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Sunday December 23
Reclaiming
It David Timbs
(Sunday
blogger from Australia)
The
Druids, Romans and others celebrated the winter solstice with its celebration of
the return of the Sun – Sol Invictus. Christians
subsumed this observance into Christmas. Coca Cola and big business have now
identified a weak spot in the Christian facade and struck back on behalf of the
pagans. Christmas has now been successfully retrieved and rebranded with the
face of that jolly great identity thief, Santa Claus.
A
Christmas gift worth gold
Giving
your time and presence to another is more precious than gold.
40th
Anniversary:
On Christmas Day
1972, Fr Rick Thomas SJ and his USA El Paso prayer group went across the border
to Juarex in Mexico, taking enough food for 150 people who eked out a living at
the local rubbish dump. 300 people showed up, but the food didn't run out, and
even plenty left over. Google "miracle of the rubbish dump" for this
beautiful true story
RRP:
Reading, Reflection, Prayer
- with readers' comments
Menu for today Dec 23: |
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Readings for Advent IV, with the theme: Jesus
is someone to be shared
with others |
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Please add your comments and reflections. Any
story about the joy
of helping someone to know Jesus? |
This
week's smile
A favorite Christmas smile
Vatican II Reflection 362
Bishops' conferences emasculated
John W: Daily Blog - Dec 23
A lovely Christmas card
I'm due in Australia
Dec 27-Jan 30. Love to meet up with
readers in Melb, Syd, Bris, GC -
John W
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Monday December
24
Christmas
reflection
Joseph Girzone
The best (Christmas)
preparation
we can offer Jesus is to be thrilled at his coming and although we
have nothing to give him but a heart with a little space in it for him to
feel welcome, we can then at least let him know that we are finally
realizing what he means to us and that, from this day, we will try to make
more room for him in our lives and hearts
Christmas banquets:
See last 2 para
of this article
Christmas classic:
Bing's
recording of
'The Small One"
Famous
WWI Christmas truce
100th Anniversary today of
Lottie
Moon, one of the
bravest Christian women to walk this earth.
Every couple of years I love to read this
simple but moving book
RRP:
Reading, Reflection, Prayer
- with readers' comments
Menu for today Dec 24 |
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Special readings on this Christmas Eve, summing
up the human family's longing for the Saviour |
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Please add your comments and reflections re
our longing/need for Jesus the Light of
the World |
One
group of Muslims against wishing anyone Merry Christmas
But note comments by higher leaders
....And
an even higher message!
Celibacy
and the Catholic Church
55 children
killed by guns each
week in
the US - see
comment at
The
last time I will write about this?
May Christmas give leaders the courage to oppose the gun lobby
Vatican II Reflection 363
Let dioceses be smaller!
John W: Daily Blog - Dec 24
Photos of last night's Christmas
party
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Tuesday
December 25
Christmas Day!
Joy
To The World
Martin Mallon
(Tuesday blogger from Ireland)
This beautiful reflection has link to
great article about Charles Dickens'
"Christmas Carol", with the words
"
historians
believe that this story is responsible for our continued observance of
Christmas. It revived very old customs that had been on the verge of dying
out" You
are my child Daniel
Daring
Christmas Day
reflection
The problem that
many churches are facing is that the majority of their members were baptized as
children. They seem to know very little about Jesus, and they often live as if
God does not matter much. In such cases, the word of God cannot effect His
creative and transforming power. Without our willingness to receive Jesus and
believe in His name, God’s power will be unable to transform us One
Drover's Christmas
Lovely poem by Bruce
Prewer
with
the words "He
did something he hadn't done for years. He fell down on his knees in that
stable, and shed unaccustomed tears"
White Christmas?!
(YouTube)
c.f.
Dec 23 was Melbourne's hottest Dec night on record...and today is HK's
coldest Dec 25 for 12 years!
RRP:
Reading, Reflection, Prayer
- with readers' comments
Menu for today Dec 25 |
Midnight Mass readings
with the theme:
The world's most famous Baby |
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Please add your comments and reflections. What
does Jesus' birth mean for the world? |
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See readers' comments
Dec 23 |
Vatican II
Reflection 364
Military chaplains???
John W: Daily Blog -
Dec 25
This Christmas a turning point?
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Wednesday December 19 The
Jesus Child
Chris McDonnell
(Wed blogger from UK)
A proclamation of the Nativity
to help us prepare for Christmas.
Say Merry Christmas (YouTube)
- really beautiful
Helping keep "Christ' in Christmas" Connecticut
shootings:
1: "Bug-Splats"
(George Monbiot)
It
must follow that what applies to the children murdered by a deranged young
man also applies to the children murdered in Pakistan by a sombre American
president 2:
Global
perspective on US deaths
Donna Mulhearn (Eureka
Street)
The
US killings are considered an act of someone who is 'sick' or 'mad', and
are universally condemned. But the Pakistan children are killed at the
hands of an intelligent, sophisticated, technologically advanced society
which is fully aware of what it is doing. These deaths receive little
attention, let alone condemnation. The
new translation - surveys
See important distinctions made in
comments. And see also file at top
of this page The
New Translation
RRP:
Reading, Reflection, Prayer
- with readers' comments
Menu for today Dec 19 |
Special readings before Christmas,
today with the theme: two famous
conceptions pre-figuring the miraculous conception of Jesus |
Please add your comments:
Is every conception a miracle? |
Vatican
II Reflection 358
Let pastors turn over administration
(finance, schools) to lay people
John
W: Daily Bog - Dec 19
Connecticut & a HK funeral
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Thursday
December 20
Recommended
by reader:
One of the cleverest
emails ever!
The
Spirit is still on the job
Bishop Luigi Bettazzi (C'weal)
Amazing interview with
Italian
bishop who was at Vatican II
From link
in above article:
The
Catacomb's Pact of the
Poor and Servant Church
First time I've heard of this.
Full
text of document - signed by 540 bishops who were at Vatican II,
promising to live simply, avoid banquets, wear simple clothes.
Where has this
document been?
It is mind-blowing!
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Every Thursday, Daniel
Daring's reflection on the Sunday readings,
to help us prepare for Sunday:
Faith is spelled as
courage
How to face
difficult situations following the example of Mary.
It takes courage to believe that no matter who you are, no matter what
the circumstances of your life, God works mightily to accomplish His plan in
your life |
A
new Inquisition:
the Vatican targets US nuns
RRP:
Reading, Reflection, Prayer
- with readers' comments
Menu for today Dec 20 |
Special readings before Christmas,
today with the theme: A 16 year old virgin
will conceive |
Please add your comments:
What do you think of Mary? |
Vatican II Reflection 359
Ordain "suitable people"
instead of closing/merging parishes
John W: Daily Blog - Dec 20
Murder of young children
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Friday
December
21
1. N. Hemisphere: Winter
Solstice
2. Happy Chinese
Winter Festival !
3.
Winter
Festival & Christmas
Christmas
in Africa - A day of
unity and peace Bakhita
(Friday blogger from
Africa)
On
this day, what is common to everyone around the world and what unites us-
no matter our color or culture, rich or poor - is we all get together in
prayer and in celebrating the birth of Christ. If we can do this for a
day, why can we not make it a daily occurrence…. Let's celebrate Jesus
Christ everyday!
Jesus
revolutionized our understand- ing of religion. It
was no longer empty customs and rituals focusing on the worship of God
only. True
religion pleasing to God was caring for one another, looking upon each
other as members of God’s family.
Joseph
Girzone Daily Posting
1218
Gun violence: a moral challenge
for "pro-life" Christians
John Gehring (Faith
in Public Life)
Pope
accepts Patriarch's resignation
c.f. Why
Pope should retire Recommended
by Stephen K:
Morbid Symptoms - the Catholic Right's False Nostalgia
RRP:
Reading, Reflection, Prayer
- with readers' comments
Menu for today Dec 21 |
Special readings before Christmas,
today with the theme: Jesus' coming
means joy and hope |
Please add your comments:
What difference does Jesus make? |
Vatican II Reflection 360
Diocese:
The place of Religious
John
W: Daily Blog - Dec 21
Out
of the mouths of babes...joy
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Saturday December 22
Christmas
in a broken world
Christmas
is not a time to pretend as if everything's right with the world.
This is tempting, but ultimately self-defeating and contrary to the
Christian gospel. Christmas
rituals help us hold together
These
traditions provide a celebration of continuity, comfort, company,
family and community....In
these times of fast-paced change, the observance of time-worn and
adapted ..traditions has become more important and powerful. All of
us, including the dislocated and the grieving may find comfort in
some form of celebration |
Swiss
abbot makes fiery appeal
for church reform
c.f. ACP
report
Review
of a year of religious upheaval
(ABC)
Barney Zwartz & Michael Mullins Bishop
Geoffrey Robinson
in a "must watch" video (Catholica) Terrorism
in Pakistan:
will we be alive tomorrow?
Let's keep Pakistan in
our prayers
RRP:
Reading, Reflection, Prayer
- with readers' comments
Menu for today Dec 22 |
Special readings before Christmas,
today with the theme: Mary's famous prayer
The Magnificat, with its focus on God, not Mary |
Please add your comments:
How can we focus more on God and less
on ourselves? |
Vatican
II Reflection 361
Thou shalt not have a synod?
John W: Daily Blog - Dec 22
Christmas behind bars!
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Many thanks for checking
this website each day
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