Showing posts with label Advent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Advent. Show all posts

Advent

            
Benedictines Of Mary, Queen Of Apostles - MP3




For the First Sunday of Advent Fathers Whitehead and Hanvey are looking at Carlo Crivelli’s 1486 painting ‘The Annunciation with Saint Emidius’. - Podcast
The National Gallery, London



For the Second Sunday of Advent, Fathers Whitehead and Hanvey are looking at 'The Visitation of the Virgin to Saint Elizabeth’ crafted around 1515 from the Workshop of the Master. - Podcast
The National Gallery, London



For the Third Sunday of Advent Fathers Whitehead and Hanvey are looking at 'The Birth of Saint John the Baptist Predella Panel' by Giovanni di Paolo, painted in 1454. - Podcast
The National Gallery, London



For the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Fathers Whitehead and Hanvey looked at 'The Nativity at Night' by Geertgen tot Sint Jans, painted in 1490. - Podcast
The National Gallery, London







United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: Advent Season

The First Christian Art and its Early Developments - Lord Richard Harries

2015 Magnificat Advent Companion



Free Salesian Online Course for Advent



2016 Catholic Weekly Planner by Agnus Dei Press

American Catholic Radio Archive: Advent

100 Best Catholic Novels. Or, How to Buy a Catholic Library for Christmas

Prayer Cards



Advent is our "personal journey toward a meeting...with God" - Alfred Delp 









That's Christmas To Me
Pentatonix







"St. Joseph is an important figure in the Catholic Church, best known as Mary’s husband and Jesus’ earthly father. This collection provides an in-depth look at Joseph’s life, starting with his birth and studying his iconic role in the Church as the head of the Holy Family..." - Logos.com


Additional Resources





"The role of the laity is to sanctify the world." - Bishop Robert Barron





Published: 11.30.2013
Updated: 12.08.2013; 11.30.2014; 12.11.2014; 11.29.2015
Labels:

Who is this child? He is God!


O great mystery,
and wonderful sacrament,
that animals should see the new-born Lord,
lying in a manger!
Blessed is the Virgin whose womb
was worthy to bear Christ the Lord.
Alleluia!





"Jesus compels a choice, in the way no other founder does...[The claims of Jesus] are the unique treasure of Christianity...If Jesus is who he says he is, I must give my whole life to him..." (Robert E. Barron).








"We hold on to things outside of us instead of concentrating on what is within that keep us noisy and agitated. We run from experience to experience like children...and  wonder how serenity has eluded us... Dwelling on inessentials and, worse, filling the minds of others with them distract from the great theme of our lives.  We must learn to distinguish between what is real and what is not" (J. Chittister, The Rule of Benedict: A Spirituality for the 21st Century, p. 290).


Published 12.24.2012
Republished 12.24.2013; 12.24.2014; 01.03.2016



Labels: , , ,

Advent













Advent Calendar - Xt3

Resources








Labels:

All that I am














Preparing breakfast early one morning this week, my little ones (now ages eight and six) sat at the table and waited for their favorite part of the breakfast, hot chocolate.  I balanced preparing their snacks, lunches for school and my thoughts.  I asked my girls, if you were visiting the baby Jesus, what gifts would you take?  My oldest one chimed in with a bright smile and said, “I would take him my prayers…”  My youngest, shortly thereafter exclaimed, “I would take him all that I am.”  Each of my daughters reminded me of the essence of what it means to have an authentic relationship with God.

Thinking about my daughters' responses, I recall a colleague of mine who was heavily involved in the last political campaign.  In his early sixties, he relentlessly and kindly shared his views when the opportunity presented itself.  He educated himself on the issues, shared his opinion, and more than that, simply handed out bumper stickers to anyone who accepted them.  Like my children, he exemplified what it means to give.  He is not a prominent figure in the community, or a commentator on a popular news channel.  He is a warmhearted man giving all that he is for what he believes important.



JoanChittister (1992), in her book, The Rule of Benedict states, “We can study church history forever and never become holier for the doing.  There are theology courses all over the world that have nothing whatsoever to do with the spiritual life.  In the same way, we may think we are a community or assume we are family but if we do not serve one another we are, at best, a collection of people who live alone together" (p. 169).  There are many challenges in the world to deal with, but in them we find opportunities to have an authentic relationship with God by giving and serving our neighbors.  In choosing this path, we deliver to Jesus the greatest and most important gift we can give.  When we give all that I am, home life is enriched, our communities more neighborly and the world is a better place, but it must first begin in the mind and heart that springs forth in prayer and continues with a heart that is open to exclaim, I will give all that I am.
Labels: , , , ,

Fishers of men!



"He said to them, 'Come after me,
and I will make you fishers of men.'"


Resources


Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Be watchful! Be alert!






Our culture promotes multitasking as a virtue, yet we see time and again, it does not produce the best outcome (Stanford Report, 2009).  In fact, living habitually in this fashion trains us to miss what is important.  In areas where we multitask, over the long-term, we fail to meet the goals that are meaningful.  For example, if we are distracted from important relationships, the depth of our love does not come to fruition (P. Mango, 2001).  Most assuredly, our children miss opportunities to know how much they mean to us (S. Sells, 2008).  Similarly, when we divide our attention, it is impossible to sincerely watch for our Lord and understand from scripture, fellowship and prayer all there is to learn (EWTN: Global Catholic Network).

As parents, the call to be equipped to teach our children (Catechism) has long lasting implications. Yet, the significance of our role as guides for our children can only come from a heart that is still (S. Chapman, 2007), attentive and self-reflective to identify the path to better parenting and fellowship with Christ.

Our Lord's message is simple:  "Jesus said to his disciples: 'Be watchful!  Be alert!  You do not know when the time will come'" (Mark 13:33).  In his message, I hear: Seek after the Lord.  Pay attention. Love deeply.  Know and teach your children, for there will come a time when I will call you to myself.  The gift you leave for family and friends, is a witness to the hope that is within (1 Peter 3:15).

Resources

Labels:

Advent, Listening and a Call to Prayer


During the course of my “ministry” there has been little time for listening and deep prayer over this past year, as I continue to actively spread the word “Faith formation is job #1” in the lives of Catholic dads and those of their children. Especially, since there have been over 15,000 page views to CatholicDads.org since November 2008. With that, I have felt the continued passion to encourage dads of all ages (and on any social networking platform I can post on) to be mindful of our important role in the faith formation of our children. Oh, I pray all the time like most faithful dads, but not in a way where I am disposed to even a deeper conversion of the type that causes a wonderful fear of God's obvious actions in one's life. Lately, I know in my core, this is something I am longing for. It may well be the same experience I felt when I took a one day personal / silent retreat at Prince of Peace Abbey, where I found myself “captivated by my Lord” in January 2008. That retreat was the catalyst for becoming a novice oblate and for all events and challenges (painful and not) I now find myself engaged in, and ultimately for the better of my soul and and the souls of others.

As Advent approaches tomorrow, I am listening for Jesus and I have purchased A Companion to the Liturgy of the Hours: Morning and Evening Prayer, along with my first copy of Christian Prayer.

I'm listening....and concurrently shedding many distractions in my life that I have come to realize have been nothing more than chatter to leave me unfulfilled by not acutely hearing what the Lord has to say; the distractions are of the type you find yourself competing with in a nice restaurant where the patrons maintain a dull roar preventing one and a dear friend from connecting on a deeper level that both know is there, but find themselves dissatisfied as the circumstance need to be willfully changed. It is only when one or both say, “Let's get out of here” do they create an opportunity to embark on a stroll to discover what it is they long to connect on.

And, that is where I find myself. Listening in anticipation of connecting with my Savior and wonderfully fearful of what it is that will unfold and the deep prayer that is likely to follow. How do you prepare for Advent? Is your prayer life what you would like it to be?
0 comments
Labels: ,

Coming to Jesus Disabled


It has only been the past few years where I've really come to appreciate the importance of Advent in my life. It has caused me to re-think where I invest my time and attention. And, I find that as I let go of a secular perspective, and focus more on the importance of my relationship with God, not only am I humbled by his awesome presence, but I see his word differently.

For example, in reading the First Wednesday of Advent's Gospel according to Matthew (15:29-37), apart from learning something about a modern day approach to feeding the hungry (an entry for another day), I wondered, "What was the expectation of those who came to Jesus with their lame, blind, deformed, mute and many others?" Did they come thinking, "This is our only hope?" or wondering "Is there any hope?" Either way, they came to Jesus with their disabled. This awareness caused me to think how often I have been lame, blind, deformed, and mute in my own life, and how those disabilities can only be healed by coming to Jesus. When I have come to him, I have been amazed, as the scripture indicates were those who came to him, and I have found myself wanting to glorify "the God of Israel" but not knowing just how. Then, it came to me, God is glorified when his children acknowledge him, come to him, and live according to his will (no small task if one has a secular perspective).

This Advent, we all need to bring those aspects of our lives which are lame, blind, deformed and mute. As we do, we will be able to say of each other, "he cured them" and in our respective lives glorify him and draw others to faith.
0 comments
Labels: ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)