Linggo, Disyembre 3, 2006
Novena to the Immaculate Conception: Day Four


PRAYER TO THE
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

O God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, did prepare a worthy dwelling place for Your Son, we beseech You that, as by the foreseen death of this, Your Son, You did preserve Her from all stain, so too You would permit us, purified through Her intercession, to come unto You.Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end.

Amen.

Day Four

O Mary, Mother of God, endowed in your glorious Immaculate Conception with the fullness of grace; unique among women in that you are both mother and virgin; Mother of Christ and Virgin of Christ, we ask you to look down with a tender heart from your throne and listen to our prayers as we earnestly ask that you obtain for us the favor for which we now plead...

(State your intention here...)

O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will. Amen.
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sa Disyembre 03, 2006 0 comment(s)
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Study Regarding Mass Dropouts in Australia

The Mass = the re-presentation of the Sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross as the Eucharist (Communion) is truly Jesus Christ! We need to hope for better catechism in the future. A lot of these dropouts do not understand what a wonder they are truly missing! We don't go to Mass to get something out of it; we go to praise the King of Kings.

DISILLUSIONMENT with the Catholic Church in the wake of sexual abuse scandals has contributed to a steady decline in Mass attendance, a report to the church's 43 bishops says [regarding Australia].

It also cites the restricted roles of women in the church, and a feeling that its leaders are "not intelligent, not vibrant and not relevant" as reasons for the decline.

Those who have stopped going to Mass who were interviewed for the church project Disconnected Catholics, published yesterday, complained of the silencing of prominent theologians and other Catholic thinkers, decisions being made without consultation and a church focused on rules, not compassion.

Some said their parish priest promoted an anti-intellectual environment where "his word was law and critical thinking discouraged". Others pointed to their priest's problem with alcohol, sexual indiscretions or abuse as a key reason for not attending Mass.

For some Catholics, faith no longer provided meaning or made sense. However, this was not driven by better education or widening scientific knowledge but a questioning of church teachings, the role of religion in world conflicts and a sense of uncertainty about the meaning of life and the existence of God, the study said.

"They spoke about fear and guilt, saying that these things prevented them from being able to trust in God and reach a more mature faith. Even after they had stopped going to Mass, they continued to feel guilt and to be conscious of a fear of going to hell."

Catholic bishops promised yesterday to learn from the study's findings and use it to form pastoral strategies to reach out to those Catholics who had ceased practising their faith and "chart a way forward".

The bishops noted that many of the study's participants were still open to returning to Mass. Half said they still attended Mass occasionally, and almost one-third said they might return to weekly Mass attendance.

Attendance has been falling in all age groups under 75 but, worryingly for the church, it has identified up to 60,000 young Catholics between the 1991 and 2001 censuses who no longer identified themselves as such.

"The research project is part of our deep and ongoing desire to connect with people who have left the church and to listen to their experiences, so that we might identify ways to reach out to them and welcome them back," the bishops said.

The research on Disconnected Catholics was carried out by the Pastoral Projects Office of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and involved interviewing 41 Catholics aged between 29 and 74. Other reasons given for non-attendance included time clashes with sport, work or family, people not feeling welcomed, sheer laziness and unkind gossip.
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sa Disyembre 03, 2006 3 comment(s)
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The First Sunday of Advent

So, the First Sunday of Advent has arrived and with it the hope of the Second Coming of Christ. As we prepare to celebrate Christmas and remember the Birth of Christ, we prepare in Advent for the Second Coming of Our Lord. While His birth was known only by a few such as the shepherds and wisement, the whole world shall see His Glory when He returns to "judge the living and the dead." Today we light the first candle on the Advent Wreath.


Yesterday night, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated the First Solemn Vespers of Advent. Last year, Pope Benedict XVI said, "I ask you all to prepare for Advent with spiritual fervor, drawing from the word of God and the Eucharist interior energy for welcoming the Lord who comes" (Source) Photo Source: REUTERS/Giampiero Sposito (ITALY)
This first week of Advent is themed on hope. This hope is entirely in Our Savior - no where else can we have hope. As the homily I heard today described, this world will pass away, but the Lord and all eternity will remain (Mark 13:31). We must be ready for His coming. I was out in the Christmas rush Friday and enjoyed the shopping; the sales were great. But, we must never let our lives secularize Christmas that we focus completely on "Santa" and presents but forget about our Lord's Birth. Christmas is the Birth of our Lord, the greatest hope of the human race. He chose to be born in a manager, in the cold instead of all the glory He deserved. Meditate on that love of Christ this week, He chose poverty. Let's pray that He may be our hope and we will chose Him.

Advent is like a mini-Lent, a time of penance and preparation. May this period of penance and preparation make you worthy to celebrate Christmas. Ask yourself this question now and then at the end of Advent, "Are you prepared now to stand before the Son of Man?"

For some Advent resources see the Advent & Christmas Compilation Post.

Fr. Lawrence Smith said:
Advent is the time to make ready for Christ to live with us. Lent is the time to make us ready to die with Christ. Advent makes Lent possible. Lent makes salvation possible. Advent is the time when eternity approaches earth. Lent is the time when time reaches consummation in Christ's eternal Sacrifice to the Father. Advent leads to Christ's life in time on earth. Lent leads to Christ's eternal Life in Heaven. The Cross -- through the Mass, penance, and mortification -- is the bridge connecting Advent and Lent, Christ and His Church, man and God.

Each of the Church's penitential seasons is a dying to the world with the goal of attaining new life in Christ.

Traditional Propers:

INTROIT
Psalms 24: 1-3
To Thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul: in Thee, O my God, I put my trust; let me not be ashamed. Neither let my enemies laugh at me: for none of them that wait on Thee shall be confounded. Ps. Show, O Lord, Thy ways to me, and teach me Thy paths. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. To Thee...

COLLECT - Bestir, O Lord, Thy might, we pray Thee and come; That, defended by Thee, we may deserve rescue from approaching dangers brought on by our sins, and being set free by Thee, obtain our salvation. Who livest and reignest with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

EPISTLE
Romans 13:11-14
Brethren, knowing the time, that it is now the hour for us to rise from sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we believed. The night is past, and the day is at hand; let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and impurities, not in contention and envy; but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Gradual
Psalms. 24: 3-4
None of them that wait on Thee shall be confounded. Show, O Lord, Thy ways to me, and teach me Thy paths.

LESSER ALLELUIA - ALLELUIA, alleluia. V. Ps. 84, 8. Show us, O Lord, Thy mercy: and grant us Thy salvation. Alleluia.

GOSPEL
Luke 21:25-33

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples: There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves: men withering away for fear and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world. For the powers of heaven shall be moved; and then they shall see the Son of man coming in a cloud with great power and majesty. But when these things begin to come to pass, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is at hand. And He spoke to them a similitude: See the fig tree, and all the trees; when they now shoot forth their fruit, you know that summer is nigh; so you also, when you shall see these things come to pass, know that the kingdom of God is at hand. Amen I say to you, this generation shall not pass away till all things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.

OFFERTORY
Psalms 24:1,-3
To Thee have I lifted up my soul: in Thee, O my God, I put my trust, let me not be ashamed: neither let my enemies laugh at me: for none of them that wait for Thee shall be confounded.

SECRET - May, O Lord, these Sacred Rites enable us, whom by Thy mighty power Thou hast cleansed from sin, to come pure in heart before Thee who art their author. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.. .

PREFACE (Preface of the Most Holy Trinity) - It it truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God; Who, together with Thine only-begotten Son, and the Holy Ghost, art one God, one Lord: not in the oneness of a single Person, but in the Trinity of one substance. For what we believe by Thy revelation of Thy glory, the same do we believe of Thy Son, the same of the Holy Ghost, without difference or separation. So that in confessing the true and everlasting Godhead, distinction in persons, unity in essence, and equality in majesty may be adored. Which the Angels and Archangels, the Cherubim also and Seraphim do praise: who cease not daily to cry out, with one voice saying:

COMMUNION
Psalms 84: 13
The Lord will give goodness: and our earth shall yield her fruit.

POST COMMUNION - May we in the midst of Thy holy temple, O Lord, receive of Thy mercy, who seek with fitting honour to welcome the coming festival of our Redemption. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
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sa Disyembre 03, 2006 1 comment(s)
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Advent and Christmas Compilation

Here are all of my posts and other links relating to Advent and Christmas. I put them in this compilation to make it easier for others to use.

"Rejoice and be glad that so great and good a Lord, on coming into the Virgin's womb, willed to appear despised, needy, and poor in this world, so that men who were in dire poverty and suffering great need of heavenly food might be made rich in Him" (St. Clare of Assisi).

Advent Information:
    Christmas Information:
    Sundays of Advent:
    Feastdays / Fast days During Advent/ & Christmastide:
    Advent Prayers:
    Christmastide Prayers:
    Spiritually-Enriching Catechism Lessons:

    http://www.catechismclass.com/shop/series_detail.php?id=28

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    Sabado, Disyembre 2, 2006
    December Rosary Intentions

    I have posted the Catholic Community Forum's December Rosary Intentions. Please pray for those intentions. Please also pray for the prayer request on Our Divine Inheritance. Also here are Pope Benedict XVI's intentions for the month of December:

    General: That Christ, meek and humble of heart, may inspire those responsible for nations to use power wisely and responsibly.

    Missionary: That in every part of the world missionaries may live out their vocation with joy and enthusiasm, faithfully following in Christ's footsteps.
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    sa Disyembre 02, 2006 0 comment(s)
    Novena to the Immaculate Conception: Day Three


    PRAYER TO THE
    IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

    O God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, did prepare a worthy dwelling place for Your Son, we beseech You that, as by the foreseen death of this, Your Son, You did preserve Her from all stain, so too You would permit us, purified through Her intercession, to come unto You.Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end.

    Amen.

    Day Three

    O Blessed Virgin Mary, glory of the Christian people, joy of the universal Church and Mother of Our Lord, speak for us to the Heart of Jesus, who is your Son and our brother. O Mary, who by your holy Immaculate Conception did enter the world free from stain, in your mercy obtain for us from Jesus the special favor which we now so earnestly seek...

    (State your intention here...)

    O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will. Amen.
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    Pope Benedict XVI celebrates Mass and leaves Turkey

    Yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated a very beautiful votive Mass for the Holy Spirit in the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Turkey before leaving the country. The languages used at the Mass included Latin, Turkish, French, German, Syriac, Arabic and Spanish. Also, the ritual sequences represented the presence of various Eastern Rites.

    According to Zenit, "The Armenians chanted the entrance song and the Sanctus; the Chaldeans chanted the responsorial Psalm and the offertory song, in Aramaic. And the Syrians chanted the Gospel in accordance with their own ritual usage." Before the Mass, the Holy Father released four doves, a symbol of peace.

    At the airport, he said goodbye to the Turkish Catholic bishops, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, Armenian Patriarch Mesrob II, and Syrian Orthodox Metropolitan Filuksinos Cetin.

    Photos:


    AP Photo/Patrick Hertzog, Pool




    REUTERS/Osservatore Romano (TURKEY)




    AFP/HO/Arturo Mari
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    Biyernes, Disyembre 1, 2006
    Pray for a Little Child

    Blog Readers,

    I ask all of you to go over to Our Divine Inheritance and read a very poignant prayer request for a child with only 2-3 weeks to live. Please offer your prayers for these next few weeks for the child's soul and comfort for the family, who probably will arrive on Christmas morning without their child. Please visit the post. Perhaps you can even write letters to the family of the child and post them over there. Hopefully, the letters can be passed on from the blogger at Our Divine Inheritance to the person that asked for prayers.
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    sa Disyembre 01, 2006 0 comment(s)
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    2007 Saint for the Year Devotion

    The 2007 Devotion is now closed

    Original Post: At this time last year I started the 2006 Saint for the Year Devotion along with someone that I found through the Internet. Over the course of the past year, I have had 475 individual requests for a special saint for the year. This is amazing! And starting today I will be taking names of anyone that wants to take part in this devotion for the year 2007.

    What is the Saint for the Year Devotion? Here is my post on this from last year to clarify the matter. This is from the person that draws all of the saints. I don't draw the saints. I will merely pass on your name or screenname to her so that she will draw a saint for you. Also, I will pass on the name of any of your family or friends that would like to participate. This isn't superstition. St. Faustina did the same thing! Last year dozens of people received saints to be their special patron, and there were miraculous connections. It was truly amazing. We pray that this year the Holy Spirit will again work so that all participants receive a saint that they will be able to pray to for aid throughout the entire year:



    Saint for the Year

    I want to tell you about the practice of picking a saint at random to be your “holy protector” for the year. Actually, the saint is the one who chooses us though. The tradition of letting a saint “pick you,” is not a new one. St. Faustina wrote about it in her diary, Divine Mercy in My Soul. The excerpt is below.

    “There is a custom among us of drawing by lot, on New Year's Day, special Patrons for ourselves for the whole year. In the morning during meditation, there arose within me a secret desire that the Eucharistic Jesus be my special Patron for this year also, as in the past. But, hiding this desire from my Beloved, I spoke to Him about everything else but that. When we came to refectory for breakfast, we blessed ourselves and began drawing our patrons. When I approached the holy cards on which the names of the patrons were written, without hesitation I took one, but I didn't read the name immediately as I wanted to mortify myself for a few minutes. Suddenly, I heard a voice in my soul: ‘I am your patron. Read.’ I looked at once at the inscription and read, ‘Patron for the Year 1935 - the Most Blessed Eucharist.’ My heart leapt with joy, and I slipped quietly away from the sisters and went for a short visit before the Blessed Sacrament, where I poured out my heart. But Jesus sweetly admonished me that I should be at that moment together with the sisters. I went immediately in obedience to the rule.”Excerpt from Divine Mercy in My Soul, the Diary of St. Faustina"

    I have a container full of names ... I will be glad to pick out the name for you and send you the name if you prefer. I am so excited by my saint(s) ... I already picked mine. Well, I should say that they picked me ... I have Saints Marcus and Marcellianus ... they are twin brothers who were sent to prison before their death. St. Sebastian visited them continually in prison and helped keep their faith alive. They are buried near St. Felix and are specifically honored in Spain.

    OK now ... here are a couple of immediate ironies in regard to these saints ... I have a SPECIAL place in my heart for twins! As a child, I LOVED reading the story about St. Sebastian. I had a children's book of saints and I think I wore out the pages on St. Sebastian! Felix is my grandfather's name! Silvia, our exchange student, is from Spain! I am so excited to have these two saints to walk through 2006 with me! I'm looking forward as to where and how they will intercede for me.

    I'm so excited about this coming year for this devotion. Please pass this message on through your blogs like you did last year and let all of the Catholic blogsphere have the chance to participate. I only ask that you give me some way to contact you when your saint is drawn. Usually within one to two days I can email you about your saint. So, please either make sure your email address and/or weblog link is in your profile, or please leave it below in the comment box when you ask to participate. You can remain anonymous. That is fine. Just please give me an email address and some initials or some way to identify the anonymous people apart. Last year I had nearly 30 anonymous participants, and it was hard to identify which anonymous received which saint. I will also post all results online using just first names or initials. They will be posted on a result's page, which I will create in a few days.

    So, comment below and pass this message on throughout the entire Catholic Blogsphere!

    Update: Results will be emailed if email address given and/or posted on the 2007 Saint for the Year Results Page.
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    sa Disyembre 01, 2006
    Novena to the Immaculate Conception: Day Two


    PRAYER TO THE
    IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

    O God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, did prepare a worthy dwelling place for Your Son, we beseech You that, as by the foreseen death of this, Your Son, You did preserve Her from all stain, so too You would permit us, purified through Her intercession, to come unto You.Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end.

    Amen.

    Day Two

    O Mary, ever blessed Virgin, Mother of God, Queen of angels and of saints, we salute you with the most profound veneration and filial devotion as we contemplate your holy Immaculate Conception, We thank you for your maternal protection and for the many blessings that we have received through your wondrous mercy and most powerful intercession. In all our necessities we have recourse to you with unbounded confidence. O Mother of Mercy, we beseech you now to hear our prayer and to obtain for us of your Divine Son the favor that we so earnestly request in this novena...

    (State your intention here...)

    O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will.
    Amen.
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    sa Disyembre 01, 2006 2 comment(s)
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