Advent and Christmas Traditions

The Rorate Mass is said during Advent only by candlelight. Go to one this Advent.

The following activities are provided so that you and your family can live Advent and Christmas to the fullest.

Advent wreath: The Advent wreath, which has German origins, is probably the most recognized Advent custom. It is a wreath made of evergreens that is bound to a circle of wire. It symbolizes the many years from Adam to Christ in which the world awaited its Redeemer; it also represents the years that we have awaited His second and final coming. The wreath holds four equally spaced candles, the three purple ones lit on the “penitential” Sundays and a pink one for Gaudete, the joyful third Sunday in Advent. The traditional blessing of an Advent wreath, and the weekly prayers for the Advent wreath lighting, can be found online.

The empty manger: Each child may have his own individual manger, or there may be one manger for the whole family. The idea is that when acts of service, sacrifice, or kindness are done in honor of Baby Jesus as a birthday present, the child receives a piece of straw to put into the manger. Then, on Christmas morning, “Baby Jesus” is placed in the manger. Encourage your children to make Jesus’ bed as “comfortable” as possible through their good deeds. In the process, explain Christ’s incomparable self-gift at Christmas and Easter that enables us to be part of God’s family.

The Jesse tree: The Jesse tree tells about Christ’s ancestry through symbols and relates Scripture to salvation history, progressing from creation to the birth of Christ. The tree can be made on a poster board with the symbols glued on, or on an actual tree. See Fish Eaters for more information.

St. Nicholas Day: The feast of St. Nicholas is on Dec. 6th. It is a highlight of the Advent season. Each child puts out a shoe the night before St. Nicholas Day in the hope that the kind bishop — with his miter, staff, and bag of gifts — will pay a visit. The current “Santa Claus” is modeled after St. Nicholas, but commercialism has tarnished the true story. Many families give gifts on both Dec. 6 and Christmas. Leave your shoes by the door the evening of December 5th and fill them with candy!

The Christ candle: Any large white candle can be used for the Christ candle. The idea is to decorate it with symbols for Christ. Use old Christmas cards, sequins, holly, etc. The candle can be lit on Christmas Eve to show that the Light of the World has arrived. Then continue to light the Christ candle throughout the year at Sunday dinner to remind your family of our waiting for Christ, as well as celebrating His birth and Resurrection.

The Mary candle: Some families have the custom of decorating the Christ candle with a blue veil on December 8th, the Immaculate Conception. On this great feast, others place a candle with a blue ribbon before a statue or picture of the Blessed Virgin, whose “yes” to God enabled our Lord’s coming at Christmas. The candle is lit during meal times to serve as a delightful reminder of Mary’s eager expectation of the “Light of the World.” It can also serve as a reminder to each family member to keep their own light of grace burning as a preparation for Christ’s coming.

St. Lucy cakes: The feast of St. Lucy, virgin and martyr, is on December 13th. This marks the opening of the Christmas season in Sweden. Her life story can be found in most saints' books, as can the recipe for the traditional cakes. The symbolism is rich and her life story worthwhile reading.

The Nativity scene: This is the event in which the entire family shares — setting up the Christmas manger. Mary and Joseph should be far off traveling and their approach to Bethlehem can be adjusted daily. Older children can make life-size Nativity models, carve them, cut them out from cardboard, or set up pre-made figurines. The creative ideas are without limit. Make sure to place the Nativity scene where many can admire the children’s efforts to give God glory. And say the traditional family prayer to bless the Nativity scene when Christmas arrives.

Christmas baking: There are many recipe books available to find great traditional Christmas baking ideas. The baking usually starts around December 20th. As Christmas approaches, the house will smell of baking and fresh wreaths. The glory of Christmas is at hand! Move the manger to a focal point, add lights to the Nativity to be lighted on Christmas Eve, and anticipate together.

Blessing of the tree: More and more frequently families are blessing their Christmas trees. It is good to remind children that “the tree” relates to many aspects of our faith. For example, we are reminded that our first parents were not allowed to eat from one tree, and that Christ paid the great price for our redemption by hanging on a tree (cf. Acts 5:29-32). The Traditional Blessing for a Christmas Tree is quite beautifully said on Christmas Eve.

Adapted from the Catholic Education Center

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St. Cyril of Jerusalem on the Real Presence

"Do not, therefore, regard the bread and wine as simply that, for they are, according to the Master's declaration, the body and blood of Christ"

(St. Cyril of Jerusalem).

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Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Greater Double (1955 Calendar): November 21
Memorial (1969 Calendar): November 21

Today is the celebration of Mary's presentation in Jerusalem, which has been celebrated since the sixth century in some places. At the age of three, shortly after she could walk, the Blessed Virgin ascended the 15 steps up to the Temple to consecrate Herself to God. It is reasonable to assume that Our Lady entered the Temple at that young age with the words of Psalm 83 in her heart: "How lovely are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts; my soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord" (Ps 83:1,2).

One reads about Mary's presentation in the temple only in apocryphal literature. The Protoevangelium of James states that Mary was offered by Anna and Joachim to God in the Temple when she was three years old. This action was to carry out Anna's promise to God that she had made when she was childless.

Today's feast emphasizes the holiness conferred on Mary from the beginning of her life on earth through her final Assumption into Heaven. Unlike the Assumption and Immaculate Conception Feast, today is not a Holy Day of Obligation. 

This is also the on which the Church celebrates the World Day of Cloistered Life, established by Pope Pius XII in 1953. 

Dom Guerangers writes the following history of today's Feast in his Liturgical Year:

The East had been celebrating for seven centuries at least the entrance of the Mother of God into the temple of Jerusalem when in 1372 Gregory XI permitted it to be kept for the first time by the Roman court at Avignon. Mary in return broke the chains of captivity, that had bound the Papacy for seventy years; and soon the successor of St. Peter returned to Rome. The feast of the Visitation, as we saw on July 2nd, was in like manner inserted in the Western Calendar, to commemorate the re-establishment of unity after the schism which followed the exile.

In 1373, following the example of the Sovereign Pontiff, Charles V of France introduced the feast of the Presentation into the chapel of his palace. By letters dated 10th November 1374, to the masters and students of the college of Navarre, he expressed his desire that it should be celebrated throughout the kingdom: “Charles, by the grace of God king of the Franks, to our dearly beloved: health in him who ceases not to honor his Mother on earth. Among other objects of our solicitude, of our daily care and diligent meditation, that which rightly occupies our first thoughts is, that the blessed Virgin and most holy Empress be honored by us with very great love, and praised as becomes the veneration due to her. For it is our duty to glorify her; and we, who raise the eyes of our soul to her on high, know what an incomparable protectress she is to all, how powerful a mediatrix with her blessed Son, for those who honor her with a pure heart... Wherefore, wishing to excite our faithful people to solemnize the said feast, as we ourselves propose to do by God's assistance every year of our life, we send this Office to your devotion, in order to increase your joy.”

Such was the language of princes in those days. Now just at that very time, the wise and pious king, following up the work begun at Brétigny by our Lady of Chartres, rescued France from its fallen and dismembered condition. In the State then, as well as in the Church, at this moment so critical for both, our Lady in her Presentation commanded the storm, and the smile of the infant Mary dispersed the clouds.

The new feast, enriched with Indulgences by Paul II, had gradually become general, when St. Pius V, wishing to diminish the number of Offices on the universal Calendar, included this one among his suppressions. But Sixtus V restored it to the Roman Breviary in 1585, and shortly afterward Clement VIII raised it to the rank of Double Major. Soon the Clergy and Regulars adopted the custom of renewing their holy vows on this day, whereon their Queen had opened before them the way that leads by sacrifice to the special love of our Lord.

Reflection from St. Germanus:

"Hail, holy throne of God, divine sanctuary, house of glory, jewel most fair, chosen treasure house, and mercy seat for the whole world, heaven showing forth the glory of God. Purest Virgin, worthy of all praise, sanctuary dedicated to God and raised above all human condition, virgin soil, unplowed field, flourishing vine, fountain pouring out waters, virgin bearing a child, mother without knowing man, hidden treasure of innocence, ornament of sanctity, by your most acceptable prayers, strong with the authority of motherhood, to our Lord and God, Creator of all, your Son who was born of you without a father, steer the ship of the Church and bring it to a quiet harbor"

(Adapted from a homily by St. Germanus on the Presentation of the Mother of God)

Collect:

O God, Who didst will that this day the ever blessed Virgin Mary, dwelling-place of the Holy Ghost, should be presented in the temple: grant, we beseech Thee, that through her intercession, we may be worthy to be presented in the temple of Thy glory. Through our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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Outcome: Essential Classics of Catholic Spirituality Collection

The outcome is very positive! For those that didn't read my original post, please read it now.

Thank you to everyone that especially registered through my site because I did make a little bit of commission as a result. I personally made $19.50. All together, the Essential Classics generated $6,057 so far in charitable donations to pro-life organizations.

As an affiliate partner, I was ranked fourth in having the most people sign up due to me. So, thank you to everyone that entered through my site!

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Pope Benedict XVI Speaks on Cloistered Monasteries

The Holy Father spoke on Cloistered monasteries in his recent Angelus Address:

“Some wonder about the meaning and value of their presence in our time, in which many urgent situations of poverty and need must be addressed. Why "shut oneself" forever behind the walls of a monastery and deprive others of the contribution of one's talents and experiences? What efficacy can prayer have to resolve the numerous concrete problems that continue to afflict humanity?

“In fact, also today numerous persons often surprise friends and acquaintances when they abandon professional careers, often promising careers, to embrace the austere rule of a cloistered monastery.

“What leads them to take such a committed step if not their having understood, as the Gospel teaches, that the Kingdom of heaven is "a treasure" for which it is worth abandoning everything (cf. Matthew 13:44)?

"These brothers and sisters silently witness that in the midst of daily vicissitudes, at times extremely convulsive, God is the only support that never falters, the unbreakable rock of fidelity and love. 'Todo se pasa, Dios no se muda' [Everything passes, God is unchanging], wrote the great spiritual teacher Teresa of Avila in her famous text. And, given the widespread need that many experience to leave the daily routine of the great urban agglomerations in search of appropriate spaces for silence and meditation, monasteries of contemplative life appear as "oases" in which man, a pilgrim on earth, can go to the sources of the Spirit and slake his thirst along the way.

“These places, apparently useless, are, on the contrary, indispensable, like the green "lungs" of a city: They are beneficial for all, including for those who do not visit them or perhaps do not know that they exist."

Photo Source: (AP Photo/Plinio Lepri)

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Blessed Mother Teresa on the Eucharist

"If we truly understand the Eucharist; if we make the Eucharist the central focus of our lives; if we feed our lives with the Eucharist, we will not find it difficult to discover Christ, to love him, and to serve him in the poor"

(Bl. Teresa of Calcutta)

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Visiting a Seminary Starting Tomorrow

I'll be traveling across the country this week as I leave to visit another Catholic seminary for a few days. I plan to return this Saturday night and hope to post many pictures from my trip. Your prayers would be appreciated!

I wish everyone the best.

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St. Albert the Great

Double (1955 Calendar): November 15
Optional Memorial (1969 Calendar): November 15

St. Albert the Great (1206 - 1280) was born and died in what is now the country of Germany. He was the son of a nobleman and became a Dominican priest. He was an extremely influential speaker, preacher, and teacher, who even taught St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the greatest theologians in the history of the Church.

Furthermore, St. Albert contributed to the sciences including botany and biology, keeping detailed observations of his findings. He also became Bishop of Regensburg and introduced Greek and Arab science to medieval Europe.  Some of his influential writings, such as his book On Union with God, are still available today.

Pope Innocent VIII in 1484 raised St. Albert the Great "to the honors of the altar" and "permitted the houses of Cologe and Ratisbon to dedicated altars to his honor and to observe his feast with Mass and Office. In 1670 Clement X granted the celebration of the feast to the whole order 'with solemn Rite'" (Liturgies of Religious Orders by Archdale King).

While long invoked by the Dominican Order, he was not canonized until December 15, 1931, by Pope Pius XI. He was immediately declared a Doctor of the Church by the same pontiff who fixed his feastday on November 15th, moving the feast of St. Gertrude to November 16th. On December 16, 1941, Pope Pius XII declared St. Albert the Great as the patron saint of the natural sciences.

Quotations:

"It is by the path of love, which is charity, that God draws near to man, and man to God. But where charity is not found, God cannot dwell. If, then, we possess charity, we possess God, for 'God is Charity' (1 John 4:8)"

"My soul, if you wish to be intimate with Mary, let yourself be carried between her arms and nourished with her blood . . . . Let this ineffable, chaste thought accompany you to the Banquet of God and you will find in the Blood of the Son the nourishment of the Mother."

Prayer:

O God, Who didst make blessed Albert, Thy Bishop and Doctor, great by his bringing human wisdom into captivity to divine faith: grant us, we beseech Thee, so to follow the guidance of his teaching that we may enjoy perfect light in heaven. Through our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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The Monastery: Episode 4

Last night I watched Episode 4 of The Monastery, the TLC program that airs each Sunday night at 9 PM Central Time. Now, I was truly hoping things would improve with the departure of the rebellious participant named Alex. And I will admit that Episode 4 revealed several very positive things about living in a monastery. First and foremost was the experience of a desert day. It truly sounded like a wonderful way in which to quite the soul to God. Remember, silence is indeed the language of God. The hermit also revealed something truly important although it is a paradox. Namely, he said that his goal is to die. Now people in our world don't want to hear such comments; most would classify it as suicidal. But the hermit has a true point - we all die. Dying is inevitable. And where we shall be for the rest of eternity depends upon our actions prior to death. A lot of people get caught up on what is the meaning of life, but the meaning is life is rather simple: To know and love God in this life and to be with Him for all eternity. The hermit said probably the first truly Catholic idea in this Episode. I also liked the self-poverty of the monks; it is an example we all can follow to live humbly.

Apart from those two points, there was a lot of things I disagreed with in the episode. I stayed with Benedictine monks in Missouri for a little while this past summer and love it. However, many Benedictine monasteries have been falling into New Age/neo-pagan practices over the past generation and focusing on "energy" and straying from the original Truth of the Benedictines. It seems like the Monastery of Christ in the Desert could be one of them. All the Abbot will talk about is psychology and a lot of babble about energy. Why won't he talk with these men about God! And Br. Gabriel even said that God needs us. Preposterous! We are nothing compared to God! God doesn't need anyone of us but rather allows us to serve Him because of his mercy. Br. Gabriel is wrong is saying God needs us. These are severe theological errors. The participants need God; they don't need poor Theology.

The one contestant named Tom was asked by Br. Gabriel to have his marriage blessed, and Tom went on a tirade. How immature. It's clear that his marriage does indeed have something theologically missing and he needs to fix that. It's great that he went to Confession for the first time in 28 years during Episode 3, but he needs to start living completely in accord with the Church's teachings now.

This episode had some positive points but also a lot of downsides. I think I'll be just glad when the series is over. I liked the A&E series "God or the Girl" a lot better.

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The Monastery: Episode 3

I haven't had a chance yet to post my review of Episode 3 of The Monastery," the TLC program that airs each Sunday night at 9 PM Central Time. Overall, I have enjoyed watching the monks in the monastery pray as it brings back memories of my time visiting a monastery. However, I have been increasingly annoyed at the rude and disrespectful manners shown by several of the men that take part in this reality series. Thankfully the most disrespectful of them all, a man that even stole a truck from the monks to go several miles away to drink on the Eve of Ash Wednesday, has left the monastery. I'm hoping that the series finally improves now.

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