catholic family faith

Veni Creator Spiritus

Sounds like a mysterious spell.  In fact, it is a traditional hymn, invoking the Creator Spirit to come into our hearts.  Christians around the world sing this song on January 1st as we begin a new year, putting our thoughts in right context, recognizing that God, Creator Spirit, is our Life Force and Giver of all things.  Here are the words in English:

Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest,
and in our hearts take up Thy rest;
come with Thy grace and heav'nly aid,
To fill the hearts which Thou hast made.

O Comforter, to Thee we cry,
Thou heav'nly gift of God most high,
Thou Fount of life, and Fire of love,
and sweet anointing from above.

O Finger of the hand divine,
the sevenfold gifts of grace are thine;
true promise of the Father thou,
who dost the tongue with power endow.

Thy light to every sense impart,
and shed thy love in every heart;
thine own unfailing might supply
to strengthen our infirmity.

Drive far away our ghostly foe,
and thine abiding peace bestow;
if thou be our preventing Guide,
no evil can our steps betide.

Praise we the Father and the Son
and Holy Spirit with them One;
and may the Son on us bestow
the gifts that from the Spirit flow.

V. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created.
R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

Let us Pray
O God, Who didst instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Ghost: give to us, in the same Spirit, to know what is right, and ever rejoice in His consolation. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who with Thee livest and reignest in the unity of the same Holy Spirit, God. World without end. Amen.

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God

On January 1st, the Church observes the solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God.

Theotokos (The Mother of God)
[In the Letter to the Galatians] St. Paul said: “God sent forth his Son, born of woman” (Gal 4:4). Origen commented: “Note well that he did not say, ‘born by means of a woman’ but ‘born of a woman’” (Comment on the Letter to the Galatians, PG 14, 1298). This acute observation of the great exegete and ecclesiastical writer is important: in fact, if the Son of God had been born only “by means of” a woman, he would not truly have taken on our humanity, something which instead he did by taking flesh “of” Mary. Mary’s motherhood, therefore, is true and fully human. The fundamental truth about Jesus as a divine Person who fully assumed our human nature is condensed in the phrase: “God sent forth his Son born of woman.” He is the Son of God, he is generated by God and at the same time he is the son of a woman, Mary. He comes from her. He is of God and of Mary. For this reason one can and must call the Mother of Jesus the Mother of God [in Greek, Theotokos].

Pope Benedict XVI, Homily at First Vespers, Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
December 31, 2006

 

As the world begins a new year, it is fitting that we invite Mary, the Mother of God, to pray with us and to pray for us.  Follow this link and pray the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary with your family.   http://www.usccb.org/prolife/liturgy/litany_mary3x.shtml

From the Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy

115. On January 1st, the octave day of Christmas, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Holy Mother of God. The divine and virginal motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a singular salvific event: for Our Lady it was the foretaste and cause of her extraordinary glory; for us it is a source of grace and salvation because "through her we have received the Author of life"(127).

The solemnity of 1 January, an eminently Marian feast, presents an excellent opportunity for liturgical piety to encounter popular piety: the first celebrates this event in a manner proper to it; the second, when duly catechised, lends joy and happiness to the various expressions of praise offered to Our Lady on the birth of her divine Son, to deepen our understanding of many prayers, beginning with that which says: "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners".

116. In the West, 1 January is an inaugural day marking the beginning of the civil year. The faithful are also involved in the celebrations for the beginning of the new year and exchange "new year" greetings. However, they should try to lend a Christian understanding to this custom making of these greetings an expression of popular piety. The faithful, naturally, realize that the "new year" is placed under the patronage of the Lord, and in exchanging new year greetings they implicitly and explicitly place the New Year under the Lord's dominion, since to him belongs all time (cf. Ap 1, 8; 22,13)(128).

A connection between this consciousness and the popular custom of singing the Veni Creator Spiritus (Come, Holy Ghost, Creator Blest...) can easily be made so that on 1 January the faithful can pray that the Spirit may direct their thoughts and actions, and those of the community during the course of the year(129).

117. New year greetings also include an expression of hope for a peaceful New Year. This has profound biblical, Christological and incarnational origins. The "quality of peace" has always been invoked throughout history by all men, and especially during violent and destructive times of war.

The Holy See shares the profound aspirations of man for peace. Since 1967, 1 January has been designated "world day for peace".

Popular piety has not been oblivious to this initiative of the Holy See. In the light of the new born Prince of Peace, it reserves this day for intense prayer for peace, education towards peace and those value inextricably linked with it, such as liberty, fraternal solidarity, the dignity of the human person, respect for nature, the right to work, the sacredness of human life, and the denunciation of injustices which trouble the conscience of man and threaten peace.

 

 

Season of Christmas

While the malls and stores are blowing out and putting away their Christmas items and people are taking down their decorations, we Catholic Christians have just begun our celebration of Christmas.  For us, Advent ended at sunset on Christmas Eve, when many parishes celebrated the Vigil of the Nativity.  The season officially began with the celebration of the Nativity, Jesus' birth, and includes the feasts of the Holy Family (the Sunday immediately following Christmas), Epiphany, and the Baptism of the Lord.  This year, the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated on January 10, 2010.

Through the week following the Nativity of Jesus, the Church recognizes the Octave of Christmas, an eight day remembrance and reflection on the Incarnation.  Each day during the Octave of Christmas, the Lectionary, the Scripture passages read during daily Masses, focus on the Incarnation, God-becoming-human. 

The song "The Twelve Days of Chrismas" actually celebrates the twelve days between the Nativity of the Lord and the feast of the Epiphany. 

Download The_12_Days_of_Christmas.pdf (63.7K)

So continue to enjoy your celebration of Christmas!

Lord's Day Faith Chat - Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, Joseph - December 27, 2009

So [the shepherds] went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger."  (Luke 2:16)

I often find myself competing with the holiness of the Holy Family.  Why I do this, I don't know.  I will never measure up to the humble and total trust in God and one another that they had.  They were perfect, after all, and I am certainly far from perfect!

But wait.  Maybe they weren't so perfect.  Mary became pregnant before she and Joseph lived together.  Joseph was upset about the situation and was going to divorce her, cancel their betrothal.  Luckily, an angel interceded by sharing God's plan with Joseph in a dream.  So they resolved this issue, by the grace of God, and Joseph took Mary into his home as his wife. 

Then, near the end of Mary's pregnancy, they had to travel to Bethlehem with hoards of other people for a crazy Roman census.  They travelled the 100 miles or so from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the village of Joseph's ancestors, on foot, with Mary riding their little donkey the last few miles.  But when they arrived in Bethlehem, there were so many people - David did have a lot of descendents - the inns were full.  Then Mary's labor began, and Joseph desperately searched for a quiet and warm place for her to have the baby.  They ended up in a stable cave, where an inn keeper kept his livestock.  But it was warm and dry and the hay was fresh.  By the grace of God, they made it to Bethlehem and found a simple but quiet place for Jesus to be born.

Later, they found out that Herod wanted to kill their baby, the "Newborn King of the Jews."  So they packed up Jesus and left Bethlehem and Judea to escape Herod's killing rage.  They travelled through the desert to Egypt.  By the grace of God, they escaped in time and made it safely to Egypt.

Eventually, by the grace of God, they made it back to their family and friends in Nazareth.  Jesus grew and Joseph and Mary taught him the prayers and traditions of their ancestors, bringing him up in the faith of their people.  By the grace of God, they overcame all of their hardships, each struggle increasing their trust in their loving God.

It is good for me, for all of us, to remember that the Holy Family wasn't holy because they were perfect.  They certainly had their share of difficulties and, I'm sure, arguments.  But they remained faithful to one another and to God; this is what made them holy.  In the same way, when we express our sincere love for one another day after day, remain faithful to one another, and trust that God's grace will see us through any difficulty, our families, too, are holy.

Faith Chat Question:  To be holy does not mean that we have to be perfect; every family, even Jesus, Mary and Joseph, has its issues.  What makes your family holy?  How does your family express its holiness?

Faith Response:  Put the name of each family member in a bowl.  Have each person draw a name, making sure they don't receive their own name.  Through the week, each person will pray for the family member whose name they drew, doing random acts of kindness for that person and writing a letter thanking the person for what he/she contributes to the family.

Pray:  Loving Jesus, bless our families and help us to acknowledge our holiness by recognizing your presence with us.  Amen.

Boxing Day - Feast of St. Stephen - Good King Wenceslas

Boxing Day.  It's on our American calendars as a Canadian holiday.  While people in Canada and England know what Boxing Day is all about, we here in the U.S. speculate about what it is.

"It's a national boxing tournament."

"It's the day people box up all of their Christmas decorations."

"It's the day people go through all of their storage boxes to see what they have."

"It's the day people box up old clothes and stuff to donate to a charity organization."  BINGO!

Boxing Day originated in the mid-nineteenth century under Queen Victoria.  It originated as a holiday for members of the merchant class to give boxes containing food and fruit, clothing, and/or money to trades people and servants.  The gifts were an expression of gratitude similar to the bonuses many employers offer their employees today.  These gifts, usually given in boxes, gave the holiday it's name, "Boxing Day."  Also related to the origin of Boxing Day is the tradition of opening the alms boxes placed in churches over the Christmas season.  The contents of these boxes were distributed among the poor by the clergy on the day after Christmas, the feast of St. Stephen.  (http://www.calendar-updates.com/info/holidays/canada/boxing.aspx)

Related to Boxing Day, the carol "Good King Wenceslas" is about a king who goes out on the feast of St. Stephen to give alms to the poor.  During the journey, his page is about to give up the struggle against the cold weather, but is enabled to continue by the heat miraculously emanating from the king's footprints in the snow.  This legend is based on the life of the historical Saint Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia (907-935).  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_King_Wenceslas)

Winter Solstice

Today, December 21st, is the Winter Solstice, having the shortest daylight hours of the year.  The Winter Solstice is a turning point; from today forward, the hours of daylight will increase.

In ancient times, the Winter Solstice was a time of celebration.  During this time, which they called Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun, "the Romans celebrated their midwinter holiday, Saturnalia, which involved decorating the halls of houses with boughs of lauren and evergreen trees.  Lamps were kept burning to ward off the spirits of darkness.  Temples were decorated with evergreens symbolizing life's continuity, and processions of people with masked or blackened faces and colorful hats danced through the streets."  (http://www.shambhala.org/arts/fest/unconquered.html)

Around 350 C.E., December 25th was adopted as the feast of Christmas.  This allowed Christians to celebrate the birth of Christ at the same time as the celebrations of Saturnalia and Yule, so that they would "fit in" secular society better. 

On this day of less daylight, lights some candles in your home to remember that Christ, the Light of the World, dispels the darkness of winter and sometimes difficult lives.

Lord's Day Faith Chat - Fourth Sunday of Advent - December 20, 2009

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."  (Luke 1:41-42)

Elizabeth and her baby were open to and aware of the movement of the Holy Spirit in their souls.  Because of their openness to the Spirit, they allowed themselves to leap and cry out with joy in the presence of the Lord, the Christ.

Too often, we become inhibited by events in our lives and focus on worldly things that we do not recognize the movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  Rather than crying out with joy, we complain and allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by issues.

May this reading remind us to allow the Spirit to move us to joy, to move us to dance, to change our attitudes from darkness to light.

Faith Chat Question:  When Mary greeted Elizabeth, the Holy Spirit filled her and the baby in her womb.  She cried out a blessing, and the baby leaped for joy.  How have you experienced and responded to being filled with the Holy Spirit and recognizing Christ in your midst?

Family Activity:  We continue to pray Elizabeth’s greeting to Mary when we pray the Hail Mary.  Together with your family, pray a decade of the Rosary, meditating on the mystery of the Visitation.

Pray:  O come, O Lord of Love, fill us with your Spirit of hope.  Amen.

 

O Antiphons

O Antiphons are traditionally recited during Advent Liturgy of the Hours.  They are so named because each begins with "O"; they are also called the "Great Antiphons."  The O Antiphons are also sometimes used to make private novenas from December 17th to December 23rd. 

The Advent hymn, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel is probably the most famous rendition of the O Antiphons.

To pray the O Antiphons with your family or by yourself, Download O_Antiphons.pdf (136.6K)

For more on O Antiphons, check out these websites:

Catholic Education Resource Center:  http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0374.html

Catholic Encyclopedia:  http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11173b.htm

What Really Matters at Christmas

I want this, and this, and that...oh, and some of these...and add this, too.

Many people are making lists of what they want for Christmas.  They check them twice, and hope that Santa will bring them everything they wrote on their lists.

In a store yesterday, I overheard a couple of women talking about how far behind they feel.  They still have lots of presents to buy before Christmas next week.

At this time of year, our culture focuses on the presents.  We gotta get stuff.  And the more stuff we get, the bigger the stuff is, the better.

We certainly seem to be living up to the expectations of our capitalist culture.  But are we missing out on the best part of Christmas, the real purpose of Christmas.

I recently read a wonderful book, The Christmas Sweater, by Glenn Beck.  It is a beautifully written and illustrated story about a boy who wants a bike for Christmas.  On Christmas Eve, as he is getting ready for bed, his grandfather comes to his room and tells him that he had been snooping around, he didn't see a bike, but he did see a wonderful Christmas sweater.  The boy dreams about the adventures he had with his sweater:  sledding with his father and making cookies with his mother.  On Christmas morning, he runs downstairs and sees the bike he had hoped for, but instead of running to the bike, he looks for the sweater.  The Christmas sweater and his dreams reminded him that love and family are better than any other gift, even a bike.

Sometimes we need to do less to help our children understand what life is really all about.

Baby Jesus in a Candy Cane Cradle

St. Nicholas visited our parish today.  He was too busy last Sunday, December 6th, celebrating his feast day, so he stopped by today.  While parishioners enjoyed coffee, punch, and donuts, St. Nicholas met the kids, talked to them about Christmas, and gave them gold (chocolate) coins.  This is a tradition our parish has had for many, many years.

While the kids were waiting for their parents, they were able to make a craft.  This keeps them occupied while their parents talk to friends, family, and new acquaintances.  The craft they made today was Baby Jesus in a Candy Cane Cradle.  It was such a hit, quick and easy, that I thought I'd share it.  It is a good activity for family members of all ages, even the youngest ones.

Supplies:  Small wood plug (I found some at Menard's), white cloth cut into small square, Sharpie pen, straw-colored yarn, candy cane, glue dots (tape works, too, but glue dots are really sticky and work very well)

1. Using the Sharpie pen, draw a face on the wood plug.
2. Wrap the plug, face showing, in the white cloth square, like a baby.  Use tape to secure the cloth to the wood plug to keep it from slipping out.  This is Baby Jesus.
3. Cut several small pieces of straw-colored yarn.  (I wrapped the yarn around the palm of my hand and then cut both ends so the pieces were the length of the width of my palm.)
4. Tape the center of the "straw" yarn pieces so that they stay together.
5. Holding the candy cane like a "J" - for Jesus - use a glue dot to attach the straw to the inside curve of the candy cane.
6. Use another glue dot to attach Baby Jesus to the straw.
7. Tie a green ribbon around the top of the candy cane.

With a little help, even some of our 2-3 year olds were able to do this craft.  They can easily stick straw to the candy cane and Baby Jesus to the straw.

After you finish the craft, share the Story of the Candy Cane.

Download The_Legend_ofthe_CandyCane.pdf (90.7K)