Holy Days

Today's solemnity is one of the oldest feasts on the Church calendar. This is a signal to us of the privileged place the Blessed Virgin Mary holds in the heart of the Church. Today's first reading contains a blessing appropriate for this first day of the new year. The second reading reminds us that through the mystery of the Incarnation and our baptism into Christ, we have become God's adopted children. The Gospel story from Saint Luke is a continuation of the narrative of the Lord's birth. We hear that after eight days, the child is named "Jesus" -a name meaning "God saves." From the very beginning, Mary knew that Jesus was destined for honor and glory. How Jesus would achieve that was a mystery to her. Perhaps this is why she is silent in most of the Gospels. We can imagine her caring for her child and nurturing him into adulthood. It is interesting that two of the most poignant scenes from the Gospels that involve Mary portray her closely united with her son: here at his birth, and at the foot of the cross. Let us turn our hearts to our most powerful intercessor before God as we begin this new year of grace and promise.

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The Nativity of the Lord

Christmas

At the Vigil Mass

(LECT. 13)

The season of Advent has come to be fulfilled in this glorious feast of Christmas. Isaiah prophesies that the Hebrew people would no longer be forsaken. The chosen were called God's delight. This annual celebration of the Nativity of the Lord stands as a reminder that God never forsakes us; we are God's delight. In choosing to take on human flesh, God forever sanctified us. In Baptism, we were configured to Christ, the Savior whose birth we remember this day. Do you ever stop to consider that you, are God's delight? This feast shows us that we are so beloved that God's only son was sent to us, born in Bethlehem, to suffer and die to save us. This is how much God delights in us! Today God speaks to you through the Christmas carols, the Scriptures, those around you, and the great gift of the Eucharist. Let us ray that, through this liturgy, we will hear God calling to us, proclaiming that we are indeed God's delight.

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The Season Of Lent

Lent is sacred and spiritual for every Christian. This is the season that reminds us of the great sacrifice of Christ for each one of us. Centuries ago Jesus Christ went through an agony, a scourging, a crowning and a crucifixion. The tragedy of Good Friday led to the triumph of Easter Sunday.

The acts of self-denial, the acts of sacrifice we make during this season helps us identify with the sacrifices of Christ. Uniting our sacrifice with that of Christ, uniting our pain with his, Lent is set aside just to remind us of these factors.

The whole thrust of the season of Lent is to increase one's spirituality. To make one more aware of the great events that took place centuries ago. Just think of this. The Eucharist that has nourished hundreds of million, the body and blood of Christ that is the core of our Christian belief, is recalled and re-presented for us during the season of Lent. The death of Christ on Good Friday, the worlds greatest act of Love, is represented to us during this Lent. The victory of Christ over death, the words of Christ reminding us that he is the resurrection and the life and that we will share in His victory and life, these are the lessons and teachings of Lent.

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The Season of Advent

The Whole Advent Season is a Long Appeal for the Coming of Our Savior.

The Church has her own special liturgical year and calendar in which she presents again the history and unchanging mysteries of our salvation, from Creation to the Second Coming, together with the entire life of the Savior.

The First Sunday of Advent is therefore the Church’s “New Year’s Day”. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, Sunday begin at sundown of the day before when the faithful celebrate First Vespers. Advent begins the Christmas cycle.

Advent comes from the Latin word for an “arrival” or a “coming”. Advent means that the Lord is coming. Jesus Christ, our brother in our humanity and our God in His divinity is about to arrive. But He is comes to us in different ways. First, Jesus came to us at a specific point in history at Bethlehem about 2000 years ago. But in the Church’s great feast of Christmas He mystically comes again. Second, the Lord, Alpha and Omega, will come to judge the living and the dead in the Second Coming. Third, the Redeemer comes to us in grace. He speaks to us in our consciences, he comes to us in the Eucharist and in the Word of God proclaimed. He arrives in the person of the beggar, the needy, the suffering, the oppressed. We must be ready to receive and welcome Him when He comes, however He comes.

Advent is a time of joy tinged with penance. Joy, because we can imagine nothing more sweet than the Christ Child and His Mother Mary’s bliss at His coming to light. Penance because we must strive to be properly disposed to receive so great a gift of His presence. In the millennial tradition of the Church, we faithful have done penance before great feasts. Christmas and Easter each have their penitential seasons in anticipation, Advent and Lent. The liturgical color used in the Latin Church for the liturgy during both Advent and Lent is purple, a sign of penance. In some places people may see blue used, which is done without the Church’s approval. The Latin Church also emphasizes the penitential dimension of the season by directing the use of sparse ornaments in church and by legislating that instrumental music should not be used, except to sustain congregational singing. This is a kind of liturgical fast, which makes the joy and celebration of Christmas all that much more powerful by the contrast of the lean and muted season of Advent. Advent is a time of great joy, because we look forward to the beautiful feast of the Nativity, but it is joy stitched through with somber and focused spiritual preparation by doing penance.

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Solemnity of the Assumption

of the Blessed Virgin Mary

(LECT.622)

At today's Mass we celebrate the dogma that Mary, the Mother of God, after her earthly life, was taken to heaven, body and soul. Our belief in Mary's Assumption into heaven is related to her Immaculate Conception-her sinlessness from the beginning of her life, her virginity, and her participation in God's plan of salvation. Because of the central place Mary has in God's plan, her body did not undergo corruption. Mary's Assumption offers us a glimpse of the promises made to us when we were baptized into Christ. We are given the promise that we, too, will enter heaven, body and soul, when Christ returns at the end of time.

First Reading

Revelation 11:19a, 12:1-6a, 10ab

A reading from the Book of Revelation

God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.

A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth. She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne. The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

"Now have salvation and power come, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed One.

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Second Reading

I Corinthians 15:20-27

A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians Brothers and sisters: Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through man, the resurrection of the dead came also through man. For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order: Christ the first fruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death, for "he subjected everything under his feet."

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Gospel

Luke 1:39-56

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

Glory to you, Lord.

Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. VVhen Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."

And Mary said:

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked upon his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm, and has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever."

Mary remained with her about, three months and then returned to her home.

The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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Solemnity of All Saints

(LECT.667)

A day to commemorate all saints, those known and unknown, has been celebrated at various times of the Church year since the fourth century. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III dedicated a chapel in St. Peter's Basilica to "all the saints." The day of this dedication was November 1. We have commemorated all saints on this day ever since.

Listen to today's Beatitudes, looking carefully at your own life. How do you measure up to the ideals put forth by our Lord? As we open our hearts to the word of God, let us remember the saints who have gone before us and pray that one day we may embody the Beatitudes and come to be counted among those who enjoy God's presence in heaven.

First Reading

Revelation 7:2-4 9-14

A reading from the Book of Revelation

I, John, saw another angel come up from the East, holding the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who were given power to damage the land and the sea, "Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God." I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal, one hundred and forty-four thousand marked from every tribe of the Israelites.

After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice:

"Salvation comes from our God,

who is seated on the throne,

and from the Lamb."

All the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They prostrated themselves before the throne, worshiped God, and exclaimed:

"Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving,

honor, power, and might

be to our God forever and ever. Amen."

Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me, "Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?" I said to him, "My lord, you are the one who knows." He said to me, "These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Second Reading

1 john 3:1-3

A reading from the first Letter of Saint John

Beloved: See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure.

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Gospel

Matthew 5:1-12

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

Glory to you, Lord.

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the land.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the clean of heart,

for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven."

The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

of the Blessed Virgin Mary

(LECT.689)

Today we celebrate the patronal solemnity of the United States and the greatest of Mary's Advent festivals. On this day we remember Mary's conception in the womb of her mother (and nine months from today, on September 8, we celebrate Mary's birth). In this liturgy, we affirm our belief that God prepared Mary to be the mother of the son of God by allowing her a share, from the moment of her conception, in the salvation that would be won for all by Christ.

In this Advent time, we are called, as Mary was, to make room for Christ in our hearts. Listen to the angel Gabriel's greeting to Mary in today's Gospel: "The Lord is with you." By our words and actions, do others immediately recognize the Lord Jesus within us? What will it take, what will be the cost for us to become, as Mary became, real "bearers of the Word?" Let us be open to the intercession of Mary on our behalf, that we may become more and more like her beloved Son.

First Reading

Genesis 3:9-15, 20

Srr First Reading A reading from the Book of Genesis

After the man, Adam, had eaten of the tree, the LORD God called to the man and asked him, "Where are you?" He answered, 'I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself." Then he asked, "Who told you that you were naked? You have eaten, then, from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!" The man replied, "The woman whom you put here with me - she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it." The LORD God then asked the woman, "Why did you do such a thing?" The woman answered, "The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it."

Then the LORD God said to the serpent:

"Because you have done this, you shall be banned from all the animals and from all the wild creatures; on your belly shall you crawl,

and dirt shall you eat

all the days of your life.

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike at your head,

while you strike at his heel."

The man called his wife Eve, because she became the mother of all the living.

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Second Reading

Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians

Brothers and sisters: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destin6d us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved.In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One,who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ.

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Gospel

Luke 1:26-38

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke Glory to you, Lord.

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall n -me him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?" And the angel said to her in reply, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will le impossible for God." Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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The Ascension of the Lord

(LECT. 58)

Last Sunday the Scriptures celebrated the wonder of the gift of faith in the death and resurrection of the Lord. Today that celebration continues as we contemplate the mystery of Christ's ascension into heaven. The section from Saint Paul's Letter to the Ephesians that we hear today is an inspiring hymn for anyone who needs a little boost. Why not take the time right now and read this text?

Saint Paul's words inspire us to enlighten the eyes of our hearts. Even now, when the Easter season is beginning to draw to a close, we still have the chance to grasp the hope that is ours as believers in Christ's death and resurrection. This grasping for hope is really part of the life-long journey of the Christian. So many times we place our hope in people or in things that eventually leave us feeling empty. Just as the first disciples stared into the sky after Jesus ascended, so, too, do we look to the one who, as Saint Paul tells us, "fills all things in every way." Once we have our eyes fixed on Christ, we can allow the words he said to his disciples to sink in and become the very fabric of our hope: "And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."

First Reading

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles

Acts 1:1-11

In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While meeting with them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for "the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

When they had gathered together they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He answered them, "It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, "Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven."

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Second Reading

Ephesians 1:17-23

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians

Brothers and sisters: May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him. May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of his great might, which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Gospel

Matthew 28:16-20

A reading from the conclusion of the holy Gospel according to Matthew

Glory to you, Lord.

The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of.the age."

The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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