AFRICA: NIGERIA- ATTACKS ON CHURCHES AT CHRISTMAS KILL
ASIA: CHINA: CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS DESPITE PERSECUTION
EUROPE: GREAT BRITAIN: MASS IN WESTMINSTER CATHEDRAL TO CAPACITY
AFRICA: NIGERIA- ATTACKS ON CHURCHES AT CHRISTMAS KILL
ASIA: CHINA: CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS DESPITE PERSECUTION
AMERICA: CANADA: CELEBRATIONS FOR ST. ANDRE WILL BE UNIVERSAL
AUSTRALIA: DIOCESE NEGOTIATES AGED CARE
TODAY'S SAINT: DEC. 26: ST. STEPHEN
TODAY'S MASS READINGS: FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY
VATICAN: POPE MESSAGE FOR FEAST OF HOLY FAMILY: PEACE AND CHARITY
Pope Benedict XVI called for renewed commitment to good-faith dialogue and peaceful resolution to conflict on Sunday, as he condemned deadly violence against Christians in Nigeria, a church bombing in the Philippines and a suicide bombing in Pakistan that left more than forty people dead over the Christmas weekend.“Once again,” said Pope Benedict, “the Earth is stained with blood.”
Reflecting that on the first Sunday after Christmas, the Church traditionally celebrates the feast of the Holy Family, which lived through the dramatic experience of flight into Egypt in order to escape the murderous rampage of Herod, the Pope said, “We also remember all those - especially families - who are forced to flee their homes because of war, violence and intolerance.”
Pope Benedict invited all the faithful present to join him prayer, to ask with strength that the Lord touch the hearts of men, and bring hope, reconciliation and peace.
Shortly after the Sunday Angelus, Pope Benedict made his way to the Paul VI audience hall, for a special luncheon with some of Rome’s poorest people, in the care of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta’s Missionaries of Charity.
This year saw the 100th anniversary of the birth of the woman who would become Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, and Pope Benedict celebrated her as a reflection of the light of God’s love and a person who lived Christian charity toward all, without distinction, but with a special preference for those most in need. He said the 100th anniversary of her birth is an occasion for gratitude and reflection, for renewed and joyful commitment to service of the Lord and of all our brothers and sisters – especially the neediest.
After several courses that included lasagna, veal and roast potatoes, cake and coffee, the Holy Father visited with the sisters and their guests – his guests, greeting them as “Dear friends,” and telling them, “the Pope loves you, he carries you in his heart, he welcomes you all in a fatherly embrace, and he prays for you.” Before imparting his Apostolic Blessing, the Pope thanked his guests for sharing the joy of these festive days with him.
WORLD: JESUSCARITASEST.ORG CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS TO ALL
JESUSCARITASEST.ORG REPORT:We at www.jesuscaritasest.org wish you and your families a blessed and peaceful Christmas. You, the readers of JCE news, will be remembered at the Sacrifice of the Mass and in the prayers offered in this Holy Season. Please keep us in your prayers. It is hoped that you and your families make a renewed effort to spread the peace of Christ throughout the world. Make this year a Holy one; remember to keep Holy the Sabbath by regular Mass attendance (daily if possible), increase your family prayer time (ex. daily rosary, adoration), and be charitable and forgiving to your neighbors. The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph should be our example. Charity begins at home. Keep your governmental leaders, church leaders and enemies in prayer. It is through the spiritual and corporal works of mercy that we participate in the sanctification of the world. This news service is provided to remind you of the spiritual and corporal needs of the Body of Christ. We must remember that our lives can end at any moment but the afterlife lasts forever. Therefore, we need to prepare for our permanent relationship with Jesus Christ, our true husband. God bless you always. Pax Christi+"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men of good will!" (Luke 2: 14)
WORLD: JESUSCARITASEST.ORG CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS TO ALL
AFRICA: NIGERIA- ATTACKS ON CHURCHES AT CHRISTMAS KILL
ALL AFRICA REPORT: At least 38 people have died across Nigeria after a series of Christmas Eve bomb explosions and attacks on churches.
Police are trying to defuse the situation amid reports that youths have set up barricades and set vehicles on fire.
There were seven blasts in two areas in the central Nigerian city of Jos, killing 36 and injuring more than 70.
Concurrently, three churches were attacked in the northern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, killing six. There is no evidence that the two attacks are linked: no one has claimed responsibility in either area, but last Christmas Boko Haram, an Islamist sect, was responsible for violence in Maiduguri.
Observers say the situation is especially tense in Jos, where sectarian violence has claimed some 1,500 lives this year.
Jos lies in the middle of a country roughly split between a Muslim north and Christian south. But the attacks claimed adherents of both religions, as they occurred in crowded marketplaces.
The situation in Nigeria, one of the world's largest oil producers, has become increasingly tense as April elections near.
ASIA: CHINA: CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS DESPITE PERSECUTION
Beijing (AsiaNews) - Chinese Catholics are preparing to celebrate Christmas with joy and peace, despite the recent events in the Catholic Church in China.
An underground priest, Joseph in northeastern China toldAsiaNews that he and his other two priests in the parish have to move about in 12 churches or prayer houses to celebrate midnight Mass and Christmas Mass for their faithful.
This year, northern China experiences extreme cold weather, as the temperature is now minus 30 degree Celsius. “To avoid the faithful travelling for a long way in the snowy weather,- he said - the priests would move about to say Christmas Mass in their localities.”.
Catholics are helpful in organizing prayers, novena and adoration of Child Jesus in the manger while Catholic students have organized activities for parishioners, he said.
“I hope our Lord who descend among us would grant us the permanent warmth,” he said amid the events in the Church in China in the past weeks.
In the south, Bishop Cai Bingrui of Xiamen, Fujian province, who celebrates the first Christmas as bishop, told AsiaNews that he prays that evangelization and social services in the diocese will be strengthened. He was ordained a bishop this past May.
Thanks to the young Catholics, Mgr. Cai said, they have organized a 90-minute drama based on the Nativity story to be shown before midnight Mass tomorrow at the cathedral. “This will give non-Catholics a clear understanding of the Nativity”, he said, since Christmas usually attracts many non-Catholics to come to churches.
Both Masses at the cathedral as well as the one on Gulangyu Island will take place at 8 pm instead of midnight. The church on the island will be in English and many foreigners are expected, and the Mass will be held outdoor.
Also ordained this year was Bishop Han Yingjin of Sanyuan, who issued his first ever pastoral letter at the time of Advent, calling for efforts for evangelization.
EUROPE: GREAT BRITAIN: MASS IN WESTMINSTER CATHEDRAL TO CAPACITY
IND. CATH NEWS REPORT: Westminster Cathedral was full to capacity for Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, celebrated by Archbishop Vincent with singing by Westminster Cathedral Choir and orchestra. The music included Mozart’s ‘Coronation Mass’ and Bach’s ‘Ehre sei dir’ from the Christmas Oratorio.
In his homily at the Most Revd Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, urged those struggling for faith to reach out and accept the outstretched hand of God. Archbishop Nichols said: "This holy night is as important as ever. On this night there will be many sharing Joseph’s struggle for faith. May they, too, reach out and accept the outstretched hand of God coming to us in the child so as to be close to us in our vulnerability."
Reflecting on the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Britain he said that it restored the confidence of Catholics. It has also made people value the importance of the spiritual dimension of their lives and want to give more time to their family and close relationships .
"The marvellous scenes during the Apostolic Visit of Pope Benedict in September suggested that faith in God is like an underground stream. Largely invisible, the stream nurtures so much fertile growth on a rocky landscape, and only every now and then, burst out in a glorious and reassuring sight. The Visit strengthened our faith and restored so much of our confidence. Indeed, faith in God is not a problem to be solved but a gift to be discovered afresh, and a gift which serves the deepest good of our society.
"There are other strong indications to support this conviction. Opinion polls conducted both before and after the Holy Father’s visit, indicated clear trends in public opinion. After the Visit, there were more people insisting that the spiritual dimension of their lives is really important. There were far more people saying that they wanted to give more time to their family and close relationships, and a significant majority agreeing with the message of the Holy Father that aggressive secularism is to be resisted as it minimises values crucial for our well-being."
The full homily text follows:
The events we celebrate so joyfully this evening form a story which has been told and retold over 2000 years. The telling of it has called upon art and poetry, music and drama in order to catch its beauty and express its meaning. Some attempts are more successful than others: they stand the test of time. So we are grateful to our splendid choir for giving us some of the best musical retelling of this Christmas story. And we love our carols, too.
This year we are also grateful to the BBC for the retelling of the story it has commissioned and broadcast over the last four days. I hope many of you had the opportunity to be moved by the beauty and drama of ‘The Nativity’ programmes.
There was one point at which their narrative departed from the Gospel accounts. When Joseph heard the message of the angel that he was ‘to take Mary home as his wife’, he did not do so. In the televised story Joseph’s struggle to believe Mary that her baby was of God, was central to the drama. It had to be carried through to the end.
This reflects a tendency in our society to present faith simply as a problem. Some cast belief in God as marginal and not a serious factor in how life is to be shaped. Today is a moment to challenge those assumptions.
At the end of the filmed ‘Nativity’, Joseph comes to believe that Mary’s son is indeed of God, born in a truly virgin birth. The Wise men, who travelled a thousand miles, bow in worship, exclaiming him to be ‘The Lamb of God come to take away the sins of the world.’ The hot-headed shepherd, Thomas, who struggles with the expectations of his faith, bends to kiss the child’s tiny foot.
This holy night is as important as ever. On this night there will be many sharing Joseph’s struggle for faith. May they, too, reach out and accept the outstretched hand of God coming to us in the child so as to be close to us in our vulnerability. The author recognises that faith in God appeals, even today.
In this he is not wrong. The marvellous scenes during the Apostolic Visit of Pope Benedict in September suggested that faith in God is like an underground stream. Largely invisible, the stream nurtures so much fertile growth on a rocky landscape, and only every now and then, bursts out in a glorious and reassuring sight. The Visit strengthened our faith and restored so much of our confidence. Indeed, faith in God is not a problem to be solved but a gift to be discovered afresh, and a gift which serves the deepest good of our society.
There are other strong indications to support this conviction. Opinion polls conducted both before and after the Holy Father’s visit, indicated clear trends in public opinion. After the Visit, there were more people insisting that the spiritual dimension of their lives is really important. There were far more people saying that they wanted to give more time to their family and close relationships, and a
significant majority agreeing with the message of the Holy Father that aggressive secularism is to be resisted as it minimises values crucial for our well-being.
This holy night brings a renewing light into our world, the light of revelation. This revelation is God showing to us fundamental truths which we cannot attain on our own. These are truths about our deepest human nature and truths about the nature of God. Some find such a notion abhorrent, for they insist that only that which can be demonstrated by observable facts and scientific investigation may be held to be true. Yet love and beauty continue to move us and claim our commitment. Often it is through such love and beauty, supported by reason, that we are drawn to recognise the hand of the Creator and the longing He has planted within us. On this night, in
great love, He shows himself to us that we may indeed strive to know and love Him.
The Creator’s gift to us, on this night, is indeed that of revelation, but it is given not in the form of a theory or a book, but in a person. Jesus, the Incarnate Word of God, opens for us a truth known and experienced in a way of living founded on our relationship with him. Such truth is indeed within our grasp, as the story we celebrate this night makes so clear.
Tonight, we also draw lessons for our living. St Paul is forthright, as you would expect: ‘God’s grace has been revealed and it has made salvation possible for the whole human race and taught us that what we have to do is to give up everything that does not lead to God.’ This is the challenge of this Holy Night. God alone is the One who, properly understood, rejects no-one, forgives all, and invites us into the fullness of life itself. With God we live not with our eyes fixed simply on short-term happiness and gain, but on a long-term hope which carries us beyond sight and understanding to ‘the blessings which will come with the Appearing in glory of our great God and Saviour Christ Jesus’.
Tonight we go out of our way to wish each other a Happy Christmas and New Year. May our good wishes be founded on the glory of the gift we have received in Christ Jesus. Our Happiness lies in Him, as he blesses our families and all our efforts. Our prospering in the New Year is best founded on the call of the Lord that in all we do we are never forgetful of those in need around us, especially in these testing times. The family of the crib, whom we praise this night, is a symbol of human solidarity, to be kept in our hearts long after the holidays are over. This will direct us in a continuing care for the most vulnerable and sustain us in a unity of effort. It is also a revelation of the truth of God. With this in my heart, I wish you all a very happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
Source: Archbishop's House
AMERICA: CANADA: CELEBRATIONS FOR ST. ANDRE WILL BE UNIVERSAL
“Liturgically speaking, a person whose cause has been introduced for canonization can be publicly celebrated as a feast only locally — that is to say, where the person worked or died,” said Fr. Charles Corso, a Holy Cross priest at the Oratory in Montreal. “But once the person is canonized, that means that anywhere in the world people can celebrate an official liturgical feast day Mass.”
St. Brother André was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on Oct. 17, when he became the first male born on Canadian soil elevated to sainthood.
Corso said there have been Masses to celebrate the feast day at the Oratory for years, so this year won’t be much different in Montreal. He adds that through the Congregation of Holy Cross, there have been Masses for Brother André when he became Venerable, then Blessed, around the world.
“But we will expect more people to come,” he said. “Other than that, we’ve been honouring Brother André for years and years.
“What canonization means is that all around the world he’s held up as a model for Catholics: his life, his way of holiness, his humility... The universal Church may now celebrate his feast day.”
The Oratory’s official choir, Les Petits Chanteurs de Mont-Royal, will be singing at the 7:30 p.m. Mass, Corso said. The choir is made up of singers from the all-boys choir school, which goes by the same name. As well, select Masses throughout the day will have congregational singing with organ accompaniment, which doesn’t usually happen on a weekday, he said.
It won’t be the only celebration, however. Since the weather is always very cold and blustery in Montreal on Jan. 6, it’s hard to celebrate, said Corso.
“So what we do in the month of August — he was born on Aug. 9 — we sort of transfer a number of special activities for celebrating his birthday as a feast,” such as a pilgrimage to his birth place. “There’s probably more celebration and activities in August than in January.”
AUSTRALIA: DIOCESE NEGOTIATES AGED CARE
Subject to the satisfactory completion of those negotiations, the undertaking of final due diligence by Little Company of Mary Health Care, and necessary government approvals, it is anticipated that Little Company of Mary Health Care would commence operating the aged and community care services of CatholicCare from April 1, 2011.
This follows a process during which several Catholic aged care providers expressed interest in continuing the aged care ministry of CatholicCare in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle.
A transfer will increase the long-term financial stability of the Diocese and help support its charitable and pastoral works and allow for the development of current and future ministry needs, said the statement.
Maitland-Newcastle's Bishop Michael Malone noted that Little Company of Mary Health Care has committed to the continuing employment of all of the aged and community care staff of CatholicCare, including those in the Corporate Office, on their current terms and conditions.
Bishop Michael commented that "While any decision of this type is always difficult and potentially distressing for those affected by it, I am satisfied that, if the negotiations and due diligence can be satisfactorily concluded, the transfer of the aged care services of CatholicCare to Little Company of Mary Health Care would ultimately benefit the people of the Hunter-Manning."
TODAY'S SAINT: DEC. 26: ST. STEPHEN
St. Stephen | |||||||||||
PROMARTYR FOR THE CHRISTIAN FAITH | |||||||||||
Feast: December 26 | |||||||||||
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TODAY'S MASS READINGS: FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY
Sirach 3: 2 - 7, 12 - 14 | |||||||||||||
2 | For the Lord honored the father above the children, and he confirmed the right of the mother over her sons. | ||||||||||||
3 | Whoever honors his father atones for sins, | ||||||||||||
4 | and whoever glorifies his mother is like one who lays up treasure. | ||||||||||||
5 | Whoever honors his father will be gladdened by his own children, and when he prays he will be heard. | ||||||||||||
6 | Whoever glorifies his father will have long life, and whoever obeys the Lord will refresh his mother; | ||||||||||||
7 | he will serve his parents as his masters. | ||||||||||||
12 | O son, help your father in his old age, and do not grieve him as long as he lives; | ||||||||||||
13 | even if he is lacking in understanding, show forbearance; in all your strength do not despise him. | ||||||||||||
14 | For kindness to a father will not be forgotten, and against your sins it will be credited to you;
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13Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him."14And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt,15and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt have I called my son."19But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying,20"Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead."21And he rose and took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.22But when he heard that Archelaus reigned over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee.23And he went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazarene."