Men desire authority for its own sake that they may bear a rule, command and control other men, and live uncommanded and uncontrolled themselves.

St. Thomas More

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)

"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42).

Catholic Culture

Christmas: January 9th

Thursday Christmas Weekday; Venerable Pauline-Marie Jaricot

MASS READINGS

January 09, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

O God, who bestow light on all nations, grant your peoples the gladness of lasting peace and pour into our hearts that brilliant light by which you purified the minds of our fathers in faith. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

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Recipes (1)

French Style Shepherd's Pie

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Activities (1)

Day Sixteen ~ St. Francis and the Creche

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Prayers (7)

Library (0)

» Enjoy our Liturgical Seasons series of e-books!

Old Calendar: Sts. Julian and Basilissa, martyrs (Hist)

In 1818 a young French lay woman, Pauline Marie Jaricot, founded the Association for the Propagation of the Faith, officially recognized on 3 May 1822. Pauline is "the foundress of the largest aid agency for the missions in the entire history of the Catholic Church," which later became the Society for the Propagation of the Faith and was conferred the title "Pontifical" by Pius XI in 1922. — Vatican website

She also was the foundress of the Association of the Living Rosary. She died on January 9, 1862 and was declared venerable on February 25, 1963. It is also the feast of Sts. Julian and Basilissa, husband and wife martyrs in the 4th century.

Christmas Weekday - Day Sixteen
St. Francis initiated the beautiful practice of displaying a Christmas crib or creche. He built it in a cave on a bleak mountain near the village of Greccio. News of what he was doing spread all over the countryside and a steady stream of men, women and chldren came by night carrying torches and candles to light their way.

"It seemed like midday," wrote someone who was there, "during that midnight filled with gladness for man and beast, and the crowds drawing near, so happy to be present for the renewal of the eternal mystery." Francis himself sang the Gospel story in a voice which was "strong and sweet and clear," says the observer. "Then he preached to the people, most movingly, about the birth of the poor King in little Bethlehem." — Excerpted from Christmas

Day Sixteen activity (St. Francis and the Creche)
Day Sixteen recipe (Double Chocolate Mocha Biscotti)

Venerable Pauline-Marie Jaricot
Pauline Marie Jaricot was born to a very pious Catholic family in Lyons, France, July 22, 1799, and grew up dreaming of becoming a great missionary. Through her brother she developed a real concern for the Asian missions, and at age 17, she began to lead a life of unusual abnegation and self-sacrifice, and on Christmas Day, 1816, took a vow of perpetual virginity. At age 18, she composed a treatise on the Infinite Love of the Divine Eucharist.

In order to repair the sins of neglect and ingratitude committed against the Sacred Heart of Jesus, she established a union of prayer among pious servant girls, the members of which were known as the "Réparatrices du Sacré-Coeur de Jésus-Christ."

During an extended visit to her married sister at Saint-Vallier (Drôme), she succeeded in effecting a complete transformation in the licentious lives of the numerous girls employed by her brother-in-law. It was among them and the "Réparatrices" that she first solicited offerings for the foreign missions. Her systematic organization of such collections dates back to 1819 when she asked each of her intimate friends to act as a promoter by finding ten associates willing to contribute one cent each week to the propagation of the Faith. One out of every ten promoters gathered the collections of their fellow-promoters; through a logical extension of this system, all the offerings were ultimately remitted to one central treasurer. The Society for the Propagation of Faith at its official foundation (3 May 1822) adopted this method, and easily triumphed over the opposition which had sought from the very start to thwart the realization of Pauline Jaricot's plans.

In 1826 she founded the Association of the Living Rosary. The fifteen decades of the Rosary were divided among fifteen associates, each of whom had to recite daily only one determined decade. A second object of the new foundation was the spread of good books and articles of piety. An undertaking of Pauline's in the interest of social reform, though begun with prudence, involved her in considerable financial difficulties and ended in failure. She died on January 9, 1862 and was declared venerable on February 25, 1963.

Patron: Against poverty; impoverishment; poverty.

Things to Do:

Read more about Pauline-Marie Jaricot here and here.
Read the Letter written by Pope John Paul II for the bicentenary of the birth of Ven. Pauline-Marie Jaricot.
Learn more about The Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
Have your children offer extra prayers for the missions or make a small sacrifice for priests and nuns in mission countries.

Sts. Julian and Basilissa
St. Julian and St. Basilissa, though married, lived, by mutual consent, in perpetual chastity; they sanctified themselves by the most perfect exercises of an ascetic life, and employed their revenues in relieving the poor and the sick. For this purpose they converted their house into a kind of hospital, in which they sometimes entertained a thousand poor people. Basilissa attended those of her sex, in separate lodgings from the men; these were taken care of by Julian, who from his charity is named the Hospitalarian. Egypt, where they lived, had then begun to abound with examples of persons who, either in the cities or in the deserts, devoted themselves to the most perfect exercises of charity, penance, and mortification.

Basilissa, after having stood seven persecutions, died in peace; Julian survived her many years and received the crown of a glorious martyrdom, together with Celsus, a youth, Antony, a priest, Anastasius, and Marcianilla, the mother of Celsus.

Many churches and hospitals in the East, and especially in the West, bear the name of one or other of these martyrs. Four churches at Rome, and three out of five at Paris, which bear the name of St. Julian, were originally dedicated under the name of St. Julian, the Hospitalarian and martyr.

In the time of St. Gregory the Great, the skull of St. Julian was brought out of the East into France, and given to Queen Brunehault; she gave it to the nunnery which she founded at Étampes; part of it is at present in the monastery of Morigny, near Étampes, and part in the church of the regular canonesses of St. Basilissa at Paris.

Excerpted from Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Luke 4:14-22

Christmas Weekday

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. (Luke 4:18)

It’s obvious that Jesus said these words about himself. But can you believe that the very same thing could be said about you? Everyone who has been baptized into Christ has received his Holy Spirit. Whether you feel like it or not—indeed, whether your experience tells you so or not—the Holy Spirit is upon you!

So what do you do with this piece of information? After you get over being amazed at it, should you sit back and bask in your great good fortune? Hardly.

Jesus came to inaugurate the kingdom of God, a place where every tear is wiped away and every bond is loosed. The afflicted hear the good news of God’s love, and people who once were blind can finally see evidence of his presence. Those enslaved to sin are set free, and those hungering for peace will be filled.

It all sounds so good, doesn’t it? But as we know, it doesn’t happen by magic. The kingdom of God only grows as we—bearers of his Spirit—love one another as he loved us, when we do for others what he has done for us.

You may think that you are woefully inadequate to the task, but that’s not what God thinks. He gave you his Spirit for just this reason. As you learn to sense the Spirit and follow his lead, you’ll begin to overcome the limitations that seem to loom large in your heart. Over time, you’ll grow in confidence, and God will use you for greater and greater things.

This idea of “sensing” the Spirit can sound out of reach, but it’s really quite simple. He is that still, small voice in the back of your mind urging you to forgive your coworker for what she said about you. He’s the tap on your shoulder pointing out a neighbor who seems lonely. He’s the quick catch in your throat that arises when you are about to say something inappropriate or hurtful. Every time you follow one of these gentle prods, you are laying another foundation stone for the kingdom. Not only that, but every time you do this, you are building a stronger foundation for your own life—a foundation of peace and confidence in the Spirit who lives in you.

“Jesus, help me to sense your Spirit today—and to follow his lead.”

1 John 4:19–5:4
Psalm 72:1-2, 14-15, 17

Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for January 9, 2020:

“Then they abandoned their nets and followed [Jesus].” (Mk 1:18) The apostles were ready to leave their work to follow Jesus. Work is necessary to pay bills and raise kids, but sometimes our job can steal time needed for our vocation – marriage. Ask your spouse if your work is in balance.

Regnum Christi

January 9, 2020 – The Awesome Presence

Thursday after the Epiphany

Luke 4:14-22

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all. He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, welcome into the temple of my soul. I know that you will root up and tear down, heal and sanctify, making there a holy and righteous place that has always been intended for you. Only you have the power to unlock the sanctuary of my heart; only you build what will last forever. I trustfully open my entire self to you now, so that your words can shape my thoughts, so that your love can penetrate my heart, so that no disorder of soul may remain in me.

Petition: Lord, grant me a greater reverence for you.

He Returned in the Power of the Spirit: The Spirit appears in the world to unite heaven’s plan to that of earth, and it does so here with every move of Christ. Christ’s whole mission is nothing other than the fulfillment of the passage he reads. Our vocation in life is nothing other than fulfilling our baptismal commission by the Holy Spirit. Our Lord shows himself, therefore, to be no one-man show. He, the Son, is sent and works in communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and from here all his fruitfulness and power flows. Our mission must truly make us feel “sent.” It compels us to bear fruit through acts of obedience and love. Heaven seeks to deliver its plan to me in this prayer. May I be attentive to all that the Holy Spirit prompts me to do.
He Unrolled the Scroll… Today This Passage Is Fulfilled in Your Hearing: Man is given a response to the eternal question found in Revelation 5:2: “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” Contemplate this solemn moment when the Word reveals himself among men: Many could read from the scroll, but only one was worthy to unlock its salvific power. Many could recite the texts, but only one could set them ablaze in their hearts. Many could preach with fascination, but only one could satisfy their hunger for the fullness of truth. Our words are an empty breath without Christ’s voice; our labors are to no end, if our actions are not Christ’s. Only one person by right can change the human heart, and we in truth can only be apostles when Christ is the one who moves our hand.
All Were Amazed at the Words That Came from His Mouth: The precise nature of these words is not revealed to us here, as if to mean that the person of Christ himself is the revelation. Christ, in the totality of his person, comes to lighten our burdens and lift our spirits in a way no teaching, no miraculous event, no cure left to itself ever could. Divine providence has secured for us many goods in life, but all goods fail us if they do not come with Christ in all the power and intimacy that is God-among-us.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, I seek to revere you and honor you as the center of my life. I work now with a holy ambition to ensure your throne is firmly established in my heart. Teach me to let nothing usurp what belongs to you in my life. Let me not build a life of empty self-sufficiency, lest I lose the experiences of your power and grace I could have.

Resolution: I will visit our Lord in the Eucharist today for the sake of honoring him for his greatness and thanking him for his active presence in my life

Homily of the Day

January 9, 2020

Thursday after Epiphany

In the Gospel, we encounter the Nazarenes who after hearing Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah said, “Who is this but Joseph’s son?” They could not believe that this son of a carpenter was teaching them. It seems that crab mentality also existed in Nazareth during the time of Jesus. His own town mates could not accept him first because of their pride. A foreigner would have been easily praised and accepted. Second, they were too selfish – they did not agree that God’s benefits should be shared with others most especially with the poor, the prisoners, the blind and the oppressed.

In the first reading, St. John talked about loving God and our brothers and sisters. According to him, we cannot love God if we don’t love our brothers and sisters. But how can we love others if we have pride and selfishness in us? We want to be the first, the best, the most powerful, the most popular – in short, to be at the top to be admired and praised. And if we are on top, we strive to put people down so as to remain on top.

Love is not just a mere word: it becomes meaningful only when it is not ill-mannered nor self-centered. Can we put our name in place of the word “love?” If we can, then, we are true in loving God and our brothers and sisters. But how can we make these expressions of love more tangible in our life? Will it be easy for us to say “You first?”

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Espanol

All Issues > Volume 36, Issue 1

<< Thursday, January 9, 2020 >>

1 John 4:19�5:4
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Psalm 72:1-2, 14-15, 17

Luke 4:14-22
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DOES THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT HAVE YOU?

"Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee." �Luke 4:14

On Sunday, the last day of Christmas, our true Love, Jesus, will give us a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit, the true Christmas Spirit. On Sunday, we will celebrate the Baptism of Jesus, when the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in fulfillment of one of Isaiah's prophecies (see Lk 4:18; Is 61:1). On that last day of Christmas, we will be given a renewal of our Baptisms and Confirmations. We will have a new Pentecost and a deeper life in the Spirit. We will end Christmas in the Spirit and begin a year of the Holy Spirit in which we will "bring glad tidings to the poor ... liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind" (Lk 4:18).

However, the Holy Spirit will not come upon us against our will. We must accept the grace to be docile to the Spirit. This means:

repenting and believing in Jesus (Acts 2:38),
crucifying our "flesh with its passions and desires" (Gal 5:24),
decreasing so Jesus will increase (Jn 3:30), and
letting it be done to us according to God's Word (see Lk 1:38).

The question is not: "Do we have the Holy Spirit?" but "Does the Holy Spirit have us?" Come, Holy Spirit, very soon!

Prayer: Father, may this Christmas season result in many thousands receiving the Holy Spirit deeply.

Promise: "We, for our part, love because He first loved us." —1 Jn 4:19

Praise: Robert faced his fears and surrendered them to the Holy Spirit.