Category Religion

Dec 24 2023

Fourth Sunday of Advent


Posted originally on the CTH on December 24, 2023 | Menagerie 


Reading 1

2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16

When King David was settled in his palace,
and the LORD had given him rest from his enemies on every side,
he said to Nathan the prophet,
“Here I am living in a house of cedar,
while the ark of God dwells in a tent!”
Nathan answered the king,
“Go, do whatever you have in mind,
for the LORD is with you.”
But that night the LORD spoke to Nathan and said:
“Go, tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD:
Should you build me a house to dwell in?’

“It was I who took you from the pasture
and from the care of the flock
to be commander of my people Israel.
I have been with you wherever you went,
and I have destroyed all your enemies before you.
And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth.
I will fix a place for my people Israel;
I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place
without further disturbance.
Neither shall the wicked continue to afflict them as they did of old,
since the time I first appointed judges over my people Israel.
I will give you rest from all your enemies.
The LORD also reveals to you
that he will establish a house for you.
And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors,
I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins,
and I will make his kingdom firm.
I will be a father to him,
and he shall be a son to me.
Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me;
your throne shall stand firm forever.”

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29

R. (2a) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
The promises of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, “My kindness is established forever”;
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
“I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant:
Forever will I confirm your posterity
and establish your throne for all generations.”
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
“He shall say of me, ‘You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.’
Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,
and my covenant with him stands firm.”
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

Reading 2

Rom 16:25-27

Brothers and sisters:
To him who can strengthen you,
according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ,
according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages
but now manifested through the prophetic writings and,
according to the command of the eternal God,
made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith,
to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ
be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Alleluia

Lk 1:38

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Lk 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.

“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.

Dec 23 2023

The Simple Things


Posted originally on the CTH on December 22, 2023 | Menagerie 


In this most busy and demanding time of the year, many still have the hope and desire to pursue happiness, to savor the moments and find that special something that replenishes us, fulfills us.

How strange, that we must stop, pause, slow down at least, to find that which keeps us going.

I think that part of our problem is our push to do more and do it more perfectly. As I have aged, I have necessarily had to learn to appreciate the slow moments, the silent moments. Of course, that should have come to me earlier in life, but I have ever been a plodding and slow learner.

How many wonderful, special, unique moments has our Lord gifted me with throughout my life that I rushed past, never listening, hearing his call, stopping to savor, share, enjoy with him? Moments crafted by the Master’s hand with love, moments he intended for me, for us, moments he came calling, only to have me never pause in my headlong rush?

How many times did I give up the peace I longed for, the joy I hoped for, all the things I insistently begged him for, wondering why he didn’t answer?

This morning I was early up, and puttering around, tending my sourdough starter, dividing it up, feeding multiple bowls in order to grow enough to make my various recipes for Christmas dinner and friends.

I found such happiness, really joy, in this simple task. My heart has filled with gratitude and wonder in these quiet moments alone, seeing to a simple task that leads to work I’m good at, to a simple hobby of mine, a thing I long ago longed to learn as an outpouring of love to my family, and especially for my husband who simply loves breads.

I have never had a bread machine, and I treasure the many, many times I bury my hands in the dough, kneading and pulling, twisting and forming. Now I understand a little bit why those hands-on moments meant so much to me.

For a few minutes, I put away me, and all my racing thoughts, my long list of things to get done, my annoyances at even the people I loved, everything. I put it all down and accepted a special, precious time given just to me by the God who loves me and gives me untold graces in such magical, wonderful ways as kneading bread and feeding sourdough.

Today I learned something from my bubbly sourdough brew, and I hope to be more attentive to those special moments because of it.

Maybe you can find your special moments these next few days in whatever unexpected and wonderful ways our Lord offers you. Don’t look for it in perfection though. I think you’re more likely to find it in the simpler things.

Dec 17 2023

Third Sunday of Advent


Posted originally on the CTH on December 17, 2023 | Menagerie


Reading 1

Is 61:1-2A, 10-11

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor,
to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners,
to announce a year of favor from the LORD
and a day of vindication by our God.

I rejoice heartily in the LORD,
in my God is the joy of my soul;
for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation
and wrapped me in a mantle of justice,
like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem,
like a bride bedecked with her jewels.
As the earth brings forth its plants,
and a garden makes its growth spring up,
so will the Lord GOD make justice and praise
spring up before all the nations.

Gospel

Jn 1:6-8, 19-28

A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.

And this is the testimony of John.
When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests
and Levites to him
to ask him, “Who are you?”
He admitted and did not deny it,
but admitted, “I am not the Christ.”
So they asked him,
“What are you then? Are you Elijah?”
And he said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
So they said to him,
“Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us?
What do you have to say for yourself?”
He said:
“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,
‘make straight the way of the Lord,’”
as Isaiah the prophet said.”
Some Pharisees were also sent.
They asked him,
“Why then do you baptize
if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?”
John answered them,
“I baptize with water;
but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,
the one who is coming after me,
whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”
This happened in Bethany across the Jordan,
where John was baptizing.

Dec 17 2023

THE MIGHTY MOVE OF GOD


Posted originally on Rumble BY JULIE GREEN MINISTRIES On Dec 14, 2023

Dec 17 2023

The Forbidden World


Posted originally on the CTH on December 16, 2023 | Sundance

St Isaac’s Cathedral

St Petersburg, Russia

Dec 10 2023

Second Sunday of Advent


Posted originally on the CTH on December 10, 2023 | Menagerie 


Gospel

MK 1:1-8

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God.

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way.
A voice of one crying out in the desert:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.”
John the Baptist appeared in the desert
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
People of the whole Judean countryside
and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem
were going out to him
and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River
as they acknowledged their sins.
John was clothed in camel’s hair,
with a leather belt around his waist.
He fed on locusts and wild honey.
And this is what he proclaimed:
“One mightier than I is coming after me.
I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.
I have baptized you with water;
he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Dec 3 2023

First Sunday of Advent


Posted originally on the CTH on December 3, 2023 | Menagerie | 8 Comments

MK 13:33-37

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Be watchful! Be alert!
You do not know when the time will come.
It is like a man traveling abroad.
He leaves home and places his servants in charge,
each with his own work,
and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.
Watch, therefore;
you do not know when the Lord of the house is coming,
whether in the evening, or at midnight,
or at cockcrow, or in the morning.
May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.
What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’”

https://youtube.com/watch?v=7xtpJ4Q_Q-4%3Ffeature%3Doembed
Dec 2 2023

Requested Second Advent Post


Posted originally on the CTH on December 1, 2023 | Menagerie

From today’s earlier Advent post:

Silverbeard the Red

December 1, 2023 12:34 pm

Free speech is great. I will leave the politics out of the Advent thread.

Maybe in exchange you could put up a Protestant thread for those of us who hear the voice of God directly and not through human intercessors? You would benefit from hearing our experiences as well, and it would demonstrate a willingness to support free speech.

It was not my intent to be divisive during this holy and joyful season. I had hoped to offer something to all Christians of benefit during these rushed days. That is what all my posts are meant to do. I regret that it is not to be.

I find the above comment reasonable, and in that spirit I am putting up a post for those who would like to share further thoughts in this season (soon) of Advent from a Protestant perspective. I ask my fellow Catholics to respect this as much as we wish our own viewpoints to be given opportunity and attention.

Please note. This is not an open opportunity for anyone to bash the faith of another. It is not a forum for you to argue theology or Protestant vs. Catholic ideas of salvation. This blog is not a place for religious apologetics, it has a different purpose, and there are thousands of sites where you can do that very thing, if you must. You will not do it here. If it becomes too much to moderate this post, I’ll chalk it up to a bad idea and trash it.

Happy Advent, and may we all find ways to open our doors to the Holy Family seeking shelter this season, ways that will deepen our ability to welcome Christ with love, on Christmas and every day.

Dec 2 2023

Why Celebrate Advent?


Posted originally on the CTH on December 1, 2023 | Menagerie

https://youtube.com/watch?v=eC0FGQLBp7w%3Ffeature%3Doembed

Advent is a season of preparation that has a twofold purpose. Advent begins with Evening Prayer I of the Sunday falling on or closest to 30 November and ends before evening prayer I of Christmas. We prepare ourselves not only for the coming joy of our celebration of the birth of the Christ child; we also prepare ourselves for the Second Coming of Christ.

For Catholics, Advent is the beginning of the new liturgical year. The seasons of that year have always led me on a journey with Christ each year, and I gain so much in the consistency of the seasons and readings. We begin with Advent, awaiting the birth of Christ, then celebrate the Christmas Octave and season, Epiphany, and then soon begins Lent, in preparation for Easter. Then, after the Easter season ends with Pentecost, we have the bulk of Ordinary Time until the end of the liturgical year, and Advent again.

The readings at Mass reflect these times in the life of Christ. They take us through his birth, baptism, ministry, Passion, Death, and Resurrection. I find Advent and Lent especially to be times that help me prepare to meet Jesus in deeper and more profound ways.

Many Christian denominations celebrate Advent, perhaps in ways a little different from those of us who observe a liturgical calendar and cycle. But the focus, the point, is to prepare for the coming of Jesus.

https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/advent-rediscovered-by-southern-baptists/

https://www.crosswalk.com/special-coverage/christmas-and-advent/the-beautiful-meaning-and-purpose-of-advent.html

We will have posts for each Sunday of Advent, beginning this weekend. I ask that you save political comments for the other posts. Please, give people a place to think about and discuss something else. I hope these posts will be an aid to all who stop in here during this busy season, an invitation to take a moment and find the reason we prepare for Christmas.

Jul 20 2023

7.19.23: OLD Guard is being DESTROYED! Envelopes, Indictments, Hollywood, Hannity! PRAY!


By And We Know posted originally on Rumble on: Jul 19, 3:47 pm EDT