Wednesday, December 14
ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS, priest, doctor
Is 45: 6-8, 18, 21-25
Lk 7: 19-23
There is to be mutual good example: in prayer life, in observance of the Rule and in shared listening and talking (SP 1951).
Father Tom: The reference is to community life, but it is applicable to the “groups” that have formed here and there among us. Has our contribution been always positive and polite?
Please Pray for Our Deceased: Sr. Margherita Binello FSP ( 1976)—Sr. M. Renata Giaccardi PD (1993)—Msgr Enea Selis IJP (1999)—Sr. Bianca Tommaselli FSP (2006)—Fr. Lino Grossi IJP (2006)—Dalma Arena De Mattar HFI (2006)—Charlotte Ducote HFI (2007)—Rev. Henry Barry—Mary Avitabile (2006)—Anthony Menella (no date).
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
December 13, 2011 With Blessed Father Alberione and With Father Tom
Tuesday, December 13
ST. LUCY, Virgin and Martyr
Zep 3: 1-2, 9-13
Mt 21: 28-32
There is no sanctity if you don’t renounce your own will. Your own preferences (FSP 41).
Father Tom: True. And perhaps especially our preferences for certain people or aversion to them. This is a point not always considered in the context of self-denial. We have to be “all things to all people: and you know how hard THAT is!
Please Pray for Our Deceased: Sr. Domenica Laus FSP (1933)—Sr. M. Albina Pepino PD (1957)—Sr. M. Graziella Justo PD (1978)—Sr. M. Elia Ferrero PD (1987)—Dr. Janina Casimira Kakol FSP (1989)—Fr. Ignazio Maritano SSP (1996)—Sr. M. Teresa Fusar-Poli FSP (1997)—Fr. Francesca Occhiogrosso IJP IJP (1997)—Bro Bruno Bonamigo SSP (2001)—Scotty Avitabile (2006)
ST. LUCY, Virgin and Martyr
Zep 3: 1-2, 9-13
Mt 21: 28-32
There is no sanctity if you don’t renounce your own will. Your own preferences (FSP 41).
Father Tom: True. And perhaps especially our preferences for certain people or aversion to them. This is a point not always considered in the context of self-denial. We have to be “all things to all people: and you know how hard THAT is!
Please Pray for Our Deceased: Sr. Domenica Laus FSP (1933)—Sr. M. Albina Pepino PD (1957)—Sr. M. Graziella Justo PD (1978)—Sr. M. Elia Ferrero PD (1987)—Dr. Janina Casimira Kakol FSP (1989)—Fr. Ignazio Maritano SSP (1996)—Sr. M. Teresa Fusar-Poli FSP (1997)—Fr. Francesca Occhiogrosso IJP IJP (1997)—Bro Bruno Bonamigo SSP (2001)—Scotty Avitabile (2006)
Sunday, December 11, 2011
December 12, 2011 With Blessed Father Alberione and With Father Tom
Monday, December 12
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE
Zec 2: 14-17
Lk 1: 26-38
If the examination of conscience is not part of an Institute’s life, then that Institute is a superficial entity (FSP 31).
Father Tom: He means “part of the Rule”. But having the exam on paper is not enough either. The members must make it!
Please Pray for Our Deceased: Sr. M. Callista De Michelis PD (1998)—Sr. M. Romana Battistella FSP (1996)—Sr. M. Dolores Bonfe’ FSP (1999)—Sr. M. Leonia Nota FSP (1999)—Teresa De Maria IAM (2006)—Ella Schenziner (no year)
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE
Zec 2: 14-17
Lk 1: 26-38
If the examination of conscience is not part of an Institute’s life, then that Institute is a superficial entity (FSP 31).
Father Tom: He means “part of the Rule”. But having the exam on paper is not enough either. The members must make it!
Please Pray for Our Deceased: Sr. M. Callista De Michelis PD (1998)—Sr. M. Romana Battistella FSP (1996)—Sr. M. Dolores Bonfe’ FSP (1999)—Sr. M. Leonia Nota FSP (1999)—Teresa De Maria IAM (2006)—Ella Schenziner (no year)
I Thank Thee by Jane Crewdson (1860)
Photo by Adam Louis
I Thank Thee
O Thou whose bounty fills my cup,
with every blessing meet!
I give Thee thanks for every drop—
the bitter and the sweet.
I praise Thee for the desert road,
And for the riverside;
for all Thy goodness hath bestowed,
and all Thy grace denied.
I thank Thee for both smile and frown,
and for the gain and loss;
I praise Thee for the future crown
and for the present cross.
I thank Thee for both wings of love
which stirred my worldly nest;
And for the stormy clouds which drove
me, trembling, to Thy breast.
I bless Thee for the glad increase,
and forthe waning joy;
and for this strange, this settled peace
which nothing can destroy.
--Jane Crewdson (1860)
I Am Not Fit To...
"I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals."
December 11 - 3rd . Sunday of Advent
The First Reading will be familiar to us if we know our St. Luke. When the Master had been out "on the missions" in Palestine for some time, St. Luke in Ch 4 tells how he returned to Nazareth, went into the local synagogue and was asked to read from Scripture. Significantly, he unrolled the scroll to find the words in this Reading, i.e. he did not simply continue where the previous reader had left off. Why? Because they described his whole, divine approach to his mission on earth.
The Responsorial Psalm will also be familiar if we know the Magnificat - the song of the young maiden of Nazareth and her superabundant joy as she began to appreciate just what had happened to her. Now we are approaching the realization in Bethlehem of that great moment.
St. Paul in the Second Reading has two messages for the Thessalonians: 1) be on your guard, continue to work hard and don't bother with idle talk others who are working diligently, and b) you have received a wonderful gift and in general you appreciate it so "be happy," rejoice, because the Lord is coming soon! ( St. Paul, of course, and the early Christians generally, got it wrong: the Lord is coming, definitely, but who knows when?) However when he comes it will be a great day for those who have waited patiently for him. And that message is still very true.
In the Gospel we are introduced to John the Baptist, first cousin of the Lord and truly a worthy "advance man" or forerunner, to use the correct word. Sometimes these people forget their brief and surely John might have been tempted to do just that because he both looked and spoke like the Messiah the people were expecting. But this Sunday we read how he was challenged and asked to give an account of himself and give an account he very definitely did! Resisting very open efforts to make him king, he replied clearly to each question and in the end gave a really beautiful self- definition: the voice that cries in the wilderness. At St.Augustine remarks, John was the "voice" but Jesus was the Word. The Word needs a voice to share it but the voice is not the Word and John, to his credit said so clearly. If only people today - politicians especially - would follow this example!
~ December 2011 Concord
December 11 - 3rd . Sunday of Advent
The First Reading will be familiar to us if we know our St. Luke. When the Master had been out "on the missions" in Palestine for some time, St. Luke in Ch 4 tells how he returned to Nazareth, went into the local synagogue and was asked to read from Scripture. Significantly, he unrolled the scroll to find the words in this Reading, i.e. he did not simply continue where the previous reader had left off. Why? Because they described his whole, divine approach to his mission on earth.
The Responsorial Psalm will also be familiar if we know the Magnificat - the song of the young maiden of Nazareth and her superabundant joy as she began to appreciate just what had happened to her. Now we are approaching the realization in Bethlehem of that great moment.
St. Paul in the Second Reading has two messages for the Thessalonians: 1) be on your guard, continue to work hard and don't bother with idle talk others who are working diligently, and b) you have received a wonderful gift and in general you appreciate it so "be happy," rejoice, because the Lord is coming soon! ( St. Paul, of course, and the early Christians generally, got it wrong: the Lord is coming, definitely, but who knows when?) However when he comes it will be a great day for those who have waited patiently for him. And that message is still very true.
In the Gospel we are introduced to John the Baptist, first cousin of the Lord and truly a worthy "advance man" or forerunner, to use the correct word. Sometimes these people forget their brief and surely John might have been tempted to do just that because he both looked and spoke like the Messiah the people were expecting. But this Sunday we read how he was challenged and asked to give an account of himself and give an account he very definitely did! Resisting very open efforts to make him king, he replied clearly to each question and in the end gave a really beautiful self- definition: the voice that cries in the wilderness. At St.Augustine remarks, John was the "voice" but Jesus was the Word. The Word needs a voice to share it but the voice is not the Word and John, to his credit said so clearly. If only people today - politicians especially - would follow this example!
~ December 2011 Concord
The Immaculate Conception
I found this image on the internet. It is not mine, but I will give credit to the artist if he or she comes forward.
December 8 - The Immaculate Conception
We have had this Feast twice already and have reflected on the connection between the sin of Eve and the special divine blessing conferred on Our Lady. She was preserved from all "Original sin" from the first instant of her conception and was thus conceived in that state of justice and holiness which is the effect of divine friendship and, as a result, was withdrawn from the influence of Satan and subjection to the law of concupiscence. However, like all human beings, she is redeemed by the merits of her Son, not freeing her from the stain of sin but preventing her from contracting it.
These concepts are included in the First Reading describing the sin of Adam and Eve followed by the Responsorial Psalm, not something sorrowful but filled with joy that this sin has resulted not in disaster but in a further display of God's goodness: instead of (as we might be tempted to do) wiping out our First Parents He confirms them in their original vocation and then - through the mediation of Our Blessed Lady - Himself pays for their sin and ours!
No wonder that Paul in the Second Reading bursts into an exuberant hymn of gratitude for this unspeakable gift which we can appreciate only with difficulty.
The Gospel tells a well-known story highlighting the sublime perfection and maturity of the great Lady who made all this possible.
Pray for us, 0 holy Mother of God,
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
~December 2011 Concord
Prepare the Way...
"In the desert, prepare the way of the of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland, a highway for our God!"
It's Sunday!
December 4, 2011 Second Sunday of Advent
The word "Advent" (from the Latin "ad - venire" = coming towards) gives us the characteristic of the next four Sundays: they are a preparation for an "Event " (from the Latin "ex-venire" or "coming out" or "emerging" or "happening") and we are well aware of what the "Happening" is: the coming of the Lord, a) at his birth in Bethlehem, b) into each of our lives at Baptism, c) for all humanity at the end of the world. These are the main "comings" but in a single day, each of us has countless "Advents " of our concerned God Who never leaves us to fend for ourselves, Who never leaves his flock untended. For the fervent Christian, every day is Christmas Day!
The First Reading from the great Prophet, Isaiah, was originally a word of comfort for King Hezekiah who was told that the King of Babylonia would come and take all his possessions and many of his people but that God would not abandon him. The message for us is substantially the same - we will lose our possessions at death if not before, but we will never lose the care of God for us. Never lose it? Yes, but on condition that we are always ready, are always waiting for His coming. The Voice crying in the desert will echo until the end of time. Originally the references to preparing the way referred to the need to make some sort of road in the wilderness to enable the king's chariot to pass. But the profound meaning is that we get to work in the wilderness of our souls to smooth out the many rough areas.
The beautiful Responsorial Psalm combines the two attitudes: "1 will hear what the Lord God has to say" ... I will be waiting . . . and "The Lord will make us prosper."
St. Peter in the Second Reading paints a rather frightening picture: very soon now the earth will be consumed with fire and the sky will vanish with a roar. Actually he got his dates wrong - we don't know when this will happen - but he is right on in his general message: for each of us the "end of the world" is the moment of our death and that has to be prepared by "living lives without spot or stains." This is the real "Advent" for which we can never be sufficiently be prepared.
In the Gospel we meet the imposing figure of John the Baptist.He appears out of nowhere (probably from a desert monastery in which a group of Jews called "Essenes" lived a life of strict observance) and calls the people to repentance but also to understand who he is. He is not the Messiah the whole nation is expecting, and who is a Figure of such greatness that (John says): " I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals," but rather a Voice calling to prepare for the Messiah's coming.
~ December 2011 Concord
It's Sunday!
December 4, 2011 Second Sunday of Advent
The word "Advent" (from the Latin "ad - venire" = coming towards) gives us the characteristic of the next four Sundays: they are a preparation for an "Event " (from the Latin "ex-venire" or "coming out" or "emerging" or "happening") and we are well aware of what the "Happening" is: the coming of the Lord, a) at his birth in Bethlehem, b) into each of our lives at Baptism, c) for all humanity at the end of the world. These are the main "comings" but in a single day, each of us has countless "Advents " of our concerned God Who never leaves us to fend for ourselves, Who never leaves his flock untended. For the fervent Christian, every day is Christmas Day!
The First Reading from the great Prophet, Isaiah, was originally a word of comfort for King Hezekiah who was told that the King of Babylonia would come and take all his possessions and many of his people but that God would not abandon him. The message for us is substantially the same - we will lose our possessions at death if not before, but we will never lose the care of God for us. Never lose it? Yes, but on condition that we are always ready, are always waiting for His coming. The Voice crying in the desert will echo until the end of time. Originally the references to preparing the way referred to the need to make some sort of road in the wilderness to enable the king's chariot to pass. But the profound meaning is that we get to work in the wilderness of our souls to smooth out the many rough areas.
The beautiful Responsorial Psalm combines the two attitudes: "1 will hear what the Lord God has to say" ... I will be waiting . . . and "The Lord will make us prosper."
St. Peter in the Second Reading paints a rather frightening picture: very soon now the earth will be consumed with fire and the sky will vanish with a roar. Actually he got his dates wrong - we don't know when this will happen - but he is right on in his general message: for each of us the "end of the world" is the moment of our death and that has to be prepared by "living lives without spot or stains." This is the real "Advent" for which we can never be sufficiently be prepared.
In the Gospel we meet the imposing figure of John the Baptist.He appears out of nowhere (probably from a desert monastery in which a group of Jews called "Essenes" lived a life of strict observance) and calls the people to repentance but also to understand who he is. He is not the Messiah the whole nation is expecting, and who is a Figure of such greatness that (John says): " I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals," but rather a Voice calling to prepare for the Messiah's coming.
~ December 2011 Concord
December 11, 2011 With Blessed Father Alberione and With Father Tom
Sunday, December 11
THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Is 61: 1-2, 10-11
Th 5: 16-24
Jn 1: 6-28
It is always important that we know that we are poor creatures and sinners and we need to feel poor if we want the riches of God (APD 234/37).
Father Tom: It may be important to feel poor , but it is not easy…so many illusions! We feel rich in virtue…and then a slight temptation shows us just how impoverished we are!
Please Pray for Our Deceased: Sr. Celeste Ghislandi FSP (1960)—Sr. M. Romana Rotta FSP (1960)—Sr. M. Giacinta Ferrero PD (1986)—Sr M. Cecilia Madrigal FSP (1992)—Giuseppe Capella HFI (1995)—Sr. Vittornia M. Guarda FSP (2009)
THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Is 61: 1-2, 10-11
Th 5: 16-24
Jn 1: 6-28
It is always important that we know that we are poor creatures and sinners and we need to feel poor if we want the riches of God (APD 234/37).
Father Tom: It may be important to feel poor , but it is not easy…so many illusions! We feel rich in virtue…and then a slight temptation shows us just how impoverished we are!
Please Pray for Our Deceased: Sr. Celeste Ghislandi FSP (1960)—Sr. M. Romana Rotta FSP (1960)—Sr. M. Giacinta Ferrero PD (1986)—Sr M. Cecilia Madrigal FSP (1992)—Giuseppe Capella HFI (1995)—Sr. Vittornia M. Guarda FSP (2009)
Saturday, December 10, 2011
December 10, 2011 With Blessed Father Alberione and With Father Tom
Saturday, December 10
ADVENT WEEKDAY
Sir 48: 1-4, 9-11
Mt 17: 10-13
The Beatitudes do not take up more than half a page in St. Matthew’s Gospel, but what a significant half-page that is! (VMC 713)
Father Tom: And how hard it is to practice even one of them! Don’t you agree?
Please Pray for Our Deceased: Fr. Michelino Gagna SSP (1961)—Msgr Angelo Campagna IJP (1990)—Sr. Antonietta Sandri FSP (1993)—Sr. M. Luisa Perlini PD (2000)—Sr. Rosaria Scaini SGBP (2001)—Maria Bacca IAM (2004)—Sr. M. Marcella Luucrezi FSP (2005)—Sr. Angelina Fabbris FSP (2008)—Mark Papa (2006)
ADVENT WEEKDAY
Sir 48: 1-4, 9-11
Mt 17: 10-13
The Beatitudes do not take up more than half a page in St. Matthew’s Gospel, but what a significant half-page that is! (VMC 713)
Father Tom: And how hard it is to practice even one of them! Don’t you agree?
Please Pray for Our Deceased: Fr. Michelino Gagna SSP (1961)—Msgr Angelo Campagna IJP (1990)—Sr. Antonietta Sandri FSP (1993)—Sr. M. Luisa Perlini PD (2000)—Sr. Rosaria Scaini SGBP (2001)—Maria Bacca IAM (2004)—Sr. M. Marcella Luucrezi FSP (2005)—Sr. Angelina Fabbris FSP (2008)—Mark Papa (2006)
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