Author Topic: Forgive So We Can Live and Let Live (Read 1781483 times)

cassini · « **Reply #20 on:** November 22, 2023, 07:41:38 AM »

Fr Sean again:

Meeting Christ the King: Our Final Examiner

Jesus’ Church ends this year of grace with the celebration of Jesus as King of kings, our Saviour and our Judge. As the Lover of Justice He’ll hold each of us accountable for our words and deeds. Christ as King is the Lord of creation. Every person’s history on earth begins and ends with Jesus as the “Judge of the living and the dead.” (2 Tim 4:1; 1 Peter 4:1-8). Jesus warns us, “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and, when He does, He will reward each one according to his behaviour” (Mt 16: 27). It’s appropriate that the Church ends her year reminding us that Jesus is King and will judge us as to whether we chose His Kingdom or Satan’s through our choices while on earth. The consequences are eternal. His Church teaches that there are two judgments: the particular judgment of each of us at death and a general judgment at the end of time demonstrating that love conquered hate, freedom conquered slavery to sin, good conquered evil, truth conquered falsehood, and beauty conquered ugliness. Heaven is the eternal enjoyment of love, freedom, goodness, truth, and beauty. Hell is the eternal experience of hate, slavery, evil, lies, and ugliness. Jesus is the final examiner who gives us our final exam that determines our entry into Heaven, hell, or Purgatory. He appeals to our reason by asking, “What, then, will a man gain if he wins the whole world (seeking popularity, pleasure, possessions, or power) and ruins himself? Or what has a man to offer in exchange for himself” (Mt 16:26)? Are our daily choices leading us to Heaven or hell?

St. John Henry Newman noted the following concerning our particular judgment: “Each of us must come to the evening of life. Each of us must enter on eternity. Each of us must come to that quiet, awful time, when we will appear before the Lord of the vineyard, and answer for the deeds done in the body, whether they be good or bad. That, my dear brethren, you will have to undergo. … It will be the dreadful moment of expectation when your fate for eternity is in the balance, and when you are about to be sent forth as the companion of either saints or devils, without possibility of change. There can be no change; there can be no reversal. As that judgment decides it, so it will be for ever and ever. Such is the particular judgment…When we find ourselves by ourselves, one by one, in His presence, and have brought before us most vividly all the thoughts, words, and deeds of this past life. Who will be able to bear the sight of himself?” (A Year with the Saints, p 101). The only witnesses to testify at our trial will be the Word of God and our Guardian Angel. Jesus warns us that, “Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words already has his judge, namely the word I have spoken – it is that which will condemn him on the last day” (Jn 12:8). For each of us the “last day” is when we die.

God told His people through Moses, “See, I set before you today … a blessing, if you obey the commandments of Yahweh your God … a curse, if you disobey the commandments of your God and leave the way I have marked out for you today, by going after other gods …” (Deut 11:26-27). God blesses those who obey Him lovingly. The disobedient bring a curse on themselves. Heaven is the blessing. Hell is the curse. The choice is ours. We hold our destiny in our own hands. Do we want to hear Jesus’ invitation, “Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the Kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world” (Mt 25:34) OR His dismissal, “Out of my sight, you accursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Mt 25:41). Our final exam will show whether we lived an egocentric or Christocentric life?

God is a loving Father endowing each of us with the capacity to say “Yes” to a happy union with Him and with one another. He wants to be personally involved in our life as our Provider and Protector. “I myself will look after and tend my sheep … I will rescue them … I will pasture them … I will give them rest … The lost I will seek out, the strayed I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy … I will judge between one sheep and another, between rams and goats” (Ez 34:11-12, 15-17). But He cannot save us unless we freely choose to follow Jesus. That means acknowledging Him in the Psalmist’s words: “The Lord is my Shepherd, three is nothing I shall want…” (Ps 23:1). God's promises in Ezekiel are fulfilled in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, our Good Shepherd. Jesus assured the continuity of God’s pastoral providence when He founded His Church on Peter whom He commissioned to “Feed my lambs … Look after my sheep … Feed my sheep” (Jn 21:15-17). This mission is primarily the responsibility of the Pope, Bishops, and clergy. But we all must participate according to our gifts in spiritually looking after Jesus’ lambs and sheep, especially the most vulnerable. He provides us with the wherewithal to do this in and through His Church that calls us to obey the Ten Commandments, live the Beatitudes, and carry out the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. St. Paul assures us that “In Him who is the source of my strength I have strength for everything” (Phil 4:13). This is what faith in Jesus does for us so that we can live joyfully looking forward to meeting Jesus our King face-to-face.

Jesus has given us a preview of His exam in Matthew 25:31-46). Since the Examiner is Himself the Truth, we’ll have to be honest in our answers. God gives us every opportunity on earth to prepare for this test so we’ve no excuses. We’ll have to answer each question with a Yes or a No.

1. Did I make Jesus the centre of my daily life? Yes No

2. Did I help to feed those who were physically or spiritually hungry? Yes No

3. Did I help meet the needs of those who were physically or spiritually thirsty? Yes No

4. Did I help to show hospitality to the physical or spiritual stranger? Yes No

5. Did I help to clothe those who were physically or spiritually naked? Yes No

6. Did I reach out to those who were physically or spiritually sick? Yes No

7. Did I reach out to those who were physically or spiritually imprisoned? Yes No

On the basis of your answers, where would you be if you died now – Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory? Start answering these questions today so you can receive your desired result (All Yeses= Heaven; All Nos = Hell; 3 Yeses and 4 Nos = Purgatory). Remember, the final exam has no repeat, results are final. (fr sean)

cassini · « **Reply #21 on:** November 29, 2023, 10:08:52 AM »

Fr Sean again:
Advent: Watching for Jesus or Santa?

The Irish playwright, Samuel Beckett, wrote a tragicomedy titled “Waiting for Godot.” Two homeless men interact as they wait in vain for someone who is supposed to make life better but never shows up. It highlights the anticipation of what never materializes. One person who’s coming to make things better will definitely materialize is Jesus Christ. Anticipating Santa’s coming will materialize for a relative few but for many it won’t happen. This Sunday Jesus’ Church begins another year of grace with the Advent season. The liturgical colour changes to purple symbolizing Jesus’ royalty as our King and our need for repentance in preparation to welcome Him. It also brings a new cycle of Bible readings to nourish our faith and our soul. It’s a period during which the Church alerts the world to celebrate Jesus’ humble birth in a stable in Bethlehem, refocus on His real presence in His Church, especially in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and to prepare for His second coming as the Judge of the living and the dead. We can make full use of this time of spiritual preparation to make Christmas a real celebration of Jesus’ coming to save us, or we can become caught up in the world’s false thinking that Santa can make us happy.

Advent is a set time to deepen our reflection on what God has done, is doing, and will do in and for us. Preparation is an essential step in achieving any goal. There are three kinds of people in the world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happening, and those who wonder what happened. Advent is a time to make things happen in collaboration with the Holy Spirit who brings us to Jesus and who in turn brings us to His Father. Passive people watch things happening. Losers wonder what happened. I often saw students waiting until the night before an exam to study and then wonder why they received a bad grade. Preparation is about making sure that what we want to happen actually happens. A person who doesn’t prepare for what’s important in life will be caught unprepared and suffer the deprivation of lost opportunities. That causes deep regret. It’s like Aesop’s fable about the ant and the cricket. The ant worked all summer gathering food for the winter while the cricket sang the days away. When winter came the cricket starved while the ant was well fed. Sloth is a deadly sin. If we fail to prepare we prepare to fail.

Since nothing is more important than that face-to-face meeting with Jesus Christ that determines our eternal state, why don’t people prepare themselves for it? Satan tempts us to procrastinate. We excuse ourselves by promising that we’ll “do it tomorrow.” Actually there’s no tomorrow – it’s simply a figment of our imagination where we try to extend the present beyond its boundaries. Tomorrow never comes; all we have is today. So if we don’t do what we need to do today it will add to the burden of what we need to do tomorrow when it becomes today – if we live for it. The problem is that, as Jesus points out to us (Mt 6:34), tomorrow will bring its own realities that call for our attention and carryovers from yesterday become overwhelming. That’s poor time management. Procrastination is often a form of avoiding responsibility for not doing now what we should be doing now. A procrastinator puts wants before needs and so loses out on the essentials of life. The most essential thing for the creature is to be led by the Creator. Deepening our faith and love for God isn’t something we put off until tomorrow, but something essential we must do today. Jesus stresses the urgency of this when He warns us to, “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come…whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning” (Mk 13:33-37). In other words, don’t postpone for tomorrow what you should do today because it may be your last day on earth.

Will you spend this Advent preparing for Jesus’ or for Santa’ coming? The world has made Santa the centre of Christmas at the expense of shutting out Jesus Christ. The world ignores that “santa” means saint, which means holy, which means being like God who is All Holy. Why is that? Because the world replaces Jesus with ‘Santa’ to create the illusion that material things make us happy; the illusion of love by emphasizing the giving of material gifts rather than the gift of self. Christmas – Christ’s Mass – celebrates God’s gift of His Son to free us from our sins – the greatest gift of all. When we prepare for the worldly ‘santa’ we focus on what we get. When we prepare for Jesus we focus on how we can give ourselves as a gift to others as He has made a gift of Himself to us. Preparing to celebrate Jesus’ coming motivates us to approach the Infant Jesus by making our self as spiritually and physically presentable as possible to Him. This motivates us to spend Advent getting rid of our sinfulness and other obstacles to the Holy Spirit that might dishonour Jesus and His Heavenly Father. Like those waiting for Godot, when we prepare for ‘santa’ we wait for someone who doesn’t materialize or make our life better.

When we celebrate Jesus’ birth and prepare for His second coming we’ll not be disappointed. He has come; He’s here now in His Church and in the heart of Christians. He definitely will come again as our Judge rewarding or punishing us “according to our deeds” (Rom 2:6). We must pray with Isaiah: “O Lord, hold not back, You, Lord, are our Father, our redeemer … no ear has heard, no eye ever seen, any God but You doing such deeds for those who wait for Him … we are the clay, You are the potter: we are all the work of Your hands” (Is 63:16; 64:3, 7). When we see God as our Father and Redeemer we know who alone brings us a happiness that’s consistent. Yearning for this happiness moves us to get rid of everything that might deprive us of that joy. He has made us and therefore knows our true purpose and what we need. He guarantees the continuity and enrichment of our life. So we pray with the Psalmist, “O Shepherd of Israel … rouse Your power and come to save us … Give us new life, and we shall call upon Your Name … Let us see Your face and we shall be safe.” (Ps 80:2-4, 16, 19)

God has come to save us and keeps us spiritually safe by sending His Son to deliver us from all evil. Safety is one of our basic human needs. If we don’t feel safe in our home, neighbourhood, or nation the quality of life deteriorates. Feeling safe is essential if we’re going to be able to enjoy life and live it to the full. God gives us that sense of safety by enabling us to unite with Jesus in His Church. Jesus comforts us when He says, “Do not fear those who deprive the body of life but cannot destroy the soul. Rather, fear Him who can destroy both body and soul in Gehenna” (Mt 10: 28). The Holy Spirit assures us that, “God bestowed His grace on you in Christ Jesus , that in Him you were enriched in every way… so that you lack nothing in every spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 1:3-9). We pray with Isaiah (Is 63:16-17, 19; 64:2-7): “Behold You are angry and we are sinful … unclean …our deeds like polluted rags… we are the clay and You are the potter: we are all the work of your hands”. May we let God mould us into the beautiful pot that He wants us to give as a gift to others this Christmas?

Now is the time to prepare to be moulded by the Holy Spirit in readiness to welcome Jesus. With Isaiah we pray, “Would that you might meet us doing right, that we are mindful of You in our ways!” This is why Jesus warns us, “What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’” (Mk 13:37). Santa without Jesus is superficial and leaves us disappointed. So let’s spend Advent letting the Holy Spirit prepare us to make a gift of our self to others as God has made a gift of His Beloved Son to us. Then our days coming up to Christmas will be joyful rather than stressful. (fr sean)

cassini · « **Reply #22 on:** December 06, 2023, 12:13:19 PM »

Fr Sean again:
Advent 2 B: How Are You Awaiting the Lord’s Coming?

There’s a saying that “He who hesitates is lost!” To hesitate when tempted may lead to losing salvation If we don’t take advantage of a good opportunity it may not come our way again. Opportunity knocks but once, says the sage. On the other hand, there’s another saying: “Look before you leap!” A good decision means that we gain more than we lose, especially in the long term. Not everything is as good as it looks. The wrapping paper may be beautiful but the package may contain trash. We’re told not to judge the book by its cover. An unattractive cover may hide very attractive content. An attractive cover might hide poisonous material. Don’t let hesitation deprive you of God’s guidance.
Advent is a special opportunity to prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ coming – prepping ourselves to celebrate God’s love for us by coming among us as our Savior to free us from sin. Jesus’ Church uses this time to reflect on His first coming two thousand years ago, His coming to us now sacramentally, especially in the Holy Mass, and His coming again as the Judge when the world ends. The issue I want to raise during this 2nd week of Advent is: How are you and I taking advantage of this grace-filled opportunity to prepare for His coming? Are we using this designated and blessed time before Christmas to celebrate His birth, joyfully welcome His presence in and through His Church, and when we meet Him face-to-face in death? Do we give daily private and public witness to His presence in our hearts? Remember Jesus’ words to us: “Whoever acknowledges me before men I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven. Whoever disowns me before men I will disown before my Father in heaven” (Mt 10:32-33). If we don’t welcome the Son in our heart neither do we welcome the Father nor the Holy Spirit! We need to remember that, “No one knows the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal Him” (Mt 11:27). We cannot enter Heaven except through Jesus. He’s the only way, and there’s no other since He alone has “the words of eternal life” (Jn 6:68) and “No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn 14:6). What must we do to welcome Jesus’ coming with our whole being?
Clear Him a Straight Path
John the Baptizer urges us, quoting from Isaiah: “Make ready the way of the Lord, clear Him a straight path” (Mk 1:3). How can we clear a straight path for the Lord to come into our world? What kind of society are we building now? How are we identifying ourselves, privately and publicly? How are we living our lives – is Jesus central in our heart, or do we treasure someone or something else more? To what or whom do we look as the source of our power and meaning? Let’s look at our decisions concerning the use of our time, talent, and treasure. This provides us with a good lens through which we can identify what’s most important to us. Let’s face it, what’s most important to us is what we think will make us happy. Only the God of the Bible can satisfy this deepest yearning.
What the Use of Our Time Tells Us
How we use our time tells us what our life is about. As time ticks away our life gets shorter and so does our time to do anything. Is the way we’re living and using our time now a good preparation for receiving Jesus? Are we using our time to establish a personal relationship with our Lord as a member of His Church? How much of our time do we give to prayer and worship (Mass)? How much of our time do we give to others - carrying out the spiritual and corporal works of mercy? Am I collaborating with God in His mission to save the world and being saved myself in the process? This is how we clear a straight path for the Lord to come to us.
Using Our Gifts and Talents
Are we using our gifts and talents for altruistic or selfish purposes? Are we wasting our gifts and talents because of laziness, lack of motivation, escapism, or ignorance? God gives us abilities according to our capacity to use them for our God and that of His Church. By investing these gifts in a manner that demonstrates love for God and neighbor, we’re preparing the way for the coming of the Lord to us and through us to the world at large. In the words of the Psalmist (Ps 85:9-14), thus the “Lord, let(s) us see (His) kindness, and grant(s) us (His) salvation.” God lets us and the world see His kindness when you and I commit ourselves to Him in prayer: “I will hear what God proclaims – for He proclaims peace to His people.” We prepare the path for the Lord to come to us when we take the time to hear what He proclaims through His Word preached by His Church.
How We Spend our Money
How we spend our money tells us what’s important to us? The best way to discover our participation in God’s mission is to examine the stubs of our checkbook or credit card bill. God’s mission is to shepherd His people. “Like a shepherd He feeds His flock; in His arms He gathers the lambs, carrying them in His bosom and leading the ewes with care” (Is 40:1-11). Through Peter (2 Pt 3:8-14) the Holy Spirit reveals that God “is patient with you, not wishing that anyone should perish but that all should come to repentance … Be eager to be found without spot or blemish before Him, at peace.” Are we using our money to help God shepherd our brothers and sisters who’re less fortunate, sick, or too young to take care of themselves? How do we use our money to help Jesus in “gathering the lambs and carrying them in His bosom”? Are we as patient with others as God is patient with us in giving us every chance to welcome His Son, particularly by asking Him to cleanse our soul from sin in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and promising to amend our life?
The Reward of Our Preparation or Lack Thereof
When you and I die will God say to us, “Come, my friend, you used what I gave you to show your love for me and your brothers and sisters. Thus, you demonstrated your willingness to be loved by me and to be led by my Spirit to embrace my Son. You couldn’t love another without my love for you first. Your love for others was a visible sign of my love for you and for them through you.”
Will God say to you and to me in death: “You selfishly used what I gave you, thereby demonstrating your rejection of my love for you? Because you rejected My Spirit of love you focused only on yourself and your own wants. Instead of making me the center of your life you made your ego the center. Now you have doomed yourself to be loveless for all eternity.”
To prepare for Jesus’ coming is to “await … new heavens and a new earth, where according to His promise, the justice of God will reside” (Pt 3:8-14). Fr. Richard J. Neuhaus, a convert to Jesus in the Catholic Church, wrote, when commenting on the Pope John Paul II’s Gospel of Life, “The third Millennium will witness a flowering of the culture of life or a continual descent into the abyss of the culture of death ... We Christians have the great privilege and responsibility of persuading the world to choose life - for God’s sake, for our sake, for the sake of humanity” (The Church’s Love Letter to the World). We contribute to the culture of life and stop the culture of death through continually welcoming Jesus into our life.(fr sean)

Grace · « **Reply #23 on:** December 06, 2023, 12:21:30 PM »

Beautiful sermons! Thank you

cassini · « **Reply #24 on:** December 14, 2023, 05:25:58 AM »

Fr Sean again:

Advent III: Are You Joyful?

The liturgical color changes this Sunday from purple to rose pink that reflects a call to rejoice. One might ask, given today’s atheistic, irreligious, materialistic, culture, what’s there to rejoice about? Governments legislate against Christian morality and freedom of speech. Church leaders publicly oppose the very teaching they swore to uphold. Thousands of unborn children are sacrificed on the altar of egotism every day. Children in schools are being groomed to accept sɛҳuąƖ perversion as normal. Life is no longer viewed as sacred and a gift from God who holds every individual accountable for his or her attitude toward that gift. People are helped to commit ѕυιcιdє. Adhering to the Church’s Apostolic Tradition is labeled as being “backwardism.” Jesus’ Church is now being called a “Synodal Church.” Marxism is rearing its ugly head, embraced by people who have never been taught to think critically and learn from history about the spiritual disaster left behind by that ideology. This is a world where more children are born outside marriage than from within that sacred covenant. The differences between man and women are so blurred that adolescence is made more traumatic for teenagers and young adults. This is the age of self-created truth, self-created gender, and self-salvation. It’s a time of irrationality and stupidity where ego, instead of God, is the determiner of what’s real, true, good, and beautiful. But, in the words of Katy Perry’s song, “Fireworks,” it is all “Like a house of cards, one blow from caving in.” So what is there to be joyful about?

Joyfulness

The notion of joy is directly associated with good fortune. When a person’s fortune changes from bad to good he or she has a reason to be joyful. When something good happens to us or when we accomplish a difficult task, joy is a natural response. Happiness is a feeling. Joy is a spirit. Feelings come and go but a spirit lasts. Joyful people realize something good is happening in their life. They have something to celebrate. People who have no joy in their hearts and souls can’t cope with failure and so try to escape through the use of man-made fads and chemicals. Into this dark and self-absorbed world comes God with good news bringing joy to people of good will.

Christianity is the only religion that gives us the hope of resurrection. It provides us with a spirit of joy that comes from experiencing the “light that shines in the darkness and the darkness does not overcome it” (Jn 1:5-7). The Christian is the one who recognizes the presence of a Redeemer that conquered suffering and death. The Christian is the person who knows the source of joy and receives His spirit. The Christian is the one who hears Jesus’ declaration: “I have come that you might have life and have it in its fullness” (Jn 10:10). This lifts up the individual from the darkness and absurdities of the fallen world in which he or she lives. This spirit of joy leads the person to embrace suffering and death as opportunities to grow closer to Jesus as He gives him or her knowledge of salvation “through the forgiveness of sins” (Lk 1:77-79). The true Christian is able to rejoice because he or she experiences good fortune in knowing that Christ has come to redeem him or her and pave the way to Heaven.

The Call to Be Joyful

God, through Jesus’ Church, calls us to rejoice this third Sunday of Advent. God is joy personified. Heaven is the state of being eternally joyful in God’s presence. Christians are those on the way to Heaven in the company of Jesus, God’s Word-made-man, who has come, is here now in His Church, and will come again to judge the world, when according to Him “we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells” (1 Peter 3:13). This knowledge makes our journey a joyful one, despite the obstacles and evils we might encounter on the way. This 3rd Sunday of Advent the Church reminds us that as we prepare to celebrate Christmas and the joy it’s meant to bring, we’re coming nearer to our death when, hopefully, our joy will be complete. But not everyone has this joy. Some people get more miserable the closer Christmas comes, like Scrooge. Others get more miserable when they realize their time on earth is passing with each day. Miserable people lack a spirit of joy - a spirit of generosity -generated by God’s gift of Himself in the Person of Jesus Christ. The fact that death is a stark reminder that we’re not in control or that we are poor or that we are ignored doesn’t matter because the One who makes us joyful is in control and wants to wrap us in His loving arms.

The Bible Readings

Let’s look at the Scriptures for this Sunday. In the first reading (Is 61:1-2, 10-11) God anoints Isaiah to bring joy to His people who’re struggling. Called by God, Isaiah declares, “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and release to prisoners … a day of vindication by our God! I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul … God will make justice and praise spring up before all the nations.” Knowing that God has anointed you in Baptism and sends you His spirit to lift up your spirit when you’re brokenhearted or enslaved by sin is the basis for joy. We can be joyful because Jesus has come to save us from our sins. He is a just judge who brought justice to the world. With His grace we can overcome our imperfections, weaknesses, and disordered desires.

The Lord comes to bring good news to you and me when we’re feeling lowly, grieving or sad, and encourages you to: “yoke yourself to me … and I will refresh you” (Mt 11:29). He comes to rescue us from addictions. He will vindicate us when we’re rejected or mocked for your faith and good works. He constantly blesses us if we’re receptive. Thus Jesus gives us His spirit that makes our life a joyful experience despite suffering or misfortune. Mary expressed this joy when she visited Elizabeth to share the good news God brought her. Through His Church, the Holy Spirit enables us to proclaim with Mary: “My soul magnifies the Lord. My spirit finds joy in God my Savior. He who is mighty has done great things for me. (Lk 1:46-54).

Through second reading (1 Thess 5:16-24) the Holy Spirit reveals what God wills for us. He wants us to: 1. Rejoice always. 2. Never cease praying. 3. Render constant thanks. 4. Do not stifle the Spirit. 5. Do not despise prophecies (catechesis). 6. Test everything to verify it. 7. Retain what is good. 8. Avoid any semblance of evil. 9. Let God make you perfect in holiness. 10. Be preserved whole and entire in spirit, soul, and body. 11. Be irreproachable when the Lord comes. 12. Be trustworthy and you will be made perfect. This is the formula for us as Christians that gives us every reason to rejoice.

Joy of Forgiveness

Finally in the Gospel (Jn 1:6-8, 19-28), Jesus’ Church is taking the place of John in the world today as the “voice in the desert, crying out: Make straight the way of the Lord!” To receive the joy that God wants us to have we must make straight the way for His coming to us by repenting of our sins and seeking forgiveness. John told those who came to see Him at the Jordan: “I baptize you with water, but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal-strap I am unworthy to untie.” John announced the coming of Jesus who would add to the grace of forgiveness to the grace of repentance. We cannot help but feel joyful when we repent and receive God’s forgiveness and that of His Church in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Sadly, though, the denial of sin or the refusal to repent deprives people of the joy they look for in the world but which the world cannot provide. The sinner who repents and seeks forgiveness is blessed with a joyful spirit despite the recognition of being a sinner and the unworthiness of being forgiven. This we and for the rest of your life, be what God wants you to be, namely a joyful Christian. (Fr. Sean.)

The Real 12 Days of Christmas

From 1558 until 1829 the Catholics of England were forbidden by law to practice their Catholic Faith. As a result of this ban they devised secretive and symbolic songs to teach their children the truths of their Faith. The Twelve Days of Christmas was one of these songs.

The “Twelve Days” stood for the Christmas Season, Dec. 25 - Jan 6th). The “True Love” in the carol is God Himself, who gives true Christians special gifts on each of the 12 days.

1st gift: A Partridge in a pear tree. The partridge stands for Christ, who gathers His children under His wings. The tree reflects back to the tree of life in Paradise, which Adam and Eve lost through their sin and God promised to restore through Christ Jesus. God’s first gift, therefore, is His own Son, Jesus – His Word-made-man.

2nd gift: Two turtle doves. The doves represent the sacrifice which a Hebrew family had to make upon the birth of a son. Our sacrifice is the Holy Mass.

3rd gift: Three French hens. These symbolized the three gifts of Faith, Hope, and Charity, which were realized in the birth of the Savior.

4th gift: Four calling (collie) birds. They symbolize the four Evangelists (Sts. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) whose four Gospels call us all to the Bethlehem manger of the Redeemer.

5th gift: Five golden rings. They symbolize the first five books of the Old Testament - the Law, Torah, Pentateuch - which Jesus came to fulfill and complete.

6th gift: Six geese a-laying. These symbolize the six days of the week when people labor and bring forth the fruit of the land.

7th gift: Seven swans a-swimming. They symbolize the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit necessary for living the True Faith.

8th gift: Eight maids a-milking. They symbolize the 8 beatitudes which bring God’s blessings on His people.

9th gift: Nine ladies dancing: They symbolize the 9 choirs of angels and the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22-23)

10th gift: Ten Lords a-leaping. Recall the 10 Commandments.

11th gift: Eleven pipers piping. This recalls the 11 Apostles, minus Judas, proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ to the whole world.

12th gift: Twelve drummers drumming. This symbolizes the 12 articles of Faith contained in the Nicene Creed proclaimed at Mass.

CathInfo.com

Author Topic: Forgive So We Can Live and Let Live (Read 1781483 times)

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