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PLEASE PRAY FOR THE FOLLOWING INTENTIONS
WHAT’S
HAPPNING
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Lietuvi
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SAINT
FOR DECEMBER SAINT FRANCIS XAVIER Priest (1506 -
1552) December
3rd |
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We have visited the villages of the new converts who accepted the
Christian religion a few years ago…the country is so barren and poor. The native
Christians have no priests. They know only that they are Christians. There is
nobody to say Mass for them; nobody to teach them the Creed, the Our Father,
the Hail Mary and the Commandments of God’s Law. (St. Francis Xavier) Francis was born in Spain, the youngest son of the chief counselor of the kingdom. He was privately tutored as a child, and later studied at the University of Paris, where he became a teacher of philosophy. He began a career that would bring him prestige and honor, and he enjoyed an active social life. At the university Francis met Ignatius of Loyola, a retired artillery captain who felt the need to dedicate his life to God. Ignatius worked tirelessly to persuade Francis to join him. In 1534 Francis was among the first seven who took vows in the Society of Jesus founded by Ignatius. Three years later he was ordained a priest in Venice together with Ignatius and four others. They went to Rome to offer their services to the pope. In 1541 Francis set out for the East Indies. He preached first to the Portuguese in Goa and then moved on to South India, later to Malaysia and Japan. Francis was on his way to China when he developed a high fever and died before reaching the mainland. He is the first of the great missionaries to the Far East, and the greatest post-apostolic missionary of the Church. Francis lived with the poorest people, sharing their food and rough accommodations. He spent countless hours ministering to the sick and the poor, particularly to lepers. Very often he had no time to sleep or even to say his breviary but, as we know from his letters, he was filled always with joy. We cannot all be actual missionaries to the distant lands and peoples who are still in darkness; but through “those whom God has chosen for this very special work the whole community prays, collaborates and works among the nations.” (Ad gentes, 37) Sources: IN HIS LIKENESS, by Rev. Charles E. Yost, SCJ, STL; SAINT OF
THE DAY, Leonard Foley, O.F.M., Editor; | |
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A THOUGHT FROM THE CATECHISM |
The Christian Family
#2205
The Christian family is a communion of persons, a sign and image of the communion
of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit. In the procreation and education
of children it reflects the Father’s work of creation. It is called to partake
of the prayer and sacrifice of Christ.
Daily prayer and the reading of the Word of God strengthen it in
charity. The Christian family has an evangelizing and missionary task.
 REFLECTION |
Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing
that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us. (Luke
2:15)
From the shepherds we should learn not to be crushed by all the pressing matters in our daily lives. From them we should learn the inner freedom to put other tasks in second place – however important they may be – so as to make our way towards God, to allow him into our lives and into our time. Time given to God and, in his name, to our neighbor is never time lost. It is the time when we live our humanity to the full…
Most of us in the world today live far from Jesus Christ, the incarnate God who came to dwell amongst us. We live our lives by philosophies, amid worldly affairs and occupations that totally absorb us and are a great distance from the manger. In all kinds of ways, God has to prod us and reach out to us again and again, so that we can manage to escape from the muddle of our thoughts and activities and discover the way that leads to him. But a path exists for all of us. The Lord provides everyone with tailor-made signals. He calls each one of us, so that we too can say: “Come on, ‘let us go over’ to Bethlehem – to the God who has come to meet us.” Yes indeed, God has set out towards us. Left to ourselves we could not reach him. The path is too much for our strength. But God has come down. He comes towards us. He has traveled the longer part of the journey. Now he invites us: Come and see that I am here… Let us go there! Let us surpass ourselves…
God’s sign is his humility. God’s sign is that he makes himself small; he becomes a child; he lets us touch him and he asks for our love… God comes to us as man, so that we might become truly human.
(Pope
Benedict XVI, Homily, December24, 2009, Libreria Editrice Vaticana)