Why Celebrate Christmas? – Augustine

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[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']A[/dropcaps]wake, mankind! For your sake God has become man. Awake, you who sleep, rise up from the dead, and Christ will enlighten you. I tell you again: for your sake, God became man. You would have suffered eternal death, had he...

27 November, 2016 /

Augustine here notes that we wayfarers should sing alleluia as we make our journey through constant temptation, trial and danger toward our heavenly homeland where we our song will be sung without anxiety, temptation or toil....

25 November, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]hough I like many can’t help but roll my eyes over the popularity of the Da Vinci Code, we are indebted to Dan Brown in a way. For he has reminded us that the early Church is terribly important. On...

23 November, 2016 /

The Second Vatican Council points out that it is only the return of Our Lord Jesus Christ that will bring the Church on earth, the universal sacrament of salvation, to perfection and cause the renewal and restoration of the entire earth. This is what we...

22 November, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']W[/dropcaps]e do not know the time when earth and humanity will reach their completion, nor do       we know the way in which the universe will be transformed. The world as we see it, disfigured by sin, is...

22 November, 2016 /

Senator James Harlan of Iowa, whose daughter later married President Lincoln's son Robert, introduced this Resolution in the Senate on March 2, 1863. The Resolution asked President Lincoln to proclaim a national day of prayer and fasting. The Resolution was adopted on March 3, and...

21 November, 2016 /

It's important to market yourself when it comes to getting a job and then advancing in your career. But climbing the corporate ladder can become exhausting, leaving you feeling empty, trapped, and alone. Is there anything that satisfies, that actually lasts? Is...

20 November, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he kingdom of God, in the words of our Lord and Savior, does not come for all to see; nor shall they say: Behold, here it is, or behold, there it is; but the kingdom of God is within us, for...

20 November, 2016 /

In this 2nd century homily, we see that there was no separation between faith and works in the early church. Rather, faith is confessed not only once, in the moment of baptism or justification, but continually through deeds....

08 November, 2016 /

This excerpt from an anonymous homily written in the 2nd Century AD extols the precious gift of salvation that comes to us as a grace, a free, undeserved gift from Christ Jesus. [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']B[/dropcaps] rethren, we ought to regard Jesus Christ both...

08 November, 2016 /

The selection from Origen’s Exhortation to Martyrdom is read on the feast of martyrs Saints Marcellinus and Peter on June 2.  Marcellinus, a Roman priest, and Peter, an exorcist, were martyred together in Rome during the persecution of Diocletian around 303 AD. They evidently faced...

08 November, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']W[/dropcaps]hat is man, that you are mindful of him? What is this new mystery surrounding me? I am both small and great, both lowly and exalted, mortal and immortal, earthly and heavenly. I am to be buried with Christ and to...

26 October, 2016 /

St. Augustine here clearly disguishes between devotion to and veration of the martyrs and saints, and the worship (Latreia) due to God alone. This distinction was clear to the early Christians, but abuses and misunderstandings certainly existed, as noted by this bishop of the late...

25 October, 2016 /

In Advent 2011, the English Translation of the Mass was changed.  One of the most noticeable changes was in the Penitential prayer in the beginning of the service known as the Confiteor.  Why all of a sudden did we begin beating our breast and saying...

17 October, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]gnatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the Church of God the Father, and of the beloved Jesus Christ, which has through mercy obtained every kind of gift, which is filled with faith and love, and is deficient in no...

13 October, 2016 /

Columban. also known as Columbanus, here shows passionate fire of his Celtic monastic spirituality. Commenting on Luke 12:37-38 where Jesus praises those servants who stay awake, their lamps brightly burning in expectation of the master's return, Columban asks that his lamp would burn brighly...

11 October, 2016 /

Cyril of Alexandria, commenting on the book of Haggai, speaks of the Church, the Body of Christ, as the new temple that we must busy ourselves with building and the peace that passes understanding as the reward given to those who rebuild it....

09 October, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']A[/dropcaps]ll holiness and perfection of soul lies in our love for Jesus Christ our God, who is our Redeemer and our supreme good. It is part of the love of God to acquire and to nurture all the virtues which...

25 September, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']Y[/dropcaps]ou have already been told about the wicked things shepherds desire. Let us now consider what they neglect. You have failed to strengthen what was weak, to heal what was sick, and to bind up what was injured (that is,...

17 September, 2016 /

Gesu’ ci chiama ad avere almeno tanta fede quanto un seme di senape. Inoltre continua a ripetere ai suoi discepoli il comando: non temere! S. Francesco d’Assisi ci mostra come abbandonare il timore e crescere nella fede. [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]utti noi ammiriamo gli...

13 September, 2016 /

In Luca 14, Gesù dice delle parole molto preoccupanti per chi vuole essere suo discepolo. Parla della chiamata al discepolato che richiede che la gente non solo rinunci ai suoi beni, ma anche alla propria vita ed alla famiglia. L'esempio di Thomas More ci mostra che...

13 September, 2016 /

On February 3, 1994, Mother Teresa was invited to speak at the National Prayer Breakfast sponsored by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. President Clinton and his wife Hillary along with Vice President Al Gore and his wife Tipper were also in attendance....

02 September, 2016 /

Gregory the Great's point of departure is Jesus' statement "the harvest is great but the laborers are few." He notes that while priests, bishops, and preachers abound, there are few who have the zeal and courage to speak the truth even when it offends and...

02 September, 2016 /

This excerpt from the beginning of Saint Anselm's famous work, the Proslogion, calls us to make space for God in the midst of the hectic life we lead, retreat within, and seek God's face....

26 August, 2016 /

This excerpt from the Confessions of Saint Augustine helps us understand what the author means by the title of his book: his goal is to confess his own weakness and at the same time to confess God's goodness - the mercy of one who sees...

26 August, 2016 /

John Paul II's Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio dealt with many topics relating to the state of the family in the modern world.  Here are a few salient excerpts on the issue of Communion for the Divorced and Remarried. [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]n 1980, there was...

24 July, 2016 /

Caesarius of Arles' point of departure in this meditation on divine mercy is one of the beatitudes found in the Gospel of Matthew: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." He exhorts us to become "mercy's slaves" who receive divine mercy & give...

24 July, 2016 /

Father Cantalamessa on Limbo and the Unbaptized Offers a Follow-up to Commentary in ZENIT [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']R[/dropcaps]OME, JAN. 24, 2006 (Zenit.org).- A commentary by Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, published Jan. 6 in ZENIT, prompted questions about the status of unbaptized children who die. The topic...

02 July, 2016 /

USCCB President Equates Deep Seated Homosexuality With Heterosexuality [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]n multiple interviews the president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops said that "deep-seated homosexual tendencies" are equivalent to "deep-seated heterosexual" tendencies. Spokane Bishop William S. Skylstad made the remarks to the Washington...

02 July, 2016 /

The Threshold of Faith by Fr. John Cihak This article is a popular summary of the contribution to Christian apologetics made by the great French Catholic philosopher, Maurice Blondel, who lived at the turn of the 20th century. The author brings out the relevance of Blondel's thought...

02 July, 2016 /

Surprise Health Benefits of Bread [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']A[/dropcaps]s people have become more conscious of limiting their carbohydrate intake, bread has gotten an increasingly bad name. But several years ago, German researchers made a surprising discovery. They found that the process of baking bread produces...

02 July, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps] Tertullian, On Baptism 7-8 (c. 200 AD) “Then having gone up from the bath we are anointed with a blessed anointing of ancient discipline, by which people were accustomed to be anointed for priesthood, by oil from a horn from which Aaron was anointed...

02 July, 2016 /

Gout Busters [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']B[/dropcaps]romelain, quercetin, and vitamin C eased pain and prevented flareups in gout sufferers during several studies. Gout--the sudden pain, often in the ankle, big toe, heel, or instep of the foot--is the result of a toxic build-up of uric...

01 July, 2016 /

Sacramentals -- what are they and what role do they play in Catholic liturgical life? Are they devotional articles or objects of popular devotion like scapulars, or are they blessings? Can they be found in the Bible, either the Old or New Testament? Were...

29 June, 2016 /

Peter & Paul have a common feast day. And though they each have their own basilica in Rome, the dedication of both are celebrated on the same day. St. Leo, 5th century bishop of Rome, shows that this is because they were united...

28 June, 2016 /

Gregory of Nyssa continues his reflections on the Beatitude "blessed are the pure for they shall see God" (Mat. 5:8) by showing how purity of heart is the key the opens the way to seeing, to the hope of the vision of God....

23 June, 2016 /

Gregory of Nyssa, commenting on the beatitude "blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God," compares God to an inaccessible rock, a mountain peak impossible to climb except to those lifted up, as Peter was, by the strong hand of Jesus....

23 June, 2016 /

Paul tells us we are justified by faith, not works. The story from Luke 7 about Jesus, the Pharisee, and woman with the alabaster jar helps us to understand what Paul means and why many debates between salvation by faith vs. works entirely misses...

06 June, 2016 /

Augustine makes clear that though grace must come before any good works that are truly pleasing to God, grace necessarily leads to good works which are really God's works in and through us as we tred the path of humility....

05 June, 2016 /

St. Ambrose here provides a poetic and moving description of the role of the book of psalms in the prayer life of the Church. Though many devotional prayers are are to be found in the treasury of the Christian Tradition, it is the psalter...

05 June, 2016 /

An intense tribute to God as the fountain of eternal life, light, and living water by the Irish monk Columbanus around the AD 600. [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']B[/dropcaps]rethren, let us follow that vocation by which we are called from life to the fountain of...

04 June, 2016 /

Cyril of Alexandria discusses the words of Jesus "I am the vine, you are the branches" (John 15:5)l; how the Holy Spirit is the bond uniting us with Christ & one another, making us bear fruit....

31 May, 2016 /

Gregory of Nyssa urges us here to follow Paul's command to keep your eyes fixed on Christ rather than be preoccupied with earthly trivialities. The wise man heeds this advice. The fool preoccupies himself with things destined to pass away....

15 May, 2016 /

This article on the importance of the charisms of the Holy Spirit, the supernatural gifts of grace, is helpful for all Christians at all stages of development. But it is especially valuable for those preparing for or teaching about the sacrament of confirmation....

11 May, 2016 /

A list of the many titles Scripture gives to the Holy Spirit including counselor, advocate, Spirit of Truth, Promise of the Father, and others....

11 May, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']L[/dropcaps]ord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Father all-powerful, have mercy on us. Jesus, Eternal Son of the Father, Redeemer of the world, save us. Spirit of the Father and the Son, boundless life of both, sanctify...

11 May, 2016 /

his famous excerpt from Lumen Gentium nos. 4 & 12, Vatican II's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, deals with the person, mission, and gifts or charisms of the Holy Spirit. It speaks too of the sensus fidei, the instinct of faith or anointing given to...

08 May, 2016 /

The Letter to Diognetus, dating from approximately 125AD, is the earliest example we have of an "apology," a defense the Christian faith addressed to a non-Christian. This brief but wonderful document is so close to the time of the Apostles that it is reckoned as...

08 May, 2016 /

Pope Francis was elected as successor of Peter and bishop of Rome on March 13, 2013. He chose to be installed on the Solemnity of St. Joseph, March 19 2013. Thus, his very first homily as Pope was on the role of Saint...

01 May, 2016 /

Most Americans tend to think of religion as something rather fluid. It's very common for us to say things like "all religions are basically the same," and "we're all just pursuing god on our own path." What a religion ACTUALLY BELIEVES is just not seen...

12 February, 2016 /

"Settling Down." You hear the phrase all the time. Images of Bryan, the soulless office drone, hunched over a computer while fluorescent lighting flickers overhead. He’s working the ol’ 9 to 5 grind to provide for his nagging wife and their four-year-old nightmare. Once, he dreamed...

12 February, 2016 /

Our amorphous fluffy God has a plan. It (God) has your best interests in mind, and, if you only submit to it enough, you’ll be blessed beyond your wildest imaginings with health for you and your family, wealth to provide for them (and to occasionally take...

12 February, 2016 /

Our Pope has the unique talent of stirring the pot on a weekly basis. We here at the Crossroads Pursuit think that’s really awesome. The Church, contrary to popular belief, encourages discourse. Because we are Catholic, we ought to be thinking, arguing, wrestling in pursuit...

12 February, 2016 /

Our Pope has the unique talent of stirring the pot on a weekly basis. We here at the Crossroads Pursuit think that’s really awesome. The Church, contrary to popular belief, encourages discourse. Because we are Catholic, we ought to be thinking, arguing, wrestling in pursuit...

12 February, 2016 /

The Church is Universal, that means it's cool to be different. So, be different. But, isn't that the opposite of Catholicism? Isn't being different bad? Most people in America - scratch that - most Catholics in America, when they hear the word "Catholic," think: "American-style home parish Roman Catholic". But, what...

12 February, 2016 /

I just finished with a two-week summer camp for 200 high school and middle school kids at St. Gabriel's Parish in McKinney. It was an amazing, spirit-filled time. When we played, we had gigantic food fights; when we worshiped, we danced and roared; and when we served, we...

12 February, 2016 /

DISCLAIMER: For those of you who haven’t heard yet before the year’s close, Pope Francis is set to release an encyclical on Climate Change. We don’t know what it is going to say, but with the Church stepping headlong into matters of politics, economics, and science, it...

12 February, 2016 /

To my friends who are feeling lost and hopeless in their journey of faith right now: I FEEL YOU.  God and I weren’t always on the best terms. I made a lot of bad choices, because I thought God had abandoned me and I didn’t...

12 February, 2016 /

“Be very careful with that vase, you know who it belongs to, right?” I asked my 6-year-old daughter as her tiny fingers traced the delicate hand painted flowers on the pink glass. “Your great-grandmother!” she replied, already knowing the answer. “Yep, the one that you’re named after...

12 February, 2016 /

If distraction’s what you’re after, there’s no better time to be alive. You can watch TV after work. You can go see a movie. You can scroll through hours of entertainment on Vine. Then there’s Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon. Not to mention HBO, Starz, and AMC....

12 February, 2016 /

So the Internet exploded yesterday. That’s just the best way to describe it. Some are jubilant. Others are disappointed, angry, upset. It’s not surprising that many people took to social media or their blogs or the comment sections of news websites to express themselves. But guess what?...

12 February, 2016 /

Having this conversation is never easy, but it is necessary. Since I have four children and none of them are preggo yet, I'm obviously crushing it, so allow me to drop some knowledge bombs on you for how to have "THE TALK" straight from the...

12 February, 2016 /

“…and every third Sunday, we have a Beatles service.” I did an internal double-take. My friend was just describing her Methodist church and what their services were like, and that was the last thing I expected. I maintained an expression of calm interest as I pictured...

12 February, 2016 /

  "St. John Vianney’s ministry gives parish priests a fundamental blueprint  for a pastoral plan for any place and time." [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']S[/dropcaps]t. John Vianney (1786 1859) is regaining popularity among diocesan seminarians. After a generation of being ignored, if not ridiculed, the patron saint of...

12 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]n her voyage across the ocean of this world, the Church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves of life’s different stresses. Our duty is not to abandon ship but to keep her on her course. The ancient...

12 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']M[/dropcaps]  ay the comfort and grace of the Holy Spirit be yours for ever, most honored lady. Your letter    found me lingering still in this region of the dead, but now I must rouse myself to make my way...

12 February, 2016 /

  [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']O[/dropcaps] sacrum convivium O sacred banquet, in which Christ is received, the memory of his Passion is renewed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.Tantum ergo  Down in adoration falling, Lo! the sacred Host we hail; Lo! o'er ancient...

12 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']O[/dropcaps]ur Lady of Guadalupe ‘completely beyond’ scientific explanation, says researcher Phoenix, Ariz., Aug 7, 2009 / 04:10 pm (CNA).- Researcher and physicist Dr. Aldofo Orozco told participants at the International Marian Congress on Our Lady of Guadalupe that there is no scientific...

12 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']M[/dropcaps]oderate obesity can cut three years off life expectancy A new analysis of almost one million people from around the world has shown that obesity can trim years off life expectancy. Oxford University researchers found that moderate obesity, which is now common, reduces...

12 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']W[/dropcaps]ho are you, sweet light, that fills me And illumines the darkness of my heart? You lead me like a mother's hand, And should you let go of me, I would not know how to take another step. You are the space That embraces my being...

12 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']O[/dropcaps]n the morning of the 14th of September, a great crowd gathered at the Villa Sexti, in accordance with the order of the governor Galerius Maximus. That same day the governor commanded Bishop Cyprian to be brought before him for...

12 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he September 2005 issue of the Archives of Dermatology reports that patients under long-term antibiotic therapy ran a risk of developing upper respiratory tract infections at more than twice the rate of people not using the drugs. The findings highlight the dangers that...

12 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']P[/dropcaps]artridge in a pear tree           Jesus Christ, symbolized as a mother partridge that feigns injury to decoy predators from helpless nestlings.   Two turtle doves                     Old & New Testaments   Three French Hens                 Faith, hope, charity   Four Calling birds                    The Four Gospels   Five Golden Rings                  The Pentateuch or Five Books of...

12 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']S[/dropcaps]t Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (1474-1548). Little is known about the life of Juan Diego before his conversion, but tradition and archaelogical and iconographical sources, along with the most important and oldest indigenous document on the event of Guadalupe, "El Nican...

12 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']A[/dropcaps]pr. 04 (CWNews.com) - Looking back across a span of 75 years, a boyhood neighbor of John Paul II spoke recently of the simple but deep ties that bound him to the Pope in a lifelong friendship. The bonds that formed...

12 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']M[/dropcaps]   y beloved brethren, the story of Job prefigures that of Christ. Thus we understand it, and we    can see the truth of this by detailed comparison. Job was called a righteous man by God; and God is righteousness...

12 February, 2016 /

    PRI Weekly Briefing 29 December 2005 Vol. 7 / No. 51 [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]t’s a sad society, full of sad women—-not to mention men-—when mothers have to be paid not to kill their own children. Yet the situation in Italy, a country once known for a strong...

12 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']O[/dropcaps]ften the greatest challenge in bringing someone to Christ and his Church is finding ways to engage him in meaningful conversation. In contemporary America, most people are not moved by claims of truth or goodness. Relativism has made truth to...

12 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]his is a sampling of accolades from interfaith leaders on the occasion of the death of  John Paul II in April 2005. * * * Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles "No Pope did more for the Jews." --- --- ---   New York Board of Rabbis "We...

12 February, 2016 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']1[/dropcaps]870                    Babylonian empire begins   1850 BC (ca.)    Abraham   1650                    Israel & sons migrate to Egypt    1250                    Exodus from Egypt 1200                    Invasion of Sea Peoples (Philistines); Period of the Judges begins 1020                    Saul becomes king 1000                    David becomes king 961                    Solomon becomes king 922                    Jews split into two Kingdoms: Israel in the North and Judah in the South    721                    Assyrians destroy Northern Kingdom        ...

12 February, 2016 /

Having this conversation is never easy, but it is necessary. Since I have four children and none of them are preggo yet, I'm obviously crushing it, so allow me to drop some knowledge bombs on you for how to have "THE TALK" straight from the...

12 February, 2016 /

Message of Synod on the Eucharist "Living Bread for the Peace of the World" October 23, 2005 [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']V[/dropcaps]ATICAN CITY, OCT. 23, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the final message of the 21st Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist, approved Friday at...

11 February, 2016 /

What is the Theology of the Body and Why is it Changing so Many Lives? [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']"I[/dropcaps]t is an illusion to think we can build a true culture of human life if we do not . . . accept and experience sexuality and...

09 February, 2016 /

The Theology of the Body & The New Evangelization [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']"I[/dropcaps]t is an illusion to think we can build a true culture of human life if we do not . . . accept and experience sexuality and love and the whole of...

09 February, 2016 /

John Paul II's Theology of the Body: Key to an Authentic Marital & Family Spirituality [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']W[/dropcaps]hat is marital spirituality? How does the family become authentically spiritual? For John Paul II, the answers to these questions “of the spirit” are revealed in the...

09 February, 2016 /
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