Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Worldwide Prayer Vigil for the Unborn

Tribulation Times

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/november.asp?version=63&startmmdd=0101

November 25, 2010 

THE TRIB TIMES WILL RETURN NEXT WEEK, GOD WILLING (James 4:15).  HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

(Luk 12:37-38) Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching. Amen I say to you that he will gird himself and make them sit down to meat and passing will minister unto them. And if he shall come in the second watch or come in the third watch and find them so, blessed are those servants.

BLOGAdvent: A Time to Wake from our Hypnotic Sleep

EXCERPT HLIWorldwide Prayer Vigil for the Unborn

On Saturday November 27th, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI will celebrate a solemn Prayer Vigil for All Nascent Human Life in St.  Peter's Basilica, coinciding with the First Vespers of the First Sunday of Advent.  It is the wish of the Holy Father that similar vigils be celebrated in Cathedrals and parishes all over the world, which is expressed in a magnificent letter written by Cardinals Antonio CaƱizares Llovera, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, and Ennio Antonelli, President of the Pontifical Council for the Family.

The beautiful liturgical season of Advent is full of hope-as Christians we prayerfully anticipate the arrival of the Redeemer.  Yet at the same time that we prepare ourselves to celebrate the incarnation of our Savior, we have to be ready to defend the unborn against all the anti-life ideologies that dominate contemporary society.

This vigil follows the path marked by the Venerable Pope John Paul II, who strongly recommended that to create a new culture of life, "a great prayer for life is urgently needed, a prayer which will rise up throughout the world." (E.V.  100) This prayer will encourage Christians to remember that they have a fundamental duty to proclaim that nascent life has to be defended always and everywhere.  This prayer will give Christians the spirit of fortitude required to be coherent with the teachings of the Church, without making any compromises with the world.

In this Advent and in future Advents, we should foster and increase our devotion to Our Lady of Hope, as Cardinals CaƱizares and Antonelli recommend in their letter on celebrating this vigil.  She is normally depicted as majestic, and is often carrying a baby in her womb.  This avocation of Our Lady reminds us of the months that she was expecting the birth of the Christ Child that she was carrying in her womb.  In particular this title of Our Lady is celebrated on the Third Sunday of Advent, as was earnestly recommended by the Tenth Council of Toledo in the year 656, which was presided over by St.  Eugenio III.  In the Catholic tradition, Our Lady of Hope is also called Our Lady of the "O" because her celebration coincides with the most beautiful "O" antiphons that mark the last Sunday of Advent: "O Sapientia," "O Adonai," "O Emmanuel," and others of great beauty.

Our Lady is our Hope not only because she brought the Savior to the World; she leads us to Him and is the channel of all His graces.The traditional image of Our Lady of Hope received a heavenly confirmation with the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the sixteenth century, where the image of her imprinted on the tilma of San Juan Diego is of a lady carrying a child.

Of course, we revere our Blessed Mother in all of her traditional, historical appearances.  During Advent, however, we look to Our Lady of Hope in a special way.  With this ancient title, she points us toward a theological virtue that is particularly necessary in our difficult times.

USCCB: Advent & Christmas with Pope Benedict XVI

As a special spiritual gift this season, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is providing a downloadable book of scriptural reflections for Advent and Christmas featuring the words of Pope Benedict XVI from homilies, speeches and other addresses during his papacy.  The 37-page document includes a scripture quote and a reflection from the Holy Father for every day of Advent, which begins on Sunday, November 28, 2010, through the 7th Day in the Octave of Christmas, December 31, 2010.  "Advent & Christmas with Pope Benedict XVI" is a preview of the upcoming publication "A Year with Pope Benedict XVI," which will be available soon from USCCB. 

LINK: http://www.usccb.org/advent/AdvChr.pdf

Ladder of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 26- "Brief Summary on Discernment"

46. As a mass of dung breeds a mass of worms, so a surfeit of food breeds a surfeit of falls, and evil thoughts, and dreams.       


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This month's archive can be found at: http://www.catholicprophecy.info/news2.html.