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My Prayer Box
for Christmas 2008
from My
Catholic Tradition
“You cannot strengthen the
weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot help the
wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You
cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You
cannot help men permanently by doing for them what
they could and should do for themselves.” -
Abraham Lincoln
To subscribe to the newsletter, please follow this
link. |
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Christmas: the beginning of our redemption |
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The manger and the empty tomb are doorways to
new life |
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by Archbishop of Denver Charles J. Chaput,
O.F.M. Cap.
as published in
the
Denver Catholic Register, December 20, 2006 |
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Half a century ago,
the great British scholar, C.S. Lewis, wrote
about the miracle we really celebrate every
December. He said the following:
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“Did you ever
think, when you were a child, what fun it
would be if your toys could come to life?
Well suppose you could really have brought
them to life. Imagine turning a tin
soldier into a real little man. It would
involve turning the tin into flesh. And
suppose the tin soldier did not like it.
He is not interested in flesh; all he sees
is that the tin is being spoiled. He
thinks you are killing him. He will do
everything he can to prevent you. He will
not be made into a man if he can help it.
“What you would have done about that tin
soldier, I do not know. But what God did
about us was this. The Second Person in
God, the Son, became human Himself: was
born into the world as an actual man — a
real man of a particular height, with hair
of a particular color, speaking a
particular language, weighing so many
(pounds). The Eternal Being, who knows
everything and who created the whole
universe, became not only a man but,
before that, a baby, and before that, a
fetus inside a woman’s body. If you want
to get the hang of it, think how you would
like to become a slug or a crab.
“The result of this is that you now had
one man who really was what all men were
intended to be: one man in whom created
life, derived from his mother, allowed
itself to be completely and perfectly
turned into (God’s) begotten life. Thus,
in one instance, humanity had, so to
speak, arrived: had passed into the life
of Christ.
“And because the whole difficulty for us
is that the natural life has to be, in a
sense, killed, He chose an earthly career
which involved the killing of His human
desires at every turn — poverty,
misunderstanding from His own family,
betrayal by one of His intimate friends,
being jeered at and manhandled by the
police, and execution by torture. And
then, after being thus killed — killed
every day in a sense — the human creature
in Him, because it was united to the
divine Son, came to life again. The man in
Christ rose again: not only the God. That
is the whole point. For the first time we
saw a real man. One tin soldier — real
tin, just like the rest — had come fully
and splendidly alive.”
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This
is why we celebrate Christmas. It begins our
redemption. The Child conceived in Mary and
born in Bethlehem grows up, preaches God’s
kingdom, is murdered on a cross and rises
from the dead — and all of us with Him. The
manger and the empty tomb are bookends to
the Christian story. They’re doorways to new
life. Christian joy every December has
nothing to do with a bleached and generic
“holiday spirit.” It’s much richer than
that, just as flesh and blood is profoundly
different from tin.
Of course, we have a choice. We can settle
for less. We can remain tin. Even worse, we
can begin to be genuinely human and turn
back to being tin. The London Daily Mail
reported this year that only one in 100
“Christmas” cards now sold in Britain — the
land of Lewis, Tolkien and dozens of great
Christian saints like Thomas More, John
Fisher and Augustine of Canterbury — has any
religious content at all.
These final days of Advent invite us to
remember who we really are and what we
really believe when we describe ourselves as
Christians. Jesus Christ is the reason for
the season. Every other motive for holiday
good will, no matter how sincere, is a tin
imitation of the real thing — the true and
lasting joy that begins in the birth of
Jesus Christ.
May God grant you, your family and all of us
a holy and merry Christmas.
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To read
the writings of Archbishop Chaput,
please click here. |
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Joy to the World! |
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The Lord is Come! |
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NO EL |
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The Nativity of the Lord
Christmas,
December 25,
2008
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First Reading
from the Prophet Isaiah |
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Is 9:1-6 |
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The people who
walked in darkness have seen a great
light;
upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom
a light has shone.
You have brought
them abundant joy and great rejoicing, as
they rejoice before you as at the harvest,
as people make merry when dividing spoils.
For the yoke that
burdened them, the pole on their shoulder,
and the rod of their taskmaster you have
smashed, as on the day of Midian.
For every boot
that tramped in battle, every cloak rolled
in blood, will be burned as fuel for
flames.
For a child is
born to us, a son is given us;
upon his shoulder dominion rests.
They name him
Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero,
Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.
His dominion is
vast and forever peaceful, from David’s
throne, and over his kingdom, which he
confirms and sustains by judgment and
justice,
both now and forever.
The zeal of the
LORD of hosts will do this! |
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Responsorial From the Book of Psalms |
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Ps 96: 1-2, 2-3,
11-12, 13 |
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R. Today is born our
Savior, Christ the Lord.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name.
R. Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.
Announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult.
R. Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.
They shall exult before the LORD, for he comes;
for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.
R. Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.
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First Reading
from the Letter to
Titus |
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Ti 2:11-14 |
Beloved:
The grace of God has appeared, saving all and
training us to reject godless ways and worldly
desires and to live temperately, justly, and
devoutly in this age, as we await the blessed
hope, the appearance of the glory of our great
God and savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself
for us to deliver us from all lawlessness and
to cleanse for himself a people as his own,
eager to do what is good. |
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Reading From the
Gospel of Luke |
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Lk 2:1-14 |
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In those days a decree
went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole
world should be enrolled.
This was the first
enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of
Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his
own town. And Joseph too went up from Galilee
from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the
city of David that is called Bethlehem,
because he was of the house and family of
David, to be enrolled with Mary, his
betrothed, who was with child.
While they were
there, the time came for her to have her
child, and she gave birth to her firstborn
son.
She wrapped him in
swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger,
because there was no |
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room for them in the
inn.
Now there were shepherds in that region living
in the fields and keeping the night watch over
their flock.
The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the
glory of the Lord shone around them, and they
were struck with great fear.
The angel said to
them,
“Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to
you good news of great joy
that will be for all the people.
For today in the city
of David a savior has been born for you who is
Christ and Lord.
And this will be a
sign for you:
you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling
clothes and lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there
was a multitude of the heavenly host with the
angel, praising God and saying:
“Glory to God in the highest and on earth
peace to those on whom his favor rests.” |
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Suggested
Readings |
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intersection of
morality, reason, and politics. This isn’t
just a book for Catholics, but for anyone who
cares about the state of America’s soul —and
how that concern might shape the 2008
elections.”
—John
L. Allen Jr., NCR and CNN senior Vatican
correspondent, Amazon |
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Happiness Is a Serious Problem: A Human Nature
Repair Manual
by Dennis Prager.
In this unique blend of
self-help and moral philosophy, talk-radio
host Dennis Prager asserts that we're actually
obligated to be happy, because it makes us
better people.
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Praying With Frederic Ozanam (Companions for the
Journey Series)
- Paperback, by Ronald Cm
Ramson (Author) |
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Praying With Louise De
Marillac (Companions for the Journey Series)
by Audrey Gibson (Author),
Kieran Kneaves (Author) |
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Praying with Vincent de Paul (Companions for the
Journey)
2004, by Thomas
McKenna
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The
Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal,
Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious
Force ....
(Paperback)
by Rodney Stark (Author)
From the Publisher
"... this account of Christianity's remarkable
growth within the Roman Empire is already the
subject of much fanfare. |
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"Anyone who has puzzled
over Christianity's rise to dominance... must
read it,"
...
Read the first page. |
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Living Liturgy: Spirituality, Celebration, and
Catechesis for Sundays and Solemnities, Year A,
2008 (Paperback) by C.PP.S. Joyce Ann Zimmerman
(Author), Thomas A. Greisen (Author), S.N.D. de
N. Kathleen Harmon (Author), M.S. Thomas L.
Leclerc (Author) |
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"Perfect for home use or
to prepare for weekly liturgy . . . It includes
help for the celebration, ideas for catechesis
on the particular event, and ways to understand
the readings more deeply. Finally, it includes
sample questions from which priests, deacons,
lay groups, ministers and others can jump off
into deeper discussion." |
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Straight Answers, Answers to 100 Questions about
the Catholic Faith
by Ph.D Rev. William P.
Saunders (Author)
Review by: Reverend
William G. Curlin Bishop of Charlotte
Straight Answers offers Catholics a simple and
direct response to the many questions concerning
the Catholic Church. It spells out profound
truths in very |
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simple language for all
who seek a better understanding of their Faith.
I highly recommend it for Catholics, both young
and old. |
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The Power of Intention:
Learning to Co-create Your World Your Way
From Amazon:
After years of spiritual study and reflection,
inspirational speaker and |
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bestselling author Wayne
Dyer has emerged a highly esteemed teacher. His
current message about tapping into the power of
intention may sound like good old positive
thinking: just stay focused on what you want,
rather than focusing on the lack of having what
you want. But the teaching here goes deeper than
just controlling thoughts (although he does
acknowledge that thought control is a
surprisingly challenging and significant
endeavor).
This book might help
readers land a better job, but it's more
relevant for those who are ready to detach from
an ego-driven life filled with quick fixes of
happiness and step into a more authentic,
joyful, and spiritually fulfilling life. His
core teachings speak to tapping into a universal
source of energy that can also be called the
"power of intention." |
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The Chariot of Israel:
Exploits of the Prophet of Elijah
THE
CHARIOT OF ISRAEL: When Elijah was caught up to
heaven, his disciple Elisha cried out, "the
chariot of Israel, and its horsemen." Elisha was
referring not to the chariot but to the prophet.
This study of Elijah’s life will captivate you
as it walks you through a pivotal period in
Israel’s history, and illustrative maps will
give you a better picture of the physical
geography of this ancient land. |
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Read
more about the Liturgical Year |
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The Origins of the
Liturgical Year (Pueblo Books)
by Thomas J. Talley (Author) The Rev. Dr.
Thomas J. Talley, Professor of Liturgics
at the General Theological Seminary in New
York, is one of the leading liturgists in
the country. He gives us a fresh
examination of the complex history of the
Liturgical Year. |
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The Cultural World
of Jesus: Sunday by Sunday, Cycle C.
(Bestseller! the Cultural World of Jesus:
Sunday by Sunday)
by John J. Pilch (Author)
Reader
Review: The book by Pilch provides those
who not only fill the pulpits across this
country but also all interested in the
cultural world in which Jesus lived with a
lot of pertinent information that sheds
light on a lot of areas that have been
"muddled" in the past. Yes, I highly
recommend this book. - James Mauldin |
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Learn
more and read the Old Testament. |
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Preaching from the
Old Testament
by Elizabeth Achtemeier (Author) Reader
Review: The author of these thirty-two
short chapters begins and ends with the
assumption that problems we experience
with the Old Testament are our problem,
not the Bible's. This subordinating of the
Bible reader to the well-weathered book he
holds in his hand opens doors, not to
forced |
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harmonisations of problematic
passages, but to fresh reappraisal of
difficult texts on their own terms. -
David A. Baer |
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The Navarre Bible:
Pentateuch (The Navarre Bible: Old
Testament)
This volume helps
you make the first five books of the Old
Testament a vital part of your spiritual
reading and practical growth in the
Christian life. It contains the full
English and Latin texts of these books,
along with extensive and
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faithfully Catholic
commentaries. Like other volumes in the
world-renowned Navarre Bible series, these
commentaries draw on Church documents, the
exegesis of Fathers and Doctors of the Church, and the works of
contemporary spiritual writers — particularly
St. Josemaría Escrivá, who initiated the
Navarre Bible project. |
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Comments and Suggestions are Most Welcome.
If you have any comments or contributions,
please
use the form in this link.
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