Tag Archives: Christmas

Daily Gracelines ADVENTure Day 27

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December 28
Day 27: Daily Gracelines: ADVENTure with Mary
Theme: The third Sunday of Advent is all about JOY.  The third week of Advent begins on Guadete Sunday.  We are reminded of His birth and coming, and we await rejoicing!
Grace: I pray for the grace of joy as I await my Lord!  Regardless of what happens this week, I will rejoice in God.

Reflection: “A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not
be consoled, since they were no more.” -1 John 2:2

Challenge: Today is the Feast of the Holy Innocents, a day when the blood of innocent children cries out and we remember them with reverence and love. It is also a day when that points to the obedience of St. Joseph who heeded the warning of the angel and took Mary and Jesus into Egypt to escape this massacre. Ponder these mysteries.

As we draw closer to the New Year, how is God asking you to be more obedient to His will? Where is He calling you to change? What one resolution will make the greatest impact in your relationship with Him?

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Daily Gracelines ADVENTure Day 26

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December 27
Day 26: Daily Gracelines: ADVENTure with Mary
Theme: The third Sunday of Advent is all about JOY.  The third week of Advent begins on Guadete Sunday.  We are reminded of His birth and coming, and we await rejoicing!
Grace: I pray for the grace of joy as I await my Lord!  Regardless of what happens this week, I will rejoice in God.

Reflection: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life.” -John 3:16

Challenge: As you have journeyed with Mary through Advent into the Christmas season, ponder how God has worked in your life, drawing you closer to Himself through the joys and challenges of your time of preparation. Make note of the many ways you are grateful for the gift of faith and belief in Christ.

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St. John Paul II — “Christmas is the Feast Day of Man”

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When I came back to the Faith in 1981, one Scripture passage became the rudder of my spiritual life. It is Ephesians 1: 3-4. Through the years, this passage has spoken to me in many ways and has sustained me through many trials.

Verse 4 , however, is particularly relevant for this time of the year, and was echoed by St. John Paul II in a Christmas reflection. It states this, “God chose us in him before the world began to be holy and blameless in his sight, to be full of love.” Those first five words tell us something about ourselves that is amazing and astounding — each one of us was distinctively and individually chosen by God to have life. Read the rest…

Daily Gracelines ADVENTure Day 25

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December 26
Day 25: Daily Gracelines: ADVENTure with Mary
Theme: The third Sunday of Advent is all about JOY.  The third week of Advent begins on Guadete Sunday.  We are reminded of His birth and coming, and we await rejoicing!
Grace: I pray for the grace of joy as I await my Lord!  Regardless of what happens this week, I will rejoice in God.

Reflection: “Mankind is a great, an immense family…This is proved by what we feel in our hearts at Christmas.”
– Pope John XXIII

Challenge: How can you love your family better during this Christmas season? How can you love better your extended family, the family of God as well?

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Daily Gracelines ADVENTure Day 24

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December 25
Day 24: Daily Gracelines: ADVENTure with Mary
Theme: The third Sunday of Advent is all about JOY.  The third week of Advent begins on Guadete Sunday.  We are reminded of His birth and coming, and we await rejoicing!
Grace: I pray for the grace of joy as I await my Lord!  Regardless of what happens this week, I will rejoice in God.

Reflection:
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Saviour’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appear’d and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born;
O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here come the wise men from the Orient land.
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friend.

He knows our need, to our weaknesses no stranger,
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King, Before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
– O Holy Night by John Sullivan

Challenge: Ponder the holy moment of Christ’s birth when the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. What does it mean to you this year? How will you carry Jesus Christ anew in your heart throughout 2019?

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Daily Gracelines ADVENTure Day 23

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December 24
Day 23: Daily Gracelines: ADVENTure with Mary
Theme: The third Sunday of Advent is all about JOY.  The third week of Advent begins on Guadete Sunday.  We are reminded of His birth and coming, and we await rejoicing!
Grace: I pray for the grace of joy as I await my Lord!  Regardless of what happens this week, I will rejoice in God.

Reflection: “O Jesus, I ask only for peace — peace and, above all, love that is without measure or limits.” – St. Therese of Lisieux

Challenge: This reflection from St. Therese reminds us that “perfect love casts out fear.” Our Lady was the perfect example of perfect love. Ask her to show you where you need to love more? Who do you need to forgive so that you might experience fully the peace of Christ on Christmas day?

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How to Turn Black Friday into Bless Friday®

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If you’re tired of standing in line at the local mall on Black Friday and are yearning for more meaning in the Christmas season, why not start off your holidays by spending the day after Thanksgiving spreading the love of Christ in your community?

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Advent Week Four: A Time for Sharing, A Time for Caring

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divine intimacyOne of my favorite books for Lectio-Divina (see Week One of the Advent Study) is Divine Intimacy, by Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalene.

This book provides meditations on the interior life for every day of the liturgical year. I have found it to be very efficacious.

One of the meditations offered by Father Gabriel for the fourth week of Advent is entitled, The Call to the Apostolate.

In it, he offers an insightful perspective of the Christian call to evangelization based on the words of St. John the Baptist, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord” (Luke 3: 4). In the end, he tells us that “Jesus has need of us.” When I read these words, they infused me with zeal.

Because I found this meditation so spiritually benefiicial, today I’d like to share with you what Father Gabriel presents.  Read the rest…

Advent Week Three: A Time for Charity, A Time for Love, Part II

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As we discovered yesterday, for our good deeds to become charitable acts, we must center our hearts, our souls, our minds, and all of our strength on love of God. Then, and only then, will our good deeds effect a change that reaches beyond the finite to touch the eternal. And when we do that, every thought, word, deed, and suffering can become an act of charity — even our daily labor. Read the rest…