I am blessed. 
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That’s the message Catholics in the Diocese of Calgary recently shared in an effort to help each other do Christ’s work while simultaneously easing winter’s biting nip.

The message was the theme of what the Diocese called, The Blessed Test. Conceptualized by staff at the Catholic Pastoral Centre, the test was designed to promote a culture of gratitude and giving on days when the secular world seemed hell-bent on consumerism.

The strategic roll-out of the program was blessedly simple. To participate, the Diocese asked people to post a social media photo or video with the message, “I am blessed.” The post had to include a few details about why the person felt blessed, along with a message about how they will bless others with donations, acts of kindness or prayers.  To optimize sharing, the campaign adopted the hashtag, #iamblessed.

Written by Joy Gregory for Faithfully

“Pilgrimage, Sanctuary and Peace in the Parks”: A research snapshot and public talk on parks and nature at the end of life.

We all feel it – whether looking outside, in a field, at a beach, or on a mountain – nature gives us perspective about life and death. There is growing evidence of how natural environments impact our physical, mental and spiritual well-being. Little is known, however, about the place of parks and nature at the end of life, or the impact of parks and nature on quality of life during palliative care or in grief and loss…until now! 

A recent 2018 study discovered that experiencing “Peace in the Parks” was an opportunity for: Personal Exploration, Social Discovery and Institutional Transformation. Despite the challenges to get to parks and natural places, it was always “worth it.” Even brief opportunities were an opportunity to “park palliative care”, and to have sanctuary from the stream of appointments and persistent identity as a “dying patient” or “caregiver.”  

Research participants shared, “here [in the park] we can just be ourselves”.  The experiences were both calming and energizing – providing patients and family members a sense of their strength and the courage to take other journeys they had been previously cautious about undertaking. Everyone can make the connection with nature. Ultimately there is value in even parking or sitting in areas with views of nature or short walks or strolls with a stretcher or adaptive equipment. 

Access does take planning, information and communication, and the research team discovered that supporting access to parks and nature for those in palliative care and caregivers is not a call for a new program per se, but rather an invitation, and a mindset that can be influenced by training, information and coordination of services. Further program and study is underway now to extend and expand the discoveries made – the pilgrimage and the pursuit of sanctuary continues.

Many Calgary Catholics are pushing through the coldest week of the new year by holding onto fond memories of the Christmas past. Others in the city’s East Asian communities keep themselves warm by anticipating the opportunity to celebrate the Lunar New Year on Saturday, Jan. 25. Ditto for parishioners at other ethnic parishes in the Diocese, where being Catholic and Canadian means you can commemorate important secular events with festivities that include prayerful appreciation of the cultural traditions that moved to Canada with their families. 

Calgary’s Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese communities celebrate the Lunar New Year on the second new moon after the winter solstice. At St. Anne’s Korean Catholic Church in the community of Ramsay, parishioners will welcome the Lunar New Year with special prayers at the 11 a.m. mass on Sunday, Jan. 26, says parishioner and parish spokesman Nes (Luke) Noh. That service will be followed by a traditional New Year’s Day meal of rice cakes and soup in the parish hall. The rice cakes will come from a Korean market, the soup from parishioners. “We expect about 300 people,” says Noh. “No matter what the weather, people like to get together to celebrate. It’s tradition.”

Culturally, the Lunar New Year is also a good time to honour the memory of ancestors, so Korean Catholics will also offer prayers for their deceased family members, says Noh.

Week of Prayer about a shared faith

This year’s Lunar New Year falls at the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, says Theodoric Nowak, Director of Social Justice and Outreach Ministries with the Calgary Catholic Diocese. This year’s Week of Prayer, set for Jan. 18 to 25, calls for Christians to move from shared prayer to shared action. The theme also challenges Christians to show greater generosity to people in need. “In a Diocese as diverse as Calgary’s, it’s always important to remember the different backgrounds which people come from and the traditions they hold,” says Nowak. “The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity reminds us that despite the differences which exist between cultures and denominations, we find unity in our love of Christ and commitment to achieving the common good.” In addition to prayers for the faithful being offered for Christian Unity, the FCJ Centre and Ascension Parish will each host prayer events, adds Nowak.

By: Joy Gregory

The beginning of a New Year is a time associated with taking stock of the past, looking forward to the future, and making resolutions. Actually this is a continual practice in our lives.  Events such as the birth of a child, changing jobs, or simply moving, entail at some level making a new beginning. The embracing of change can be difficult at the time, yet in hindsight, the new beginning is often an event which inspires positive growth in our life.

This process of beginning and growing in new ways is also a part of our spiritual journey.  Beginning in Baptism, “the person baptized is configured to Christ. Baptism seals the Christian with the indelible spiritual mark (character) of his belonging to Christ.”  (Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), 1272.)    Baptism begins the journey of holiness “to be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5: 48) and it is restored through the grace received in the Sacrament of Reconciliation which has sometimes been referred to as the sacrament that renews this baptismal state of grace or a type of “Second Baptism”. 

In the spiritual life, embracing the path of change in our life and seeking sacramental forgiveness involves ongoing reflection and prayer. St. Ignatius of Loyola developed the daily Examen recognizing the importance of beginning anew each day.   The Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks about the perseverance to seek continual growth in holiness, saying, "The Church on earth is endowed already with a sanctity that is real though imperfect." In her members perfect holiness is something yet to be acquired: "Strengthened by so many and such great means of salvation, all the faithful, whatever their condition or state - though each in his own way - are called by the Lord to that perfection of sanctity by which the Father himself is perfect." (CCC, 825.)

The path of our holiness weaves through many ordinary life events.  In his Apostolic Exhortation, Gaudete et Exsultate (GE), Pope Francis encourages the faithful to see life’s challenges as opportunities for new growth saying, “At times, life presents great challenges. Through them, the Lord calls us anew to a conversion that can make his grace more evident in our lives, “in order that we may share his holiness” (Heb 12:10). At other times, we need only find a more perfect way of doing what we are already doing: “There are inspirations that tend solely to perfect in an extraordinary way the ordinary things we do in life.” (GE, 17.) 

Persevering in our spiritual life has also been expressed by a few saints as Nunc Coepi or Now I Begin. The experience of beginning over and over again is a common path for each of us when we grow in faithful holiness.   The emphasis on “Nunc” or “Now” affirms the importance of the present moment and the Grace of God that it holds for each one of us.   St. Rose Phillippine Duchesne known for her faith-filled courage and humility, wrote, “Do not look back to the past, or forward to the future.  Claim only the present for it holds God’s will.” 

In Gaudete et Exsultate, Pope Francis writes about the Spirit revealing the Will of God in the present moment - “Always ask the Spirit what Jesus expects from you at every moment of your life and in every decision you must make, so as to discern its place in the mission you have received.”  (GE, 23.)

As this new year and a new decade begin, my prayer for you is to embrace the mission God entrusts to you and to live the fullness of the present moment so that you will “allow the Spirit to forge in you the personal mystery that can reflect Jesus Christ in today’s world.”  (GE, 23.)

By Most Reverend William T. McGrattan, Bishop of Calgary
January 2020

Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.  Luke 2:46
  
Of all the stained-glass windows we have at St. Mary’s University here in Calgary my favourite may well be an image of the Christ child with the ‘doctors’ of the temple (Luke 2:41-52) which is installed in our Library, St. Basil’s Hall. As a youngster this was always among my preferred stories, both because it showed a 12-year-old Jesus going off on his own, stressing out his parents the way I always did mine, and then having an impact, intellectually, with adults. It was more than that, of course, but back then, as a child, I was struck by the confirmation that kids might have a place in the greater scheme of things, and that even though we didn’t have the power of Divine inspiration, God could speak through a young person on matters of importance. Young people mattered, and they had a voice.
 
Clearly, the depth of the liturgical moment was lost on me, and there is so much else to understand about this passage of the Bible. But my childhood delight in this story wasn’t completely wrong either. And it’s especially relevant in the context of Education. Jesus is listening to the elders of the church, but also asking questions, even advancing new knowledge. Here is Jesus boldly interrogating the established tradition and communicating deep truths in a context where he was unquestionably underestimated. This in an environment where he would normally be dismissed, taken for granted or expected to be silent. I would like to think that, despite his divinity, it took courage and incredible self-belief to do what he did.
 
There is another important aspect of this lovely story. In re-reading Luke, we can see that the child Jesus is in conversation with the rabbis. Here is the Christ child initiating what we might now call a Socratic dialogue. And here are the rabbis modeling good teaching, listening to and valuing the opinions of the child. Here, more than ever is a powerful story that teachers can and must remember to learn from their charges — that learning is a two-way street. 
 
In a speech to our in-coming Education students, I used this example to frame their anticipated journey. I discussed the extraordinary gift that their future profession lays out for them, but one that will not be without its challenges and hurdles. I noted that there would be days when they would feel entirely unprepared for what they had to do, ‘when you will feel more like a cop than a teacher, an exhausted guardian rather than an inspired motivator.’
 
But the reality is that the work they will be doing if it’s fed from the heart, has the potential to transform and uplift like few other professions in this world. Their students will represent all aspects of society, and they will need love, inspiration, discipline, and humour. The students may feign disinterest while secretly marvelling at the world the teachers are opening up for them — even though they might not be able to tell them that in the moment because it wouldn’t be cool. They will find, as I did, that the letters of thanks come years, sometimes even decades later, by students who were inspired by them, but who have only just put the pieces together.
 
The reality, of course, is that prospective student teachers need to be prepared for the classroom, mind, body and spirit. They need to have real-world experience, but also a wide context to understand the diversity of experience that they will face. It is the job of a university to do just that: to offer depth and breadth, context and meaning, the chance to succeed and even at times to fail. Of all things, perhaps compassion is the most important thing for all teachers to take into their classrooms because we live now, more than ever, in a wounded world.
 
As a consequence of this preparation, though, when they go out into the real world they will be amazing: in their knowledge, in their passion for ideas, and in what they are prepared to give back to their students and their community. It will be important for them to identify some strong role models early on so that they have a base of reference — especially when the going gets tough. And to my mind, there can be no role model more inspirational than the child in that stained-glass window. When our new teachers do get into the classroom, they should do what Jesus did in his: speak truth to power; challenge established ideas; understand the rules but not follow them blindly and inflexibly; and inspire people to look at the world through a different lens, with heart, with passion and with commitment. If they do that, their success is guaranteed.

By: Dr. Gerry Turcotte, President & Vice-Chancellor of St. Mary's University

Do we still need to pray for Christian Unity?

The annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will begin  Saturday, Jan. 18.  In many countries, Christians will gather in one anothers’ churches to pray. Since the 1960s, prayers and readings for the week have been jointly planned by the Vatican and the World Council of Churches.

Christian unity was a chief goal of the Second Vatican Council and signified the lowering of barriers that caused pain within families, between spouses, and in the workplace. The significance of this ecumenical movement is not lost on Rev. Adrian Martens of the Roman Catholic Church and Anglican Archbishop Gregory Kerr-Wilson.

So, have we been successful in attaining Christian unity?

Archbishop Kerr-Wilson, Anglican diocesan bishop of Calgary and metropolitan of the ecclesiastical province of Rupert’s Land says there has been some success. There is a consensus that “we believe the same things. We have the same God. These similarities weren’t seen 50 or 60 years ago. However, the work is ongoing. Our goal should be to share at one table.”

Rev. Martens, Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs Coordinator in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary says, “there have been wonderful strides and some dark periods in the history of Ecumenism. At times, we vary in our degree of Ecumenism. However, if we focus on being joined with Christ, other denominations will want to share much more.”
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So, while there seems to be some success in terms of dialogue and mutual understanding of other Christian denominations, has there been any tangible gains? 

Kerr-Wilson says “there have been many benefits to diverse Christian traditions. Different traditions have different strengths and emphasise different things. The Anglican Church went through several centuries with no Eucharist or mass unless you went to the early service for the most devout. The ecumenical relationship helped us to recover the benefit of seeing the Eucharist as the heart of Church worship. This is an example of receptive ecumenism, what we can receive from you that can deepen our own life in Church and faith in Christ. The gift of the other.”

“…We need to realise that the other’s gift is our gift as well,” says Martens.

In the eyes of both Kerr-Wilson and Martens, various Christian traditions and values from different areas and places around the world have helped the abundance of faith. 

Martens has seen a marked increase in the number of Christians from other countries. “There is also an increase in the number of Anabaptists, Hutterites and Mennonites.”

One aspect of this growth is the level of fluidity between denominations. Kerr-Wilson notes that “some Anglicans from different countries find that the way they worshiped is more similar to a different denomination here e.g., the Nigerian Anglican expression is similar to a Pentecostal church. There are some positive and hopeful aspects of this fluidity as well as some troubling things. The positive is that we see Christian faith in the other. The negative is that we are leaning towards consumerism, ‘if I am not happy with what is going on, I can move somewhere else.’ There isn’t that commitment to persevere in the midst of the struggle, which is an essential part of the discipleship.”

The looming question for Kerr-Wilson seems to be not whether we still need to pray for Christian unity, but rather, how can we act more together? 

“When we talk to each other, we need to recognize that we are not talking to a Catholic, Anglican or Presbyterian. We are talking to a brother in Christ, a sister in Christ. I have seen that when people engage in prayer and bible study together more regularly, that brings them closer together. I would love to see a monthly service where we gather as Christians to pray for others to come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. We should be fueled by our faith to act together on social justice initiatives.

Martens agrees that such joints actions will help remove barriers in families of mixed Christian denominations. “We can do more to make other denominations feel welcomed. Prayer is the best thing. We can lead the Prayer of the Faithful to pray for local churches.”

By Nadia Hinds

My most enduring memories of youth have to do with the place of faith and prayer in my family. I didn’t fully appreciate the gift that was given to me then. Now I do. And in all honesty, neither did I fully grasp, in my first years as a husband and dad, the beautiful gift, the responsibility, and the opportunities family prayer was. I still remember the prominent weekly ritual of our family getting ready for Sunday mass and the privileged role of Mary in our Polish home. I fondly recall the persevering prayer life of my mother, the power prayer had for my dad when dealing with cancer, the image of my grandfather in prayer, so often with a rosary in hand and ever so contemplative. 

A perfect family? Far from it. There were moments of harmony, but also conflict. Unity and cohesion, but also misunderstanding, hurt and pain. There was health, but also sickness and death. Rejoicing with successes, crying with betrayal, and conflict followed by repentance, conversion and forgiveness. How did we ever get through it all? Now, after all those years, I look back and see that it was all grace. 

In Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis writes: “A positive experience of family communion is a true path to daily sanctification and mystical growth, a means for deeper union with God” (No. 316). He goes on to say, “If a family is centred on Christ, he will unify and illumine its entire life. Moments of pain and difficulty will be experienced in union with the Lord’s cross, and his closeness will make it possible to surmount them” (No. 317). Given the conviction of the Holy Father and Tradition of the Church on the power of prayer in the life of individuals and families, you may also find relief knowing that there is scientific support to Fr. Patrick Peyton’s maxim, “The family that prays together, stays together.”

One study, published in the Journal of Family Psychology, explored this adage and identified 7 themes. 

• A family’s ritual practice of prayer and the worship of God creates space for its members to interact with each other and experience closeness and intimacy;  
• Family prayer creates a safe space for members to share their own individual struggles and worries. Members show support, understanding and provide comfort. They learn to ask for prayer. and pray for one another;
• It passes on the faith. Children learn how to pray by watching their parents; 
• It becomes a means for families to address and deal with familial issues and concerns;
• Conflict is mitigated and can contribute to its overall management and resolution and appears to foster self-examination;
• It increases the sense of connectedness and unity;
• However, the experience of discontent, often times due to differing views, makes family prayer more difficult. Hence the need to address conflict. 

There is value in creating a culture of family prayer. To do this means prioritizing time for prayer and intentionally setting aside distractions. Jesus said, “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20). In essence, that is what prayer is all about. Responding to His initiative, and inviting Jesus, who loves me and my family in an intimate and unrepeatable way, into our homes and hearts. 

By: Anthony Banka, Family & Youth Coordinator

Note: ​Chelladurai, J.M., Dollahite, D.C., and Marks, L.D. (2018). The family that prays together: Relational processes associated with regular family prayer. Journal of Family Psychology, 32(7), 849-859.

An early family Christmas weekend this year brought special blessings to our family.  My three children, their spouses, our seven grandchildren, my husband and I gathered at our family cabin at Pigeon Lake for some time together, exchange of presents and Christmas fun.  On the agenda was mass at 10 a.m. Sunday morning at St. Theresa’s Church in Mameo Beach.  Even though the little ones (seven children under five years old) were up at 6 a.m., it was still a scramble to get us all dressed, strapped into car seats and to the church on time.  With just minutes to spare, we walked through the doors of St Theresa where the ushers met us with warm smiles and a sincere welcome.  “Would you like to bring up the gifts?” they asked.  My husband agreed and said he would bring the four boys (all 3-4 years old) with him.

We seated ourselves at the front in the hopes that the kids would be more attentive.  Armed with coloring pages, stickers and some goldfish snacks we settled in.  Mass was beautiful and the gathering of parishioners was intimate.  There were a few squawks and cries from the front row but all in all the kids did pretty well.  During the offertory, my husband took the four boys to the back of the church.  Never one to be left behind, within seconds little Abby (19 months) was on her way as well, so her mom moved quickly to follow her.

The parishioners beamed as my husband and daughter walked up the aisle with the bread and wine.  The kids followed.  During communion, Father blessed every child individually as he placed his hand on each little head and said, “May the Baby Jesus bless you.”  As mass came to a close, the usher came to the front and asked if there was anyone with an upcoming birthday.  One of the ladies raised her hand, and he responded that we would now sing the blessing song to the birthday girl.  In the same breath, he turned to us and he added, “And I think we should bless this family and all the little ones who have brought us such joy this mass.”  The entire congregation raised their hands and sang the blessing song to us and the special parishioner.  Amazing!
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As Father began his closing prayer he turned to our family and said, “These children are the future of the church, and we are so glad that you brought them all to mass today.”  The entire congregation applauded, and we were invited to stay for cookies and coffee and the decorating of the Church for Christmas.  As a mother and an educator, I know that early childhood experiences form children.  I also know that children are spiritual beings who instinctively love God and all of His creation.  Having my whole family together at this mass and to be so warmly welcomed by St Theresa’s community was a gift beyond words.  Thank you, St. Theresa’s for embracing us and blessing us so kindly.

By: Bonnie Annicchiarico

“Hey!  Excuse me, but…  I’m new to Lethbridge.  Is this the way to St. Martha’s Church?”
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It was Sunday, September 7, 2014 — my first Sunday in a new city, in my first week of university, my first time to Sunday Mass without my family — and I was in a bit of a panic.  My first week of university had already been a washout — I’d already managed to double-book my classes, look like an over-enthusiastic know-it-all (the lesson was on the parts of the Mass — child’s play!), get completely overwhelmed in wind orchestra rehearsal, and terrify my new roommates with my rice cooker.  

Google Maps told me it was a 22-minute walk to St. Martha’s Parish from my residence building, but I was 20 minutes into my journey with no church in sight.  I was not about to have getting lost on my way to my first Mass in Lethbridge, crown off my week of failures, so mustering a bit of the remaining confidence I had, I ran ahead to a group of three young women who were also walking down Columbia Boulevard and asked for directions.

“We don’t know.  We’re new here too.  If you’re headed there too, we must be going the right way.”  What a relief!  We walked the last block there together.

Mass ended.  It was so unlike anything I had known growing up in the Anglican Use liturgy at St. John the Evangelist in Calgary, and I was homesick for my parish community.  We walked back to the university together and then parted ways.  It would have been wise to get contact information, but in that first week of university, one meets so many new people only to never see them again…  Another failure.

Monday afternoon.  I sat eagerly in Music and did my best to put the last week behind me.  Suddenly, I hear someone ask, “hey, do you mind if I sit here?”  It was one of the women I had walked to Mass with on Sunday!  “Of course you can!”  Another relief.

Later, I would learn that she had seen me answer way too many questions in that class in the first week and decided that we should be friends.  (Thanks be to God for extroverts.)  We sat together through all of our first year Music History classes, sharing lunch in the cafeteria before each class.  We endured some of our first university experiences together — we stayed up until 4 a.m. writing our first papers, and we were the last two to finish our final exam.  She and her roommate (another one of the trio I had walked to Mass with) became close friends with a high school friend and me, and there are many fond memories of sharing meals, playing board games and going on late-night drives through Lethbridge together.  In many ways, this friendship became the rock on which I leaned on during this difficult first university year.

She also challenged my faith to become more vibrant.  Entering university, I had a very dry, legalistic understanding of Catholicism, which she pushed back against gently, teaching me to temper my scrupulosity and legalism with gentleness and charity.  I learned from her how to lean on God’s grace when confronted with new stressors and challenges.  We went to our first young adult events together in Lethbridge, without which I would have never become so deeply involved in that ministry.  We also travelled to World Youth Day in Kraków together, where I learned to grow deeper in God’s ardent, merciful love, and to follow this love to the ends of the earth.

The Lord has everything within the palm of His almighty hand — He knew I needed a friend in that difficult time, and the friend he sent me changed my life for the best.  If I had not met Natalie on the road to St. Martha’s, how else might my life have looked?  Would I have been pushed to love my God and my neighbour more deeply?  Would young adult ministry have become such a huge part of my life?  Would I even have graduated from university?  There is no such thing as an accidental encounter — God introduced me to Natalie as part of His plan for my life, and I hope that our friendship has been of value for Natalie as well (even though I’m still very much the junior partner in this friendship!).  God places friends within our lives intentionally — to challenge, encourage and push us to grow to love and adore Him more.

I had been reflecting upon this idea with Natalie near the end of our first year of university together.  Her response was perfect, “Christians are like grapes. We grow best in bunches.” May God give us this grace so to grow as clusters of friends together, fed by the one true Vine.

By: Solomon Ip

Throughout our Catholic tradition, the book of sacred Scripture has been the honored symbol of God’s living word present among us. Processions, bowing, candles, and incense express our church’s reverence for the inspired word as it is enthroned, opened, and proclaimed in Catholic worship. This prayer service brings the ancient practice of Bible enthronement to Catholic homes, so that it may be a continual reminder to seek and live God’s word each day.

“I would like so much for all Christians to be able to comprehend ‘the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ, through diligent reading of the Word of God, for the sacred text is nourishment of the soul and the pure and perennial source of spiritual life for all of us.” – POPE FRANCIS

Prayer to enthrone the bible in your home - Download Leaflet here

Reverently place the open Bible on a mantle, table, shelf, or bookstand. You may adorn the space with a candle, crucifix, icon, or flowers. It will serve as a spot for regular Bible reading and prayer.  As you pray this enthronement service together, different family members may volunteer for different reader parts.

Reader:
We begin in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. We gather together to enthrone the Holy Bible, the sacred book of our church. Since ancient times, the open book of Scripture has been enthroned at church councils and in cathedrals and parish churches. Since every Catholic home is a “domestic church,” we continue this tradition in the place of our ordinary lives, asking that this enthroned Bible remind us that God teaches, encourages, and challenges us through its open pages.

Reader:
Let us pray: Ever-living God, send your Holy Spirit so that this Bible may be for us a source of strength, comfort, inspiration, and guidance. Give us a deeper love for sacred Scripture, a desire to read and reflect upon it, and a longing to follow more faithfully the way of Jesus.

Reader:
Let us listen to Jesus as he offers us truth and freedom through his Word. A Reading from the Gospel according to John:

Jesus then said to those who believed in him, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31–32)

Pause for a moment of silent reflection.

Reader: Let us all respond: “O God, teach us your word.”
R/: O God, teach us your word.

• The psalmist prays to God: “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105). Show us how to travel through the dark places of life with the light of your word. R./ 
• The prophet Isaiah proclaims, “The grass withers, the flower wilts, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8). Show us how to trust your word as our eternal source of life. R./ 
• In his parable of the sower, Jesus explains, “The sower sows the word” and “the ones that hear the word and accept it” are like rich soil that bears fruit (Mark 4:14, 20). Show us how to let the seed of your word take root within us and bear a rich harvest. R./ 
• The Letter of James urges us: “Be doers of the word and not hearers only” (James 1:22). Show us how to listen to your word and then put it into action. R./ 
• Let us each approach the Bible, one by one, place our hands on its open pages, and pray a silent prayer of personal commitment. Pray in your heart for each person as they approach the Bible.

Reader:
Let us pray: Come Holy Spirit, open our eyes, our ears, our minds, and our hearts to the living word of Scripture. May it always be the center of our home and our lives. As you have inspired that word with power and truth, now give us confidence to read the Bible in ways that form us into disciples. Fill our hearts and kindle in them the fire of your love, so that you may renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray together as Jesus taught us.
R./  Our Father, who art in heaven …

Reader: Let us offer one another a sign of Christ’s peace.

(This enthronement service may be easily adapted to a classroom, community room, or whatever space you wish to dedicate to the sacred Scriptures.)

Text & Prayer from Catholic Initiatives
Written by Steven J. Binz

The story of St. Paul’s shipwreck on Malta from Acts 27:18 – 28:10 leads this year’s Prayer for Christian Unity. The diverse group of passengers on the boat were at the mercy of the force of the sea and the violent storm around them. They had lost of hope of being saved but an angel of God had come to St. Paul and assured him that God would grant them safety. Through his faith in God, St. Paul encouraged the group. When they ran aground, the people on the island embraced them with “unusual kindness” (Acts 28:2).
 
Hospitality
 The question to ask during this week of Christian unity is whether we show “unusual kindness” and become witnesses of God’s loving providence to all people.
 
Hospitality is a much needed virtue in our search for Christian unity. It is a practice that calls us to a greater generosity to those in need. Our own Christian unity will be discovered not only through showing hospitality to one another, important though this is, but also through loving encounters with those who do not share our language, culture or faith.
 
Prayer

The Week of prayer for Christian Unity takes place January 18 – 25.

• Each day prayerfully read a short portion of this Scriptural story.
• Consider what images strike you, what the text is saying to you.
• Respond to God’s word by praying for Christian Unity.
• Rest in God’s presence.
• Determine how you can turn your prayer into action as a missionary disciple.

 
January 18
Acts 27:18-19, 21
 
January 19
Acts 27:20
 
January 20
Acts 27:22, 34
 
January 21
Acts 27:23-26
 
January 22
Acts 27:33-36
 
January 23
Acts 28:1-27
 
January 24
Acts 28:3-6
 
January 25
Acts 28:8-10

​The ritual of blessing homes in January is connected to the Solemnity of the Epiphany. Epiphany means “manifestation”, that moment when we suddenly understand something that previously was hidden from us. The antiphon for the Gospel Canticle at Evening Prayer illustrates the three events associated with the feast.

Three mysteries mark this holy day:

• today the star leads the Magi to the infant Christ;
• today water is changed into wine for the wedding feast;
• today Christ wills to be baptized by John in the river Jordan to bring us salvation.

Christmas is about the Incarnation, the coming down of the Son of God to become human, one of us. Epiphany is the showing of the Christ Child’s divinity, which is beginning to manifest itself in the world.

The tradition of blessing doorways is inspired by the three Magi: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, who followed the star to a manger in Bethlehem where the Messiah was made manifest for them in the person of a newborn child. The Magi showed great hospitality when they came to honour the Messiah. The blessing of our own doorway reminds us to welcome strangers and travellers into our midst as though each were Jesus himself. Incidentally, the tradition of carolling is also associated with the journey of the Magi and is a suitable way of announcing the manifestation of the Christ Child in song.

Here is a simple prayer service to use at home when blessing the doorway. Or download it as PDF here.

Gather everyone in a convenient place and make the sign of the Cross.

Leader:  The Magi followed a star to find God in a tiny child. Let us imitate them in seeking the Saviour manifest in our world.   R/:  Amen.

Reading
Matthew 2:1-12

If you have a crêche, move the magi to the scene. 

Blessing
To bless the doorway, write over the doorway with chalk the first two digits of the year, the initials of each of the Magi, and the last digits of the year, e.g. 20 + C + M + B + 14.  The initials correspond to the first letter of each word in the simple prayer, Christus Mansionem Benedicat, Christ bless this house. You may wish to say these words as you mark the doorway.

Prayer                 
Lord Jesus, in your humble state you welcomed kings and shepherds alike. May all who pass through this doorway — poor or rich, suffering or rejoicing, stranger or friend — be welcomed as the King Himself. Grant peace to this house and to the house of our hearts that we may seek and find you in everyone we meet. You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  R/:  Amen. 

In 2020 the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord falls on Sunday and takes precedence over the Sunday in Ordinary Time. As such, we have to pay special attention to the ritual and musical requirements of the celebration. It will require some preparation and planning but is worth the effort.  Younger members of your congregation especially will be touched by the ancient actions and symbolism.

The connection of this feast with candles comes from the eighth century and led to the feast being called “Candlemas”. The procession with lighted candles and blessing of candles to take home will help parishioners to see Christ as the light of the world in the world of their own lives.  

Although Christmas season officially ended at the Baptism of the Lord, this celebration is an extension of the Christmas mystery of the Incarnation. Just as the Blessed Virgin spent 40 days contemplating the Divine Fruit of her womb before going to the temple to fulfil the Law, we also explore and live out the fruit of the Incarnation in the period of Ordinary Time leading up to February 2nd. The feast points back to Christmas and leads forward to Easter. 

The Introductory Rites
There are two forms for the Introductory Rites: the Procession and the Solemn Entrance. The ritual is the same except that in the first, everyone gathers outside the church for the blessing while in the second the place of blessing is in the church, people are in the pews, and the procession is simply with the ministers to the altar. The Roman Missal gives detailed instructions. Adjusting for inside or outside the church, the introductory rites look like this:  

• Select a place for the blessing to take place. 
• Place there the candles that will be used in the church throughout the coming year. 
• All the people receive candles upon entering.
• If people have brought candles from home, invite them to place their candles where the blessing will take place.
• When it is time to begin, the candles are lit while the antiphon Behold, our Lord (or another suitable chant) is sung. 
• After the greeting and address, the priest blesses the candles with holy water.
• The priest receives a lighted candle from the Deacon or a minister and then the Deacon (or priest if there is no deacon) announces the procession to the altar. 
• The antiphon A light for revelation is sung or another appropriate chant. 
• The Entrance chant of the Mass follows the antiphon for the candle procession. 

Musical Considerations

The introductory rites of this celebration invite the use of simple chant. While the candles are being lit, the short antiphon Behold/Ecce dominus is sung. It is followed by a short dialogue with the priest that can be sung. The procession begins with the prescribed antiphon, A light for revelation with two verses or another appropriate chant. The Latin antiphon is also provided and could be used with the English verses. There are also Latin verses but theses need to be taken from the Graduale Romanum. 

This chant is the Canticle of Simeon known from Night Prayer of The Liturgy of the Hours. Its use in this celebration is a way of introducing the congregation to this Scriptural Canticle. The choir might also consider a different setting of the Canticle of Simeon. The Entrance Chant follows the prescribed antiphon. 

1. Download a pdf of the music
2. Listen to the Behold/Ecce dominus
3. Listen to A light for A light for revelation/Lumen ad revelationem

Universal Prayer

Inspired by the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, the Church celebrates on the same day those who have consecrated themselves to the Lord with World Day of Consecrated Life. Please include a petition for those discerning the priesthood and religious life. 

Checklist

• Decide which form of the Introductory Rite you will use at which weekend Masses
• Decide where to gather
• Decide which chants will be sung for the Introductory Rites – practice!  
• Make sure you have candles for all the parishioners
• The week before, invite parishioners to bring candles from home for blessing
• Make any adjustments to your worship aid if needed
• Have your parish photographer take pictures during the blessing and procession for the website or social media

With the disappearance of decorated Christmas trees from bay windows and the appearance of dried up evergreen trees free of ornaments, tinsel and lights now lying on our curbs we can easily perceive an atmospheric change in focus. However, Liturgically, Christmas ends with the Baptism of the Lord, which falls on Sunday, January 12. 

So, even if your Christmas trees have come down and decorations have been returned to storage, we invite you to consider keeping out the Christmas crèche a while longer and placing it in a prominent place in your home where you can gather with family and pray. 

You may light a candle (mindful of everyone’s safety) and pray these words…

“O God, who were pleased to give us the shining example of the Holy Family, graciously grant that we may imitate them in practising the virtues of family life and in the bonds of charity, and so, in the joy of your house, delight one day in eternal rewards. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. ”

Did you know that the Vatican has their life-size nativity scene up until February 2?

Just as the Blessed Virgin spent 40 days contemplating the Divine Fruit of her womb before going to the temple to fulfil the Law, we also can ponder, explore, and live out the fruit of the Incarnation in the period of Ordinary Time leading up to the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2. While this feast day is not part of the Christmas season, it is a feast that points back to Christmas and leads us forward to Easter.

And so, building on the #I Am Blessed campaign, we invite you and your family to keep in mind the words of Pope Francis: “The nativity scene is like a living Gospel rising up from the pages of sacred Scripture. As we contemplate the Christmas story, we are invited to set out on a spiritual journey, drawn by the humility of the God who became man in order to encounter every man and woman” Pope Francis, Admirabile Signum. 
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