MONDAY

      St. Michael the Archangel, we ask you to assist us now as we draw closer to the Birth of Jesus. You, who are the guardian of God's Holy Name, and who worship so profoundly before Jesus in the Eucharist, obtain for us through your intercession a deeper devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, and to reverence for God in every aspect of our lives. Keep far from us the evil one and all of his schemes, that we might embrace God at every moment until we see Him for all eternity.

ADVENT NOVENA PRAYER

    O Triune Divinity, we come to you through the intercession of Blessed Mary, ever-Virgin, and St. Joseph, her chaste, holy spouse. In this season of Advent we desire to obtain the grace of purity of intention, that through our obedience to Your Heavenly Will, we, too, can transform our poor, miserable lives into the resplendent stable at Bethlehem where You Only-begotten Son was born.
Through the intercession of Mary, and all the hosts of Heaven, we beseech You, through the merits gained for us by Jesus Christ, Your Only-begotten Son, to help us convert our hearts, to live the messages of Your Mother, and to ardently beseech You to bring about the Triumph of Mary's Immaculate Heart now, that the Reign of the Sacred Heart might be upon the world.
Heavenly Father, we trust in Your goodness and beseech You to hear us, not because of our worthiness, but because of our willingness to be Your little children who kneel in adoration to their God. Come, let us adore Him!

PRAYER for November 30: First Sunday of Advent

   Heavenly Mother, we ask you to help us now to begin our preparation to welcome your Divine Son Jesus Christ into our midst. We offer to Jesus through your intercession our every thought, word and deed throughout these days, that we may participate in this sublime mystery of our salvation. Help us, Mary, to be obedient, humble children, hearts aflame with Love as anticipate the birth of Love Itself!

December 1: First Monday of Advent

How you worked, Mary, to prepare for the Coming of your Son and the Father's. You were caught up in the Divine Wonder of the Coming of the Messiah. He Whom your people had awaited for many generations. Intercede for us, dear Mother, that we, too, may realize that your Son can be born anew in us this Christmas, and that He must be born anew in all the world if mankind is to turn away from evil.

December 2: First Tuesday of Advent

Mary, our Mother and Mother of all the world, you, too, anticipated the birth of your Son. As you prayed and worked through each day, so help us to do the same, giving our lives to your Son through your intercession. We also beseech St. Joseph your most chaste spouse to come to our aid, as we strive to prepare ourselves for the birth of Jesus Christ. We call upon you, our dear Mother, to make us mindful of these days, helping us to bring to light all that is within us which keeps us from unity to your Son.

December 3: First Wednesday of Advent

The days pass, and you go about your daily tasks, always in a state of God's Peace. We lack that peace within ourselves, Mother, because we are so overwhelmed by the demands of our world, by preparations for a worldly Christmas. Pray for us, Heavenly Mother, that we might rid ourselves of inordinate desires, seeking only Jesus and His Kingdom, which came upon the earth through your Fiat to God.

December 4: First Thursday of Advent

Heavenly Mother, today we ask you to remember all the things of our lower human ego, our lower human passions, which are a hindrance to us in our spiritual life. Today we ask you to intercede for us that we may recognize our weakness in regard to our intelligence. Let us be mindful of this great gift which is from God, and to order our thoughts so to think only of Him, for Him, and with Him, according to His Will, not our own.

December 5: First Friday of Advent

St. Joseph, we beseech you, in this season of Advent, to help us prepare more properly for the Coming of Jesus Christ. You believed, St. Joseph, in the Divine Birth and in the virginity of Mary, your holy spouse. You watched in awe as the pregnancy came to full term, and thanked God for the privilege given to you, to be the guardian of Mary and of Jesus. Help us to overcome our lack of faith, that we too might learn to seek Him in all things.

December 6: First Saturday of Advent

Heavenly angels and saints, you look down upon us in our earthly journey, this place of sorrow, and recognize what we are still striving to see - the Divinity of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior. We beseech you to help us to raise our hearts to Heaven, where they might be touched by Divine Love. Then, aflame with love, may we work ceaselessly to prepare not only our own hearts, but our whole world to proclaim Jesus as King and Messiah.

December 7: Second Sunday of Advent

Heavenly Father, with what Love did you send Your Only Begotten Son to earth. With what Love did You watch over Your beloved daughter, Mary, who carried Jesus in her Immaculate womb. Heavenly Father, as we begin the second week of Advent, we ask You to help us to sweep away the cobwebs of lukewarmness from our minds and our hearts by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon us, and upon all the world.

December 8: Second Monday - Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Blessed Mother, today we remember and celebrate your Immaculate Conception, by which you were preserved from the stain of original sin, and remained ever sinless throughout your life. Let us learn from you, dear Mother, that we too can rise above sin, even the least occasion of sin, so that we too might hear the angel voices raised on High as the Christ Child is born unto all the world.

December 9: Second Tuesday of Advent and Optional Memorial of Blessed Juan Diego

St. Joseph, you labored each day, trying to earn enough so that the necessary clothing and food might be available for your spouse Mary, and the Child soon to come. Help us, through your intercession, to understand that we must labor first for the Kingdom of God, and then in trust depend upon our Heavenly Father to care for us. We must put aside the worldly pleasures and inordinate spending which we are prone to at this time of year, in order to come more fully into the spiritual joy of this blessed season.

December 10: Second Wednesday of Advent

Dear guardian angels, we are mindful of your presence with us as we kneel in humble adoration before the Triune Majesty. You, who are always in the presence of Almighty God, intercede for us that we might draw deeper now into the mystery of the Incarnation. Only in this way will our faith be awakened fully and strengthened for the difficult days which lie ahead for us and for all the world.

Blessed Mother, in all your daily work you never lost sight of the privilege which was yours. You know how easily we are distracted, and how weak is our faith. Through your intercession, we humbly ask that in this season of Advent we will no longer be weak, nor lukewarm in our faith. By your intercession may we put forth all our effort to enkindle in our hearts the love of your Divine Son Jesus Christ, which you bore Him throughout your life.

      Dear Mother, today we celebrate your feast as Our Lady of Guadalupe. We especially on this day make intercession to you as Mother of God, that in our land and throughout the world the people might make ready their hearts to receive Jesus, by ending the hideous sin of abortion. We raise our voices with all of the Heavenly Hosts, and beg of God to end this sin. We do remember and pray for all babies who will be aborted throughout the Christmas season, and it is our desire to name them (select two names) and to baptize them "In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

     St. Joseph, we are coming to the end of another week of Advent, and there is still so much work to be done inside ourselves. Our distractions are more frequent, more oppressive. We are worried about presents unbought. Christmas cards unaddressed, and the many obligations we take upon ourselves in order to belong more fully to society. We rely upon your help, St. Joseph, to help us shake off the shackles of the world, and realize that the only society to which we are called is the Heavenly Kingdom of your Divine Son Whom you were foster-father to.

     Today begins the third week of Advent and the birth of your Divine Son grows more imminent. Mary, our Mother, we ask you to intercede for us this day, that we might obtain from your Son the graces necessary to walk in faith here in our earthly exile, that we might one day behold Him, our God and Savior, as you were able to do when you held Him in your arms in Bethlehem. Let us rejoice with you.

    Dear children: Today I invite you to comprehend your Christian vocation. Little children, I led and am leading you through this time of grace, that you may become conscious of your Christian vocation. Holy martyrs died witnessing: I am a Christian and love God over everything. Little children, today also I invite you to rejoice and be joyful Christians, responsible and conscious that God called you in a special way to be joyfully extended hands toward those who do not believe, and that through the example of your life, they may receive faith and love for God. Therefore, pray, pray, pray that your heart may open and be sensitive for the Word of God. Thank you for having responded to my call!
For more on Medjugorje, Click on MEDJUGORJE

HEADLINES:

Christmas will be a merry one in Cuba after all!

      In a follow-up to the news story that ran in last Thursday's issue, more optimism is surfacing as many many Cubans anticipate in great hope that Fidel Castro will officially proclaim Christmas as a public holiday over the weekend. If so, it would be the first time in 28 years that the citizens were allowed to celebrate.Click on Cuban Christmas to read more.

     HAVANA (CWN) - Cuba's Communist government said on Thursday that it is considering a request from Pope John Paul to reinstate Christmas as a public holiday.

      Foreign Ministry spokesman Alejandro Gonzalez said the holiday request was one of list of issues being considered as Cuba prepares for the Holy Father's landmark visit to the country in January. Cardinal Jaime Ortega of Havana revealed on Tuesday that the Pope had made the request of President Fidel Castro when they met in Rome last year.

      The officially-atheist Communist government ended Christmas as a public holiday in 1969 so that work could continue on the sugar harvest, and continued in the years after as a work day. Many Cubans still celebrate the holiday in their own homes. Cardinal Ortega emphasized that the Church is not seeking a capitalist, consumer Christmas, but for a "spiritual restoration" of the holy day.

Would Moses muse over denial in Alabama, but okay in Texas? Only God knows!

      Shortly after an Alabama judge was ordered to remove the Ten Commandments from his courtroom, a Texas judge was allowed to keep the displayed decalogue in his courtroom. The twist is that the one who brought complaint was not the ACLU or an atheist, but a purported Catholic theologian who also happens to be an attorney and took offense to the issue of Church vs. state. Click on Commandments in Court to read more.

      HOUSTON (CWN) - A state judge will be allowed to keep a copy of the Ten Commandments displayed in his courtroom pending trial following a federal judge's refusal to issue a temporary restraining order.

      District Judge Scott Brister was slapped with a federal lawsuit by attorney Daniel, who claims to be a Catholic theologian, to force the removal of the decalogue. Shea said in an affidavit filed with the court that, "As a practicing Roman Catholic, I am personally offended by the appropriation of one of the sacred symbols of the Judeo-Catholic tradition by a publicly elected official." He said he first saw the plaque on December 8 and believes it violates the US Constitution's mandate that Congress shall not establish or prohibit a religion.

      US District Judge David Hittner refused to issue a temporary restraining order compelling Judge Brister to remove the display, and set a tentative trial date for late January or February.

Clever spins ad to enhancing church attendance

     No that's not a typo or misspelling but the word "ad" is what the combined Catholic, Anglican, Baptist, Methodist and other faiths in England are doing to "add" more people this Christmas in hopes they will come back to church. Through a series of clever, witty ads their goal is to grab the attention of those who have become apathetic toward church and move them to join others in worship during the holidays. Click on church appeal to read more.

      LONDON (CWN) - A coalition of Britain's Christian denominations this week launched their seventh annual Christmas advertising campaign designed to bring people into churches to celebrate the holy day.

      "Our campaign is about getting people to come to church. The real celebration is about the birth of Christ not the Wonder of Woolworths," said the Rev. Tom Ambrose of the Christian Advertising Network, which represents the Anglican, Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, and Free churches. This years poster features the word "Christmas" followed by copyright symbol with a caption reading, "Great singing, friendly atmosphere, and something to think about. It's not a genuine Christmas without church."

      The 1996 advertisement depicted the three kings of Scripture and a caption reading, "Bad hair day?! You're a virgin, you've just given birth, and now three kings have shown up -- find out the happy ending at a church near you." Although many churches received a huge response from that poster, many still felt that it might be "profaning the sacred" so the Network decided to tone down the message this year. "The posters do draw people in, sometimes out of curiosity," Ambrose said. "The first one we ever ran said, 'Wrap up the kids and bring them along to church.' From that campaign we got a number of people who became so interested that they are now ordained clergy."

For all other standard features, articles and columns, click on Archives

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December 15, 1997 volume 8, no. 52         DAILY CATHOLIC