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Adoration of the Shepherds , Murillo  [ Web Gallery of Art ] The Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord  has four different Mass formularies, each with its own prayer and readings. Any of the four fulfills our obligation to attend Mass. These are: Vigil Mass , celebrated 'either before or after First Vespers (Evening Prayer) of the Nativity'; that means starting between 5pm and 7pm. Mass During the Night , known before as 'Midnight Mass'.  Mass at Dawn . Mass During the Day . When you click on 'Readings' below from the New American Bible you will find links to the readings for each of the four Masses. The readings from the Jerusalem Bible for the four Masses are all on one page. Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   (Mass During the Day)   John 1:1-18  ( New Revise

Visitation , Luca della Robbia  [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   Luke 1:39-45 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition)      In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country,  where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.  When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit  and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.  And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?  For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy.   And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’ The Vi

By Laura Marie Durant Heart of Jesus Reflection: Jesus, in Your Heart You show me the way to true love. Through a spirit of sacrificial love the Father sent You into the world. From the moment You came into this world Your Heart beat with great love for us. You knew the way to our hearts, hardened by our woundedness and sin, would be difficult and painful for us, so through Your example of sacrifice and total gift of self, You showed us the way to heavenly joy... Thoughts to Ponder this Third Week of Advent In today’s Gospel passage, we hear a message to those who wish to know “what they must do.” John speaks to each with regards to their own personal journey to Jesus. For each, the changes they must make are unique, but the goal is the same – to empty themselves of that which is preventing Jesus to enter into their lives fully, so that He can fill them with heavenly joy. Ask Him to help you where is it hard for you to give all of yourself and these blessings

Christ’s joy is not fleeting. His joy abides in the human heart, even in times of stress. Christ’s joy is what I wish for you this holiday season. How does one receive such a joy, so deep, that even crises cannot set it a kilter? Such joy resides in the heart of one who places their full faith and trust in Jesus. I can give personal testimony to this fact. Christ’s Joy Touched My Life Back in 2011, I felt much discontent in my job. Therefore, I knew I needed a change. So, I handed in my retirement notice. I went back to school for my Masters in Pastoral Theology and gave my life to God to do with as He sees fit. Walking away from a sure salary, and entering the unknown, took faith and trust in God. It’s been seven plus years now, and I’ve never looked back. No, I don’t make the kind of money I made in my previous life, but I have Christ’s joy, instead. And His joy is priceless! Read more...

During this third week of Advent dedicated to rejoicing, I invite you to ponder the incredible extravagance of our great God. First of all is the fact that God chose to enter our world as a baby. He could have appeared as an emperor or at least a full-grown rabbi, but, no, God does the unthinkable and comes as a tiny human being, crying, burping, and speechless. Someone noted that babies become kings, but this is the only time a king became a baby. To celebrate this event, I offer Stephen Colbert's happy dance in a video at the end of this post. Now for some other extravagances.  Think of the universe composed of zillions of stars and so vast that scientists have not been able to determine its end. A few suns and planets would have been sufficient. In our own Milky Way galaxy alone there are about 100 billion stars. But there are about 170 billion galaxies that we can discern with a telescope!  Click to continue

As we approach the Christmas season, one of the things that we try to do, every Advent, is to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It is when we go to confession and receive absolution for our sins, that we receive the gift of Christ’s peace. You know that feeling. As you walk out of the confessional, you feel a huge weight lifted off your shoulders. You feel united to Christ. That is the feeling of peace! And that is what I wish for you this holiday season. Receiving Christ’s Peace The year is coming to an end, with the promise of new and good things in the new year. There is no better time to shed ourselves of the chains of sin! Feel the glorious freedom of being in a state of grace! Every December, when I go to confession, I walk out of the confessional feeling like Jesus just gave me my Christmas present, and He is the one with the birthday. We should be showering Him with presents. Yet, it is the gift of Christ’s peace that sets our hearts aglow... Read more...

In 1521 – O ur Blessed Mother appeared to San Juan Diego on the Hill of Tepeyac, near Mexico City. see more

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Therefore, it is a day to remember and reflect upon Our Blessed Mother’s appearance to Juan Diego. When Our Blessed Mother appeared to Juan Diego, his country was under the influence of pagan beliefs in false gods. Mary appeared to him, so that she could set in motion a means for personally evangelizing the people of Central America. Her specific words to Juan Diego were: I greatly desire that a church be built in my honor, in which I will show my love, compassion, and protection. I am your Mother, full of mercy and love for you and all those who love Me, trust in Me, and have recourse to Me. I will hear their complaints and I will comfort their affliction and their sufferings. So that I might show all My love, go now to the bishop in Mexico City and tell him that I am sending you to make known to him the great desire I have to see a church dedicated to me built here .  1 Our Lady of Guadalupe Would Not Be Deterred Naturally, when

I'm a city girl. My only experience with lambs was at a retreat house in West Virginia. There baby lambs and goats were running wild and jumping straight up into the air. I didn't know they did that. (See the video at the end of this post by clicking on the link.) Most Nativity sets include at least one lamb and a shepherd. We think it is sweet that a lamb is present. Lambs are gentle, docile, charming creatures. To call someone a lamb is a compliment, an endearing term.  However, the presence of a lamb at Jesus' birth has hidden meanings. It has ominous overtones, for it foreshadows the newborn's destiny. Click to continue

St John the Baptist with Saints , Cima da Conegliano  [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   Luke 3:10-18 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition)      And the crowds asked John the Baptist, ‘What then should we do?’  In reply he said to them, ‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.’  Even tax-collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’  He said to them, ‘Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.’  Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.’ As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concernin