TODAY'S SAINT : JAN. 1 : MARY MOTHER OF GOD
POPE FRANCIS PRAYER INTENTION FOR JANUARY 2014
2014
POPE FRANCIS NEW YEAR'S MASS - MARY MOTHER OF GOD - TEXT - VIDEO
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis welcomed the new year Wednesday with a solemn morning mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, calling the faithful to look to Mary as a Mother to all and messenger of hope.In his homily for this, the Solemnity of the Mother of God, Pope Francis said “there is no more meaningful time than the beginning of a new year” to hear God’s blessing “The Lord bless you and keep you…. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”
These "words of strength, courage and hope" "will accompany our journey through the year opening up before us,” the Pope said.
But, the Pope warned, this is not “an illusory hope based on human frail promises, or a naïve hope which presumes that the future will be better simply because it is the future.” Rather, he reminded the faithful, it is a hope based on God’s blessing, containing the “greatest message of good wishes there can be and this is the message which the Church brings to each of us.”
The message of hope in God’s blessing, the Pope stressed, “was fully realized in a woman, Mary, who was destined to become the Mother of God.”
“Mother of God is the first and most important title of Our Lady,” Pope Francis said, noting that in their devotion to her from early times, the faithful had understood this “from the beginning.”
Pope Francis recalled the ancient Council of Ephesus which “authoritatively defined” the divine motherhood of the Virgin Mary and later “the first Marian shrine in Rome and the entire West” which was erected in devotion to her in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major.
Mary is our Mother too, the Pope reminded us, “ever since Jesus, dying on the Cross, gave her to us as our Mother, saying ‘Behold your Mother!’”
Through the most difficult and trying times, Mary’s “sorrowing heart was enlarged to make room for all men and women, whether good or bad,” the Pope said, and she communicates “her maternal affection to each and every person… a source of hope and true joy.”
Inviting the faithful to entrust to her “the journey of faith, the desires of our heart, our needs and the needs of the whole world, especially of those who hunger and thirst for justice and peace," Pope Francis said by Mary’s “example of humility and openness to God’s will she helps us to transmit our faith in a joyful proclamation of the Gospel to all, without reservation.” And turning towards the statue of Our Lady near the high altar, Pope Francis invoked her three times, repeating forcefully: “Holy Mother of God!”
Below we publish the official English translation of Pope Francis’ Homily:
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
1 January 2014
In the first reading we find the ancient prayer of blessing which God gave to Moses to hand on to Aaron and his sons: “The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace” (Num 6:24-26). There is no more meaningful time than the beginning of a new year to hear these words of blessing: they will accompany our journey through the year opening up before us. They are words of strength, courage and hope. Not an illusory hope, based on frail human promises, or a naïve hope which presumes that the future will be better simply because it is the future. Rather, it is a hope that has its foundation precisely in God’s blessing, a blessing which contains the greatest message of good wishes there can be; and this is the message which the Church brings to each of us, filled with the Lord’s loving care and providential help.
The message of hope contained in this blessing was fully realized in a woman, Mary, who was destined to become the Mother of God, and it was fulfilled in her before any other creature.
The Mother of God! This is the first and most important title of Our Lady. It refers to a quality, a role which the faith of the Christian people, in its tender and genuine devotion to our heavenly Mother, has understood from the beginning.
We recall that great moment in the history of the ancient Church, the Council of Ephesus, in which the divine motherhood of the Virgin Mary was authoritatively defined. The truth of her divine maternity found an echo in Rome where, a little later, the Basilica of Saint Mary Major was built, the first Marian shrine in Rome and in the entire West, in which the image of the Mother of God – the Theotokos – is venerated under the title of Salus Populi Romani. It is said that the residents of Ephesus used to gather at the gates of the basilica where the bishops were meeting and shout, “Mother of God!”. The faithful, by asking them to officially define this title of Our Lady, showed that they acknowledged her divine motherhood. Theirs was the spontaneous and sincere reaction of children who know their Mother well, for they love her with immense tenderness.
Mary has always been present in the hearts, the piety and above all the pilgrimage of faith of the Christian people. “The Church journeys through time… and on this journey she proceeds along the path already trodden by the Virgin Mary” (Redemptoris Mater, 2). Our journey of faith is the same as that of Mary, and so we feel that she is particularly close to us. As far as faith, the hinge of the Christian life, is concerned, the Mother of God shared our condition. She had to take the same path as ourselves, a path which is sometimes difficult and obscure. She had to advance in the “pilgrimage of faith” (Lumen Gentium, 58).
Our pilgrimage of faith has been inseparably linked to Mary ever since Jesus, dying on the Cross, gave her to us as our Mother, saying: “Behold your Mother!” (Jn 19:27). These words serve as a testament, bequeathing to the world a Mother. From that moment on, the Mother of God also became our Mother! When the faith of the disciples was most tested by difficulties and uncertainties, Jesus entrusted them to Mary, who was the first to believe, and whose faith would never fail. The “woman” became our Mother when she lost her divine Son. Her sorrowing heart was enlarged to make room for all men and women, whether good or bad, and she loves them as she loved Jesus. The woman who at the wedding at Cana in Galilee gave her faith-filled cooperation so that the wonders of God could be displayed in the world, at Calvary kept alive the flame of faith in the resurrection of her Son, and she communicates this with maternal affection to each and every person. Mary becomes in this way a source of hope and true joy!
The Mother of the Redeemer goes before us and continually strengthens us in faith, in our vocation and in our mission. By her example of humility and openness to God’s will she helps us to transmit our faith in a joyful proclamation of the Gospel to all, without reservation. In this way our mission will be fruitful, because it is modeled on the motherhood of Mary. To her let us entrust our journey of faith, the desires of our heart, our needs and the needs of the whole world, especially of those who hunger and thirst for justice and peace. Let us then together invoke her: Holy Mother of God!
Text from Vatican Radio
JJ
HAPPY NEW YEAR'S - 10 WAYS TO MAKE THE WORLD PEACEFUL IN 2014 - SHARE
"O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me, for thou art the God of my salvation; for thee I wait all the day long. Be mindful of thy mercy, O LORD, and of thy steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth..." (Psalm 25)
The fruit of silence is prayer
the fruit of prayer is faith
the fruit of faith is love
the fruit of love is service
the fruit of service is peace.
the fruit of prayer is faith
the fruit of faith is love
the fruit of love is service
the fruit of service is peace.
Mother Teresa
10 Amazing New Year's Resolutions - That Can Change the World
1. Go to Church Every Sunday (or every day)
2. Pray Every Day (Rosary, Mercy Prayer)
3. Go to Confession Regularly (Every Week or Every Month)
4. Fast Every Week (Great for your figure - the best diet)
5. Smile at everyone
6. Forgive everyone on a daily basis
7. Practice Silence especially when angry
8. Read your Bible Daily
9. Do random acts of kindness Daily
10. Tell others about the love of Jesus
Let us make the world peaceful in 2014 through small acts of kindness, love, forgiveness, silence, and suffering. World peace begins in your heart, then to your family, friends and the world. Above all let us pray and love God with all our heart, mind and soul and love our neighbor as ourselves.
In Jesus and Mary, JCE News.
POPE FRANCIS NEW YEAR'S MESSAGE FOR PEACE - SHARE
The Pope said his wishes for the new year are “those of the Church:” Christian wishes that put Jesus Christ at the center of history and at its end: “the Kingdom of God, Kingdom of peace, justice, liberty in love.” And the Holy Spirit, the Holy Father said, is the force which propels us towards that end.
Recalling that on January first, the Church celebrates the feast of Mary, the Holy Mother of God as well as World Day of Peace, Pope Francis referred to his Message of Peace for the Day: ‘Fraternity: the Foundation and Pathway to Peace’ saying it stems from the conviction that we are “all children of one God and are part of the same human family,” sharing a common destiny.
We all have a responsibility, the Pope stressed, to build a world which “becomes a community of brothers who respect each other, accept each other’s differences, and take care of each other.”
We are also called to acknowledge “the violence and injustices present in many places around the world” and we cannot allow ourselves to be “indifferent and immobile,” the Pope said. Everyone must work to build a society of solidarity and “truly more just.”
Here, Pope Francis departed from his prepared remarks to say he was moved by a letter he recently received from a man touched by personal tragedy and who asked him why so many terrible things are happening in today’s world: ‘What has happened to the hearts of men?’ the man wrote. The Pope repeated the question, asking the faithful: “what has happened in the hearts of men, in the heart of humanity? It is time to stop!! It is time to stop!”
Today, believers around the world pray to the Lord for the gift of peace and the ability to spread it everywhere the Pope said. May the Lord lead us down the path of justice and peace “more decisively,” the Pope prayed, invoking the Holy Spirit to “loosen” the fastenings and hardening of hearts so that they will open up to “the tenderness and weakness of the Child Jesus.” “Peace,” he said, “requires the force of meekness, the force of nonviolence of truth and of love.”
To “Mary, Mother of the Redeemer,” Pope Francis entrusted the “cries for peace of populations oppressed by war and violence so that the courage of dialogue and reconciliation prevails over temptations of revenge, of arrogance (it: prepotenza), of corruption.” Pope Francis prayed that “the Gospel of fraternity announced and witnessed by the Church will speak to every conscience and break down the walls that prevent enemies from recognizing each other as brothers.”
Post Angelus
Following the Angelus, Pope Francis thanked Italian President Giorgio Napoletano for his good wishes expressed in a televised address on New Year’s Eve, and invoked a blessing on the Italian people so that with the “responsible” and fraternal “contribution of everyone, they may look to the future with trust and hope.”
The Pope concluded his remarks by welcoming the many initiatives taken up around the globe for the World Day of Peace.
Text from Vatican Radio
TODAY'S SAINT : JAN. 1 : MARY MOTHER OF GOD
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
Feast: January 1
 Information:
|
The solemnity of the Mother of God, which now coincides with the octave-day of Christmas and the beginning of the new year, was probably assigned this day because of the influence of the Byzantine Church, which celebrates the synapsis of the most holy Theotokos on December 26. This is in accordance with the Eastern practice of honoring secondary persons on the day after the feast of the principal personage (in this case, the birth of Christ). The Coptic Church celebrates this feast on January 16, but in the West, as early as the fifth century, the feast was celebrated on the Sunday before Christmas, although in France it was celebrated on January 18 and in Spain on December 18. Even before Pope Sergius introduced four Marian feasts in the seventh century (the Birth of Mary, the Annunciation, the Purification and the Assumption), the octave day of Christmas was celebrated in Rome in honor of the Maternity of Mary. Later, in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the feast of the Circumcision was added, although it had been introduced into Spain and France at the end of the sixth century and was later included in the Missal of Pope St. Pius V. The recent liturgical reform has restored the original Roman practice, which replaced the pagan feast of the New Year, dedicated to the god Janus, with this feast honoring the Mother of God.
A popular movement began in Portugal in the eighteenth century for a feast honoring Mary's maternity, and in 1914 the date of the feast was fixed at October 11. It was extended to the entire Latin Church in 1931, the fifteenth centenary of the Council of Ephesus. The restoration of the feast to January 1, which falls in the Christmas season and has an ecumenical significance, coincides with other anniversaries; for example, the octave day of Christmas, the circumcision of the Infant Jesus (assigned to the first Sunday of January); the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus (which dates back to 1721); and the day for peace, introduced by Pope Paul VI. In the encyclical Marialis Cultus (1974) Pope Paul VI states: "This celebration, assigned to January 1 in conformity with the ancient liturgy of the city of Rome, is meant to commemorate the part played by Mary in this mystery of salvation. It is meant also to exalt the singular dignity which this mystery brings to the 'holy Mother . . . through whom we were found worthy . . . to receive the Author of life.' It is likewise a fitting occasion for renewed adoration of the newborn Prince of Peace, for listening once more to the glad tidings of the angels, and for imploring from God, through the Queen of Peace, the supreme gift of peace. For this reason . . . we have instituted the World Day of Peace, an observance that is gaining increasing support and is already bringing forth fruits of peace in the hearts of many" (no. 5). |
SOURCE: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/S/solemnityofmary.asp#ixzz1iFrUNxIA
POPE FRANCIS NEW YEAR'S MASS - MARY MOTHER OF GOD - TEXT - VIDEO
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis welcomed the new year Wednesday with a solemn morning mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, calling the faithful to look to Mary as a Mother to all and messenger of hope.In his homily for this, the Solemnity of the Mother of God, Pope Francis said “there is no more meaningful time than the beginning of a new year” to hear God’s blessing “The Lord bless you and keep you…. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”
These "words of strength, courage and hope" "will accompany our journey through the year opening up before us,” the Pope said.
But, the Pope warned, this is not “an illusory hope based on human frail promises, or a naïve hope which presumes that the future will be better simply because it is the future.” Rather, he reminded the faithful, it is a hope based on God’s blessing, containing the “greatest message of good wishes there can be and this is the message which the Church brings to each of us.”
The message of hope in God’s blessing, the Pope stressed, “was fully realized in a woman, Mary, who was destined to become the Mother of God.”
“Mother of God is the first and most important title of Our Lady,” Pope Francis said, noting that in their devotion to her from early times, the faithful had understood this “from the beginning.”
Pope Francis recalled the ancient Council of Ephesus which “authoritatively defined” the divine motherhood of the Virgin Mary and later “the first Marian shrine in Rome and the entire West” which was erected in devotion to her in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major.
Mary is our Mother too, the Pope reminded us, “ever since Jesus, dying on the Cross, gave her to us as our Mother, saying ‘Behold your Mother!’”
Through the most difficult and trying times, Mary’s “sorrowing heart was enlarged to make room for all men and women, whether good or bad,” the Pope said, and she communicates “her maternal affection to each and every person… a source of hope and true joy.”
Inviting the faithful to entrust to her “the journey of faith, the desires of our heart, our needs and the needs of the whole world, especially of those who hunger and thirst for justice and peace," Pope Francis said by Mary’s “example of humility and openness to God’s will she helps us to transmit our faith in a joyful proclamation of the Gospel to all, without reservation.” And turning towards the statue of Our Lady near the high altar, Pope Francis invoked her three times, repeating forcefully: “Holy Mother of God!”
Below we publish the official English translation of Pope Francis’ Homily:
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
1 January 2014
In the first reading we find the ancient prayer of blessing which God gave to Moses to hand on to Aaron and his sons: “The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace” (Num 6:24-26). There is no more meaningful time than the beginning of a new year to hear these words of blessing: they will accompany our journey through the year opening up before us. They are words of strength, courage and hope. Not an illusory hope, based on frail human promises, or a naïve hope which presumes that the future will be better simply because it is the future. Rather, it is a hope that has its foundation precisely in God’s blessing, a blessing which contains the greatest message of good wishes there can be; and this is the message which the Church brings to each of us, filled with the Lord’s loving care and providential help.
The message of hope contained in this blessing was fully realized in a woman, Mary, who was destined to become the Mother of God, and it was fulfilled in her before any other creature.
The Mother of God! This is the first and most important title of Our Lady. It refers to a quality, a role which the faith of the Christian people, in its tender and genuine devotion to our heavenly Mother, has understood from the beginning.
We recall that great moment in the history of the ancient Church, the Council of Ephesus, in which the divine motherhood of the Virgin Mary was authoritatively defined. The truth of her divine maternity found an echo in Rome where, a little later, the Basilica of Saint Mary Major was built, the first Marian shrine in Rome and in the entire West, in which the image of the Mother of God – the Theotokos – is venerated under the title of Salus Populi Romani. It is said that the residents of Ephesus used to gather at the gates of the basilica where the bishops were meeting and shout, “Mother of God!”. The faithful, by asking them to officially define this title of Our Lady, showed that they acknowledged her divine motherhood. Theirs was the spontaneous and sincere reaction of children who know their Mother well, for they love her with immense tenderness.
Mary has always been present in the hearts, the piety and above all the pilgrimage of faith of the Christian people. “The Church journeys through time… and on this journey she proceeds along the path already trodden by the Virgin Mary” (Redemptoris Mater, 2). Our journey of faith is the same as that of Mary, and so we feel that she is particularly close to us. As far as faith, the hinge of the Christian life, is concerned, the Mother of God shared our condition. She had to take the same path as ourselves, a path which is sometimes difficult and obscure. She had to advance in the “pilgrimage of faith” (Lumen Gentium, 58).
Our pilgrimage of faith has been inseparably linked to Mary ever since Jesus, dying on the Cross, gave her to us as our Mother, saying: “Behold your Mother!” (Jn 19:27). These words serve as a testament, bequeathing to the world a Mother. From that moment on, the Mother of God also became our Mother! When the faith of the disciples was most tested by difficulties and uncertainties, Jesus entrusted them to Mary, who was the first to believe, and whose faith would never fail. The “woman” became our Mother when she lost her divine Son. Her sorrowing heart was enlarged to make room for all men and women, whether good or bad, and she loves them as she loved Jesus. The woman who at the wedding at Cana in Galilee gave her faith-filled cooperation so that the wonders of God could be displayed in the world, at Calvary kept alive the flame of faith in the resurrection of her Son, and she communicates this with maternal affection to each and every person. Mary becomes in this way a source of hope and true joy!
The Mother of the Redeemer goes before us and continually strengthens us in faith, in our vocation and in our mission. By her example of humility and openness to God’s will she helps us to transmit our faith in a joyful proclamation of the Gospel to all, without reservation. In this way our mission will be fruitful, because it is modeled on the motherhood of Mary. To her let us entrust our journey of faith, the desires of our heart, our needs and the needs of the whole world, especially of those who hunger and thirst for justice and peace. Let us then together invoke her: Holy Mother of God!
Text from Vatican Radio
JJ
VIS REPORT - The Pope's universal prayer intention for January 2014 is "that all may promote authentic economic development that respects the dignity of all peoples" .
His prayer intention for evangelization is "that Christians of diverse denominations may walk toward the unity desired by Christ".
(Vatican Radio Image Share)
NEW YEAR'S MASS ONLINE - SOLEMNITY OF MARY MOTHER OF GOD
The Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord
CLICK LINK FOR VIDEO
The Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord
Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God
Lectionary: 18
Reading 1 NM 6:22-27
The LORD said to Moses:
“Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them:
This is how you shall bless the Israelites.
Say to them:
The LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!
So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites,
and I will bless them.”
“Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them:
This is how you shall bless the Israelites.
Say to them:
The LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!
So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites,
and I will bless them.”
Responsorial Psalm PS 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8
R/ (2a) May God bless us in his mercy.
May God have pity on us and bless us;
may he let his face shine upon us.
So may your way be known upon earth;
among all nations, your salvation.
R/ May God bless us in his mercy.
May the nations be glad and exult
because you rule the peoples in equity;
the nations on the earth you guide.
R/ May God bless us in his mercy.
May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you!
May God bless us,
and may all the ends of the earth fear him!
R/ May God bless us in his mercy.
May God have pity on us and bless us;
may he let his face shine upon us.
So may your way be known upon earth;
among all nations, your salvation.
R/ May God bless us in his mercy.
May the nations be glad and exult
because you rule the peoples in equity;
the nations on the earth you guide.
R/ May God bless us in his mercy.
May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you!
May God bless us,
and may all the ends of the earth fear him!
R/ May God bless us in his mercy.
Reading 2 GAL 4:4-7
Brothers and sisters:
When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son,
born of a woman, born under the law,
to ransom those under the law,
so that we might receive adoption as sons.
As proof that you are sons,
God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,
crying out, “Abba, Father!”
So you are no longer a slave but a son,
and if a son then also an heir, through God.
and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this,
they made known the message
that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed
by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen,
just as it had been told to them.
When eight days were completed for his circumcision,
he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel
before he was conceived in the womb.
When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son,
born of a woman, born under the law,
to ransom those under the law,
so that we might receive adoption as sons.
As proof that you are sons,
God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,
crying out, “Abba, Father!”
So you are no longer a slave but a son,
and if a son then also an heir, through God.
Gospel LK 2:16-21
The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph,and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this,
they made known the message
that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed
by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen,
just as it had been told to them.
When eight days were completed for his circumcision,
he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel
before he was conceived in the womb.
NOVENA TO MARY MOTHER OF GOD - PRAYER - SHARE
MARY MOTHER OF GOD
JANUARY 1 (Say 9 Times)
This Novena honours the nine months during which Our Lady carried Our Blessed Lord in her womb.
"Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve;
to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate,
thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this our exile,
show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb Jesus.
O clement, O loving,
O sweet Virgin Mary. Amen."
V - Pray for us, most holy mother of God.
R - That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
"Virgin of the Incarnation,
a thousand times we greet thee,
a thousand times we praise thee
for thy joy when God was incarnated in thee.
Because thou art so powerful
a Virgin and Mother of God,
grant what we ask of thee for the love of God."
Here state your first intention.
Repeat all of above and then state your second intention.
Repeat all of above and then state your third intention.
CONCLUSION:
After the above prayers and intentions, say the Memorare.
Remember, O most Gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known
that anyone who fled to thy protection,
implored thy help
or sought thy intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence,
I fly unto thee,
O Virgin of Virgins,
my mother.
To thee do I cry,
before thee I stand,
sinful and sorrowful.
Mother of the Word Incarnate,
despise not my petitions,
but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.
Hail Mary...
Blessed and praised be
the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar,
in Heaven, on earth and everywhere.
AMEN.
GAIN A PLENARY INDULGENCE ON NEW YEAR'S DAY
The Enchiridion Indulgentiarum indicates that we can gain plenary indulgences on the 1st January. (Video Below)
A plenary indulgence is granted to the Christian faithful who, recite or sing the Veni Creator Spiritus.Under the usual conditions, a plenary indulgence can be gained:
1. Sacramental confession within eight days
2. A prescribed good work (for Jan. 1 the recital of the Veni Creator)
3. Sacramental Holy Communion within eight days.
4. Prayers for the intentions of the Roman Pope (usually 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary and 1 Glory Be)
5. Detestation of venial sin
Come, Holy Spirit / Veni, Creator Spiritus
Come, Holy Spirit / Veni, Creator Spiritus
| English version: | Latin version: | |
| Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest, and in our souls take up Thy rest; come with Thy grace and heavenly aid to fill the hearts which Thou hast made. | Veni, Creator Spiritus, mentes tuorum visita, imple superna gratia quae tu creasti pectora. | |
| O comforter, to Thee we cry, O heavenly gift of God Most High, O fount of life and fire of love, and sweet anointing from above. | Qui diceris Paraclitus, altissimi donum Dei, fons vivus, ignis, caritas, et spiritalis unctio. | |
| Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known; Thou, finger of God's hand we own; Thou, promise of the Father, Thou Who dost the tongue with power imbue. | Tu, septiformis munere, digitus paternae dexterae, Tu rite promissum Patris, sermone ditans guttura. | |
| Kindle our sense from above, and make our hearts o'erflow with love; with patience firm and virtue high the weakness of our flesh supply. | Accende lumen sensibus: infunde amorem cordibus: infirma nostri corporis virtute firmans perpeti. | |
| Far from us drive the foe we dread, and grant us Thy peace instead; so shall we not, with Thee for guide, turn from the path of life aside. | Hostem repellas longius, pacemque dones protinus: ductore sic te praevio vitemus omne noxium. | |
| Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow the Father and the Son to know; and Thee, through endless times confessed, of both the eternal Spirit blest. | Per te sciamus da Patrem, noscamus atque Filium; Teque utriusque Spiritum credamus omni tempore. | |
| Now to the Father and the Son, Who rose from death, be glory given, with Thou, O Holy Comforter, henceforth by all in earth and heaven. Amen. | Deo Patri sit gloria, et Filio, qui a mortuis surrexit, ac Paraclito, in saeculorum saecula. Amen. |
Rabanus Maurus (776-856)
CATHOLICS ATTACKED WHILE GIVING PRESENTS TO ORPHANS IN VIETNAM - ASIA
ASIA NEWS REPORT:
by Joseph Dang
Attack took place in Kontum, where a group of volunteers were blocked by police and forced to turn back. One of the assaulted, tortured by the head of the local Communist Party, ended up in hospital with multiple internal injuries.
Kontum ( AsiaNews) - The Dr. Seuss story of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" in which a creature that hates Christmas robs children's gifts has become a reality in Kontum, Vietnam.
An unwarranted attack on a group of church volunteers as they tried to bring Christmas gifts to orphans and the poor in remote areas of the province has left many children sad this festive season.
Father Tran Si Tin, C.Ss.R, pastor of the Catholic congregation of Gia Lai, in the diocese and province of Kontum in the Central Highlands, presented a report in which he denounces the serious violation of human and religious rights carried out by the very head of the Ayun municipality against a group of volunteers from the Church who on December 17 were delivering blankets donated by people to the orphans of the town .
They were carrying out a mission on behalf of Father Tin, too old and not physically able to carry out a work in mountainous areas. But halfway to their destination the group was stopped by local police who ordered to turn back. The group's leader, Kpuih Bop Plei Chep was then singled out for punishment and was beaten and tortured by Ayun village Communist Party chief Dat Nguyen Van. Bop has had multiple internal injuries and had to be hospitalized.
"There is no freedom in the town of Ayun ," commented the disappointed Father Tin. "Since this is an isolated area, Catholic activities are often forbidden and therefore anything to do with religion meets this immoral reaction immoral from officials . One cannot talk about religion in this municipality".
Vietnam November 12, 2013, joined the Human Rights Commission of the United Nations . But will it respect and protect human rights or simply play a dirty game with the Human Rights Commission ?
ASIA NEWS REPORT
by Joseph Dang
Attack took place in Kontum, where a group of volunteers were blocked by police and forced to turn back. One of the assaulted, tortured by the head of the local Communist Party, ended up in hospital with multiple internal injuries.
Kontum ( AsiaNews) - The Dr. Seuss story of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" in which a creature that hates Christmas robs children's gifts has become a reality in Kontum, Vietnam.
An unwarranted attack on a group of church volunteers as they tried to bring Christmas gifts to orphans and the poor in remote areas of the province has left many children sad this festive season.
Father Tran Si Tin, C.Ss.R, pastor of the Catholic congregation of Gia Lai, in the diocese and province of Kontum in the Central Highlands, presented a report in which he denounces the serious violation of human and religious rights carried out by the very head of the Ayun municipality against a group of volunteers from the Church who on December 17 were delivering blankets donated by people to the orphans of the town .
They were carrying out a mission on behalf of Father Tin, too old and not physically able to carry out a work in mountainous areas. But halfway to their destination the group was stopped by local police who ordered to turn back. The group's leader, Kpuih Bop Plei Chep was then singled out for punishment and was beaten and tortured by Ayun village Communist Party chief Dat Nguyen Van. Bop has had multiple internal injuries and had to be hospitalized.
"There is no freedom in the town of Ayun ," commented the disappointed Father Tin. "Since this is an isolated area, Catholic activities are often forbidden and therefore anything to do with religion meets this immoral reaction immoral from officials . One cannot talk about religion in this municipality".
Vietnam November 12, 2013, joined the Human Rights Commission of the United Nations . But will it respect and protect human rights or simply play a dirty game with the Human Rights Commission ?
ASIA NEWS REPORT
LIVE YEAR END VESPERS AND TE DEUM WITH POPE FRANCIS
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis presides the traditional year-end Vespers and the singing of the Te Deum hymn on Tuesday in thanksgiving for gifts received over the past year. The solemn celebration in St. Peter’s Basilica began at 5:00 p.m. Rome time.The Te Deum is a hymn of praise that dates from early Christian times. In Latin, the hymn’s words: “Te Deum laudamus” can be translated "Thee, O God, we praise".
The ceremony will be Pope Francis’ last official event of the year 2013 and his first celebration as Pontiff of Vespers for the Solemnity of the Mother of God, to whom the New Year is dedicated. The event will be webcast live on Vatican Radio.
After the evening Vespers, the Pope will make a brief visit to the life-sized Nativity scene below the obelisk in the center of St. Peter’s Square. This year’s scene, entitled “Francis 1223- Francis 2013” recalls the very first Nativity scene created 790 years ago by St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis’ namesake. The scene in St. Peter’s square this year was crafted by artisans from the southern Italian city of Naples, famous for its traditional Christmas displays.
On Wednesday January 1st in St. Peter’s Basilica, the Holy Father will preside a morning liturgy marking the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. Following the mass, at noon, Pope Francis will greet the faithful in St. Peter’s Square and together with them pray the Angelus
Shared from Vatican Radio
SOUND OF MUSIC RECIPE FOR NEW YEAR'S EVE BY MARIA VON TRAPP - SHARE
Sylvester Punch
NEW YEAR'S EVE PUNCH BY MARIA VON TRAPP
Sylvester Punch
(In Austria the last day of the year is dedicated to the Holy Pope, St. Sylvester, who baptized Constantine the Great, thereby bringing about the dawning not only of the New Year but of a new era; for this reason, the night before the New Year is called "Sylvesterabend" (Eve of St. Sylvester).Ingredients:
Red burgundy (count one bottle for six people)
Equal amount of hot tea
12 cloves
rind of 1 lemon
2 tbsp. sugar to each bottle of wine
2 cinnamon sticks to each bottle of wine
Pour the liquid into an enamel pot, add the cloves, the thinly pared rind
of 1 lemon, the sugar, and the cinnamon. Heat over a low flame but do not
allow to boil. At the last moment add the tea. Serve hot.
If there are many children and very young people, it is good to know
different fruit punch combinations. Here is a basic recipe, with
variations:
1/2 cup lemon juice grated rind of 1 lemon
1 cup orange juice 1 qt. water
grated rind of 1/2 orange 1 cup sugar
Cook sugar and water for five minutes. Cool. Add juices and the grated
rind and any of the following combinations:
(1) 1 cup grated pineapple, 1 qt. ginger ale.
(2) 1 qt. strained, sweetened strawberry juice, 1 qt. raspberry juice, 2
qts. ginger ale.
(3) 1 glass currant jelly dissolved in 1 cup hot water. Cook, chill, and
add 1/4 cup mint, finely minced.
(4) 1 qt. cider, 1 qt. grape juice, 1 qt. soda water.
It is great fun to try out new variations every year. One starts with
lemonade or orangeade and soon the children will go on to pineapple-ade,
raspberry-ade....In our family we have something called "Hedwig-ade"
because it is Hedwig's own secret.
Source: Maria Augusta Trapp
Music Arranged by Franz Wasner Illustrations by Rosemary Trapp and Nikolaus E. Wolff LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD NO. M[55]-1016 Harcourt, Brace & Co., New York.
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