Blog Post 12/31/2021 – End of the Calendar Year Prayer

 

 End of the Calendar Year Prayer

“Dear God, during the darkness of Winter and COVID help me to move beyond the familiar and into the unknown.  Give me the courage to walk on fresh spiritual ground while firmly planted in Faith with You.  Christ of the cosmos and beyond, I Trust You to be the calm that mutes the storms in me and around me. 

I believe that in the shadows of the night, You are with me. My spirit thirsts for You and the music of heaven.  When the light of dawn appears may it consume my fears, and may your Grace of Hope, with Your Light shine through me.” Amen.   [Dcn. George Kelly]

May 2022 be a year when we walk with God’s grace, act with God’s grace and live in God’s grace.  May our love for and appreciation of the gift of “The Real Presence” in the Eucharist fill our hearts and guide our actions.  You and your loved ones are in my prayers each day.

 

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, pray for us.

St. Francis de Sales, pray for us.

May God Be Praised and your year be Blessed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blog Post 12/30/2021 – The Meaning of the Manger

 

 

The Meaning of the Manger

 

 

“Augustine drew out the meaning of the manger using an idea that at first seems almost shocking, but on closer examination contains a profound truth. The manger is the place where animals find their food. But now, lying in the manger, is he who called himself the true bread come down from heaven, the true nourishment that we need in order to be fully ourselves.

This is the food that gives us true life, eternal life. Thus, the manger becomes a reference to the table of God, to which we are invited so as to receive the bread of God. From the poverty of Jesus’ birth emerges the miracle in which man’s redemption is mysteriously accomplished.”  [Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth Infancy, p.68]

 

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, pray for us.

St. Francis de Sales, pray for us.

May God Be Praised and your day be Blessed.

 

Blog Post 12/29/2021 - Love Jesus, but how?

 

Love Jesus, but how?

 

Reflect on this powerful Insight into the spiritual life, “Jesus has many lovers of His heavenly kingdom, but few cross-bearers. Many desire His consolation, but few His tribulation. Many will sit down with Him at table, but few will share His fast. All desire to rejoice with Him, but few will suffer for Him.

Many will follow Him to the breaking of the bread, but few will drink the bitter cup of His Passion. Many revere His miracles, but few follow the shame of His cross. Many love Jesus when all goes well with them, and praise Him when He does them a favor; but if Jesus conceals Himself and leaves them for a little while, they fall to complaining or become depressed.

They who love Jesus purely for Himself and not for their own sake bless Him in all trouble and anguish as well as in time of consolation. Even if He never sent them consolation, they would still praise Him and give thanks.  Oh how powerful is the pure love of Jesus, when not mixed with self-interest or self-love!"  [Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis, p. 88-89]

 

Seek to love Jesus, then love Jesus and live Jesus and the world will be better because you are in it.

 

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, pray for us.

St. Francis de Sales, pray for us.

May God Be Praised and your day be Blessed.

 

 

Blog Post 12/28/2021

 

 

Ancient People Dreamed

In Ancient times the people dreamed that:

the desert to become fertile,

their scattered & divided people to be gathered again,

the blind would see,

the deaf would hear,

the lame would walk,

the blessings of everlasting peace,

For the Kingdom of God.

 

What are you dreaming for?

 

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, pray for us.

St. Francis de Sales, pray for us.

May God Be Praised and your day be Blessed.

 

*The image is available at the Salesian Shop https://www.salesianshop.com/the-sacred-artwork-of-bro-mickey-mcgrath/

 

 

Blog Post 12/27/2021

  

                                                                  Trust God 

Teilhard de Chardin prayed, “Above all, trust the slow work of God.  We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay …. Give Our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you, and accept the anxiety of feeling your self in suspense and incomplete.”  

 

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, pray for us.

St. Francis de Sales, pray for us.

May God Be Praised and your day be Blessed.

Blog Post 12/26/2021 – Now the Work of Christmas Begins

 

Now the Work of Christmas Begins

 

Dr. Howard Thurman wrote these beautiful & penetrating words,

“When the song of the angels is stilled,

When the star in the sky is gone,

When the kings & princes are home,

When the shepherds are back with their flocks,

The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost,

To heal the broken hearted,

To feed the hungry,

To release the prisoner,

To rebuild the nations,

To bring peace among brothers (& sisters),

To make music in the heart.  (Sick, and You cared for Me, Homilies & reflections for Cycle B)

 

 

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, pray for us.

St. Francis de Sales, pray for us.

May God Be Praised and your Christmas Season be Blessed.

 

Blog Post - 12/25/2021 Christmas Day

 

Christmas Day

“Every knee shall bend at the name of Jesus.” (Philippians 2:10).  

This Christmas reflect of the musical “Les Miserables” when Marius prays, “There are thoughts which are prayers.  These are moments when, whatever the posture of the body, the soul is on its knees.”

 

Today follow the advice of St. Francis de Sales who said, “Prayer is a conversation of the soul with God.”  (Sermon in a Sentence, vol. 2, p.137)

Have a conversation with God who sent His Son Jesus Christ to live among us and teach us, even in the manger, what is Jesus saying to you today?

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, pray for us.

St. Francis de Sales, pray for us.

May God Be Praised and your Christmas Season be Blessed.

Copyright © 2021 Catholic News Service www.CatholicNews.com Used with permission of CNS.

Blog Post 12/24/2021 – Christmas Eve

 

Christmas Eve

We pray, “He comes in splendor, the King who is our peace; the whole world longs to see him….  He sends forth his word to the earth, and his command spreads swiftly through the land…. The eternal Word, born of the Father before time began, today emptied Himself for our sake and became man.”

 

 

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, pray for us.

St. Francis de Sales, pray for us.

May God Be Praised and your Christmas Season be Blessed.

 

Blog Post 12/23/2021 – The Reminder of What Advent Calls Us to Be!

 The Reminder of What Advent Calls Us to Be!

 

One of the little ones at OLPH gave me this Advent gift [pictured above] as a reminder that we are loved by God. 

“If you allow the light of the Lord to shine through you; you will glow like the stars for all eternity and be as radiant as the sun in all its splendor.”  [Deacon George Kelly]

St. Francis de Sales taught us “Be who you are and be that well as a witness to the master craftsman who created you.”

 

 

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, pray for us.

St. Joseph, pray for us.

St. Andre Bessette, intercede for us. 

St. Francis de Sales, pray for us.

“Tune my spirit to the music of heaven.”  [St. Brendan the Navigator]

 

May God Be Praised and your day be Blessed.

 

Blog Post – 12/22/2021 - When nothing is going right.

  

 

When nothing is going right.

 

 

 

Reflect on Meister Eckhart’s insight:

“You must bring God everything –

            Your dreams, your successes, your rejoicing.

     And if you have little to rejoice over, bring God that little.

And if your life seems only like a heap of fragments, bring God the fragments.

And if you have only empty hands, bring God your empty hands.

    Shattered hopes are God’s material; in God’s hands all is made good.

You must bring God everything!”

And then pray: “O God, bend my heart to follow Your will and prompt my voice to praise Your Holy Name, cleanse me from any worthless, evil, or distracting thoughts.   Grant me Your grace today – so I pray with reverence and love - in awe.   Listen to my pleas, hear my prayers, and answer me.  Guide me with Your Spirit that I may shine forth Your Radiance to the world.”  [Dcn. George Kelly] 

 

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, pray for us. 

St. Francis de Sales, pray for us.

 

May God Be Praised and you be Blessed.

 

Blog Post 12/21/2021 - Homily Advent Prayer Service

 

 

Homily Advent Prayer Service

 “… holy is His name.”

As Advent draws to an end, tonight we have an opportunity to think about how we have used our time [this Advent] to prepare our hearts, minds & souls for Christmas, not the secular celebration but the cosmic event of the Son of God coming among us.

 

In today’s Gospel from Luke Mary proclaimed “… holy is his name.” 

 

Tonight, we can join Mary in proclaiming “Holy is His name.”

St. Francis de Sales advises us, “Prayer is a conversation of the soul with God.”(Sermon in a Sentence, vol. 2, p.137) 

Can we put aside 5 minutes today & to talk with God & express our Gratitude for sending us our Savior.

In the musical Marius prays: “There are thoughts which are prayers. These are moments when, whatever the posture of the body, the soul is on its knees.”

Tonight, we are reminded to bend our soul in gratitude for God’s goodness, for Mary’s yes & for our gift of Faith.

Usually, we cannot offer heroic acts for God, but we are called to offer simple & kind words, simple & kind gestures to someone who God places in our life.

Many of you probably have read The Little Prince; it’s a children’s book about an alien, [a Little Prince] who is stranded on earth & is frightened.

One creature helps him, a fox.  And at one point in the fable the Prince and the Fox must separate for a time. The fox insists on establishing an exact time for their next meeting.  The Little Prince asks why?

The fox says, “If I know you’re coming at 4 o’clock, then I’ll begin to be happy at 3 o’clock.”

Advent is for us to prepare, for our Savior is near at hand, & preparing for His arrival helps us  focus on Christ.

May our observance of Advent help us focus our lives on following Christ – Christ the reason for the Season we are preparing to celebrate.

Whether your Advent Spiritual preparations have been great, small or nonexistent, it is 3 0’clock were should get ready for our Prince, the Prince of Peace’s arrival & allow His Gospel message to guide our actions.

May God Be Praised!

 

 

Blog Post 12/20/2021 - Advent Homily OLPH School - Genealogy, Ancestry, Family and Salvation History

 

 

Advent Homily OLPH School 12/17/2021 – Genealogy, Ancestry, Family and Salvation History

 

In today’s Gospel, Matthew gives us Jesus’ genealogy, His family, His ancestors.  Matthew gives us a log list of 48 names going back 2,000 years.  He starts with Abraham and ends with Jesus, while Luke starts his genealogy with Jesus and goes to Adam.

St. Matthew is emphasizing that Jesus is the Messiah and St. Luke is emphasizing that Jesus the Son of God.  They didn’t have Ancestry.Com or any of the other search services available to them; But that didn’t matter because they were establishing Jesus historical and theological identity, and no DNA search can get God’s DNA, only faith can do that.  

We know that Jesus is true God, true man and Advent helps us reflect on the wonderful gift of Christmas when we celebrate that event each year.  Advent means “coming”, “arrival”; the Advent season has three thrusts: 1.  yesterday at Bethlehem when the Son of God was born of Mary, 2.  today in our world, in our time- Jesus is always incarnate, and 3.  tomorrow when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, returns in glory.

Let me suggest adopting the Seven Salesian Virtues as a great way to make your Advent spiritually nourishing while making the ordinary, extraordinary:

1. Endure Patiently

2. See the Bright Side

3. Show Good Humor

4. Stay Cheerfully Excusing

5. Put on a Good Face

6. Be Appreciative

7. Speak Gently and Show Courtesy 

And each day in Advent with this short prayer: Thank you for today, for the good and the trouble, that I experienced.  Tonight, as I sleep heal the hurts I caused and the hurts that I experienced. Give me Your Grace, so I can bless your name.  Amen.

May God Be Praised!

 

 

*The image is available at the Salesian Shop https://www.salesianshop.com/the-sacred-artwork-of-bro-mickey-mcgrath/

 

 

 

 

Blog Post 12/19/2021 Advent’s Intention & Hope

  

 

Advent’s Intention & Hope

 

 

 

"Advent’s intention is to awaken the most profound and basic emotional memory within us, namely, the memory of the God who became a child. This is a healing memory; it brings hope."  [Pope Benedict XVI]

Reflect on what the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah said, “Let justice descend, O heavens, like dew from above, like gentle rain let the skies drop it down.  Let the earth open and salvation bud forth; let justice also spring up!”  [Isaiah 45:8]

“You shall be my people, and I will be your God.”

That Hope is fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, pray for us.

St. Joseph, pray for us.

St. Andre Bessette, intercede for us. 

St. Francis de Sales, pray for us.

“Tune my spirit to the music of heaven.”  [St. Brendan the Navigator]

 

May God Be Praised and your day be Blessed.

Blog Post 12/18/2021 – Figuring out what is important.

 

 

Figuring out what is important.

In Advent we remember that Jesus will return, the ? is when.  It is hard for us to understand Jesus' delay in his coming.  God's time is not the same as ours as Little Jimmy discovered one day - he was in a meadow.

He began to think about God - he wondered out loud.  "God? Are you really there?" 

To his astonishment a voice came from the clouds.  "Yes, Jimmy? What can I do for you?"

 

Jimmy asked, "God? What is a million years like to you?"  God said, "A million years to me, Jimmy, is like a minute."  "Oh," said Jimmy. "Well, then, what's a million dollars like to you?"

"A million dollars to me, Jimmy, is like a penny."  "Wow!" remarked Jimmy, “May I have one of your pennies?"  God replied, "Sure thing, Jimmy! Just a minute.”

Jimmy and God help us with our Advent perspective, and with our perspective on life.  We are passing through this life, learning to live in the eternal.

 

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, pray for us.

St. Joseph, pray for us.

St. Andre Bessette, intercede for us. 

St. Francis de Sales, pray for us.

“Tune my spirit to the music of heaven.”  [St. Brendan the Navigator]

 

May God Be Praised and your day be Blessed.

 

 

 

 

Blog Post 12/17/2021 - O Antiphons, Advents’ Homestretch

 

                                                        O Antiphons, Advents’ Homestretch 

Today we pray the O Antiphons with Evening Prayer: the Roman Catholic Church has been singing the "O" Antiphons for hundreds of years. They are the antiphons that accompany the Magnificat at Evening Prayer from December 17-23.

The O Antiphons theology uses ancient biblical imagery drawn from the messianic hopes of the Old Testament.  “Their repeated use of the imperative "Come!" embodies the longing of all for the Divine Messiah.”  [USCCB.ORG]

December 17

O Wisdom of our God Most High,

guiding creation with power and love:

come to teach us the path of knowledge!

December 18

O Leader of the House of Israel,

giver of the Law to Moses on Sinai:

come to rescue us with your mighty power! 

December 19

O Root of Jesse’s stem,

sign of God’s love for all his people:

come to save us without delay!

December 20

O Key of David,

opening the gates of God’s eternal Kingdom:

come and free the prisoners of darkness!

December 21

O Radiant Dawn,

splendor of eternal light, sun of justice:

come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the

shadow of death.

December 22

O King of all nations and keystone of the Church:

come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!

December 23

O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law:

come to save us, Lord our God! 

The hymn ‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel’ has arcane words and expressions in it, the roots of the Latin text come from the ‘O Antiphons’ (begins with an ‘O’), traditionally used during the last seven days of Advent during the Roman Catholic Vespers service.

Listen to this haunting rendition of O come, O come, Emmanuel - (Piano/Cello) by The Piano Guys: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO7ySn-Swwc

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, pray for us.

St. Joseph, pray for us.

St. Andre Bessette, intercede for us. 

St. Francis de Sales, pray for us.

“Tune my spirit to the music of heaven.”  [St. Brendan the Navigator]

 

May God Be Praised and your day be Blessed.