Christmas & New Year's Meditation

We celebrate Christmas on December 25 and then New Year's day on January 1.  This may not seem like a big deal, but if we think about it then it is.  The birth of Christ is celebrated at the end of the year since December is the last month of the year. This celebration runs into the New Year with the commemoration of Mary the Mother of God,  the Holy Family, the Epiphany and then the Baptism of the Lord.  I have always meditated on this and Revelation 1:8 comes to mind.  In Revelation 1:8, Jesus tells John, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”  Do you see the connection?

We celebrate Jesus' birth at the end of the year; He is the Omega or the End.  This celebration continues into the New Year beginning with the one who gave birth to Him, Mary.  This continuation of the celebration of Christmas into the New Year shows us that Christ is also the Alpha, or the Beginning.  Mary as usual is in the middle of this temporal manifestation of the Divine. This is why she is appropriately called the "Theotokos" or God-bearer.  Christ is the Lord of space and time.  This is why we use AD (Anno Domini - Year of Our Lord) to designate time.  Jesus is the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega.      

Prayer to Blessed Mother Teresa

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, pray for me this day.  Help me to see Jesus in everyone that I encounter today. Teach me how to bring the sweet fragrance of Christ to everyone and how to service those in need, especially the poorest of the poor.  Secure for me the graces to minister to others and face disappointments and criticism with patience just as you had while on Earth.  You suffered doubts and other trials as you grew in the spiritual life.  Help me to endure my own trials and not give in to despair or doubt.  Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, pray for me.  Amen

Prayer to Our Lady of Fatima

Prayer to Our Lady of Fatima

O Most Holy Virgin Mary, Queen of the most holy Rosary, you were pleased to appear to the children of Fatima and reveal a glorious message. We implore you, inspire in our hearts a fervent love for the recitation of the Rosary. By meditating on the mysteries of the redemption that are recalled therein may we obtain the graces and virtues that we ask, through the merits of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Redeemer.

My thoughts on Holy Week

My thoughts on Holy Week

Holy Week is one of the most busiest times in the Catholic Church.  I use the word "busy" to describe the many events or liturgies that take place during the week.

The Catholic Church does an excellent job in presenting the redemptive act of Christ in a powerful sensual manner.  From Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, each of these liturgies offers so much stimuli to the human mind.  So much is going on that one has no choice but to absorb each detail in.

I have always been a philosopher since I could remember.  Thinking about thinking has been a hobby of mine that has sometimes driven my friends and relatives to drink (joking).  I love to think about things and contemplate them.  Here are some thoughts that came to mind while serving at Holy Week's liturgies.  


Palm Sunday
On this day, the visual of the people with palms brings about a reflection of that day when the people in Jerusalem praised their King Christ.  I was reminded of how hypocritical we all can be.  We praise God and then offend Him with our sins. God is indeed patient with each of us.  He calmly rides into our lives only to be rejected by us every time we sin.


Chrism Mass
During chrism Mass, the bishop consecrates the oils that will be used to celebrate the sacraments throughout his diocese.  The display of the oils brought to mind something that we often take for granted - cooking.  Most of us use oil to cook in our homes.  Oil in a sense is the first ingredient in most meals.  It is not strange that oil would be the first "ingredient" to prepare us for the banquet that are the Sacraments of the Church.

Holy Thursday
During Holy Thursday, we commemorate the Last Supper of Christ.  Christ gathered His disciples and had the Passover seder.  Priests also renew their promises during this Mass.  During this Mass, the washing of the feet takes place.  This brings about many thoughts for meditation.  I visualize Christ, the Son of God and second person of the Blessed Trinity washing the feet of men who are sinners.  This is a powerful image and one that is unique to religion in general.  The gods of other religions have man as the slave of the deity.  In Christianity, God is the servant.  This is a very powerful image.  The transference of the Blessed Sacrament to the Altar of Repose is another powerful image.  It literally feels like Christ was arrested and taken away from us.  The mood is a somber one that brings about the reflection of what life is without God.  We are alone, sad, and hopeless.

Good Friday
Good Friday's Liturgy of the Passion is one that while being long, brings about many instances for reflection.  The reading of the Word and the participation of the people makes the Passion come alive in the church.  You get the sense of actually being there and watching Jesus before Pilate.  The unveiling of the wood of the Cross is another instance of reflection.  The mystery of the Cross is something we often wrestle with.  Why did God have to die?  Why on a Cross?  The unveiling reminds us of this mystery.  The sight of an empty church with statues and images covered, no crucifixes, the Tabernacle open and no candle light, not even from the Sanctuary lamp is a reflection in itself.  Without Christ, the Church is nothing.  The Church loses its beauty without Him.
Some Latino and Italian parishes have processions where people dress up like the main persons in the Passion.  They reenact the Stations of the Cross vividly that you actually feel like you're there 2000 years ago.  Each station brings about a reflection.  The ones that stood out to me were the times Jesus fell.  I began to think, Jesus fell 3 times.  Once for the past, present and future.  He took on the sins of each time period, but they did not keep Him down.  Christ stood back up.  The stations of Simon the Cyrene and Mary, Christ's mother approaching Christ are also powerful images to reflect on.  Mary embracing her son is a very powerful images.  Sometimes, kids get ashamed of being around their moms.  Here we have Mary embracing her Son, a grown man.  This image shows the importance of the love between parents and children.  Jesus was not ashamed or embarrassed of having His mom around.  Also, the mere fact that Mary could embrace God in such a way is awesome.  Furthermore, God does not need anyone, yet Simon helps Him carry His cross.  When we grow in grace and get closer to Christ, we alleviate His suffering just like Simon approached Christ and helped him carry the Cross.

Easter Vigil
The Easter vigil has so many instances for reflection.  The priest lights fire outside of the Church and prepares the Paschal candle.  The fire reminds us that Christ is the light.  Without light, nothing can survive in this world.  If the Sun were to turn off one day, our world would become a dark frozen wasteland.  Similarly, without Christ, we become nothing more than animals acting out our instinctual habits.  The image of a darken Church shows this.  Without Christ, the Church is dark and lonely.  It is a useless building just there on a street block.  The procession with the Paschal candle reminds us that Christ is the light.  With the small flame of this candle, we are able to see the Church's inside.  The visual of the people lighting their candles from the Paschal candles is awesome.  It shows Christ's light being transferred to each of us.  As each candle is lit, its owner's face becomes visible.  We are no longer dark images in a dark Church.  We have our image restored to us via the light of Christ and rightfully so since we are made in God's image.  The gloria and the ringing of the bells shows us the joy the church has knowing that Christ has risen.  The catechumens are received into the church showing that the Church has new life in the risen Christ.


Easter Sunday
The Church looks beautiful again.  It has flowers, the statues and images are uncovered, the Blessed Sacrament is there.  The Church has life once again.  It is not an empty dark building.  Similarly, we have new life in Christ.  We all renew our Baptism promises.


Holy Week is indeed Holy.  If you have not participated in the above liturgies.  I recommend that you do next year.  The Liturgies for this week are so rich in symbolism and visuals.              

Prayer for the New Year

All make the sign of the cross. The leader begins:

Let us praise the Lord of days and seasons and years, saying:
Glory to God in the highest!
R/. And peace to his people on earth!

The leader may use these or similar words to introduce the blessing:

Our lives are made of days and nights, of seasons and years,
for we are part of a universe of suns and moons and planets.
We mark ends and we make beginnings and, in all, we
praise God for the grace and mercy that fill our days.

Then the Scripture is read, Book of Genesis 1:14-19:

Listen to the words of the Book of Genesis:

God said: “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky, to separate day from night. Let them mark the fixed times, the days and the years, and serve as luminaries in the dome of the sky, to shed light upon the earth.” And so it happened: God made the two great lights, the greater one to govern the day, and the lesser one to govern the night; and he made the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky, to shed light upon the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw how good it was. Evening came, and morning followed—the fourth day.

(The family’s Bible may be used for an alternate reading such as Psalm 90:1-4.)

Reader: The Word of the Lord.
R/. Thanks be to God.

After a time of silence, members of the household offer prayers of thanksgiving for the past year, and of intercession for the year to come. On January 1, it may be appropriate to conclude these prayers with the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (in Part VII: Litanies) since this is the solemn feast of Mary, Mother of God. In conclusion, all join hands for the Lord’s Prayer. Then the leader continues:

Let us now pray for God’s blessing in the new year.

After a short silence, parents may place their hands on their children in blessing as the leader says:

Remember us, O God;
from age to age be our comforter.
You have given us the wonder of time,
blessings in days and nights, seasons and years.
Bless your children at the turning of the year
and fill the months ahead with the bright hope
that is ours in the coming of Christ.
You are our God, living and reigning, forever and ever.
R/. Amen.

Another prayer for peace may be said:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
R/. Amen.

—Attributed to St. Francis of Assisi

The leader says:

Let us bless the Lord.

All respond, making the sign of the cross:

Thanks be to God.

The prayer may conclude with the singing of a Christmas carol.

—From "Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers"

Prayer to the Christ Child

Prayer to the Divino Niño In Difficult Times

Divine Child Jesus,
In my difficulties: help me
From the enemies of my soul: save me
In my errors: enlighten me
In my doubts and pains: comfort me
In my solitudes: be with me
In my diseases: invigorate me
When others despise me: encourage me
In temptations: defend me
In difficult hours: strengthen me
With your maternal heart: love me
With your immense power: protect me
And, into your arms, when I die: receive me
Amen

Advent Prayers

The following ceremonies are meant for every day during the weeks of Advent, beginning with the first Sunday. Dinner and bedtime are made even more special with this ritual. The family says the prayer as the candles on the Advent wreath are lighted.

The First Week of Advent

The family prays:

Father in heaven,
our hearts desire the warmth of your love, and our minds are searching for the light of your Word. Increase our longing for Christ our Savior and give us the strength to grow in love, that the dawn of his coming may find us rejoicing in his presence and welcoming the light of his truth. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Amen.

The Second Week of Advent

The family prays:

Father in heaven,
the day draws near when the glory of your Son will make radiant the night of the waiting world.
May the lure of greed not impede us from the joy which moves the hearts of those who seek him.
May the darkness not blind us to the vision of wisdom which fills the minds of those who find him.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Amen.

The Third Week of Advent

The family prays:

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.

The Fourth Week of Advent

The family prays:

Father, all-powerful God,
your eternal Word took flesh on our earth when the Virgin Mary placed her life at the service of your plan. Lift our minds in watchful hope to hear the voice which announces his glory, and open our minds to receive the Spirit who prepares us for his coming.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Source: http://www.loyolapress.com/liturgical-year-advent-prayers.htm

Importance of the Rosary

When one mentions "Catholic prayer," usually the Rosary is the first that comes to mind.  The Rosary is not just a set of beads with medals on it.  It is not jewelry.  It is a prayer; a very powerful prayer that brings to mind the events of the Gospel that should be in the hearts and minds of all Catholics.  The Rosary is not a "competition" prayer, so to speak.  What I mean by this is that the Rosary is not a prayer that competes with the Our Father or prayers directed at God as some of our separated brothers and sisters believe.  The Rosary is directed at God.  It is not a prayer of worship to Mary.  Catholics DO NOT worship Mary.  Instead, the Rosary is a prayer where we join Mary as she reminds us of her Son's life.  We pray with her for God to help us sinners now and at the hour of our death. 

The Rosary is a life line in the spiritual life.  This is why we have 10 fingers comprised of 2 hands with 5 fingers each.  The combined 10 fingers of both hands are for the "Hail Marys," and the hand's 5 fingers are for the mysteries of the Rosary.  It is important that Catholics pray the Rosary daily.  With Mary, we can never wander far from Christ because she is His mother and He gave her to us on the Cross before expiring.

 

Catholic Witness

In this Year of Faith, Catholic witness is important.  Not only are we called to grow in faith; we are also called to be witnesses of Christ in the world.  We must show the world via our lives why it is worth it to be Catholic.  In today's world where doubt is growing; citing Scripture, Church dogmas etc, will not do much to sway harden hearts and minds.  When the Christian life is lived publicly, then this will sway many.

Human beings are wired to learn visually.  This is why it is important for children to use blocks and other objects that stimulate tactile and visual experience.  It is by this that we learn about the external world.  In child psychology, we learn that from about ages 2-4, children become "scientists."  They study everything and do their own experiments by testing how things work.  It is by this exploration that children begin to learn about the world and how they relate to it.

This does not end at childhood.  We still continue to learn in this manner.  Children learn the abc's and 123's faster with instruments that present these visually than by simply verbalizing them.  If I tell a child "A" or "1," my doing this will not guarantee that the child will learn what these are.  However, if I show them the letter A and number 1, then these images will remain in his/her brain and from there, he/she will be able to achieve mapping and encoding with them. 

Similarly, preaching the Word of God can only go so far unless we present it to people in a visual and tangible way. If I preach about love, then that message will come alive when those I preach to see me loving others.  If I preach about truth, then that message will come alive when people that I preach to see me telling the truth always.  If I preach about poverty and helping others, then this will come alive if people I preach to see me detached from material goods and see me provide for those in need.

This is why Pope Francis chose the name "Francis."  He wanted to imitate St. Francis who preached the Gospel not only with words, but through action.  Pope Francis has made it a mission to speak nearly daily on Christian behavior.  From saying not to be hypocritical, to having "funeral faces;" to recently stating that we must watch our tongues and how we talk about others; Pope Francis is reminding us the important of Christian witness.

As St. Francis is believed to have said: "Wherever you go, preach the gospel, and if necessary, use words."      

For God and Country

The phrase, "For God and Country" is often found inscribed on the corner stones of Catholic schools in the United States of America and perhaps other nations.  Its origin is found in Johan Salla, a commander in the Royal Forces of Alfonso the Chaste. 

As I was walking by a school, I noticed this phrase and began to think.  What does "For God and Country" really mean? 

In today's America where some polls claim that the majority of Catholics are for contraception, gay marriage and abortion when the mother's life is in danger; this got me thinking.  If these polls are indeed accurate, then this only means that American Catholics are losing their vision.  They are becoming blind to secular matters and have forgotten God.  They are focusing on the country part and setting aside God.

The nation is being placed before God.  The saying places God first and rightfully so.  Catholics cannot support secular rhetoric that opposes the Church's teaching.  One cannot be Catholic and be for contraception, abortion and/or gay marriage.  One of the most important factors of being Catholic is being counter-cultural.  Being a Catholic does not mean that a Catholic must obey all the social norms of the society he/she lives in especially when they are contrary to the Church's teachings.  We are called to transform nations into the image of Christ.  We are called to evangelize our nations, not conform to their ideas, especially when those ideas are contrary to God and His Church's teachings. 

While patriotism is fine and dandy, it should not become idolatrous.  It is OK to be proud of one's nationality; however, our nation of birth is just land and nothing more.  The people make the nation.  As Catholics, our true country - our true nation is Heaven. (Philippians 3:20; Hebrews 11:16) 

Nations will come and go, but God's Word will always remain.  Greece and Rome fell, Egypt fell, the empires of Spain and Britain fell, eventually the United States will fall.  We must not rely on man-made nations, but focus on our true nation: Heaven.  In order to make our current nations better, we must be faithful to Christ and His Church by promoting the teachings and defending life, marriage and the true meaning of sexual relations as a channel to bring new life to the world. 

Catholics wake up!  You cannot be Catholic and support abortion, contraception and gay marriage.

Mystery of the Blessed trinity

There is a story about Augustine of Hippo who is a Catholic saint and bishop. He is a well known philosopher and a celebrated champion of Christian thought.

Anyhow, one day he was trying to figure out God - in particular the idea of Father Son Holy Spirit as one God - he thought and thought and thought wondering how can God be 3 persons in one, how can God be God. Well while sleeping he had a dream that he was by the shore. He saw a small child digging a hole in the sand. Once dug, the child took a shell and went to the ocean and took water. He brought it back and poured it into the hole. The child then ran back and repeated the same action. Augustine smiled and went to the child and asked the child, "what are you trying to do?" the child answered, "I am trying to put the ocean in this hole." Augustine smiled again thinking the child said something cute. Augustine told the child, "The ocean is vast and immense, there is no way you can put it all into this small hole." The child looked at him smiling and replied, "neither can you put all of God in your mind." At that Augustine woke and realized that no one can truly grasp God. It would be like putting the ocean into a small hole dug in the sand on a beach.










From http://www.sacerdotus.com/2012/06/holy-trinity.html

Atheist Confession I

Those of you who follow my other blogs: www.sacerdotus.com and rationallyfaithful.blogspot.com are aware that I used to be an atheist.  You can read more of my story here.

I get asked a lot, why Jesus?  Why the "Christian God?" Out of the many "gods" out there on planet Earth being worshiped by millions, why did I choose Jesus?

The question is one that we all should ask ourselves.  Why Jesus?  What makes Him so special?  This question will aid our journey of faith.

Apart from the academic aspect of why I chose Jesus, there is a deeper reason.  Out of all the gods described to us by different cultures, Jesus stood out to me the most because He was one of us. ( Hebrews 4:15)  Jesus is the only deity to incarnate Himself as one of us - a simple human being.  He had flesh and bones just like us.  He had veins that carried blood with nutrients and oxygen just like us.  He learned the alphabet and numerical system just like us.  He ate and drank, did all the functions of a human being just like us.  He also had to learn how to live in society just like us.  The only difference is that He did not sin.

This God named Jesus emptied Himself of the majesty of being the God of gods - the Supreme creator to become a tiny baby, grow, learn and suffer Rome's capital punishment - crucifixion.

The events of Jesus' life touched me deeply.  Jesus is a God who does not command us to worship out of fear, but rather, He invites us to love God with our whole being.  This God, in a sense treats us as if we were God.  All other gods which are man's attempt to define the one God all demand sacrifice, blood and blind obedience.  Jesus does the opposite.  He is the sacrifice, He sheds His blood, and He was obedient by accepting the plan the Father had for Him.

Some try to pass off Jesus as a "borrowed myth."  Like Thomas Paine, they try to impose "heathen mythology" on Jesus as if Jesus was some sort of a mythological invention.  We who are in academia know this is not so.  Even atheist historian and scholar, Michael Grant had this to say of Jesus Christ:

To sum up, modern critical methods fail to support the Christ myth theory. It has 'again and again been answered and annihilated by first rank scholars.' In recent years, 'no serous scholar has ventured to postulate the non historicity of Jesus' or at any rate very few, and they have not succeeded in disposing of the much stronger, indeed very abundant, evidence to the contrary.  

                                                   Jesus: An Historian's Review of the Gospels

This speaks volumes coming from an atheist because it is usually the atheists who claim that Jesus is a mythological being that never existed.