstant, changeable and inattentive.

 

We often speak of Advent as being a season of time in which we prepare for the Lord’s coming into our lives. Perhaps we should see it as a season of heightened awareness, for the truth is that we should be looking for God already at work in our lives every day. God is always offering Himself to us. We, however, are not always responding because we’re not paying attention. Advent is a time to conscientiously, deliberately, and with awareness respond to His offer of Himself to us. We have to “see the Light,” so to speak.

 

It’s all a matter of seeing eternity in every season of our lives. It’s all a matter of paying attention to God’s presence to us in our lives as children, as teens, as young adults, in our middle age, and in the final seasons of our lives when we mirror the time when the leaves fall from their branches and the world goes to sleep under a blanket of snow. In each of those seasons of our lives God’s ever-present and everlasting love can break in upon us. We all, each one of us, feel it to be unexpected. But what is so unexpected about it? Why should we be surprised? God is always calling us to climb to the top of the mountain, look for His coming, and take a look over the broad range of our lives.

 

Our lives are cluttered with too many things demanding our attention, draining us of our energies, and blinding us to the big picture. Money only goes so far. Technology can only do so much. Medicines have a short shelf life. All of our human resources are limited. Only God has what we need. He has all that we need in an inexhaustible supply.

 

Can we look ahead? Yes, we can… if we take the time and make the space to do so. Can we trace the writing of God’s finger as He sends us His messages? We can. Can we seize the

opportunity

to make time during Advent to come to some daily Advent Masses? Attend Communal Penance Services? Read from the bible? Spend extra time in thoughtful reflection and quiet prayer? We can. But that is not the issue. The big question is not what we can do – it’s what we will do. It’s our will that is controlling, not our wishes.

 

We live in the time after the arrival of the year 2,000 A.D. Do you remember our worries when the year 2000A.D. arrived and we were told that our computers were not programmed for those digits and might shut themselves down and everything with them? We also live in the time after September 11^th. We live in an age of terrorism. We live in an economic mess. We live with a lot of emotional anxieties. We would do well to ask ourselves the question: “Where is God in all of this?” and then seriously, during this Advent, pursue answers to that question. For questions are not denials, they are quests. And God always wants to be sought. All lovers do.

 

As your teachers taught you in school, the Greek philosopher Plato (who lived four hundred years before Christ) declared, “The life which is unexamined is not worth living.” Every Advent, and indeed every time we come here to Mass, Holy Mother Church bids us to examine our lives. As your priest I have always had that purpose in mind every time I’ve stood here preaching homilies over the past forty years.

 

Once again we enter into and begin our journey through Advent, hopefully looking for the coming of the Lord into our lives. And so I repeat to you the words of St. Paul, words you just heard in his letter to the Romans, remembering that the Romans back in those days lived in a culture not altogether different from the one in which we presently live:

 

“Brothers and sisters: You know the time; it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. 

 For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, day is at hand. 

Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; Let us conduct  ourselves 

 properly as in the day… Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make  no provisions for the desires of the  

 flesh.”

 

In the words of Jesus you just heard in today’s gospel account:

 

“So, too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

November 27th 2013 - Feast of the Miraculous Medal

The Twelve Stars

Bishop Fernando Rifan*

The Flag of the European Union (EU), as established by the Treaty of Maastricht in 1990, should have a 12-golden-stars circle form on a blue background. This flag appears on the face of all the note bills of "Euro" and the stars in all currencies. This flag was created by the Catholic French designer Arsène Heitz, who was awarded in the competition for the greatest symbol of the EU. Heitz said he was inspired by the " Miraculous Medal " he wore around his neck. The symbolism of the flag is a clear allusion to Marian devotion, which attributes to Our Lady of the referred passage in the beginning of chapter 12 of Revelation: "Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman, robed with the sun, standing on the moon, and on her head a crown of twelve stars". The president of the jury was a Belgian Jew who was converted into Catholicism and was quite sensitive to the number 12, in biblical symbolism, represents perfection: 12 Tribes of Israel, 12 Apostles, 12 months in a year, etc...

It is Interesting, indeed ironic ! Europe, which increasingly rejects Christian values​​, which had refused to stamp the cross on their flag because it is a Christian symbol, has ended up putting a Marian symbol, thus honoring the Mother of Jesus. "Ad Jesum per Mariam !" It reminds  the the story of an atheist who could not pray the Holy ​​Prayer, while tried to pray the Hail Mary: of course He became a converted catholic. He encountered Mary trough Jesus, Safe Way !

The "Miraculous Medal", which inspired the French designer, has its origin in the famous apparition of Our Lady to St. Catherine Laboure, then a novice of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, in Paris on November the 27, 1830, exactly 183 years ago. The Virgin appeared to her on a large globe, with her arms outstretched and fingers adorned with rings radiating light and surrounded by a sentence that said: 

"O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee." 

She said: " have a medal struck on this model, and all those who wear it will receive abundant graces, especially when worn around the neck". "And Mary showed her how the reverse of the medal should be: the letter "M" monogram of Mary, with a cross on top, the Hearts of Jesus and his Mother, surrounded by a crown of 12 stars .

The phrase stamped on the medal summarizes the message revealed by the Virgin: Her The Immaculate Conception, soon proclaimed as Dogma of the Catholic Faith in 1854 by Pope Pius IX, and ratified in the Our Lady apparition at Lourdes in 1858, and the mediation of the Mother of God with his Divine son: Mary Immaculate Mediatrix. Therefore, we have Our ​​Lady of Graces and Miraculous Medal.

It is Interesting that initially, the confessor of St. Catherine, Father Jean Marie Aladel did not believe what she revealed him, but after two years of careful observation, he addressed the issues to the local Archbishop, who ordered the making of medals, later spread out across Europe and around the world, being the vehicle of countless graces of God.

Pope Pius XII called Saint Catherine Laboure of the "holy silence" as she kept the secrets of the apparitions until her passing day.

* Bishop of the Personal Apostolic Administration of St. John Vianney

O Marie, conçue sans péché, prie pour nous qui recourrons a Toi, et pour tous ceux qui ne recourent pas à Toi, en particulier pour ceux qui s'opposent à l'Eglise et pour toutes les personnes que nous Te recommandons. 

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee, and for those who do not have recourse to you, especially for those who are distant from the Church, and for all who have been recommended to you.

Ó Maria concebida sem pecado, rogai por nós que recorremos a Vós e por todos quantos não recorrem a Vós, especialmente pelos inimigos da Santa Igreja e por todos quantos são a vós recomendados.