Posted on December 24, 2017 View all news
Laudetur Jesus Christus! Gelobt sei Jesus Christus! Sia lodato Gesù Cristo! Praised be Jesus Christ!
Though a day early, but on behalf of all the Priests and Brothers of the Cincinnati Oratory, the Staffs of Old St. Mary’s & Sacred Heart, I wish each of you a very merry and blessed Christmas. We do not reflect upon it enough; but the coming of God into time is extraordinarily radical. The gifts that He offers by his visitation with us are beyond our comprehension. Taking the inspiration from St. Paul the Apostle, the Fathers of the Church remind us that Christ came in order to restore all things in Himself. He offers His very self to us, in the Incarnation, in the Holy Eucharist, & ultimately in His second coming so that we could have a share of His glory. God freely, by his visitation with us, offers this to us, even though we do not deserve it. May we never take this for granted, and may we reflect upon this often. Even in our darkest moments, and in the moments that we are most tempted to despair, may we remember this point often.
A note that, according to the Enchridion of Indulgences, that we have the opportunity for a Plenary Indulgence on both New Year’s Eve & New Year’s Day. The following acts must be accompanied by the usual conditions of detachment from all sin (including venial sin), be in the State of Grace, Sacramental Confession within 20 days, the reception of Holy Communion within 20 days, & prayers for the Holy Father’s Intention (usually an Our Father, Hail Mary, & Glory Be). One may gain only one Plenary Indulgence per day.
On New Year’s Eve, those who recite or sing the Te Deum are granted a Plenary Indulgence. On New Year’s Day, those who recite or sing the Veni Creatore are granted a Plenary Indulgence. Please do not miss these opportunities. You may find these prayers on the Oratory web page (www.cincinnatioratory.com) closer to the date. We will also solemnly sing some of our Masses next weekend.
For our Christmas Meditation, and perhaps you could read this at your Christmas dinner, please find this sermon from Saint Pope Leo the Great. Have a blessed week and Merry Christmas!
“Beloved, let us give thanks to God the Father, through his Son, in the Holy Spirit, because in his great love for us he took pity on us, and when we were dead in our sins he brought us to life with Christ, so that in him we might be a new creation. Let us throw off our old nature and all its ways and, as we have come to birth in Christ, let us renounce the works of the flesh.
Christian, remember your dignity, and now that you share in God’s own nature, do not return by sin to your former base condition. Bear in mind who is your head and of whose body you are a member. Do not forget that you have been rescued from the power of darkness and brought into the light of God’s kingdom.
Through the sacrament of baptism you have become a temple of the Holy Spirit. Do not drive away so great a guest by evil conduct and become again a slave to the devil, for your liberty was bought by the blood of Christ.” – St. Leo the Great