Readings for Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent December 23, 2020 Catholic Church

Readings for Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent

Lectionary: 199

Reading 1

MAL 3:1-4, 23-24

Thus says the Lord GOD:

Lo, I am sending my messenger

to prepare the way before me;

And suddenly there will come to the temple

the LORD whom you seek,

And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.

Yes, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.

But who will endure the day of his coming?

And who can stand when he appears?

For he is like the refiner’s fire,

or like the fuller’s lye.

He will sit refining and purifying silver,

and he will purify the sons of Levi,

Refining them like gold or like silver

that they may offer due sacrifice to the LORD.

Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem

will please the LORD,

as in the days of old, as in years gone by.

Lo, I will send you

Elijah, the prophet,

Before the day of the LORD comes,

the great and terrible day,

To turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,

and the hearts of the children to their fathers,

Lest I come and strike

the land with doom.

 

Responsorial Psalm

PS 25:4-5AB, 8-9, 10 AND 14

R. (see Luke 21:28)  Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand.

Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;

teach me your paths,

Guide me in your truth and teach me,

for you are God my savior.

R. Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand.

Good and upright is the LORD;

thus he shows sinners the way.

He guides the humble to justice,

he teaches the humble his way.

R. Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand.

All the paths of the LORD are kindness and constancy

toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

The friendship of the LORD is with those who fear him,

and his covenant, for their instruction.

R. Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand.

 

Alleluia  

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

O King of all nations and keystone of the Church:

come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

LK 1:57-66

When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child

she gave birth to a son. 

Her neighbors and relatives heard

that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her,

and they rejoiced with her. 

When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child,

they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,

but his mother said in reply,

“No. He will be called John.” 

But they answered her,

“There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” 

So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. 

He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,”

and all were amazed.

Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,

and he spoke blessing God.

Then fear came upon all their neighbors,

and all these matters were discussed

throughout the hill country of Judea.

All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,

“What, then, will this child be?"

For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.

Pope Francis Recognizes Judge as Martyr who was Killed by the Mafia

I think this is good news. Everyone knows the mafia or mob is bad. But somehow in our society they are glorified. They are shown as "tough guys", stylish, and even as having certain values. In actual fact, they are evil people from an evil organization.

There is a guy Michael Franceze who has a Youtube channel and I have watched some of his videos. He is pretty entertaining. He recounts stories from his mob life. Although he says he has renounced that life and is now a professing Christian, I still think there is something of a glorification to what he does. I don't even think it's intentional necessarily.

Basically in his videos, he will tell these stories of the mob life. In it, he gets into details about the life, but I feel he plays it up. He talks about how tough he was, how he was so good at handling various situations and "taking care of business". While he adds a disclaimer at the end that he renounces the life and that he doesn't recommend it, I feel there is some level of pride in his stories and how he recounts them.

I'm not here to judge him, but I think there is something of a double standard when it comes to stories of the mob. We should have a very straightforward approach to these things. People who use violence and intimidation to get ahead and using evil means and it cannot be supported in any way.

Therefore, I am glad Pope Francis has declared this man to be a martyr for the faith, a man who stood up to the mob and gave the ultimate sacrifice.

"In an age of hope men looked up at the night sky and saw 'the heavens.' In an age of hopelessness they call it simply 'space.'" - Peter Kreeft

 

Very interesting video about the Armenian Catholic Church

This video was produced in 2011 and talks about the history of the Armenian Church. Although not all Armenian Christian Churches have done so, the Armenian Catholic Chuch has reunited with the Bishop of Rome. The ACC has about 350,000 members. Check out this interesting vid:

Communion Shenanigans in the Catholic Church During Covid

There are a lot of very strange things occurring in Catholic churches due to Covid. Things which are rather inexplicable and sometimes somewhat frustrating. As with everything, we must use these as opportunities to grow in holiness. At the same time, I do wonder where some of these strange ideas are coming from.

As a little background information, on Sunday, I attempted to go to Mass at the church where I have been making an effort to attend daily. When I arrived, the lady informs me that all the places are reserved and nothing can be changed. I had attempted to reserve a seat on Wednesday, thinking it was the first possible day, but I was told you could register before this now.

It has happened before that I did not register for Mass on time. In those cases, I would show up early to the church and see if anyone else had cancelled and if so I would simply replace them.

So this past Sunday, they seem to have implemented a brand new rule - you cannot replace someone else who will not be attending. It's very strange and makes little sense. As an example, another lady in the same boat as me who attends daily Mass, told the lady that her daughter was registered but that her daughter would not be showing up that day. She asked if she could take her daughter's place. The answer was no.

It's important to realize that in the past (i.e. the previous week), this was a common practice. If someone did not or would not be showing up, another person could take their place. This only makes sense. What other difference does it make? The registration's only purpose is to ensure there are not too many people in the church at the same time. I get that churches must strictly adhere to the maximum number of people. I mean it's not like it's a Costco!

So this person would allow no one in, not even to replace someone who would definitely not be attending. So I went to another church with someone else. This church, of course, had its own set of rules. Every church seems different with regards to Covid rules which is odd in itself.

We arrive at this more "modern" church which has a distinctly "modern" style of music, by which I mean of course from the 70s. Also, they do not have kneelers. They don't even have pews, but rather soft individual chairs.

So I and the person I am with sit up front, as close to the altar as possible. Once the consecration has taken place, the priest comes to the middle to give out Holy Eucharist. They have decided to allow everyone from the right side section go up to receive communion first. Once they are all done, it will be our turn on the left side. Again, I am the first person of that section. The last person of the right side receives communion. An usher tells me to wait a second after she squirts some hand sanitizer on my hands. To my surprise, just as I'm about to present myself to receive the Body and Blood of Our Lord, the priest just walks away. Huh? What is going on here? Yes, the priest just leaves. And in his place is an older lady with her own chalice ready to give out communion. You've got to be kidding me! Where is the priest going?

As I am the first person in line, and not knowing what else to do, I receive communion from this EMHC. This is one of the strangest arrangements I have seen to date. You'd think being as close to the priest as possible would mean he would give you communion. Also strange is that he went from one line to another. Why would he do this? What purpose does it serve? It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

But a bigger question is why are there EMHCs in these circumstances anyway? Churches are at a fraction of their usual capacity. Where I am, churches can have a maximum of 100 people total in the structure. In previous times, these same churches may have gotten 500 or 1000 parishioners. So 500 people can be handled with 2 people distributing communion, but with 100 people you still need 2 people? How does this make sense.

Obviously it only makes sense if the EMHCs are being improperly used.

In the official Catholic Church document titled Redemptionis sacramentum, there are clear instructions as to when EMHCs can be properly employed. (Redemptionis sacramentum (Latin for "Sacrament of Redemption") is the title of an instruction on the proper way to celebrate Mass in the Roman Rite and, with the necessary adjustments, in other Latin liturgical rites. Source: Wikipedia)

In sections 157 to 158, it states:

If there is usually present a sufficient number of sacred ministers for the distribution of Holy Communion, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion may not be appointed. Indeed, in such circumstances, those who may have already been appointed to this ministry should not exercise it. The practice of those Priests is reprobated who, even though present at the celebration, abstain from distributing Communion and hand this function over to laypersons. 

Indeed, the extraordinary minister of Holy Communion may administer Communion only when the Priest and Deacon are lacking, when the Priest is prevented by weakness or advanced age or some other genuine reason, or when the number of faithful coming to Communion is so great that the very celebration of Mass would be unduly prolonged.[259] This, however, is to be understood in such a way that a brief prolongation, considering the circumstances and culture of the place, is not at all a sufficient reason.

As can clearly be seen from this instruction, having a group of laypeople give out communion regardless of the circumstances is prohibited. Extraordinary ministers (as the name implies) must only be used in extraordinary circumstances such as those listed above. These people have become all too common. Another important part is that even if such people are at a Mass, if there is sufficient capacity for the priest or deacon to distribute communion, they should, and the EMHC should stand down.

Obviously a physically capable, relatively young priest should not have any issue distributing communion to under 100 people, especially since he does that on a regular basis to begin with.

The priest is acting in persona Christi and his hands are consecrated and ultimately should be the only hands actually touching communion. We have seen many abuses caused by communion in the hand. Covid was just another excuse to ban the practice of communion on the tongue.

This isn't quite as bad though as an incident which I witnessed at a small church in a small community. The priest, having consecrated the host, passed on the chalice to a layperson who distributed all of the communion as the priest simply watched. There were no more than a couple of dozen people in this church. He was not physically incapacitated since he had been previously walking quite a bit during his homily, I guess to give a more "friendly" feel to his sermon. Yet, he chose to sit by on the sidelines and let someone without holy orders do his role for him. Quite disappointing.

As I have spoken about often, churches have countless procedures in place allegedly to prevent the spread of Covid-19. To an outsider looking in, they would assume these Christians are far more concerned about a relatively non-lethal and overall low-risk illness than they are about their eternal salvation or the miracle taking place before them at every Mass.

I think it's important for priests to emphasize the importance and supernatural reality of the Eucharist instead of doing the things mentioned in this article.

Wow, just wow. What a meme about Never buying flowers from a monk.... you gotta see this.

 

Readings for Tuesday, December 22, 2020 in the Catholic Church

Readings for Tuesday, December 22, 2020 in the Catholic Church

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Reading 1

1 SM 1:24-28

In those days,

Hannah brought Samuel with her,

along with a three-year-old bull,

an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine,

and presented him at the temple of the LORD in Shiloh. 

After the boy’s father had sacrificed the young bull,

Hannah, his mother, approached Eli and said:

“Pardon, my lord!

As you live, my lord,

I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the LORD. 

I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request. 

Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;

as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD.”

She left Samuel there.

Responsorial Psalm

1 SAMUEL 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8ABCD

R. (see 1a) My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

“My heart exults in the LORD,

my horn is exalted in my God.

I have swallowed up my enemies;

I rejoice in my victory.”

R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

“The bows of the mighty are broken,

while the tottering gird on strength.

The well-fed hire themselves out for bread,

while the hungry batten on spoil.

The barren wife bears seven sons,

while the mother of many languishes.”

R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

“The LORD puts to death and gives life;

he casts down to the nether world;

he raises up again.

The LORD makes poor and makes rich,

he humbles, he also exalts.”

R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

“He raises the needy from the dust;

from the dung heap he lifts up the poor,

To seat them with nobles

and make a glorious throne their heritage.”

R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

Alleluia 

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

O King of all nations and keystone of the Church:

come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

LK 1:46-56

Mary said:

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;

my spirit rejoices in God my savior.

for he has looked upon his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,

and has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones

and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children for ever.”

Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months

and then returned to her home.

Readings for Monday, December 21, 2020 in the Catholic Church

Readings for Monday, December 21, 2020 in the Catholic Church

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Reading 1

SG (Song of Songs) 2:8-14

Hark! my lover–here he comes

springing across the mountains,

leaping across the hills.

My lover is like a gazelle

or a young stag.

Here he stands behind our wall,

gazing through the windows,

peering through the lattices.

My lover speaks; he says to me,

“Arise, my beloved, my dove, my beautiful one,

and come!

“For see, the winter is past,

the rains are over and gone.

The flowers appear on the earth,

the time of pruning the vines has come,

and the song of the dove is heard in our land.

The fig tree puts forth its figs,

and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance.

Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one,

and come!

“O my dove in the clefts of the rock,

in the secret recesses of the cliff,

Let me see you,

let me hear your voice, 

For your voice is sweet,

and you are lovely.”

or

Zep 3:14-18a

Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!

Sing joyfully, O Israel!

Be glad and exult with all your heart,

O daughter Jerusalem!

The LORD has removed the judgment against you,

he has turned away your enemies;

The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,

you have no further misfortune to fear.

On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:

Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!

The LORD, your God, is in your midst,

a mighty savior;

He will rejoice over you with gladness,

and renew you in his love,

He will sing joyfully because of you,

as one sings at festivals.

 

Responsorial Psalm

PS 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21

R. (1a; 3a)  Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.

Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;

with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.

Sing to him a new song;

pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness.

R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.

But the plan of the LORD stands forever; 

the design of his heart, through all generations.

Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,

the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.

R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.

Our soul waits for the LORD,

who is our help and our shield,

For in him our hearts rejoice;

in his holy name we trust. 

R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.

Alleluia  

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law:

come to save us, Lord our God!

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

LK 1:39-45

Mary set out in those days

and traveled to the hill country in haste

to a town of Judah,

where she entered the house of Zechariah

and greeted Elizabeth. 

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,

the infant leaped in her womb,

and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,

cried out in a loud voice and said,

“Most blessed are you among women,

and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 

And how does this happen to me,

that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 

For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,

the infant in my womb leaped for joy. 

Blessed are you who believed

that what was spoken to you by the Lord

would be fulfilled.”

Death Cult: How Assisted Suicide is becoming more and more widespread in Canada

June 2016 was the first time in Canadian history that some people could choose to receive medical help in ending their lives. The conditions to qualify were very specific:

• Could not be based on mental illness - could only be physical illness
• Was not available to minors
• Could not be based on long-term disability or curable condition
• Available only to Canadian residents
• There was a waiting period
• The patient gave consent after being given all other available options, such as palliative care
• 10-day waiting period

This right to die is not found in our constitution. Like so many other such laws, it was invented out of thin air by the Supreme Court. They "discovered" it within laws pertaining to the right to life, how ironic. The court "graciously" gave the government a year to find a way to make it the law. Not really sure how that works. Nothing was done in that timeframe so they were given an additional 4 months. Eventually the court just decided it was a right. Eventually the government officially passed a law stated such.

That was just 3.5 years ago. Now, there is a new proposal on the table called Bill C7 which will vastly expand those who qualify to be killed by a doctor.

Some of the new things being proposed include the following:

Someone who previously gave consent does not now need to give consent immediately before the procedure takes place. Previously a person would have to be of sound mind to accept being killed. But now it can be based on a previous decision. The bill does not specify if there is an expiry date on a previous request. It has been determined that up to 8% of people who previously give consent subsequently revoke that consent.

The new bill seeks to remove the 10-day waiting period. Theoretically this means a patient could be euthanized on the same day that they request it. How does anyone think this is a good idea? The premise behind the original 10-day waiting period was that our moods and attitudes can change within the span of 10 days. Anyone can relate to being very upset or angry at a situation and it seeming dire in their minds, only to change their attitude 10 days later. Alas they want to remove this.

Another extremely important safeguard that is being proposed for removal is the requirement of 2 witnesses to testify as to the person's wishes. They want to reduce it to 1. Even two isn't very many in my opinion. Just imagine an unscrupulous person who would prefer the patient to die. Just that one person can act as a witness. At least with 2 witnesses, there is something of a safeguard there.

Another provision that is being threatened is the one which states the patient must be dying. They want to remove this. Non-dying patients would be allowed to avail of assistance in dying in they simply wanted to die for a particular reason.

These are just a few of the things this bill is looking to change. As Andrew Coyne points out, people who said things would devolve to this point 3 or 4 years ago would have been criticized for using slippery slope thinking and for being alarmist. Well, now this is becoming a reality.

Of course, it won't stop at any of these measures. It will just keep getting worse and worse. There are many issues with all of this. We are telling elderly and disabled people that their lives are meaningless if they experience any pain or hardships. As a society we are telling them they might as well kill themselves. Such a pathetic society we have become. This is a violation of the 4th and 5th commandments. We should not kill our elders nor the disabled.

I feel as though many older people will be pressured into ending their lives prematurely. They will be told it's the right thing to do. They will see all their friends and family following that path. Bill Gates once rhetorically asked whether it's better to save the life of one older person or to hire 10 teachers. We will be asking our elders to make such decisions. The right to die quickly becomes the duty to die. We start to evaluate human worth based on what a person can produce or what they bring to the table, rather than seeing them as invaluable and loved by God. They ought to be seen as worthy of life and our love.

I saw a disturbing video not long ago of a man dancing with his wife near a hospital bed. He had decided to be killed and he wanted to dance with her. She had posted the video. The sad part is she seemed proud of the whole thing. Like, isn't it sweet that we danced right before he had someone kill him? I read the comments and they were almost unanimously in favour of what was happening. They all gushed about how sweet it was, how loving and affectionate, etc. It was none of those things. In this man's time of suffering and need, he was given over to be executed. This is not a good society.

The Catholic Church allows people to make use of palliative care and pain-reduction drugs, even if as an unintended consequence the person dies because of the use of these drugs. But the Church will never allow a person to voluntarily choose to kill himself. It is a grave offense against God Almighty to do such a thing. He gave you your life and you have no right to take it.

Part of the reason for the proliferation of this phenomenon of assisted suicide is our horrible socialist healthcare system. Reports come out frequently showing the extremely long wait times people are forced to endure to receive medical treatment. Hospitals are low-quality and everything takes forever to get done. People from other countries may be surprised to know that in Canada, especially where I am from, entering into the Emergency section of the hospital and having to wait 10 hours to talk to someone is commonplace. If a person requires medical care, procedures can take dozens of weeks and sometimes over 2 years to receive. It's the equivalent of bread lines for healthcare.

There is an all-out promotion of assisted dying from the medical community in Canada. They see it as a method of cost-reduction. In a socialist system, consumers of a product or service are seen as a problem, not as customers that must be catered to. So many doctors and health-care administrators are really pushing assisted suicide as a great option. In Newfoundland, where I am from, one particular doctor actually wrote a newspaper article bemoaning the fact that due to strong family connections and taboos against assisted suicide, uptake was low in the province. He felt this was a problem. What a horribly twisted way of thinking.

The only solution to all of this is an all-out ban on medically-assisted suicide. I refuse to call it the euphemism of "Medical Assistance in Dying". It's not dying, it's murder. But things are getting more and more Orwellian.

We must not only oppose expansion of assisted suicide laws, we must seek a complete repeal of them. It is a gravely immoral injustice that is a blight to our country.

Sources: https://www.christianlegalfellowship.org/blog/2020/2/26/billc7analysis

Wearing a Catholic Brown Scapular

 

Talking at Mass & Other Pet Peeves

I know I've talked about this in other posts, I just think it bears repeating. All too often people are doing things which are inappropriate at church and in particular at Mass. It signifies a deeper problem in my opinion. Let's talk about that.

One of my biggest pet peeves is the Chatty Cathys at Mass. It's simply inappropriate. The minute you walk into a church, you should be silent. In the cathedral where I normally attend the Holy Sacrifice, it is pretty open. People will often stand around the perimeter and be chatting to others. Sometimes they will speak more quietly, other times they will not. They may just speak at a normal volume.

I have been guilty of this myself, especially during Covid times. What normally happens is that I walk in and there is a person at the table taking down names and phone numbers. The person starts talking to me. I feel like I am just in an ordinary situation. However, I soon realize I am in a church and that I should be quiet. Many people, however, do not have this reaction.

Even worse than the chit-chatters are those who actually talk DURING Mass itself. Perhaps it is during a time when no one else is talking. Fr. Ripperger has talked about this. Basically we have gotten so used to all prayers and worship being done out loud that when there is any silence, people have no idea what to do, so they instinctively start talking.

I agree with this assessment. People act as if they are watching some kind of performance on stage, and so if there is a break between "scenes", it seems natural to just start talking to the person next to you. The problem is it is very distracting to people who wish to pray or at least be in a reverent state of silence.

I have heard people even talking WHILE the priest is speaking. I wonder if these people have any idea what is even going on. We are present at the re-presentation of the Sacrifice of Jesus, present to us in an unbloody manner so that we may partake of the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord. You're not at a bingo hall or shopping centre. Now is not the time to discuss what you need to get at the grocery store once Mass is over.

People may think I am being overly negative. What if people have something important they are talking about? That's possible of course. However, most "important" things which would merit in-Mass speaking could be discussed in a short period of time. Plus, the frequency of such things ought to be extremely rare. I don't even mind if every now and then someone says a word or two to the person next to them, fine. But I have been in the presence of a couple of people who talk, full volume, for minutes on end. Occasionally I have been unfortunate enough to sit near a couple of people who continuously talk throughout the entirety of the liturgy. Completely unbelievable and unacceptable.

Along with talking while at Mass, another pet peeve of mine is disruptive people who are not in unison with everyone else. I have started to attend daily rosary at my church. There is a lady there who recites her prayers must more quickly than everyone else. Everyone seems to have a general speed, while she bolts through prayers like she is in some kind of competition.

Not only that, one day the usual person who leads the rosary was not present so she took over. She was saying the Apostle's Creed so quickly she fumbled over her words and said it wrong. What is the point of this? What is she trying to prove?

I believe both talking in Mass and speeding through prayers without thinking about them indicate something bigger. To me, it seems the people doing things like this are not giving their time at church the proper attention. They seem to be operating on the surface without attempting to go to a deeper spiritual level. They do not really seem mindful of other people and they are acting as a distraction.

Having said all of this, I guess I have to look at it from a positive perspective, and quite honestly this is the hardest part. Maybe I must use these people and their annoying behaviors as ways of increasing in patience. There was a saint I heard about recently who said that very thing. One person said they would be holy only for the actions and behaviors of others. The saint responded that rather than these distractions and annoyances preventing one from becoming holy, they were the means by which the person could become holy.

However hard it might be, I must find out how to do this and think this way. Perhaps it is something for which I must pray.

Thanks to everyone who is reading this for letting me rant. Have a great day.

Catholics and Mary: Meme

 

Readings for Sunday, December 20, 2020 in the Catholic Church

Readings for Sunday, December 20, 2020 in the Catholic Church

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Lectionary: 11

Reading 1

2 SM 7:1-5, 8B-12, 14A, 16

When King David was settled in his palace,

and the LORD had given him rest from his enemies on every side,

he said to Nathan the prophet,

“Here I am living in a house of cedar,

while the ark of God dwells in a tent!”

Nathan answered the king,

“Go, do whatever you have in mind,

for the LORD is with you.”

But that night the LORD spoke to Nathan and said:

“Go, tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD:

Should you build me a house to dwell in?’“

"'It was I who took you from the pasture

and from the care of the flock 

to be commander of my people Israel.

I have been with you wherever you went,

and I have destroyed all your enemies before you.

And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth.

I will fix a place for my people Israel;

I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place

without further disturbance.

Neither shall the wicked continue to afflict them as they did of old,

since the time I first appointed judges over my people Israel.

I will give you rest from all your enemies.

The LORD also reveals to you

that he will establish a house for you.

And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors,

I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins,

and I will make his kingdom firm.

I will be a father to him,

and he shall be a son to me.

Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me;

your throne shall stand firm forever.'”

Responsorial Psalm

PS 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29

R. (2a) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

The promises of the LORD I will sing forever;

through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.

For you have said, “My kindness is established forever”;

in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.

R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

“I have made a covenant with my chosen one,

I have sworn to David my servant:

Forever will I confirm your posterity

and establish your throne for all generations.”

R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

“He shall say of me, ‘You are my father,

my God, the Rock, my savior.’

Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,

and my covenant with him stands firm.”

R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

Reading 2

ROM 16:25-27

Brothers and sisters:

To him who can strengthen you,

according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ,

according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages

but now manifested through the prophetic writings and,

according to the command of the eternal God,

made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith,

to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ

be glory forever and ever.

Amen.

Alleluia

LK 1:38

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.

May it be done to me according to your word.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

LK 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent from God

to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,

to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,

of the house of David,

and the virgin’s name was Mary.

And coming to her, he said,

“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”

But she was greatly troubled at what was said

and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

Then the angel said to her,

“Do not be afraid, Mary,

for you have found favor with God.

“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,

and you shall name him Jesus.

He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,

and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,

and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,

and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

But Mary said to the angel,

“How can this be,

since I have no relations with a man?”

And the angel said to her in reply,

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,

and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.

Therefore the child to be born

will be called holy, the Son of God.

And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,

has also conceived a son in her old age,

and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;

for nothing will be impossible for God.”

Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.

May it be done to me according to your word.”

Then the angel departed from her.

Men have a role in families

This might sound like an obvious point to many, but in our modern society, this must be re-emphasized: Men have a major role to play in the family. Although I am married, I unfortunately do not yet have any children. I look around and see the lack of a role many men have in their children's lives or in the family in general. This must end immediately.

According to Catholic teaching, men are the heads of the household. They have the authority but also the responsibility to provide for all the needs of the family. This is different from the modern-day view of husband and wife having the same roles or the wife being the head of the family. Both of these positions are incorrect.

I'm not saying this as some kind of chauvinist. Rather, it is the proper ordering of things. God is the head of the Universe, Jesus Christ is our King, we have spiritual authorities such as priests, bishops, and the pope, and within the family God has chosen the man to be the head of the household. Women are above children in authority and they should listen to her.

So what does it mean for a man to have authority over a household? It means he is willing to sacrifice and even die for the sake of his family. It's not a power trip where he is treated like royalty. No, he has the authority and the responsibility to care for his family. In practical terms this means he looks after the overall good of the family, he provides for them, he ensures they have spiritual formation.

The problem nowadays is that many men take a backseat. They act like one of the children of the house. This isn't the role of a man. He is exhibiting sloth and a unwillingness to take his responsibilities seriously. Fr. Ripperger says that even household chores are the duty of men. The role of wives is to support their husbands. She is a helper to him. This is not an employer employee relationship, but it's about proper ordering. Therefore, a wife can help with the household chores but the ultimate responsibility is with the man. If possible, a woman should not work outside the home. This is not a hard and fast rule, but an ideal.

Men are asked to follow the example of Jesus. Jesus has ultimate authority, and he spoke with authority. Is anyone going to say his life on Earth was easy? Of course not. He was eventually crucified. But he established a Church and never waivered in his love for his people. He sacrificed everything. Men must have the same attitude.

Even though Jesus is the head, he assembled 12 men to assist him in carrying out his mission. Eventually the numbers grew and the Gospel was spread. The Apostles worked together in carrying out the mission of Christ. In a similar way, wives work with their husbands to carry out the good of the family. This of course is predicated on men being virtuous, holy, and self-giving.

So what do I mean when I say men have taken a back seat? One example is that women seem to be completely in charge of the upbringing of their children. Men are hardly aware of what is even going on. We can see the devastating consequences of this. Women are doing what they can, but men really need to step up.

We know that children who have no father are much more prone to drug abuse, poor relationships, being unemployed, and basically being affected by any number of other social ills. To a possibly lesser degree, the same goes for families where men stay on the sidelines. It's no surprise that as men take a lesser and lesser role in the raising of their children, many evils are increasing all the time.

One example of this is a huge increase in so-called gender confusion. Kids are starting to question whether they are even boys or girls. Boys think they're girls and vice versa. Some have even gotten creative and declared they are non-binary, and whatever other term they have coined. By and large, women are not providing any moral or ethical guidance in this area whatsoever. That's not really their fault, they aren't designed for that purpose. Women are designed to be unconditionally loving, and non-judgmental towards their children and others. The role of the man in the household is to set the moral example and provide strong guidance.

It's not a surprise that most of the kids who question their gender come from divorced or single-mother households. Matt Walsh recently spoke about this as he reviewed a documentary from Netflix which was actually in favour of transgender kids. He said a common theme which came up time and time again was that the father was not in the picture or the family had divorced.

I hear stories of kids who are very young who are "transitioning" or have declared they are another gender. I have rarely, if ever, seen a mother or woman in general say there was anything wrong with this. They mostly seem to just remain neutral and treat it like a matter of fact. Because they do not possess a certain moral authority over their family, they are unable to provide help and guidance to such children and instead revert to overt acceptance of it out of a distorted idea of love. Men are meant to make tough choices. The father must be there to provide solid moral teaching regardless of any backlash that he may receive. If he is treated with the respect he deserves, the children will be more likely to obey his authority. The man knows that although his child may be upset with him in the moment, he is ultimately helping them out for the future. A mother is nurturing and supportive but a father must sometimes provide strong guidance even if it means seeming unloving.

There has been a lot of talk about toxic masculinity. Those who define this term are completely wrong about everything. However, we must define what real toxic masculinity is. Toxic masculinity in a nut-shell is not being a man. Ironically those who use the term usually mean the opposite. When they use the term "toxic", they mean men NOT being men is good, but men being men is toxic! Anyway, not being a man is toxic. Being lazy is toxic, being weak is toxic, not standing for what is morally good is toxic, not providing for one's family is toxic.

I must also note however that many modern-day associations with masculinity are in fact toxic. For example, there is nothing wrong with sports, especially playing sports for health. But some men have turned sports into an all-out obsession. They live for sports. That's toxic. Sports can be a pastime or hobby, but they can't be a major issue in your life as a man. Getting drunk all the time is toxic masculinity. Violating the 6th commandment and being unchaste is also toxic. This is an area I can agree on with the modern-day "toxic" crowd.

So as you can see, a traditional man is one who is loving, willing to sacrifice, religious and spiritual and exerts wise authority over his family. Men need to step up and be like this, including myself.

Happy Feast Day of Pope St. Urban V - December 19 in the Catholic Church

Information from https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/blessed-pope-urban-v-89

Blessed Pope Urban V was born Guillaume de Grimoard at Grisac in Languedoc, 1310. He studied canon law and theology in Avignon and became a Benedictine monk. He was named abbot of his monastery in 1352, and served as a papal diplomat and was eventually sent as an ambassodor to various locations. He also served as a bishop around Italy and throughout Europe. He was elected pope in 1362 while on diplomatic business, even though he was not a cardinal. His reign was blessed by his peacekeeping activity between the French and Italian kings, the founding of many universities, his zeal for the crusades and his decision to return the papacy to Rome and end the Avignon exile of the popes. However, the breakout of war between England and France forced him to return to Avignon on a peacekeeping mission

He died on his return to Avignon, and his body, which had been buried at Avignon, was then transferred to Marseille according to his own wishes, and his tomb became the site of many miracles. He died on December 19, 1370. He always had a Benedictine spirit, and even wore his monk’s habit as Pope. His virtue and honesty were noted, especially in a Europe plagued by scandal and corruption.

It is said that as he lay dying he called the people to surround his deathbed, saying “the people must see how popes die.”

Readings for Saturday, December 19, 2020 in the Catholic Church

Readings for Saturday, December 19, 2020 in the Catholic Church

Saturday of the Third Week of Advent

Lectionary: 195

Reading 1

JGS 13:2-7, 24-25A

There was a certain man from Zorah, of the clan of the Danites,

whose name was Manoah. 

His wife was barren and had borne no children. 

An angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her,

“Though you are barren and have had no children,

yet you will conceive and bear a son. 

Now, then, be careful to take no wine or strong drink

and to eat nothing unclean.

As for the son you will conceive and bear,

no razor shall touch his head,

for this boy is to be consecrated to God from the womb. 

It is he who will begin the deliverance of Israel

from the power of the Philistines.”

The woman went and told her husband,

“A man of God came to me;

he had the appearance of an angel of God, terrible indeed. 

I did not ask him where he came from, nor did he tell me his name. 

But he said to me,

‘You will be with child and will bear a son. 

So take neither wine nor strong drink, and eat nothing unclean. 

For the boy shall be consecrated to God from the womb,

until the day of his death.’”

The woman bore a son and named him Samson. 

The boy grew up and the LORD blessed him;

the Spirit of the LORD stirred him.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 71:3-4A, 5-6AB, 16-17

R. (see 8)  My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!

Be my rock of refuge,

a stronghold to give me safety,

for you are my rock and my fortress.

O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked. 

R. My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!

For you are my hope, O LORD;

my trust, O God, from my youth.

On you I depend from birth;

from my mother’s womb you are my strength. 

R. My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!

I will treat of the mighty works of the LORD;

O God, I will tell of your singular justice.

O God, you have taught me from my youth,

and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.

R. My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!

 

Alleluia 

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

O Root of Jesse’s stem,

sign of God’s love for all his people:

come to save us without delay!

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

LK 1:5-25

In the days of Herod, King of Judea,

there was a priest named Zechariah

of the priestly division of Abijah;

his wife was from the daughters of Aaron,

and her name was Elizabeth. 

Both were righteous in the eyes of God,

observing all the commandments

and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly. 

But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren

and both were advanced in years. 

Once when he was serving as priest

in his division’s turn before God,

according to the practice of the priestly service,

he was chosen by lot

to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense. 

Then, when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside

at the hour of the incense offering,

the angel of the Lord appeared to him,

standing at the right of the altar of incense. 

Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him. 

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah,

because your prayer has been heard. 

Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son,

and you shall name him John. 

And you will have joy and gladness,

and many will rejoice at his birth,

for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. 

He will drink neither wine nor strong drink. 

He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb,

and he will turn many of the children of Israel

to the Lord their God. 

He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah

to turn the hearts of fathers toward children

and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous,

to prepare a people fit for the Lord.” 

Then Zechariah said to the angel,

“How shall I know this? 

For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 

And the angel said to him in reply,

“I am Gabriel, who stand before God.

I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news. 

But now you will be speechless and unable to talk

until the day these things take place,

because you did not believe my words,

which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”

Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah

and were amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary. 

But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them,

and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. 

He was gesturing to them but remained mute.

Then, when his days of ministry were completed, he went home. 

After this time his wife Elizabeth conceived,

and she went into seclusion for five months, saying,

“So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit

to take away my disgrace before others.” 

Matt Walsh explains why sex work isn't real work

Work? What is it? Matt Walsh offers several definitions. Whether or not "sex work is work" is really irrelevant. I mean someone could put in a lot of time and effort to harm people. Would that be work? Perhaps technically. You can still call certain types of work evil. So there is no conflict there. But again, the left boils everything down to a slogan. "Sex work is work". They hope you will just get their implication that sex work is just like any other type of work. But we know it's not good work and it harms people.

Here's Matt Walsh's article on it:

https://www.dailywire.com/news/there-is-nothing-noble-or-empowering-about-sex-work?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mattwalsh&fbclid=IwAR3ikjL7rPdET_4xEEvbTVswdsI0dTyCNZ5VrMATyTJWod117gq40jHh9h4

Pope Francis will be featured in a new documentary by Netflix, yay........

I just can't wait to see what Netflix produces in conjunction with the pope. I mean you have to ask, if Netflix is allowing this documentary, knowing their standards for evaluating things like this, what can we possibly expect?

I don't expect this documentary to provide really any value whatsoever. I hate to say this, really I do. I wish Netflix would produce morally good content, things which could uplift and edify people of faith. But they don't and they have strict policies against anything which appears to disagree with their extremist ideology.

So Pope Francis is teaming up with this outfit. We don't know precisely what this documentary will look like. It's described as:

a documentary series based on "Sharing the Wisdom of Time," a book in which Pope Francis called for creating "an alliance between the young and old people" by sharing their stories.

One very telling part for me was

"The elders chosen for the documentary come from different ethnic groups and religious traditions, according to the Netflix press release, but their stories demonstrate how in every part of the world and in every culture people are concerned with the same issues: "love, struggle, work and dreams." 

Why is Pope Francis promoting other religious traditions? That's not his job. His job is to promote and promulgate the Catholic Faith around the world. That is literally his job. Why does Pope Francis continually try to muddy the waters and create confusion. The Church is universal, but the Church is also missionary. We must reach out to evangelize people.

This will surely just be another confusing, content-free, feel-good, emotional documentary that will offer little value.