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Jesus, the Beginning of the New Creation: The Readings for the Baptism of the Lord The end of the Season of Christmas arrives this Sunday, as we celebrate the event that marked the end of Jesus’ early life and the beginning of his public ministry: the Baptism. The Christmas decorations coming down in our churches and homes inevitably leaves a feeling of sadness and nostalgia.  We don’t want to move on from meditation on all the joyful aspects of Our Lord’s early life, the incidents of wonder and mystery, like the angels singing to the shepherds, or the visit...

January 3, 2013   Christmas Weekday   Reading 1 1 Jn 2:29–3:61 If you consider that God is righteous,you also know that everyone who acts in righteousnessis begotten by him. See what love the Father has bestowed on usthat 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...

December 25, 2012 [Mass during the Day]   Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)   Reading 1 Is 52:7-10 How beautiful upon the mountainsare the feet of him who brings glad tidings,announcing peace, bearing good news,announcing salvation, and saying to Zion,"Your God is King!" Hark! Your sentinels raise a cry,together they shout for joy,for they see directly, before their eyes,the LORD restoring Zion.Break out together in song,O ruins of Jerusalem!For the LORD comforts his people,he redeems Jerusalem.The LORD has bared his holy armin the sight of all the nations;all the ends of the earth will beholdthe salvation of our...

December 25, 2012 [Mass at Dawn] Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)   Reading 1 Is 62:11-12 See, the LORD proclaimsto the ends of the earth:say to daughter Zion,your savior comes!Here is his reward with him,his recompense before him.They shall be called the holy people,the redeemed of the LORD,and you shall be called "Frequented,"a city that is not forsaken. Responsorial Psalm Ps 97:1, 6, 11-12. R. A light will shine on us this day: the Lord is born for us.The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;let the many isles be glad.The heavens proclaim his justice,and all peoples see...

December 25, 2012 [Midnight Mass]   Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)   Reading 1 Is 9:1-6 The people who walked in darknesshave seen a great light;upon those who dwelt in the land of glooma light has shone.You have brought them abundant joyand great rejoicing,as they rejoice before you as at the harvest,as people make merry when dividing spoils.For the yoke that burdened them,the pole on their shoulder,and the rod of their taskmasteryou have smashed, as on the day of Midian.For every boot that tramped in battle,every cloak rolled in blood,will be burned as fuel for flames.For a child...

December 24, 2012  Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) Vigil   Reading 1 Is 62:1-5 For Zion's sake I will not be silent,for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet,until her vindication shines forth like the dawnand her victory like a burning torch. Nations shall behold your vindication,and all the kings your glory;you shall be called by a new namepronounced by the mouth of the LORD.You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the LORD,a royal diadem held by your God.No more shall people call you "Forsaken,"or your land "Desolate,"but you shall be called "My Delight,"and...

Featured Term (selected at random):TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD The glorification of the appearance of Jesus before his Resurrection. It took place in the presence of Peter, James, and John. While he was praying on a mountain, suddenly "his face did shine as the sun," while "his garments became glistening, exceeding white." The frightened witnesses saw Moses and Eligah appear before them and converse with Jesus and heard the voice of God. the extraordinary vision vanished as suddenly as it appeared (Luke 9:28-36; Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8). the Church's celebration of this event occurs as a feast day on August...

 About the "Great O's" On the evening of December 17 the final phase of preparation for Christmas begins with the first of the great "O Antiphons" of Advent. These prayers are seven jewels of liturgical song, one for each day until Christmas Eve. They seem to sum up all our Advent longing for the Savior. The "O Antiphons" are intoned with special solemnity in monasteries at Vespers, before and after the Magnificat, Mary's prayer of praise and thanksgiving from the Gospel of Luke (2:42-55), which is sung every evening as the climax of this Hour of the Divine Office.A...

What are the sources or inspiration for these subjects?Basically they are inspired by the documents of the Holy See, and in particular by the Catechism of the Catholic Church and its Compendium. This was a deliberate choice so as to create an awareness of the vast richness, completeness and beauty of these documents which are, in some circles, hardly known at all. In this way, it is possible to present the essential and fundamental contents of the faith which are professed, not just by the individual Catholic, but by the Catholic Church throughout the world as it adheres to the...

December 8, 2012   Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary   Reading 1 Gn 3:9-15, 20 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...

Why Catholics Believe in the Immaculate ConceptionDAVID M. BRISTOWWhy do Catholics believe in the Immaculate Conception? The belief means that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was preserved without sin for her entire life. It was Mary's closeness to Christ that made her receive God's "fullness of grace" to be sinless. Without God's grace, it would have been impossible for Mary to be sinless, and she too would be like the rest of humanity. However, because of her decision to say, "yes" in giving birth to Christ, she was given a special privilege by having no sin touch her. Catholics believe...

What are the sources or inspiration for these subjects?Basically they are inspired by the documents of the Holy See, and in particular by the Catechism of the Catholic Church and its Compendium. This was a deliberate choice so as to create an awareness of the vast richness, completeness and beauty of these documents which are, in some circles, hardly known at all. In this way, it is possible to present the essential and fundamental contents of the faith which are professed, not just by the individual Catholic, but by the Catholic Church throughout the world as it adheres to the...

Jesus Christ 'Should Be Downplayed In School' Schools should downgrade Christianity in assemblies for a more “inclusive” multi-faith approach, say religious education advisors. By Graeme Paton 09 Nov 2012 Teachers should no longer be expected to “accord a special status to Jesus Christ” as part of traditional acts of collective worship for pupils, it was claimed. Guidance sent out to local committees – established to determine RE in communities across England – called for a focus on a “wide range of religious traditions” such as Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. By law, conventional state schools are required to stage daily...

September 14, 2012   Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross   Reading 1 Nm 21:4b-9 With their patience worn out by the journey,the people complained against God and Moses,"Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert,where there is no food or water?We are disgusted with this wretched food!" In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents,which bit the people so that many of them died.Then the people came to Moses and said,"We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you.Pray the LORD to take the serpents from us."So Moses prayed...

Neil Peart on introverts, learning to improvise, and why people should be nicer to one another Rush’s drummer and lyricist talks to Mike Doherty by Mike Doherty on Monday, August 13, 2012 Rush’s 20th studio release, Clockwork Angels, hit No. 1 in Canada in June—not bad for a steampunk, progressive rock concept album. Its story, about a young man who flees a land designed to function in perfect mechanical order, reflects the philosophy of drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. Now living in Santa Monica with his wife and daughter, the native of St. Catharines, Ont., is preparing with his long-time...

August 6, 2012   Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord   Reading 1 Dn 7:9-10, 13-14 As I watched: Thrones were set upand the Ancient One took his throne.His clothing was bright as snow,and the hair on his head as white as wool;his throne was flames of fire,with wheels of burning fire.A surging stream of fireflowed out from where he sat;Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him,and myriads upon myriads attended him.The court was convened and the books were opened. As the visions during the night continued, I saw: One like a Son of man coming,on the clouds of...

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints often refer to Jesus Christ as their elder brother. This expression of endearment appears in sermons, lessons, and publications...The title is used enough that some might think that elder brother is one of the many titles attributed to Christ in the scriptures, but nowhere do the scriptures use this expression in reference to Jesus. Nor can the idea that Jesus is our elder brother be ascribed with certitude to the teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith... Beginning in 1844 we find the first instances in which the Church leaders use...

Featured Term (selected at random):LEAGUE OF THE SACRED HEART See: APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

Course on Grace by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.CONTENTS INTRODUCTION PART ONE: GRACE CONSIDERED EXTENSIVELY I.  Why Grace? II.  What Is Grace? III.  Grace to the Angels IV.  Grace to Adam V.  Grace in the Old Testament VI.  Grace to Christ VII.  Justification in the New Testament Chapter VI. Grace to Christ Grace to Human Nature of Christ. In the divine nature of Christ there was, of course, no grace, no place for grace, no need for grace, no possibility of grace. Grace is a super-added gift, and there is nothing addable to the divine nature. Grace is a...

June 15, 2012   Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus   Reading 1 Hos 11:1, 3-4, 8c-9 Thus says the LORD:When Israel was a child I loved him,out of Egypt I called my son.Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,who took them in my arms;I drew them with human cords,with bands of love;I fostered them like onewho raises an infant to his cheeks;Yet, though I stooped to feed my child,they did not know that I was their healer. My heart is overwhelmed,my pity is stirred.I will not give vent to my blazing anger,I will not destroy...