A Prayer for Christmas Morning

A Prayer for Christmas Morning (Henry Van Dyke)

The day of joy returns, Father in Heaven, and crowns another year 

with peace and good will. 

Help us rightly to remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the wisemen.

Close the doors of hate and open the doors of love all over the world…
Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.
Deliver us from evil, by the blessing that Christ brings, and teach us 
to be merry with clean hearts.
May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children,
And the Christmas evening bring us to our bed with grateful thoughts, 
forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake.
Amen.

 

Christmas Time

Meister Eckhart once said: "What good is it that Christ was born 2,000 years ago if he is not born now in your heart? Lord, be born in my heart. Come alive in me this Christmas! Amen."

 

The Presence of Christmas (William Arthur Ward)

"Christmas is not just a season,
Christmas is not just a day,
Christmas is more than a reason
For parties, presents and play.

Christmas is truly the essence

Of joy that the Savior brings;

Christmas is surely the presence

Of Jesus, the Kings of Kings!"

Merry Christmas!

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I just wanted to wish everyone a merry and blessed Christmas. I hope everyone will make wonderful new memories with their families and that you will all be safe. May the child Jesus come into your heart in a truly new and life-changing way, and I hope you will recognize how blessed you are. May God bless you especially on this day and always! 

Merry Christmas! 

A Christmas Song

This is personally my favorite Christmas song. I think its lyrics are moving and beautiful to reflect on during the Christmas season.

MARY DID YOU KNOW?

Mary did you know that your baby boy would some day walk on water?

Mary did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters?

Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?

This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you.

Mary did you know that your baby boy would give sight to a blind man?

Mary did you know that your baby boy would calm a storm with his hand?

Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?

And when you kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God.

The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dead will live again.

The lame will leap, the dumb will speak the praises of the Lamb.

Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?

Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day rule the nations?

Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?

This sleeping child you're holding is the great I AM.

Christmas Thoughts

CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS (Anonymous)

"It’s sharing your gifts, not purchasing gifts; 

It’s not wrapping presents, its being present
and wrapping your arms 

around the ones you love;
It’s not getting Christmas cards out on time,
It’s sending any card, anytime, 

at the right time;
It’s not having the biggest and best 

Christmas light display,
It’s displaying the Christ light that 

comes from your heart;
It’s not Santa coming down the chimney,
It’s Jesus coming down from heaven,
and giving us the gift of eternal life."

Fourth Sunday of Advent

It's the Fourth Sunday of Advent!

There's Christmas lights everywhere, family members coming home from all over the country, last-minute shopping to be done, Advent wreaths taken down and replaced by Nativity scenes, and those pretty little presents under the tree are just begging to be opened. There's so much going on this time of the year, and it can be difficult to remember the best part: Jesus, the Savior of the world, is born.

This Christmas, don't become too overwhelmed by the things of this world that you will miss out on the true gift that is being born into your own heart.

Here is a meditation I found from Fr. Victor Hoagland, C.P. for the Fourth Week:

The angel Gabriel said to Mary, "Do not fear, Mary, you shall conceive and bear a son and give him the name Jesus. Great will be his dignity and he will be called Son of the Most High..." Luke 1

O Jesus, I believe you were born of Mary and are God's Son.

Your mysterious coming is beyond understanding. Yet like your holy mother, Mary, I wish that you come to me, for you promised you will. Let me serve you in any way I can and know that you are with me day by day as my life goes by.

Like Mary, your mother, though I know you only by faith, may my whole being proclaim your greatness and my spirit rejoice in your favor to me. 

 

O Wisdom, holy Word of God, Jesus Christ,
holding all things in your strong yet tender hands,
come and show us the way to salvation. 

Third Sunday of Advent

Today is the Third Sunday of Advent!

This third Sunday has a special name called Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete means to rejoice. This week is a week of rejoicing in the Lord because we know that He is near. The second reading of this third Sunday was from Philippians, and the key phrase was definitely: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.

Throughout this week, remember this phase when you get frustrated or angry. This week REJOICE! Be joy to everyone you meet. Christ will come soon, so REJOICE! The wait will soon be over, and we will receive Him into our hearts in a very special new way. We will see His glorious face - the face of a beautiful baby boy.

Here is a meditation I found from Fr. Victor Hoagland, C.P. for the Third Week: 

John's disciples said to Jesus, "Are you 'He who is to come' or do we look for another?" In reply, Jesus said: "Tell John what you hear and see: the blind recover their sight, cripples walk, lepers are cured, and the poor have good news preached to them..." Luke 3:10

O Jesus, I rejoice at the signs that say you are near. Your power is everywhere if I could see it. 

 

Yet my eyes often see only darkness and what has yet to be done. I believe in you, yet when I look around evil seems so strong and goodness so weak. If you have come, why is there still so much suffering and why do the poor still despair? Where are your miracles today?

 Your grace, O Lord, is more fruitful in my world than I imagine. I know your power is everywhere around me, if I could only see it. Show me today where the blind see and cripples walk. Make my vision sharper than it is. 

Here is a prayer for the third week of Advent:

 Prepare our hearts and remove the sadness that hinders us from feeling the joy and hope which his presence will bestow.Give us a joy that will burn within us and spread like a wildfire to everyone we meet. Let us feel your intoxicating presence and your blinding light.

 

St. John of the Cross

This passed Friday was the feast day for Saint John of the Cross. I just wanted to share with you this beautiful poem he wrote:

On a dark night / Kindled in love with yearnings / Oh, happy chance! / I went forth without being observed / My house being now at rest

In darkness and secure / By the secret ladder, disguised / Oh, happy chance! / In darkness and in concealment / My house being now at rest

In the happy night / In secret, when none saw me / Nor I beheld aught / Without light or guide / Save that which burned in my heart

This light guided me / More surely than the light of noonday / To the place where he (well I knew who!) was awaiting me / A place where none appeared

Oh, night that guided me / Oh, night more lovely than the dawn / Oh, night that joined Beloved with lover / Lover transformed in the Beloved!

Upon my flowery breast / Kept wholly for himself alone / There he stayed sleeping, and I caressed him / And the fanning of the cedars made a breeze

The breeze blew from the turret / As I parted his locks / with his gentle hand he wounded my neck / And caused all my senses to be suspended

I remained, lost in oblivion / My face I reclined on the Beloved / All ceased and I abandoned myself / Leaving my cares forgotten among the lilies

Advent

"The liturgy of Advent…helps us to understand fully the value and meaning of the mystery of Christmas. It is not just about commemorating the historical event, which occurred some 2,000 years ago in a little village of Judea. Instead, it is necessary to understand that the whole of our life must be an ‘advent,’ a vigilant awaiting of the final coming of Christ. To predispose our mind to welcome the Lord who, as we say in the Creed, one day will come to judge the living and the dead, we must learn to recognize him as present in the events of daily life. Therefore, Advent is, so to speak, an intense training that directs us decisively toward him who already came, who will come, and who comes continuously."

~Pope John Paul II (in his address on December 18, 2002)~

 

Second Sunday of Advent

Today is the Second Sunday of Advent!

 I hope you have found some ways to prepare your heart and soul for the coming of Christ. One way is to focus on the question: What do I need my Savior Jesus to save me from?  What is it in your life that you need a Savior for? We all need a Savior. We all need to make room for Christ in our lives.

Here is a meditation I found from Fr. Victor Hoagland, C.P. for the Second Week: 

When John the Baptizer made his appearance as a preacher in the desert of Judea, this was his theme: "Reform your lives. The reign of God is at hand!" Matthew 3:1

O Jesus, in an empty desert your prophet John proclaimed: God is here, at your side. God has come to bring about a kingdom where injustice and suffering will be no more, where tears will be wiped away, and where those who turn to God will feast at a banquet. 

 

"Turn now, your God is standing at your side. Reform your lives, God's kingdom is at hand." 

 In an empty desert John said these things.

Give me faith like John's, O Lord, strong enough to believe even in a desert that you and your kingdom are no farther from me than my hand. Make my heart strong like his, not swayed by trials or snared by false pleasures. Give me courage to be faithful until your promises are fulfilled.

 
O King of all nations, Jesus Christ,
only joy of every heart,
come and save your people.

Here's a prayer for the Second Week of Advent:

We begin this second week of our Advent journey with this wonderful proclamation of the end of our exile. We really can take off our robe of misery and put on the splendor of the glory of God forever. Let us experience today what it will be like to be freed from the power of our sins to hold us captive. Freed from our longing, our desire: that we might be set free. 

“The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.” Psalm 126

Dear Lord, Through the darkness, I look for your wisdom. I want my heart to be open to you. But sometimes in these days, it seems that so many things come between us. Help me to be awake and aware of the radiance you bring to my life. Help me to be grateful each day for the blessings of family and friends. Let me be a peacemaker in my own life, and in the world. Let me pray especially for this difficult world and those who are so in need of an end to violence. My heart begs for this as my Advent prayer today. Amen.

First Sunday of Advent

Today is the First Sunday of Advent! 

During Advent, we prepare for the coming of Christ at Christmas. It is a time of waiting and hope. Advent is similar to Lent, and during this time, we should pray more, fast, and do good works. You can also give up little things like you do for Lent, such as giving up chocolate, music in the car, or the snooze button. It would also be an awesome idea to find a time to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation or go multiple times during this Advent season. 

Advent is a special time to clean up your soul and make it presentable for the coming of Christ. A priest I know once said, "The best thing you can give Christ is your soul." At Christmas, God gives us the wonderful gift of His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. This Christmas, I invite you to give God a present: the gift of yourself. Give Him all of your heart and let Him have all of you, no holding back. So use Advent as a time to prepare yourself for the complete surrender of your heart and soul to God.

 Here is a meditation I found from Fr. Victor Hoagland, C.P.:

"Jesus said to his disciples: 'Be constantly on the watch! Stay awake!...You do not know when the Master of the house is coming.'" Mark. 13:33

O Jesus, your voice sounds through the house of my world: Be on your guard! Stay awake! Yet I hardly hear you. Busy with so much, I go about the things I do like a servant trapped in household routine, hardly giving a thought to what my life is about. My spirit within has grown tired and you, my God, seem far away. How can I hear your voice today? 

 

Speak to my heart during this season of grace, as you spoke to your prophets and saints. Remind me again of the journey you call me to make and the work you would have me do. I am your servant, O Lord. Speak to me in this holy season and turn my eyes to watch for your coming. 

 

O Emmanuel, Jesus Christ,
desire of every nation, Savior of all peoples,
come and dwell among us.

 

 Here is a prayer to say for this first week of Advent:

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.