As Advent comes to a close, I am suspending news and general topic posts in order to shift focus to the birth of Our Lord. Here are some worthy reads for the occassion (with a brief lead-in or excerpt).
Over at First Things - On the Square, William Doino Jr. posts: Meditations for the End of Advent:
Advent is the season of hope and reflection. It is a time of prayerful expectation for Christians who await the Second Coming of the Lord, just as they celebrate his birth at Christmas. Many, however, do not really appreciate its significance, or see Advent as a dramatic call upon their lives..... One man who did was Fr. Alfred Delp.
Terry Nelson at Abbey-Roads reminds us of the 8th day of the Christmas Novena, and shares a beautiful piece of art.
Father Z tells us about a couple to be beatified. What could be more appropriate as we await the Christ Child than to read about a mother and father who lived a life of both joy and sacrifice to raise their 21 children. Says Father Z:
In a time when families are being called upon to tighten the belt, in a time when the decline of the number of children being brought into families with a loving father and mother in the home, in a time when more and more children are being exposed less and less to a life of Christian faith well-lived, this beatification takes on its own importance, much as did the beatifications of Bl. Luigi Quattrocchi and Maria Corsini, or that of St. Gianna Beretta Molla.
A few days ago, Father Z also wrote this informative post: Reminders about Christmas and Holy Communion
Today, Father Stephen Leake, SDB is blogging the Pope Benedict and the star of Bethlehem in: Let Us Be Amazed, Exhorts Pope Benedict XVI
Let us remember persecuted Christians around the world, and offer thanks to God for the freedoms we have with these examples
Please Pray!
On a final note, please remember in your prayers the sick and the dying, and those who have departed us as we approach Christmas. I ask you to pray for the repose of the soul of Doris and keep her family and friends in your prayers. She is the mother of parishioner Mark Simpson and passed away suddenly early yesterday. Several of Mark's family members - his wife, daughter and two sons are in the choir, Matthew being our organist for the 9:30am Mass and orchestral Masses. Despite their sudden loss and sadness, they came to the dress rehearsal last night. Keep them and all families suffering such a loss in your prayers, as well. Requiescat in pace, Doris.
Te Deum Laudamus! Home
The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
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