Merry Christmas!

So nice to hear from family and friends...

Christmas Readings

And following is from Brandon Vogt of Deeper Gospel:

John 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.
A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the world,
and the world came to be through him,
but the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own,
but his own people did not accept him.

But to those who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God,
to those who believe in his name,
who were born not by natural generation
nor by human choice nor by a man's decision
but of God.
And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father's only Son,
full of grace and truth.
John testified to him and cried out, saying,
"This was he of whom I said,
'The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.'"
From his fullness we have all received,
grace in place of grace,
because while the law was given through Moses,
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God.
The only Son, God, who is at the Father's side,
has revealed him.

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

As when our ship is near shore and cities and ports pass in view before us that on the open sea vanish and leave nothing to fix the eye on, so the Evangelist here takes us with him in his flight above the created world leaving the eye to gaze upon emptiness and an unlimited expanse.… For the intellect, having ascended to "the beginning," enquires, "What beginning?" Finding then that the "was" in the text exceeds its imagination, [the intellect] has no point on which to focus its thought. Looking intently onward but being unable to fix its gaze, it becomes wearied and turns back to things below. Indeed, this expression, "was in the beginning," is expressive of eternal and infinite being. — St. John Chrysostom (344 - 407) Source: "Homilies on the Gospel of John 2.9," Joel C. Elowsky, ed., John 1–10, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2006), 7.

Someone perhaps may ask with good reason why it was not said, "In the beginning was the Word of God, and the Word of God was with God, and the Word of God was God." But one who asks this … is proposing that there are many words, and perhaps different kinds of words of which one is the word of God, and another, let us say, is the word of angels, and another the word of people.… For every person imaginable would admit that the truth is one. No one would dare say, in the case of [truth] too, that the truth of God is one thing, and that of the angels is another, and that of people still another. For it belongs to the nature of beings that the truth concerning each is one.… And if truth is one and wisdom is one, the Word also, who announces the truth and wisdom simply and openly to those capable of apprehending it, would be one. And we say these things, not to deny that the truth and wisdom and the Word are of God but to show the advantage of the omission of the phrase "of God." — Origen (185 - 254) Source: "Commentary on the Gospel of John, 2.37, 39-41," Joel C. Elowsky, ed., John 1–10, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2006), 18-19.

"That, which was made, in him is life." Read it this way: "That which was made;" here make a short pause and then go on, "in him is life." What is the meaning of this? The earth was made, but the very earth that was made is not life; but there exists spiritually in the wisdom itself a certain reason by which the earth was made: this [reason] is life. As far as I can, I shall explain my meaning to you, beloved. A carpenter makes a box. First he has the box in design; for if he had it not in design, how could he produce it by workmanship? But the box in theory is not the very box as it appears to the eyes. It exists invisibly in design; it will be visible in the work. Behold, it is made in the work; has it ceased to exist in design? The one is made in the work, and the other remains that exists in design; for that box may rot and another be fashioned according to that which exists in design Listen, then, to the box as it is in design and the box as it is in fact; the actual box is not life, the box in design is life; because the soul of the artificer, where all these things are before they are brought forth, is living. So, dearly beloved brothers, because the wisdom of God, by which all things have been made, contains everything according to design before it is made, therefore those things that are made through this design itself are not immediately life, but whatever has been made is life in him. — St. Augustine (354 - 430) Source: "Tractates on the Gospel of John, 1.16-1.17," Joel C. Elowsky, ed., John 1–10, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2006), 24-25.

If you want to go even deeper into this Sunday's Gospel, check out these great tools and resources:

Brandon Vogt, 1809 E. Broadway Street, Suite 103, Oviedo, FL 32765, United States

{Please pray for my Mom who had food poisoning on the 4th Sunday of Advent as she was trying to participate in the Annual Fellowship Event (연차 총 친목회) for her Legio Mariae... She told me that she was going to receive a recognition for No Absence during the entire year!!!  Then I think she had to leave the event early as she was throwing up, etc.}


Fr. Egan at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center wrote:

"...a brief reflection on the meaning of Christmas, which I often shared in my Christmas homilies.  Jesus, the Word made flesh, received from us a share in our human nature in order that we, in turn, might receive from [H]im the unfathomable gift of sharing in [H]is [D]ivine nature.  Our mutual sharing of gifts at Christmas symbolizes at the deepest level the mutual sharing of gifts between the Lord and all of us."



From Catholic Action for Faith and Family:

Dear Friend,

May the Child Jesus through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph grant you and your loved ones the Joy, the Peace, the Light and the Love of Christmas!

Your friend in Jesus and Mary,

Thomas J. McKenna
Founder and President
http://www.catholicaction.org/ Catholic Action For Faith And Family · PO Box 910308, San Diego, CA 92191-0308, United States





And from my dear friend Yumi from Japan...her son is in Maryland!!!

I wish you and your family a very happy Christmas.

Hi,... how are you?
How are you spending Christmas?

We are having a quiet Christmas this year because my son is not here with us. He is in the US. He goes to the University of Maryland.
It is about 40 minutes by train from Washington DC.

Please keep in touch.
Best regards,
Yumi


From a Salesian Fr. Simon:


⭐기쁨은 나누면 두배.슬픔은 나누면 절반⭐

성탄 편지

부산시청에서 제정한 이태석 기념사업회는 '올해의 상'으로 몽골에서 선교하고 있는 이호열 시몬신부에게 주기로 결정했다고 합니다.
(시상식일정: 1월11일,  수요일  오후5시,  부산시청)

저는 이태석 신부와 2000년 대희년에  이태리 토리노에서 선교메달을 함께 달았습니다. 그는 로마에서 수학을 마치고 2년 뒤에 남수단으로 가게 되었고, 저는 살레시오 중학교 과학교사와 담임, 학생부장 업무를 마치고 2001년에 몽골로 가게 되었습니다.

이태석신부와의 인연은 대학교 재학시절부터 시작됩니다. 그의  가족이 다녔던 송도본당을 같이 다니기도 했고, 그와 대전 공동체에서 함께 산 적도 있었습니다.

그러나 지금 한 선교사는 죽어서 이름을 남기고 또 한 선교사는 살아서 이름을 남깁니다. 

수도생활 선배인 제가 후배 선교사로 부터 상을 받는 것에 기쁨과 슬픔의 만감이 교차되는 순간입니다

그는 휼륭한 신부님입니다.

그가 앞으로.시복식도 받고 시성식에 올라 성인품에 오르기를 희망합니다.

이는 살아있는 우리가 이태석신부의 정신을 어떻게 전수하고 이어받느냐에 달려있습니다. 
그가 청소년과 늘 함께 있었듯이, 성인은 거룩한 분이어서 우리와 동떨어져 섬길 저 위에 있는 것이 아닌 우리와 함께 있는 그런 분이면 좋겠습니다.

한 인간의 고귀한 죽음으로 우리의 정신적 가치를 높이 들어올리 듯이  지구라고  하는 생명공동체에 인간 삶의 질을 높일 수 있는 기회로 삼고자  합니다.

여러분! 우리 모두는 나약한 존재입니다. 인간이 저질러 놓은 잘못된 역사와 행동으로 부터 실망과 좌절을 극복하고  일어설 수 있어야 합니다.

투병 중에 선교지로 속히 되돌아 가고 싶었던 그의 열망과 청소년  한가운데 달려가고 싶었던 그의 희망을 우리가 이어 받아  나아가야 할 것입니다.

이태석신부와 저를 위해서 많이 기도해 주시고 성원해 주시기를 부탁드립니다...감사합니다.

2016년 12월 21일
몽골 살레시오회 이호열시몬 신부..

*연말 정산 기부 영수증 발급건

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기부자명,주민등록번호,기부금액,주소등을 보내 주시면 관구로 기부금을 송금해서 기부 영수증을 받으 실 수 있도록 하겠습니다. (국민 이호열 004402-04-033741)계좌 번호에 한해서...