Month: December 2014

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Lessons of our ancestors

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Post date December 28, 2014

by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI

“Let us fervently call upon Mary Most Holy, the Mother of Jesus and our Mother, and St Joseph her spouse. Let us ask them to enlighten, comfort and guide every family in the world, so that they may fulfill with dignity and peace the mission which God has entrusted to them.” (Pope Francis, December 29, 2013)

Today is the feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth and Holy Innocents Day. I recall Pope Francis’ words in his Angelus on this Feast Day last year:

“Today our gaze on the Holy Family lets us also be drawn into the simplicity of the life they led in Nazareth. It is an example that does our families great good, helping them increasingly to become communities of love and reconciliation, in which tenderness, mutual help, and mutual forgiveness is experienced. Let us remember the three key words for living in peace and joy in the family: ‘may I’, ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’.” He reminded us to be “mindful of the sacredness and inviolability of the family, and its beauty in God’s plan.”

Tags family

2014

Fourth Sunday of Advent (B) – December 21

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Post date December 21, 2014

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 favour 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.”

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Nothing is impossible to God

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Post date December 21, 2014

Today’s Gospel, the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38), leads us to reflect on the humility of Mary, the Mother of our Lord. We can learn much from the words she utters to the Angel Gabriel on hearing that she is to be the mother of the “Son of God.” She says: “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let what you have said be done to me.” Total submission!

2014

Third Sunday of Advent (B) – December 14

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Post date December 14, 2014

Gospel: John 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.”

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Recommit to live as Christians

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Post date December 14, 2014

I recall the late Cardinal Hume urging the faithful during an Advent Service for members of his Committee for the Caribbean Community, C5, which he chaired and of which I was Vice-Chair, that we must all play our part to put Christ back into Christmas. That was in the 1980s.

Here are extracts of a UK Daily Mail report on the results of a poll of 2,157 members of parenting website Netmums (2December 2, 2014) : “The schools where Elvis is a nativity star: Nearly half of schools scrap traditional play for updated version starring modern characters… Just one in three schools still holds a traditional nativity play even though 65% of parents want the Christmas story to live on in education. Productions feature aliens, fairies, footballers, drunk spacemen and Elvis…