Falling on His Grace

January 2, 2011 Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord Reading 1 Is 60:1-6 Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the LORD shines, and over you appears his glory. Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance. Raise your eyes and look about; they all gather and come to you: your sons come from afar, and your daughters in the arms of their nurses. Then you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow, for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you, the wealth of nations shall be brought to you. Caravans of camels shall fill you, dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; all from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the LORD. Reading 2 Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6 Brothers and sisters: You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that ...

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God January 1, 2011 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.” 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. 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, ...

I'm a little late posting these because of Christmas. Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope you all had a very merry and blessed Christmas Day and that your Christmas is continuing to be very blessed. Christmas Day Reading 1 Is 52:7-10 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings, announcing peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation, and saying to Zion, “Your God is King!” Hark! Your sentinels raise a cry, together they shout for joy, for they see directly, before their eyes, the LORD restoring Zion. Break out together in song, O ruins of Jerusalem! For the LORD comforts his people, he redeems Jerusalem. The LORD has bared his holy arm in the sight of all the nations; all the ends of the earth will behold the salvation of our God. December 25, 2010 The Nativity of the Lord Christmas Mass During the Day Reading 1 Is 52:7-10 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings gl...

5 months until Andy graduates! That's only 22 weeks as of this last Saturday. I started my countdown around 22-23 months , and now it's down to 22 weeks . We're so close, yet it seems so far away. It is so easy, looking at how little time we have left, to focus on that whole time... which is still so very overwhelming. The challenge is to focus on one day at a time. Though we still need to think about the big picture. Andy has started to apply for work for May/June... he's sent two applications to companies in this area so far. We're not expecting much since he's not available to work for 5+ months, but it doesn't hurt to try. It won't be long before he will be more seriously applying for work. He's also starting to study for the first part of two of his licensure exam, which he will take the week before the next semester starts.

Reading 1 Is 7:10-14 The LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying: Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be deep as the netherworld, or high as the sky! But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!” Then Isaiah said: Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary people, must you also weary my God? Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel. Reading 2 Rom 1:1-7 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, the gospel about his Son, descended from David according to the flesh, but established as Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him we have received the grace of apostleship, to bring about the obedience of faith, for the sake of his name, amo...

It was -15 out this morning. Brrrr.... The boys put the figures where they wanted them, with just a little coaxing from me to group the kings together and the shepherds together. I think I actually placed the two kings on the right side of the picture. Notice how the rest of the figures are facing Jesus (who at that time was in the manger, later taken out until Christmas day). I think the boys have the right idea here; it's not as visually pleasing this way, but I'm leaving it as is.

From My Daily Bread , part 1, chapter 34: Christ:"My child, there is one thing that stops many from making spiritual progress and keeps them from improving themselves. It is a fear of the difficulties or of the work required by their effort. The people who rise highest in holiness are those who are brave enough to fight against whatever holds them back from Me, no matter how hard or disagreeable the effort may be. The more you try to master your feelings and blind desires, the greater are the graces which I offer to you. If you keep on trying, you will gain as much success as I desire of you. "Different men have to face different obstacles. Yet, a diligent and zealous person will make greater progress in virtue, even though he may have to fight more defects than others. Some people have fewer defects to overcome, and still they do not advance in holiness because they are less fervent in the pursuit of virtues. [our response]: " Many are frightened by the thought of chang...