Sunday, December 16, 2018

Day 7 - Sunday, December 16


Busy Catholic's 2018 Online Advent Retreat
Seventh Day • Sunday, December 16

Scripture (Zephaniah 3:14-17)
Shout for joy, daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, 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: do not fear, Zion, do not be discouraged!
The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior, who will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, who will sing joyfully because of you.

> How does this reading add to our understanding or appreciation for the Christmas event?

The Pope's Reflection
Our joy comes from the confidence we have that the Lord is close to us with his tenderness, mercy, forgiveness and love. (Message on Twitter, December 18, 2016)
> How do the pope's words add to our understanding or appreciation for the Christmas event?

Our Reflection
Choose a question to ponder this day:
-- Which of the Lord's gifts do you need or experience most fully this Christmas -- tenderness, mercy, forgiveness, love?
-- Which of these gifts do family members or loved ones need you to share with them?
-- For what and for whom will you rejoice this Christmas?

Prayer
Heavenly Father, today I rejoice! The pink candle is lit. Christmas is coming soon. I celebrate because I know that your son is with us. He has come to be the Light of the World, to save us from our sins and to embody your love and mercy. As the glorious day draws near, please help me to complete my final preparations. It is so easy for me to get bogged down in the last-minute shopping for presents and the preparation for parties. I pray today that I may remember to focus on the true reason for this joyous season. Please help my soul be ready to welcome our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Published by special arrangement with Creative Publications for the Parish.
All Rights Reserved.  Used With Permission

Saturday, December 15, 2018

Day 6 - Saturday, December 15


Busy Catholic's 2018 Online Advent Retreat
Sixth Day • Saturday, December 15

Scripture (Matthew 17:1-9)
After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves and he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light…. Then…behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, and from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”… As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, “Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
> How does this reading add to our understanding or appreciation for the Christmas event?

The Pope's Reflection
“The Word became flesh” with the intention of sharing all our frailties—with the intention of experiencing our human condition, even taking the Cross upon himself, with all the pain of human existence. (Homily, December 12, 2015)
> How do the pope's words add to our understanding or appreciation for the Christmas event?

Our Reflection
Choose a question to ponder this day:
-- How would you describe the "human condition" in your own life which Jesus embraced by being born at Bethlehem?
-- What is the "human condition" in the world around us which Jesus embraced by being born at Bethlehem?
-- What aspects of the human condition will you celebrate this Christmas?

Prayer
Dear Jesus, thank you for suffering for us and sharing in our pain. While in Advent, we focus on preparing to celebrate your birth. Your death on the cross is what set us free. You humbled yourself and took on a human body knowing that you would have to suffer and die for us. You have not promised a life free from pain. Instead, you ask me to pick up my cross and follow you, assuring me that my suffering is not in vain and that you are always there to help me. Thank you for being with me as I carry my cross today. Amen.

Published by special arrangement with Creative Publications for the Parish.
All Rights Reserved.  Used With Permission

Friday, December 14, 2018

Day 5 - Friday, December 14


Busy Catholic's 2018 Online Advent Retreat
Fifth Day • Friday, December 14
Scripture (Matthew 11. 7, 16-19)
As they were going off, Jesus began to speak to the crowds: “To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is vindicated by her works.
> How does this reading add to our understanding or appreciation for the Christmas event?

The Pope's Reflection
This is how God is among us. If you want to find God, seek him in humility, seek him in poverty, seek him where he is hidden: in the neediest, in the sick, in the hungry, in the imprisoned. (Homily, December 18, 2015)
> How do the pope's words add to our understanding or appreciation for the Christmas event?

Our Reflection
Choose a question to ponder this day:
-- Where and when have you discovered God present in the needy, the sick, the poor?
-- Who among the needy, sick or poor do you need to recognize and accept right now?
-- With whom among the needy, sick or poor will you celebrate at Christmas?

Prayer
Dear Jesus, you challenged the social mores of your time by associating with sinners, with the undesirables, with those who had been cast aside. You came to call everyone to follow you, especially those in most need of your mercy. You call me to do the same, sharing your message of mercy and love with everyone. Help me, I pray, to have the courage to follow your example, even when I am scared, even when others are scoffing at me. May I, with your aid, dear Jesus, reach out to others and come to better understand that we are all sinners in need of your forgiveness. Amen.

Published by special arrangement with Creative Publications for the Parish.
All Rights Reserved.  Used With Permission

Thursday, December 13, 2018

Day 4 - Thursday, November 13


Busy Catholic's 2018 Online Advent Retreat
Fourth Day • Thursday, December 13
Scripture (Isaiah 41:13,17-20)
For I am the LORD, your God; It is I who say to you, do not fear, I will help you…. 
The afflicted and the needy seek water in vain, their tongues are parched with thirst. I, the LORD, will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. 
I will open up rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the broad valleys; I will turn the wilderness into a marshland, and the dry ground into springs of water.
In the wilderness I will plant the cedar, acacia, myrtle, and olive; in the wasteland I will set the cypress, together with the plane tree and the pine,
That all may see and know that the hand of the LORD has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it.

> How does this reading add to our understanding or appreciation for the Christmas event?

The Pope's Reflection
Let us give thanks to God for the good things that he has given us, above all the faith. This is a wonderful grace… Let us think where can I go to bring a little relief, a little peace, to those who suffer? (Homily, December 14, 2014)
> How do the pope's words add to our understanding or appreciation for the Christmas event?

Our Reflection
Choose a question to ponder this day:
-- Can you think of times in the past when you were waiting to hear God say "Do not fear, I will help you, I will not forsake you"?
-- Do you or a loved one have a situation right now which hungers for God's reassurance and hope?
-- What experience of faithfulness and assurance will you celebrate this Christmas?

Prayer
Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for all the times that you have helped me, that you have walked with me in my time of need, that you have answered my prayers. You love all of us so much that you gave us Jesus to save us. There is no way that I can ever thank you enough for your great goodness! Yet I can strive to love you and my neighbor. Please help me to see you in those who are suffering around me. Please help me to reach out to them and extend all the love and help that I can. Please help me to ease their pain. Amen.

Published by special arrangement with Creative Publications for the Parish.
All Rights Reserved.  Used With Permission

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Day 3 - Wednesday, December 12


Busy Catholic's 2018 Online Advent Retreat
Third Day • Wednesday, December 12
Scripture (Luke 1.41-42,46-48)
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, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.". And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed."
> How does this reading add to our understanding or appreciation for the Christmas event?

The Pope's Reflection
When God visits us, he leaves us restless, with the healthy restlessness of those who feel they have been called to proclaim that he lives and is in the midst of his people. (Homily, December 12, 2016)
> How do the pope's words add to our understanding or appreciation for the Christmas event?

Our Reflection
Choose a question to ponder this day:
-- When or how have you experienced the "restlessness" that Mary and Elizabeth experienced when they realized that God was near?
-- What gets in the way of our recognizing God's real presence in our lives and the world around us?
-- What restlessness will you celebrate this Christmas?

Prayer
Dear Blessed Mother, your soul magnified the Lord. You gave praise to him who had done great things for you. May I also sing with you. May I also praise the Lord. May I also celebrate all the good he has done for me. I rejoice in the gift of your son. The Savior has come and is coming again! Please help me to share that joy with all whom I meet. Please help me to proclaim the Lord’s goodness and the promise of salvation. Amen.

Published by special arrangement with Creative Publications for the Parish.
All Rights Reserved.  Used With Permission