Church of the Nativity

February 16

Reasons People Leave the Church in (In Three Parts)

Part 2: Moral Objections:

1. The Church is so judgmental. Didn’t Pope Francis say, ‘Who am I to judge?’” Response: We should never judge persons, but it’s okay and sometimes necessary to judge actions. A reminder: forming an opinion of someone is beyond your control. The human mind immediately forms an opinion on its own. Judging is in your control.
2. The Church hates LGBTQ persons. Response The Church welcomes everyone and demands that Catholics treat all people with respect, compassion and sensitivity.
3. I’m gay. How could I ever be Catholic? Response: Same-sex attraction is not incompatible with Catholicism, but those who struggle with it need love, support, and guidance.
4. Why is the Church against me living with my boyfriend/girlfriend? We love each other so what’s the problem? Response: True love leads to a lifelong commitment in marriage, not a temporary partnership through sex/cohabitation. Cohabitation before marriage has a 90% divorce rate. However, being married in the Church, attending Mass, utilizing NFP, and praying for and with each other drops to rate as low as 7%.
5. “I’ll come back to church, when they stop oppressing women.” Response: Even though women can’t be priests, they overwhelmingly lead the work of the Church. The Church praises women’s “feminine genius”.
6. The Church is behind the times on contraception and abortion.” Response: Contraception and abortion are harmful to women and children. Thankfully, the Church offers better alternatives. NFP offers an holistic approach to spacing births. NFP is no longer a hard thing “to keep up with”. Now, a watch can be worn that tracks the periods of an individual woman spacing births with scientific accuracy.
7. “I’m divorced. The Church doesn’t want me.” Response: Divorced people are most certainly welcome in the Church. Divorce does not keep you from the sacraments. Everyone is a vital parts of the Body of Christ.

February 9

Reasons People Leave the Church in Three Parts

PART 1: Personal Objections:

1. I don’t have time; I’m too busy. Response: Mass becomes the highest priority only when you realize it offers a direct encounter with God.
2. Mass is boring. Response: Mass is exhilarating once you learn to see what’s really going on. Go to youtube.com and type in “what really happens at Mass”.
3. The Church is too focused on rules and making people feel guilty. Response: The Church doesn’t add guilt; it takes away guilt. Its mission involves forgiveness and healing. Everything we humans do involves rules in order for the activity to flow and develop. Reduce all the rules to Love God and Love Your Neighbor. There are some other rules, but there are a lot less than you think.
4. How could anyone remain Catholic after the sexual abuse crisis? Response: The Church has always been full of sinners, but faith is grounded in Christ, not the actions of wayward people. Sexual abuse is found in many aspects of humanity, not just the Church. The number of abusers in context to the number of religious is minimal when set side by side. Abuse is never right but most religious do not abuse. The Church has undertaken many steps in religious preparation. Also, every adult that works with a child MUST have safe environment training EVERY year, including all priests.
5. I’m married to a non-Catholic. Returning to the Church would upset my spouse. Response: Your marriage is important. You should still move forward into the Church, but gradually rather than suddenly. You have the right to live your faith as does your spouse. Even though “the two become one”, you don’t have to always do the same things. Love will allow the other to find their spiritual place in the world.
6. I had a bad experience with the Church; I’m not going back. Response: The Church I bigger than one mean priest, one ugly receptionist, one unfortunate event. Don’t focus on the priest, the person or the event. We go to Mass not for those things but for Jesus.
7. God can never forgive me for what I’ve done. Response: God’s mercy is unconstrained. There is nothing that He will not forgive. Even the so called “unforgivable sin’ of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit is when you make yourself a god and don’t need God’s forgiveness. So, the only sin that will not be forgiven is the sin that forgiven is not asked for.

February 2

Why is the Protestant Bible Different from the Catholic Bible?

The Catholic Church took the main collection of Jewish scripture at the beginning of the Christian Era. It was a collection of writings beginning with the Torah (the Law) consisting of the first five books of the Bible then, books of wisdom, history, prophets, etc… collected by Jewish Scholars. The language of the learned people at that time was Greek. This collection was called the Septuagint (Lt. for70) since it took 70 scholars to collect the books). This is the Old Testament of the Catholic Bible

By the authority given to the Church by Jesus given to Peter (“Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”  [Mt. 18;18] The Church brought together the books of the New Testament.

In the 1500’s, when Luther broke from the Church, he took out books which did not coincide with his theology. In fact, Luther’s first German translation was missing 25 books (i.e., Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Esther, Job, Ecclesiastes, Jonah, Tobias, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach (i.e., Ecclesiasticus), Baruch, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Matthew, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, Hebrews, James, Jude and Revelation. He referred to the Epistle of James as “straw not worthy to be burned in my oven as tinder.” The rest he called “Judaizing nonsense.” Subsequent Protestants, deciding that Luther wasn’t really inspired by the Holy Spirit, replaced most of the books he had removed.*  Latter, scholars added back most of these books to the Protestant Bible except Tobit, Judith, Maccabees, Wisdom of Solomon, Baruch, and Sirach. They are called the Apocrypha or deuterocanonical books.

Due to misunderstandings it has been insinuated that the Church added extra books when in reality the books were removed by Protestants.

The New Testament is the same for both Catholic and Protestant Bibles.  

*National Catholic Register

January 26

Particular Judgment and the Final Judgment

The Church teaches us that when we die, our souls (which are immortal) receive a particular judgment of Heaven, Hell or Purgatory. The Final judgment will be the return of Christ who will judge the world and renew it to a new heaven and a new earth. All of the brokenness of the world will be repaired.

Some believe that a loving God would not place anyone in Hell. And they are correct because God puts no one into Heaven, Hell or Purgatory. We put ourselves into these places by either accepting or rejecting the truth given to us from God, His Church and the scriptures.

Everyone is held to the ability that they can intellectually attain. (Think of a mentally handicapped person or a person who never had the opportunity to know the full truth such as a Jew who has been taught that Jesus is not God). But the truth we do gain holds us responsible for our everlasting placement. Rejection of what we know about God to be true will keep us from our goal.

At the final judgment, our bodies will be united with our souls in the place our particular judgment has placed us.

January 19

HOW IS THE SON OF GOD MAN?

470 Because "human nature was assumed, not absorbed",⁹⁷ in the mysterious union of the Incarnation, the Church was led over the course of centuries to confess the full reality of Christ's human soul, with its operations of intellect and will, and of his human body. In parallel fashion, she had to recall on each occasion that Christ's human nature belongs, as his own, to the divine person of the Son of God, who assumed it. Everything that Christ is and does in this nature derives from "one of the Trinity". The Son of God therefore communicates to his humanity his own personal mode of existence in the Trinity. In his soul as in his body, Christ thus expresses humanly the divine ways of the Trinity:⁹⁸

The Son of God. worked with human hands; he thought with a human mind. He acted with a human will, and with a human heart he loved. Born of the Virgin Mary, he has truly been made one of us, like to us in all things except sin.⁹⁹

“Hypostatic union” sounds fancy in English, but it’s actually a simple term. Hypostatic means personal. The hypostatic union is the personal union of Jesus’s two natures. Jesus has two complete natures: one fully human and one fully divine. What the doctrine of the hypostatic union teaches is that these two natures are united in one person in the God-man. Jesus is not two persons. He is one person. The hypostatic union is the joining (mysterious though it be) of the divine and the human in the one person of Jesus.

Jesus had two distinct natures, and two wills (human and divine)

As God, He knew all things from the beginning. As a human, he had to mature and grow. Being “connected” to God in such a perfect and unique way would make the human Jesus, a perfect learner, assuming knowledge quickly and efficiently and the human will would act in concert with the Divine will.

Born of a person without sin

The word perichoresis comes from two Greek words, peri, which means “around,” and chorein, which means “to give way” or “to make room.” It could be translated “rotation” or “a going around.” Perichoresis is not found in the Greek New Testament but is a theological term used in three different contexts. In the first, perichoresis refers to the two natures of Christ in perfect union within the same Person.

Perichoresis is seen in Jesus’ prayer in John 17:1, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.” We compare this with John 16:14, in which Jesus says that the Holy Spirit “will glorify me.” So, the Holy Spirit glorifies the Son, the Son glorifies the Father, and the Father glorifies the Son. The loving relationships within the Trinity result in the Persons of the Godhead giving glory to one another.

Resurrection as proof of his Divinity

January 12

Jesus Christ, True God, True Man Pt. II

As we see in John, chapter 1, Jesus Christ has always been God and at the same time He has always been with God. John 8:58 and 10:30 re-affirm this truth. However, when Jesus Christ came to earth, He became a human being (John 1:14). Jesus added human flesh, but He did not cease to be God. Jesus is one Person, fully God and fully man. This is what is called the hypostatic union.

The Bible tells us that Jesus became human so that He would identify with human struggles and pains (Hebrews 2:17) and so that He would become a spiritual high priest for us (Hebrews 4:14-15, 9:11-12) a mediator between God and man, securing our redemption.

464 CCC The unique and altogether singular event of the Incarnation of the Son of God does not mean that Jesus Christ is part God and part man, nor does it imply that he is the result of a confused mixture of the divine and the human. He became truly man while remaining truly God. Jesus Christ is true God and true man.

During the first centuries, the Church had to defend and clarify this truth of faith against the heresies that falsified it.

465 CCC The first heresies denied not so much Christ's divinity as his true humanity (Gnostic Docetism). From apostolic times the Christian faith has insisted on the true incarnation of God's Son "come in the flesh".⁸⁷ But already in the third century, the Church in a council at Antioch had to affirm against Paul of Samosata that Jesus Christ is Son of God by nature and not by adoption. The first ecumenical council of Nicaea in 325 confessed in its Creed that the Son of God is "begotten, not made, of the same substance (homoousios) as the Father", and condemned Arius, who had affirmed that the Son of God "came to be from things that were not" and that he was "from another substance" than that of the Father.⁸⁸

466  CCC The Nestorian heresy regarded Christ as a human person joined to the divine person of God's Son. Opposing this heresy, St. Cyril of Alexandria and the third ecumenical council, at Ephesus in 431, confessed "that the Word, uniting to himself in his person the flesh animated by a rational soul, became man."⁸⁹ Christ's humanity has no other subject than the divine person of the Son of God, who assumed it and made it his own, from his conception. For this reason, the Council of Ephesus proclaimed in 431 that Mary truly became the Mother of God by the human conception of the Son of God in her womb: "Mother of God, not that the nature of the Word or his divinity received the beginning of its existence from the holy Virgin, but that, since the holy body, animated by a rational soul, which the Word of God united to himself according to the hypostasis, was born from her, the Word is said to be born according to the flesh."⁹⁰

467 The Monophysites affirmed that the human nature had ceased to exist as such in Christ when the divine person of God's Son assumed it. Faced with this heresy, the fourth ecumenical council, at Chalcedon in 451, confessed:

Following the holy Fathers, we unanimously teach and confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: the same perfect in divinity and perfect in humanity, the same truly God and truly man, composed of rational soul and body; consubstantial with the Father as to his divinity and consubstantial with us as to his humanity; "like us in all things but sin". He was begotten from the Father before all ages as to his divinity and in these last days, for us and for our salvation, was born as to his humanity of the virgin Mary, the Mother of God.⁹¹

We confess that one and the same Christ, Lord, and only-begotten Son, is to be acknowledged in two natures without confusion, change, division or separation. The distinction between the natures was never abolished by their union, but rather the character proper to each of the two natures was preserved as they came together in one person (prosopon) and one hypostasis.⁹²

468 After the Council of Chalcedon, some made of Christ's human nature a kind of personal subject. Against them, the fifth ecumenical council, at Constantinople in 553, confessed that "there is but one hypostasis [or person], which is our Lord Jesus Christ, one of the Trinity."⁹³ Thus everything in Christ's human nature is to be attributed to his divine person as its proper subject, not only his miracles but also his sufferings and even his death: "He who was crucified in the flesh, our Lord Jesus Christ, is true God, Lord of glory, and one of the Holy Trinity."⁹⁴

469 The Church thus confesses that Jesus is inseparably true God and true man. He is truly the Son of God who, without ceasing to be God and Lord, became a man and our brother:

"What he was, he remained and what he was not, he assumed", sings the Roman Liturgy.⁹⁵ And the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom proclaims and sings: "O only-begotten Son and Word of God, immortal being, you who deigned for our salvation to become incarnate of the holy Mother of God and ever-virgin Mary, you who without change became man and were crucified, O Christ our God, you who by your death have crushed death, you who are one of the Holy Trinity, glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit, save us!"⁹⁶

January 5

JESUS CHRIST: TRUE GOD, TRUE MAN Pt. I

Genesis 1:1-5a

In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth and the earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters. Then God said; Let there be light, and there was light. God saw that the light was good God then separated the light from the darkness God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.”

1. Gen 1:26a, 27Then God said; let us make human beings in our image, after likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild animals, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth. God created mankind in his image; In the image of God he created them;Male and female he created them.”

John 1:1-5
“In the beginning was the Word, 
And the Word was with God
And the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
And without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,
And this life was the light of the human race;
The light shines in the darkness,
And the darkness has not overcome it.”

Augustine wrote: “The New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed, the Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed.”

Who do people say that the Son of Man is? MT 16:13-17 (MK 8:27-30)

The Incarnation Taking up St. John's expression, "The Word became flesh",⁸² the Church calls "Incarnation" the fact that the Son of God assumed a human nature in order to accomplish our salvation in it. In a hymn cited by St. Paul, the Church sings the mystery of the Incarnation:

 The Letter to the Hebrews refers to the same mystery:

Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, Lo, I have come to do your will, O God."⁸⁴

463 CCC Belief in the true Incarnation of the Son of God is the distinctive sign of Christian faith: "By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God."⁸⁵ Such is the joyous conviction of the Church from her beginning whenever she sings "the mystery of our religion": "He was manifested in the flesh."⁸⁶

He has demonstrated his love for us in that while we were still sinners, he took our nature to his one person and died for us (Romans 5:8). 470 Because "human nature was assumed, not absorbed",⁹⁷ in the mysterious union of the Incarnation, the Church was led over the course of centuries to confess the full reality of Christ's human soul, with its operations of intellect and will, and of his human body. In parallel fashion, she had to recall on each occasion that Christ's human nature belongs, as his own, to the divine person of the Son of God, who assumed it. Everything that Christ is and does in this nature derives from "one of the Trinity".

The Son of God therefore communicates to his humanity his own personal mode of existence in the Trinity. In his soul as in his body, Christ thus expresses humanly the divine ways of the Trinity:⁹⁸

December 29

Mass in Scripture and Tradition Pt. 3

Our Father.  Mt. 6, Lk.11, 

At the end of the prayer, we and an embolism. “Deliver us Lord, we pray, from every evil, an xpansive statement on forgiveness 

Doxology:  For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and forever.  Catholics do not add this prayer WITH the Our Father because it was not originally in scripture.

Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles: Peace I leave you, my peace I give you, look not on our sins, but on the faith of the Church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will. Jn. 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” 

Peace of the Lord be with you always AND WITH YOUR SPIRIT (AGAIN, 2 Tim: 4:22 “The Lord be with your spirit….”)

Let us offer one each other the sign of peace. Mt. 5:23-24 “Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

The Bread is broken.  Jesus takes, blesses, breaks and gives.  Mt. 14:19 “Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them…” 

Lamb of God…you take away the sins of the world have mercy on us.   Jn. “1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God,^* who takes away the sin of the world” When we asks saints to help us, we always ask them to pray for us.  We don’t ask Jesus to pray for us, but to have mercy on us.  

Private prayer of priest, there are 2 to choose from.  Says something along the lines of free me from my sins and evil and protect me. 

Behold the Lamb of God……Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed. Mt. 8: 5-8  “When he entered Capernaum,^* a centurion approached him and appealed to him,6saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.” He said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion said in reply,^* “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.”  (A Centurion is a military leader of a group of 100 soldiers)

Priest receives> May the Body of Christ keep me safe for eternal life.  May the Blood of Christ keep me safe for eternal life. 

Private prayer when cleaning the vessels.  What has passed our lips as food, O Lord, may we possess in purity of heart, that what has been given to us in time may be our healing for eternity. 

Prayer after communion:  Proper

The Lord be with you. And with your spirit.  (2 Tim: 4:22)

Blessing. Sign of the Cross again.  Begin and end (book marks, book ends)

Dismissal.  Lt. (Missio), mission;, go!

December 22

Liturgy of the Eucharist: 

Bread and Wine:  Gen. 14:18 Melchizedek, king of Salem,^* brought out bread and wine. He was a priest of God Most High. Heb. 5: 8-10 Son though he was,  he learned obedience from what he suffered, and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, declared by God high priest according to the order of Melchizedek

Melchizedek was not from the House of Levi or Aaron.  Not a Levitical Priest or in the Aaronic Priesthood.   A DIFFERENT PRIEST. 

 Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation     for through your goodness we have received the wine we offer you: fruit of the vine and work of human hands, it will become our spiritual drink.  Jewish blessings of bread: Hamotzi: 

Preparation of the Cup. “By the mystery of this water and wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity.”  Christ is the wine; we are the water.   

Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the wine we offer you: fruit of the vine and work of human hands, it will become our spiritual drink. Jewish blessing of wine: Kaddush: 

BLESSED BE GOD FOREVER

“With humble spirit and contrite heart may we be accepted by you, O Lord and may our sacrifice in your sight this day be pleasing to you, Lord God.” In the book of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah…Hebrew names) Azariah says in Dan 3: 39 But with contrite heart and humble spirit let us be received; As though it were burnt offerings of rams and bulls, or tens of thousands of fat lambs…” Is. 57:15, and Psalm 51

Priest washes his hands.  “Wash me, O Lord, from my iniquity; cleanse me from my sin” Jewish rhetoric of washing. Ex/ 30:17ff “The LORD told Moses: For ablutions you shall make a bronze basin with a bronze stand. Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it.  Aaron and his sons shall use it in washing their hands and feet. When they are about to enter the tent of meeting, they must wash with water, lest they die. Likewise when they approach the altar to minister, to offer an oblation to the LORD, they must wash their hands and feet, lest they die. This shall be a perpetual statute for him and his descendants throughout their generations.”  Psalm 26: 6 “I will wash my hands^* in innocence so that I may process around your altar, Lord”   The cleansing before entering the ‘Holy of Holies’ rebuilt in time.  INCENSE;  (if used) from Revelation and the psalm 142 may our prayers rise up like incense.  

Pray brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice, and yours may be acceptable to God the almighty Father. 

May the Lord accept the sacrifice and your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his holy Church

The Lord be with You.  And with your spirit. 2 Tim: 4:22 “The Lord be with your spirit….”

Lift up your hearts.  We lift them up to the Lord. 

Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God.  It is right and just. 

Preface: Changes with season or particular feast. At the end of the preface, when we say something along the lines of ‘and so, with the Angels and all the Saints we declare your glory, as with one voice we acclaim:’ We call to mind the heavenly celebration of the Mass given to us in the Book of Revelation. WE participate WITH the angels and saints.

The Church teaches us that, at the Mass, all the Church is present.  The Church Militant: us, the Church Suffering: The souls in Purgatory, and the Church Triumphant; those in Heaven.  

Holy Holy Holy. Isaiah 6: “….I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne with the train of his garment filling the temple. Seraphim were stationed above;. each of them had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they hovered. One cried out to the other:

“Holy, holy, holy^* is the LORD of hosts! All the earth is filled with his glory!” Rev. 4 “The four living creatures, each of them with six wings,^* were covered with eyes inside and out. Day and night they do not stop exclaiming: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come.””

 Eucharistic Prayer. (Canon).  Several to pick from.  But based on and around the institution narratives of the Last Supper.  Oldest from Justin Martyr around 160  Eucharistic prayer #2 

Eucharistic Prayer 

At the sacrifice of the Mass, we do not re-crucify Christ, but bring in being the moment of Christ’s crucifixion among us. WE bring the moment of Jesus’ crucifixion into our understanding of time.                                                                                                       

December 15

THE ROOTS OF THE MASS IN SCRIPTURE AND TRADITION.  PT 1

INTRODUCTORY RITES

SIGN OF THE CROSS. 3 fold purpose:  1) Mark ourselves as Christians and 2) to remind ourselves to Know, Love and Serve God in the world so as to be happy with Him in the next. Also, we do everything IN THE NAME (SINGULAR) OF THE THREEFOLD GOD (TRINITY).  The priest uses an open hand to bless. 3) We bless ourselves with the cross.  In the Eastern Rites of the Church, they use the 3- fingers up (Trinity) and 2 closed (2 Natures of Christ when blessing themselves and giving the blessing. Matthew 28:19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit. 

”THE LORD BE WITH YOU/ And with your spirit” Luke 1:28 And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.    The Lord is with US.  2 Tim: 4:22 “The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with all of you.”  The earlier translation said “And also with you”.  This is not a good translation.  The priest acts in Persona Christi, in the person of Christ.  We say “and with your spirit” to the priest, (and with the spirit of Christ which is within.)

Penitential Rite  1)  Confiteor  I Confess…. 2) Petitions followed by “Lord, Christ, Lord Have Mercy), 3) Priest: Have mercy on us, O Lord. For we have sinned against you. Show us, O Lord, your mercy. And grant us your salvation.  In the Jewish tradition, there was a public speaking of your sin. Leviticus 5:5 when someone is guilty in regard to any of these matters, that person shall confess the wrong committed. Gloria:  Luke 2:14 Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” The acclamation of the angels on the occasion of Jesus’ birth. The titles given God and Jesus are found throughout scripture

Collect: (Opening Prayer) Gathers our thoughts together:  “collects” our thoughts and prayers and sets the tone for the Mass.  PROPER/ORDINARY.

LITURGY OF THE WORD.  O.T., PSALM, N.T. GOSPEL. HOMILY: ALL from the bible.   ALLELUIA =Praise God, Praise Yahweh. Alleluia found in the psalms and in the Book of Revelation. Before Gospel: Blessing for Deacon: May the Lord be in your heart and on your lips, that you may proclaim his Gospel worthily and well, in the name of the Father, and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  /Priest prayer: Cleanse my heart and my lips, almighty God, that I may worthily proclaim your holy Gospel. Isaiah 6:6-7 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, holding an ember which he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth with it. “See,” he said, “now that this has touched your lips,^*your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.”  After Gospel: Through the words of the Gospel may our sins be wiped away.

Homily Gr. “homlietikos” “conversation”, [Mass is a dialogue]

Sermon” Latin “sermo” or “speech”

Creed.  Nicene/Apostle’s.    Reaffirmation of our faith before we begin the most important section of the Mass. Council of Nicea (325) Constantine calls for this. 

Prayers of the Faithful

December 8

Beginning Dec. 1 (First Sunday of Advent), the rubrics for adoration were changed for the American Church.

When exposition occurs, proper vestments must be worn (alb or surplice over a cassock, and a white stole or the chasuble of the Mass.  Also, incense must be used for exposition. The monstrance will be incensed and in accordance with local custom (which we have observed) an appropriate song is sung. The monstrance is placed on a corporal with 4 candles (at least). There is no closing prayer.

This will change our adoration between the Sunday Masses.  However, we can expose the ciborium placed on a corporal and 2 candles in a less involved manner. Before the Masses on the weekends, we will expose the ciborium for adoration and then return the ciborium to the tabernacle before Mass begins. 

The proper genuflection for Jesus, inside and outside of the tabernacle is a single genuflection. (If you want to continue the double genuflection, that’s fine.)

The monstrance is to be used on longer periods of adoration. On Wednesdays, we will end Mass with the closing prayer and then expose the Eucharist in the monstrance. The monstrance will be incensed and an appropriate song will be sung.   We cannot repose the Eucharist before Mass and then expose the Eucharist in the monstrance after Mass until the Spanish communion service or Mass. If the monstrance is replaced with the Eucharist, it would entail another Benediction before the Spanish Mass. We do not duplicate the Benediction.  WE WILL HAVE BENEDICTION WITH THE MONSTRANCE AND THE REPOSITION BEFORE THE 6:00 pm Mass. After the 6:00 PM Mass, we will then expose the ciborium on the altar until the Spanish Communion Service or Mass.

First Fridays will continue as usual although there is a different prayer to be said than in the past by the priest or deacon at Benediction. 

December 1

Advent, 2024

Navigating the Arrival: Advent 2024                                                               

The season of Advent 2024 nears as the days grow shorter and a hint of crispness fills the air. Our thoughts naturally turn towards the upcoming Christmas season. But before the merriment of gift-giving and festive gatherings commences, the Church calls us to a period of preparation known as Advent. 
 What Is the Meaning of Advent?  
Within the Catholic faith, the season of Advent holds profound meaning. It serves a twofold purpose:

• Preparation for the Birth of Christ: Advent is a time to prepare our hearts and minds to celebrate the arrival of Jesus. We reflect on the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament, their fulfillment in Jesus our hope (1 Tim. 1:1), and thus the mission of salvation he’s given to us as members of the one Church he founded.
• A Call to Conversion: It’s also a season of introspection and renewal. The liturgical color purple reminds us of our imperfections and the need for repentance. By acknowledging our shortcomings, we open ourselves to God’s grace and prepare ourselves to receive the gift of Christ. Also, penance—such as through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—helps us quiet and discipline our hearts for the joy of Christmas (see Catechism 1434). In that light, without an Advent fast it’s harder to prepare for a Christmas.

In essence, this season is a bridge between the past, present, and future. It allows us to look back on the hope for the Savior of the World, experience anew the joy of his arrival and also his reign in the present through his Church, and to prepare ourselves for his glorious return at his Second Coming.                                                                          
Sundays of Advent
Each Sunday of Advent holds a special significance, as symbolized by the respective four candles of the Advent wreath:

• First Sunday of Advent: This Sunday marks the beginning of the season and traditionally focuses on the theme of hope, symbolized by the Prophet’s Candle which points to the long-expected Savior (see Tit. 2:13; John 3:16–17).
• Second Sunday of Advent: The focus shifts to faith with the Bethlehem Candle, reminding us of Mary and Joseph’s journey to the city where Jesus would be born (see Mic. 5:2; Luke 2:1–7).
• Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday): In a departure from the usual purple vestments, priests wear a rose-colored one at this Sunday’s Mass, and rose is also the color of the Shepherd’s Candle. Both symbolize the world’s joy for the long-expected Savior’s birth (see Isa. 9:1–3; Luke 2:8–12).
• Fourth Sunday of Advent: The final Sunday before Christmas emphasizes the incomparable peace that our Divine Savior brings (see Isa. 9:6; John 14:27), and which the Angel’s Candle heralds (see Luke 2:13–14).

November 24

A Catholic Perspective on AI

As Catholics, it is crucial to engage with AI thoughtfully and ethically. Here are some points to consider:

• AI and Catholic Apologetics: AI can assist in spreading the faith, answering questions, and providing resources for Catholics to help them prepare the case for Catholicism and the Catholic Church.
• Ethical Considerations: The development and use of AI must respect human dignity and align with Catholic teachings.
• AI and Community: AI should enhance, not replace, human interaction and community building.

Catholics need not fear technology, as it is not inherently good or bad, but its use can be moral or immoral. The Church encourages the use of technology to serve God and humanity. Artificial intelligence (AI) presents a complex issue, as it raises questions about what it means to be human. While AI can make decisions without direct programming, it lacks the free will that defines human beings. Unlike humans, who can make moral choices, AI operates within its programmed parameters. Furthermore, no matter how advanced AI becomes, it cannot compare to God’s all-powerful nature and ability to create life and intelligence from nothing.

AI and Apologetics

AI offers tools like answer.ai, an unrestricted AI chatbot that can provide answers to faith-related questions. This technology can support evangelization efforts and facilitate meaningful discussions on platforms like the Catholicism and Character AI subreddits.

November 17

Myths on Indulgences
Indulgences. The very word stirs up more misconceptions than perhaps any other teaching in Catholic theology. Those who attack the Church for its use of indulgences rely upon—and take advantage of—the ignorance of both Catholics and non-Catholics.

What is an indulgence? The Church explains, “An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain defined conditions through the Church’s help when, as a minister of redemption, she dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions won by Christ and the saints” (Indulgentarium Doctrina 1). To see the biblical foundations for indulgences, see the Catholic Answers tract A Primer on Indulgences.

Myth 1: A person can buy his way out of hell with indulgences.

Since indulgences remit only temporal penalties, they cannot remit the eternal penalty of hell. Once a person is in hell, no amount of indulgences will ever change that fact. The only way to avoid hell is by appealing to God’s eternal mercy while still alive. After death, one’s eternal fate is set (Heb. 9:27).

Myth 2: A person can buy indulgences for sins not yet committed.

The Church has always taught that indulgences do not apply to sins not yet committed. The Catholic Encyclopedia notes, “[An indulgence] is not a permission to commit sin, nor a pardon of future sin; neither could be granted by any power.”

Myth 3: A person can “buy forgiveness” with indulgences.

The definition of indulgences presupposes that forgiveness has already taken place: “An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven” (Indulgentarium Doctrina 1, emphasis added). Indulgences in no way forgive sins. They deal only with punishments left after sins have been forgiven.

Myth 4: An indulgence will shorten your time in purgatory by a fixed number of days.

The number of days which used to be attached to indulgences were references to the period of penance one might undergo during life on earth. The Catholic Church does not claim to know anything about how long or short purgatory is in general, much less in a specific person’s case.

Myth 5: A person can buy indulgences.

The Council of Trent instituted severe reforms in the practice of granting indulgences, and, because of prior abuses, “in 1567 Pope Pius V canceled all grants of indulgences involving any fees or other financial transactions” (Catholic Encyclopedia).

Myth 7: A person used to be able to buy indulgences.

One never could “buy” indulgences. The financial scandal surrounding indulgences that gave Martin Luther an excuse for his heterodoxy, involved indulgences in which the giving of alms to some charitable fund or foundation was used as the occasion to grant the indulgence. There was no outright selling of indulgences. The Catholic Encyclopedia states: “Among the good works which might be encouraged by being made the condition of an indulgence, almsgiving would naturally hold a conspicuous place. . . . To give money to God or to the poor is a praiseworthy act, and, when it is done from right motives, it will surely not go unrewarded.”

November 10

Catholics should NEVER demean or downplay another religion. All religions have a part of the “good” (unless you count Satanism). If you have to knock down other’s beliefs to prove your believes, you must be pretty insecure.

But here are some major differences between the Catholic church and other churches:

At times, (SOME) non-Catholics talk as if they think no case can be made for the Catholic faith. That’s understandable. After all, if you’re not a Catholic, it is because you do not believe that Catholicism is true. You reject it because you think it is false. But make sure what you’re rejecting is Catholicism, not merely a caricature of it. If you think Catholics worship Mary, pray to statues, and claim the pope is equal to God, then you aren’t rejecting Catholicism, but someone’s misrepresentation of it. You deserve to have the facts before you make up your mind. Here is a very brief case for Catholicism in a few important areas. Catholic Answers.com. has available tracts which consider in detail these and other topics—including, perhaps, just the ones you are most interested in.

Christian History

Christ established one Church with one set of beliefs (Eph. 4:4–5). He did not establish numerous churches with contradictory beliefs. To see which is the true Church, we must look for the one that has an unbroken historical link to the Church of the New Testament. Catholics are able to show such a link. They trace their leaders, the bishops, back through time, bishop by bishop, all the way to the apostles, and they show that the pope is the lineal successor to Peter, who was the first bishop of Rome. The same thing is true of Catholic beliefs and practices. Take any one you wish, and you can trace it back.

The Bible

Since the Reformers rejected the papacy, they also rejected the teaching authority of the Church. They looked elsewhere for the rule of faith and thought they found it solely in the Bible. Its interpretation would be left to the individual reader, guided by the Holy Spirit. But if individual guidance by the Holy Spirit were a reality, everyone would understand the same thing from the Bible—since God cannot teach error. But Christians have understood contradictory things from Scripture. Other denominations even differ among themselves in what they think the Bible says.

The Sacraments

When on earth, Christ used his humanity as a medium of his power (see Mark 5:25–30). He uses sacraments to distribute his grace now (see John 6:53–58, 20:21–23; Acts 2:38; Jas. 5:14–15; 1 Peter 3:21). Not mere symbols, sacraments derive their power from him, so they are his very actions. In them he uses material things—water, wine, oil, the laying on of hands—to be avenues of his grace. Although one can receive grace in other ways, a key way is through sacraments instituted by Christ. A sacrament is a visible rite or ceremony which signifies and confers grace. Thus baptism is a visible rite, and the pouring of the water signifies the cleansing of the soul by the grace it bestows. There are six sacraments other than baptism: Eucharist, penance (also known as reconciliation or confession), the anointing of the sick, confirmation, matrimony, and holy orders.

The Mass (Lt. Missio/ Mission)

The Old Testament predicted Christ would offer a sacrifice in bread and wine. Melchizedek was a priest and offered sacrifice with those elements (Gen. 14:18), and Christ was to be a priest in the order of Melchizedek (Ps. 110 [109]:4); that is, offering sacrifice under the forms of bread and wine. We must then look for a New Testament sacrifice distinct from that of Calvary, because the crucifixion was not of bread and wine. We find it in the Mass. There, bread and wine become the actual body and blood of Christ, as promised by him (see John 6:53–58) and as instituted at the Last Supper.

The Catholic Church teaches that the sacrifice of the cross was complete and perfect. The Mass is not a new sacrificing of Christ (he doesn’t suffer and die again; see Heb. 9:26), but a new offering of the same sacrifice. Through the instrumentality of the priest, he is present again, demonstrating how he accomplished our salvation: “For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name, and a pure offering; for my name is great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts” (Mal. 1:11).

Yet, the command of Jesus is to love. Love everyone; not to condemn. Those who believe differently, believe what they believe. Jesus did not say love only those who agree with you. Love everyone and everyone has the dignity of being made in the image and likeness of God

November 3

Is IVF Accepted by the Church?

No. In the process of IVF, several eggs are removed from the mother and fertilized in a glass dish (vitro means glass). The eggs are evaluated by a doctor who implants the egg in the mother’s womb. Hopefully, a healthy pregnancy results in the birth of a healthy child.

But what about the other fertilized eggs? From the moment of conception, science tells us that life begins.

Either the eggs are destroyed (abortion) or frozen. At present, due to IVF, there are an estimated 1 million human embryos being kept frozen in laboratories across the country where they are often stored indefinitely or destroyed in embryonic scientific research. 

The dignity of life is from conception to natural death. Abortion is wrong and in what way is a frozen embryo, the beginning of life held to dignity in a constant frozen state?

Yet God forgives everything. If someone has mistakenly conceived a child by way of IVF without understanding the process, now you know. Or if someone has been actively complicit in the destruction of a human, remember that no sin goes unforgiven and realize that that aborted child may be ready to jump into your arms in Heaven.

October 27

Can a Catholic Simply Not Vote?

Can Catholics vote for a minor candidate or not vote at all? Yes, they can.

The United States is just a few weeks away from the presidential election, and things just keep getting more depressing. Each of the leading candidates has endorsed intrinsic evils: abortion and/or IVF procedures. Many Catholics might ask in response, “What should I do in the face of these choices?”

One choice is to vote for a minor candidate who doesn’t endorse intrinsic evils. You might vote for Peter Sonski, the 2024 presidential nominee of the American Solidarity Party. This party describes itself as “upholding a vision of the common good of all and of each individual informed by Christian tradition.” They oppose abortion, euthanasia, and even in vitro fertilization.

But in the last election, the American Solidarity Candidate received only about 40,000 votes, or 0.026 percent of votes. So it’s safe to say they won’t win and voting for them is more about sending a message. Other people send a message about the political process by not voting at all. In “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” the United States Conference of Catholic bishops recognizes a Catholic’s right not to vote when every viable candidate in a race endorses an intrinsic evil. It says, “When all candidates hold a position that promotes an intrinsically evil act, the conscientious voter faces a dilemma. The voter may decide to take the extraordinary step of not voting for any candidate” (36).

But just as it isn’t sinful not to vote or to vote for a minor candidate, it isn’t always sinful to vote for a major candidate who endorses an intrinsic evil. It is sinful to vote for a law that expands an evil like abortion or to vote for a candidate because you agree with his support for an intrinsic evil. This is called formal cooperation with evil. However, in some cases, you can vote for a flawed candidate if you have other good reasons to justify it.

Cardinal Ratzinger said, “When a Catholic does not share a candidate’s stand in favor of abortion and/or euthanasia, but votes for that candidate for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation, which can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons.” The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops says, “Voting in this way would be permissible only for truly grave moral reasons, not to advance narrow interests or partisan preferences or to ignore a fundamental moral evil” (35).

This means you can vote for a candidate who endorses grave evils, but you need a proportionate or really good reason to justify such a vote. What might that be? Typically, it would be that this candidate represents the lesser of two evils.

October 20

Seven Tenets of Social Teachings of the Church, Part. II

5. The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers

The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected--the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to the organization and joining of unions, to private property, and to economic initiative.

6. Solidarity

We are one human family whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. We are our brothers and sisters keepers, wherever they may be. Loving our neighbor has global dimensions in a shrinking world. At the core of the virtue of solidarity is the pursuit of justice and peace. Pope Paul VI taught that if you want peace, work for justice.1 The Gospel calls us to be peacemakers. Our love for all our sisters and brothers demands that we promote peace in a world surrounded by violence and conflict.

7. Care for God's Creation

We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation. Care for the earth is not just an Earth Day slogan, it is a requirement of our faith. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation. This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored.