The Best Christmas Gift

Christmas Novenas December 17th to December 25th

Some of you may be praying the. Andrew Christmas Novena.  Here are two more novenas for those of you who aren't.

1.  Thanks to TRIREGNUM sensus catholicus  for sharing about the novena to the Divine Infant King. More information can be found by clicking the link above.

2.   EWTN's Christmas Novena can be found here.

Wishing you and your family a good Advent journey to Christmas.

Merry Christmas 2013

Diocese of Honolulu's display "Santa Would Go"

In a few hours Hawaii will celebrating the birth of the Savior of the World!

When I was a little girl, Christmas was a magical time.  A white Christmas was not unusual on the east coast.  We would be surrounded by family, warmth and good food.  People became friends as we all wished each other "Merry Christmas or Feliz Navidad!"

It was right after Thanksgiving that the Christmas decorations went up.  There would be lights on the front porch and living room windows, red and green paper chains decorated the doorways, silver and gold garland lined the banister.  Sometimes there was even a real tree to decorate, both inside and out!  But even the artificial trees we had were fun to decorate.  We also took special care to create a nice space for the Nativity set.  It was later as an adult who finally took more interest in her faith that I realized the Christmas decorations needed to wait until closer to Christmas.

It was then that the special Advent season would really be appreciated as a preparation for the Christ child. We made more attempts at sacrifices and mortifications.  We decorated with special care, the Advent wreath, with royal blues and purples.  We filled the Advent calendar drawers with slips of papers instructing us on which act of kindness to perform.  It was sad to think of how much we missed out growing up, in not celebrating the liturgical season of Advent.

When I was a child there were the Christmas carols we sang and listened to, both religious Christmas carols and secular Christmas songs.  Most of our favorite carols were taught in our public school:  Silent Night, O Christmas Tree, Joy to the World, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Angels We Have Heard on High, We Three Kings, are just a few of the Christmas carols we sang in school.  We learned the fun ones by listening to the radio as well as in school:  Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and a personal favorite, Up on the Housetop.

It was a simpler time a few decades ago.  Children weren't burdened with maybe offending someone.  The children at our public school were mostly Christians and Jews.  The Jewish kids sang the Christmas carols and the Christian kids sang Hanukkah songs.  It was a fun learning experience. Somehow our difference had a way of bringing us closer together.

It is therefore such a shame that today's public school children are being cheated from experiencing the magic of Christmas.  It is tragic that they are not taught whose birthday it is we are celebrating.  Someone so important that it became a national holiday.

In Honolulu, the city council decided it was not appropriate to celebrate Christmas as it may offend someone who didn't believe.  The Christmas parade was changed to Honolulu City Lights parade.  It was offensive to put up a nativity but organizations/churches could enter a special lottery.  If they was lucky enough to be selected and they wanted to put up a nativity, one could be erected.  However, there had to be a disclaimer that it was not paid for by city funds.  Imagine that...  Luckily, the Diocese of Honolulu won a lottery slot this year.  It is a beautiful display of Santa Claus kneeling before the Christ Child.

Which brings me to the reason for the post.  The other day, we watched a movie on Netflix.   Last Ounce of Courage is an inspiring movie about the true meaning of Christmas and more importantly, religious freedom.  So if you want to watch an inspiring movie this Christmas, be sure to watch it with your family and friends.  It is available streaming from Netflix.

From our family to yours,

We wish you a very blessed and Merry Christmas. May God bless you abundantly!

With much aloha,
Esther

PRICELESS GIFTS FOR CHILDREN NO BATTERIES NEEDED

Picture source

by Brother John Samaha, S.M.

        After the batteries have long expired on other gifts, these intangible gifts will long endure.  They are recommended by  Catholic school teachers

·        Time.   It shows them how much you mean to them.

·        Love.  Nothing is more important than love.

·        Sense of justice.  This includes fidelity to relationships and responsibilities.

·        Laughter and joy.  Happiness nurtures.  Morality is a byproduct of growing up with laughter and joy.

·        Celebration.  Find something special to do each month as well as mark special occasions.

·        Spirituality.  Show the importance of prayer and Sunday worship.

·        Forgiveness and healing. Never let children go to sleep without being forgiven for a wrong, or healing a hurt.

·        Truth.  Help them to be truthful and honest.  Insist on this.

·        Respect.  Respect the property of others.  Give the example.

·        Books.  Urge children to read, and read aloud with them.  

·        Optimism.  Embrace a sense of possibility. Encourage faith in one’s ability to impact others positively and meaningfully, to make changes for the better.

·        Gratitude.  By word and example teach them to say “thank you.”  Encourage them to thank God for all their blessings.  Remind them to speak and to write a word of thanks to their elders and peers who do good things for them.      

Christmas Childhood Memories via Cartoons

From the very touching and funny Mr. Magoo's A Christmas Carol.

Bob Cratchit Family Dinner song



All Alone in the World...One of the saddest song in cartoon land.



The Grinch's Song

Click here to watch. Note: There is a direction to click to see a cute video. I wouldn't do that ... just in case.

A Charlie Brown Christmas - Dance Scene



Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer - Island of Misfit Toys



Santa Claus is Coming to Town - The Burger Meister Meister Burger



The Little Drummer Boy - Very sad and very touching part of any Christmas cartoon as well as the other sad song.



What are some of your favorites?

"Where's the Line to See Jesus?"

Thanks Bob!

Gifts for Children...No Batteries Needed

Picture source

Brother John Samaha, S.M.

After the batteries have long expired on other gifts, these intangible gifts will long endure. They were recommended by Canaan Mantermach and Carl J. Pfeifer through the Department of Religious Education of the National Catholic Education Association.

Time. It shows them how much you mean to them.

Love. Nothing is more important than love.

Sense of justice. This includes fidelity to relationships and responsibilities.

Laughter and joy. Happiness nurtures. Morality is a byproduct of growing up with laughter and joy.

Celebration. Find something special to do each month as well as mark special occasions.

Spirituality. Show the importance of prayer and Sunday worship.

Forgiveness and healing. Never let children go to sleep without being forgiven for a wrong, or healing a hurt.

Truth. Help them to be truthful and honest. Insist on this.

Respect. Respect the property of others. Give the example.

Books. Urge children to read, and read aloud with them.

Reminders about Christmas and Holy Communion

Sacred Heart Church Honolulu last Christmas

Father Z has some reminders for Catholics: here.

First, if you are not in the state of grace, don’t just go to Holy Communion anyway. That’s a sacrilege and a mortal sin. Those of you who are lax about Mass attendance need to remember that not going to Holy Mass on Sundays and other days of obligation, when you could go, is a mortal sin. Go to confession and then make your good Holy Communion. We all know the bit about making a perfect act of contrition… maybe you can do that and maybe you can’t. That’s up to you. But God cannot be fooled. If you know you shouldn’t receive then don’t...

THE DIGITAL STORY OF THE NATIVITY

H/T to everyone. I have seen this everywhere :-)

Cherry Tree Carol

Thanks to my friend Lois, I learned about this old but beautiful carol. I believe it was written by Peter, Paul and Mary.

When Joseph was an old man, an old man was he
He married Virgin Mary, the Queen of Galilee
He married Virgin Mary, the Queen of Galilee

Joseph and Mary walked through an orchard green
There were cherries and berries, as thick as might be seen
There were cherries and berries, as thick as might be seen

Mary said to Joseph, so meek and so mild:
Joseph, gather me some cherries, for I am with child
Joseph, gather me some cherries, for I am with child

Then Joseph flew in anger, in anger flew he
Let the father of the baby gather cherries for thee!
Let the father of the baby gather cherries for thee!

Then up spoke baby Jesus, from in Mary's womb:
Bend down the tallest branches, that my mother might have some
Bend down the tallest branches, that my mother might have some

And bend down the tallest branches, it touched Mary's hand
Cried she: Oh look thou Joseph, I have cherries by command
Oh look thou Joseph, I have cherries by command

Christmas Day - Meditation

Today I will strive to show special joy and goodness in my relations with others, especially with my family. I will look for an extra way to make each of them happy today.

Regnum Christi Daily Meditation

Merry Christmas!

Photo by Esther G.

From my family to yours, a very blessed and Merry Christmas
Everyone!

The Three Masses of Christmas

THE THREE MASSES OF CHRISTMAS

Brother John M. Samaha, S.M.

Our feast of Christmas came from a pagan observance which was Christianized. It is a pagan festival revisited. The first mention of the celebration of the Lord’s nativity in a liturgical calendar appears in the fourth century. This was the baptism of the pagan festival of the invincible sun (sol invictus), an observance introduced in 274 by the Emperor Aurelius (270-275), and celebrated in Rome on December 25, the winter solstice. The “Sun of Justice” (Mal 3:20) came as “the light of the world” (Jn 8:12) to vanquish darkness and to triumph over sin and death.

As the Christianization of the winter solstice, observed in Egypt and in Arabia on January 6, developed into the feast of the Epiphany, it became a major feast of the East. To counteract certain pagan myths, Epiphany, which means “showing forth” or “manifestation,” placed emphasis on the baptism of Jesus and his mission, and on the revelation of his glory at Cana? Gradually the feast of Epiphany spread to the entire West in the fourth century, and the East adopted the feast of Christmas about the same time.

In the fourth century at Rome the celebration of Christmas was a rather ordinary Mass celebrated by the pope. The Mass was similar to our present Mass at Dawn, and proclaimed the prologue of John’s Gospel. To refute and oppose the Arian heresy rampant at that time, the Mass affirmed and celebrated the Word made flesh. This Christmas Mass was clearly Christological and dogmatic in character, and in 360 mentioned the adoration of the magi and the massacre of the innocent children of Bethlehem.

At Bethlehem a night Mass was celebrated for Epiphany in the grotto of the Lord’s birth. Beginning in the fifth century a night Mass was celebrated in Rome also, but it was the Mass of Christmas and not that of Epiphany. The pope celebrated the night Mass at the Church of St. Mary Major, built after the Council of Ephesus. Wood from a crèche was displayed in one of the basilica’s chapels, and the Mass celebrated there became known as the Mass ad praesepe, that is, near the crèche. Since the account of Jesus’ birth at Bethlehem was read from the Gospel of Luke, the theme of this celebration was historical.

The Greek (Byzantine) colony in Rome celebrated December 25 too. They assembled at the Church of St. Anastasia (Holy Resurrection). To respect the Byzantines the pope celebrated Mass with them in the morning before going to St. Peter’s Basilica. In that Mass the gospel reading was the announcement of the good news to the shepherds found in Luke’s Gospel.

This is how the three Masses of Christmas originated. The pope and the faithful celebrated Mass at night at St. Mary Major, at dawn at St. Anastasia, and during the day at St. Peter.

- Used with permission.

Santa Claus and Christmas

Photo by Esther G.

One of my favorite Christmas statues is the one of our Kneeling Santa. I love the way Santa kneels down so reverentially before the New Born King with his hat by his side.

Please read the story over at Les Femmes - In Defense of Santa Claus

10 Ways to Honor CHRIST Publicly This Christmas

The following is from America Needs Fatima:

1. Never use the "H" words

2. Decorate your lawn and home

3. Send Christmas cards

4. Share a Christmas meditation

5. Organize a Public Square Nativity Scene

6. Plan a Eucharistic adoration

7. Visit the sick

8. Prepare yourself

9. Write Christmas cards to our troops

10. Don’t let secularists purge Christmas from the Public Square



1. Never use the “H” words:

Never say “Happy Holidays.” The secular term means nothing and only serves to erase the memory of Christ from Christmas and the Holy Season we celebrate.

Avoid “X-Mas” too. Wherever you go, wish others Merry Christmas: at the supermarket, on the phone, in e-mails. You’ll be surprised. Many will appreciate your conviction.

Warning: A few may not appreciate it. Don’t let it bother you. Say a prayer for them.

2. Decorate your lawn and home:

Hang beautiful Christmas ornaments from your doors and windows. Pick up some large poster board and markers at the bookstore and make signs that read, for example, “Just Say Merry Christmas!” Write with big clear letters. Tape one sign to your window facing out for everyone to see. Place another on your door. Encourage your friends to do the same.

3. Send Christmas cards:

Send a Christmas card with a religious message to your friends. Mention that you will pray for them. You can also send a card to your town mayor or elected representative. Also, look for an opportunity to write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper about Christmas. Letters receive avid and wide readership. Try it.

4. Share a Christmas meditation:

The message is ready to go. Just download and print this inspiring reflection (To download, you need Adobe Reader, available for free here.)

A Christmas Meditation by the Holy Crib

Give the flyer to your friends and family. Include it in your Christmas cards. Post it on bulletin boards or wherever people will read it. Share it far and wide.

5. Organize a Public Square Nativity Scene:

Set up a Nativity scene in your town square or in a visible public place. Invite your friends to help. Be creative. Sing traditional Christmas carols like Silent Night. Pray the Joyful mysteries of the Rosary as a group. Meet for refreshments afterwards. Talk about the meaning of Christmas. Keep it simple.

For legal help in case you face opposition, please contact the Alliance Defense Fund. They are quick and effective free help. Phone: 1-800-TELL-ADF. Fax: 480-444-0025. Website: www.alliancedefensefund.org

6. Plan a Eucharistic adoration:

Find an Adoration Chapel near you, ask your friends to join you for a holy hour before Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament in honor of Christmas. Mark your calendar for a convenient time. Evenings are best. After your holy hour, go out for dinner, or get a good cup of coffee or hot cider and have a discussion about the significance of Christmas.

Click here to find a chapel near you.

7. Visit the sick:

Those suffering in hospitals and nursing homes faintly remember the joy of Christmas. Illness, pain and loneliness overwhelm them. It is a work of mercy to visit the sick. You can bring them Christmas cheer. Your local nursing home likely welcomes visitors. Take something to give away; for example, Miraculous Medals. Everyone likes them. To order free Miraculous Medals, call 1-888-317-5571.

8. Prepare yourself:

Advent prepares us to celebrate the Birth of Our Lord worthily. We should erect a throne in our souls to receive the King of kings. For that reason, it is an excellent time to make a good Confession before Christmas and make sacrifices. For example, give up watching TV or surfing the Internet.

9. Write Christmas cards to our troops:

Thank them for their sacrifice and service. Show them your support. Wish the troops a blessed Christmas and tell them you will remember them in your prayers or thoughts during Midnight Mass. Remind them people back home appreciate the military.

Click here to send a message to the troops.

10. Don’t let secularists purge Christmas from the Public Square:

Christmas is vehemently opposed by secularist groups such as the ACLU, Freedom From Religion, and Americans United For Separation of Church and State. If these pressure groups had their way, nativity scenes, Christian Christmas carols, and religious symbols would be swept from the public square.

So we Catholics should take the initiative and set up Nativity Scenes on public property all across America. The Supreme Court has decided that we have this right.

Matt Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel, explains:

“In contrast to a publicly sponsored nativity scene on public property, a privately sponsored nativity scene on public property does not need a secular symbol to be constitutional. For example, some towns allow private citizens to put up signs or displays on public property. In that case, if a church sponsors a nativity scene on public property, there is no requirement that a secular symbol be placed within the context. The requirement of the secular symbol only arises when a nativity scene is sponsored by the government. To avoid any confusion, the privately sponsored nativity scene should probably have a sign acknowledging the private sponsorship.”

Full text here

For complete details on Nativity scenes in Public Places: Click here



Pass it on: If you care about preserving the spirit of Christmas, click here to forward this article to your e-mail list of friends and family.

Christmas in India

I would like to share with you the following story by my new friend Fr. Prabhakar Kalivela, the priest who is currently assigned to three parishes in Oklahoma.

He recently sent me the following email:

...I had a good Christmas. I celebrated three Masses in three different Churches on Christmas night and one on Christmas day. I have three small churches where I celebrate Masses. These three churches in three small towns in the North Western part of Oklahoma. These three Towns are Okeene, Seiling and Fairview.

The people in my parish have asked me how the celebration of Christmas would be. This is what I wrote for the bulletin of the Sunday before Christmas. Hope you find it interesting.

Christmas Celebration in India

Christmas brings joy to every soul because it is the celebration of the birth of salvation of humankind. It is celebrated all over the world. It is a pleasure for me to tell you how we celebrated Christmas in India. I share from experiences when I was a boy and when I was a priest in India.

I remember very well how I celebrated Christmas as a small boy. A month before Christmas the women in the village get busy cleaning the houses. People whitewash the houses or paint the houses. Clean the streets and decorate the streets. They want their houses look new on Christmas.

There is an art which south Indians call as 'Muggu' and north Indians call as 'Rangoli' which is kind of drawing various shapes with color powders on the streets. Usually women and girls draw these 'muggu' on the streets. This makes the streets colorful and brings festive mood.

Families also participate in cleaning the Church and church campus and decorating the church. There would be a big star placed on the church, Christmas lamps lit around the church. There would also be Christmas Crib built.

Last week before Christmas boys and girls go into the streets and sing Christmas carols in the night. Some children dress like Mary, Joseph, shepherds and Magi and accompany carol singing party. Some of the families invite the children into their homes and serve them coffee and cookies.

This is the time that the children get new pair of clothes. Most of the children get only one pair of clothes in a year that would be at Christmas. One of the excitements for the boys and girls is to show their new clothes to one another on Christmas night when they come together for Mid-night Mass.

Christmas mid-night mass is the main celebration. So people come in big numbers to the church. Some people walk 10 miles to reach the church to attend Mid-night Mass. If the church could not hold all the people they arrange mass outside the church. People sit in the open air in the cold (of course the cold in India is not as cold as here in winter) and attend Mass.

This is the day people eat the best food of their year. Most of the families don't get to eat meat very often because they cannot afford to buy meat. Most of the families may be able to get meat once a month. Some of the families don't get to buy meat at all. But on the Christmas day every house will cook non vegetarian food and the children really look forward to eating meat this day. Mothers also bake cookies and special sweets on this day.

On December 25th evening the statue of Child Jesus is taken in procession in the streets of the village. Every one will go in the procession singing hymns and reciting Rosary. After the procession everybody will come back to the church and the celebration ends with Benediction in the Church.

Father Kalivela is currently using the small stipend he receives from his pastoral work and Mass requests to support his old parish in India. If you would like to request a Mass and at the same time help this young priest, please email him at the following:

frkalivela@gmail.com

Happy Birthday Baby Jesus

Mele Kalikimaka

Merry Christmas Everybody!

Toys and Christmas

Jeni shared this article with our Catholic moms' group.

When Toys Were Magical Without Being Pricey

Do you remember the first time you got the 64-pack of Crayolas? You'd gotten a box of two dozen crayons before. But this one had cornflower, goldenrod and sienna! There were five shades of yellow, and what's that in the back? A sharpener!

I believe the 64 pack of Crayola crayons was usually on my list for Santa to bring me. Nothing made me happier than the smell of new crayons or drawing with the sharpened point of a new crayon. A few years before my grandmother died, she gave me her anniversary tin of Crayola crayons. Sometimes I like to open the tin and smell the crayons and a wonderful memories of my childhood envelopes me.

The article brought back fond memories of Christmas when my brothers, sisters and I were growing up. My dad would always go all out if he liked something. One Christmas he discovered the fun of building with Legos. That Christmas, the five of us regardless of whether we had listed Legos on our Christmas list or not, or whether we were teens or younger or whether we were girls or boys, we all received boxes and boxes of Legos.

I recall during that memorable Christmas my family and I had a great time building and creating with the simple little Lego blocks.

An earlier Christmas memory I have was of my Dad, ever a child at heart, created a magical Christmas scene for us with the old Lionel trains. He had a huge layout, or so it seemed to me as a little girl. I remember it having trees, people, villages and of course the locomotive train with the steam and the "toot-too".

Gosh, I wish children could experience the kind of Christmas we experienced as children not too long ago.

This year when our son had difficulty composing his wish list my husband and I turned to the old standbys...Monopoly and Scrabble. Okay, there was a tad of a selfish reason for me choosing these two particular games but I am sure he will have a grand time playing these classic board games as much as I will.

These old toys are what one reporter on Fox News referred to as "The comfort food of toys".

What is your favorite toy or memory of Christmas when you were a child?

A Visit From the Christ Child

by Père Robért
for Maria, Ida, Isabel, Maxine, Crozet & Audrey

Twas the morning of Christmas, when all through the house
All the family was frantic, including my spouse;
For each one of them had one thing only in mind,
To examine the presents St. Nick left behind.

The boxes and wrapping and ribbons and toys
Were strewn on the floor, and the volume of noise
Increased as our children began a big fight
Over who got the video games, who got the bike.

I looked at my watch and I said, slightly nervous,
“Let’s get ready for church, so we won’t miss the service.”
The children protested, “We don’t want to pray:
We’ve just got our presents, and we want to play!”

It dawned on me then that we had gone astray,
In confusing the purpose of this special day;
Our presents were many and very high-priced
But something was missing — that something was Christ!
I said, “Put the gifts down and let’s gather together,
And I’ll tell you a tale of the greatest gift ever.

“A savior was promised when Adam first sinned,
And the hopes of the world upon Jesus were pinned.
Abraham begat Isaac, who Jacob begat,

And through David the line went to Joseph, whereat
This carpenter married a maiden with child,
Who yet was a virgin, in no way defiled.

“Saying ‘Hail, full of Grace,’ an archangel appeared
To Mary the Blessed, among women revered:
The Lord willed she would bear — through the Spirit — a son.
Said Mary to Gabriel, ‘God’s will be done.’

“Now Caesar commanded a tax would be paid,
And all would go home while the census was made;
Thus Joseph and Mary did leave Galilee
For the city of David to pay this new fee.

“Mary’s time had arrived, but the inn had no room,
So she laid in a manger the fruit of her womb;
And both Joseph and Mary admired as He napped
The Light of the World in his swaddling clothes wrapped.

“Three wise men from the East had come looking for news
Of the birth of the Savior, the King of the Jews;
They carried great gifts as they followed a star –
Gold, frankincense, myrrh, which they’d brought from afar.

“As the shepherds watched over their flocks on that night,
The glory of God shone upon them quite bright,
And an angel explained the intent of the birth,
Saying, ‘Glory to God and His peace to the earth.’

“For this was the Messiah whom prophets foretold,
A good shepherd to bring his sheep back to the fold;
He was God become man, He would die on the cross,
He would rise from the dead to restore Adam’s loss.

“Santa Claus, Christmas presents, a brightly lit pine,
Candy canes and spiked eggnog are all very fine;
Let’s have fun celebrating, but leave not a doubt
That Christ is what Christmas is really about!”

The children right then put an end to the noise,
They dressed quickly for church, put away all their toys;
For they knew Jesus loved them and said they were glad
That He’d died for their sins, and to save their dear Dad.

Help us put Christ back in Christmas by circulating this verse widely.
Permission to publish or post is hereby granted, with attribution to F.R. Duplantier.

Get a A Visit from the Christ Child banner for your blog or website!

Thanks Evann