The Best Christmas Card of All

The most beautiful Christmas Card I received this year (so far) is from the Sisters of Life. They had a wonderful idea and created a card with the faces of adorable children, dressed as the Three Kings.  These are children whose mothers decided against abortion. Moses, dressed as King Balthasar was born in 2006 at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Convent. Isaiah, dressed as King Caspar was also born in '06. T'veigh Emmanuel dressed as King Melchior was born in 2007. This was the message inside the card, "The little magi on this card are three of the more than 10,000 children whose mothers have had the courage to give them life with the support of our missions. Through the gifts and treasures you bring to these missions, you participate in welcoming the Christ Child into the world. For this we call YOU the Magi." 

I have displayed the card in a prominent place in my home. It makes me happy just looking at the faces of these children. To think that my small donation, when added to all the others, can do so much good. 

I found this on their website-"The Sisters of Life is a contemplative/active religious community of women founded in 1991 by John Cardinal O'Connor for the protection and enhancement of the sacredness of every human life. Like all religious communities, we take the three traditional vows but also we are consecrated under a special, fourth vow to protect and enhance the sacredness of human life."

Cardinal O'Connor must be smiling down on these wonderful women who have done so much good for the cause of life. And their numbers are growing. Whenever I receive their newsletter, I'm always pleased to see the faces and read the biographies of young women who are responding to a  worthy cause and vocation. They all look very happy. At times, when I'm in Manhattan, I see the Sisters walking through the city confidently going about their work. 

NJA

O Antiphon for Dec. 17th

O Sapientia-O Wisdom

O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High,

reaching from one end to the other mightily,

and sweetly ordering all things:

Come and teach us the way of prudence.

__________________________________________________

My prayer is for the Church-O Wisdom, Most Holy, Give Wisdom through the Spirit to your Church, to all leaders within the Church, so that the Body of Christ might flourish and succeed in doing Your will. Amen.  

NJA

Gifts for the Infant Jesus

In an attempt to cultivate a spirit of giving and generosity, I ask my sons each year what they would like to give for Christmas to help others, along with what they would like. My family has made a donation to Heifer International for the last few years, to help the poor.  I read an article years ago, which suggested that we ask children, "What would you like to give for Christmas," instead of, "What do you want to get for Christmas?" 

I was reading in the Long Island Catholic this morning about an idea developed by the Office of New Evangelization in the Diocese of Rockville Center, that I loved.

The Office is initiating a week of prayer for all children. The director of the new office, Franciscan Brother James McVeigh was quoted as saying, "As we prepare for Christmas we are trying to awaken in the hearts of all the faithful to look to the Infant Jesus. The Infant Jesus embraces all, especially needy children....As children get ready for Christmas, it is important for them to learn that there are many children who are suffering." The week of prayer will begin on Sunday, Dec. 13th. There will be prayers with different petitions for each day of the week. Children will be praying for homeless and hungry children, orphans and victims of war, and others. Brother James said, "We are uniting in prayer to the Infant Jesus for our children and youth by encouraging our families to pray for different groups of children each day. Showing our love and concern for these troubled children witnesses a powerful example that the Catholic Church cares for the spiritual and temporal welfare of all our children."

What a great Advent idea! The prayers will be available online and I will download them to pray along with all the children, youth and families that will be praying these prayers during Advent. 

Prayers are available at the office's website at-http://drvc.org/new-evangelization-office/new evangelization.html

NJA

Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others.  St. Augustine

Everything that lives, lives not alone, nor for itself.  William Blake

The Decade from Hell-The Season of Hope

On the first Sunday of Advent, the gospel reading from Luke was very ominous. Here is the first part of it, Jesus said to his disciples, 'There will be signs in the sun, the moon and the stars and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.'

In an interesting article in Time Magazine that I read (part of) online, titled, The '00's: Goodbye (At Last) to the Decade from Hell by Andy Serwer, he wrote the following, ...Though the dreaded millenial meltdown never happened on Jan. 1st, 2000, instead it was the American dream that was about to dim. Bookended by 9/11 at the start and a financial wipeout at the end, the first 10 years of this century will very likely go down as the most dispiriting and disillusioning decade Americans have lived through in the post-World War II era. We're still weeks away from the end  of '09, but it's not too early to pass judgment. Call it the Decade from Hell, or the Reckoning, or the Decade of Broken Dreams, or the Lost Decade. Call it whatever  you want-just give thanks that it is nearly over. 

 I never thought about it until I read the Time article but perhaps looking ahead to the next decade with hope, isn't such a bad idea. Good riddance to the decade filled with so much loss, tragedy, disappointment and greed. 

Let's hope our redemption is at hand, as it stated in yesterday's gospel. Perhaps we've lived through the trial, that was the last decade and alluded to in the gospel.  

As Christians we always look to the future with hope. And it's Advent, the Season of Hope. The Season when we are able to celebrate the birth of our Savior and Lord. Pure joy!! I read these words spoken by Pope Benedict at the start of Advent, on Rocco Palmo's famous blog and I loved them so here they are....words of hope from Pope Benedict.......Jesus, "rock" like God, I like that.

NJA

“The contemporary world needs hope above all; this is true for developing peoples but especially for developed peoples.... With the collapse of so many false certainties, we are becoming especially aware of how we need reliable hope and that this is found only in Christ, who according to the Letter to the Hebrews Jesus “is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (13:8). The Lord Jesus came in the past, comes in the present, and shall come in the future. He embraces all of time’s dimensions. Because he died and rose, he is the ‘Living’, and whilst he shared our human precariousness, he is always there, offering us God’s stability. He is “flesh” like us, and “rock” like God. Anyone who yearns for freedom, justice, and peace can stand erect and raise his head because in Christ redemption is at hand (cf Lk, 21:28).”