December 2007
Happy New Year’s Eve … and let’s be careful out there!
Y!:Goodnight!
The Holy Family →
Today’s readings
My spiritual director in seminary used to say that family could be the source of our greatest joys and deepest sorrows. Sometimes all in the same day. That’s just how families are. Our closeness, at least by blood relation, doesn’t always assure that we will be well-functioning.
There are all sorts of families out there: […]
Merry Christmas! (Yes, I DO know what day it is!)
Enjoying the wonderful sound of my new iPod Touch!
Where did I put those New Year’s resolutions? Eh, heck with it…
On the fourth day of Christmas, Mother nature gave to us … a snow storm. Good thing I have nowhere to go! Holy Innocents, pray for us!
The Holy Innocents →
Today’s readings
Right here in the middle of the joy of the Christmas Octave, we have the feast of what seems to be an incredibly horrible event. All of the male children in the vicinity of Bethlehem two years old and younger are murdered by the jealous and, quite frankly, rather pathetic Herod. But […]
St. John, Apostle and Evangelist →
Today’s readings | Today’s saint
“He saw and believed.” The “other” disciple, often called the “beloved” disciple or the disciple “whom Jesus loved,” is St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, the one we celebrate today. St. John had a very special relationship with Christ. He wasn’t as zealous and boisterous as Peter could […]
Hey, don’t be turning those Christmas carols off just yet. We have eleven days to go, ya know!
@SantaClaus It seems like you have a Chicago connection for those White Castles. Well, that and an iron stomach…
The Nativity of the Lord →
Various readings for Mass
The older I get, the more I become convinced that every Christmas has its own flavor, and every Christmas comes with its own gifts. Not the kinds of gifts you wrap and put under the tree, but the kinds of gifts that fill your heart and give you the grace to […]
A blessed and Merry Christmas to all!
@SantaClaus Great job! It was good hearing from you as you made your trek this year. You and the reindeer have a much deserved rest now!
O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!
O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem. Come and behold him, born the king of angels!
O Come, Let Us Adore Him →
O Come, All Ye Faithful
Adeste Fideles, John Wade
O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him, born the King of angels;
Refrain
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
True God of true God, Light from Light Eternal,
Lo, […]
Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel Shall come to you, O Israel!
Fourth Sunday of Advent: O Emmanuel →
Today’s readings
How often have you wondered why God allows this or that calamity to happen, or why God hasn’t put an end to one injustice or another? When you’re in the thick of frustration, or even sorrow, do you question why a loving God wouldn’t put an end to all of that? Do […]
O come, o come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lowly exile here, until the Son of God appear.
Saturday of the Third Week of Lent: O King of all... →
Today’s readings
We hear a similar song from Hannah and Mary today. In fact, many Biblical scholars suggest that the song of Mary we heard in today’s Gospel is a restatement of the song of Hannah that we have in today’s psalm. Whether or not that is true, it is clear that both women […]
O come, Desire of nations, bind In one the hearts of all mankind; Bid Thou our sad divisions cease, And be Thyself our King of Peace.
O Oriens (O Radiant Dawn) →
Vespers O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. Hymnody O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight. Sacred Scripture Stop passing judgment before the time of the Lord’s return. […]
O come, Thou Dayspring come&cheer Our spirits by Thine advent here/Disperse the gloomy clouds of night/And death’s dark shadows put 2 flight
Thursday of the Third Week of Advent: O Key of... →
Today’s readings
We humans put up all sorts of barriers. Some are necessary, like the walls of prisons, or the sound barriers along a highway. Some are sad, like the old wall that used to separate East and West Germany. Others are exasperating, like the wall along the frontier into Mexico. The […]
O come, Thou Key of David, come, And open wide our heavenly home; Make safe the way that leads on high, And close the path to misery.
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan’s tyranny; From depths of hell Thy people save, And give them victory over the grave..
O Root of Jesse →
From Vespers O Flower of Jesse’s stem, you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples; kings stand silen in your presence; the nations bow down in worship before you. Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid. Hymnody O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell […]
Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent: O Sacred Lord →
Today’s readings | O Antiphons
I love these late days of Advent. The expectation of the Savior is heightening, the time of deliverance is at hand, the Lord is near. During these days, we sing the “O Antiphons:” the call for Christ to come and visit us under his many titles. Yesterday was “O Sapientia” or […]
O come, O come, great Lord of might, Who to Your tribes on Sinai’s heightIn ancient times once gave the law In cloud and majesty and awe…
O come O Wisdom from on high, who order all things mightily, to us the path of knowledge show, and keep us in her ways to go…
O Wisdom →
From Vespers Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care. Come and show your people the way to salvation. Hymnody O Come, O Wisdom from on high
Who order all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go. Sacred Scripture A shoot shall sprout from the […]
Goodnight! Zzzzzzzzzz….
Brrrrrr … 19 degrees and dropping…
Tough Gloves Leather Gloves →
Real priests wear pink. Two Sundays a year, anyway.
Wrapsaustion … When you’re tired of wrapping presents!
Time to wrap up some gifts…
Feels a nap coming on.
Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but not so much as the forecasters would have you believe…
G’night y’all!
Naughty or nice?
St. John of the Cross →
Today’s readings | Today’s saint [ more ]
Mass for the school junior high students.
Do you know what a prophet is? Not a p-r-o-f-i-t profit, but a prophet who is a person. In the broadest sense, a prophet is someone who foretells what is to come. But in terms of our faith, a […]
You know it’s winter in Chicago when it’s 7am and the temperature is already lower than the predicted low for the day!
St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr →
Today’s readings | Today’s saint [ more]
Many of our young people can tell you of the difficulties they face in trying to remain pure, especially before marriage. But we cannot think of that as simply one more of our modern problems, because it has been a problem for a long time now. St. […]
St. Lucy, pray for us!
Ugh. Does anyone want to trade sinuses? For good ones, I mean….
Y!:Goodnight!
Advent Penance Service →
Readings: Romans 7:14-25; John 1: 35-39 St. Paul’s instruction from his letter to the Romans this evening can seem a little confusing, I think. But the point that he is making is one that I think every Christian disciple can resonate with, at least a little. He says that he intends to do what […]
Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent →
Today’s readings
In today’s Gospel we find out that Jesus is not above asking a trick question or two to get people’s attention. He asks today, “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray?” […]