About Today St. Peter Canisius, S.J. Priest, Religious and Doctor of the Church Born 8 May 1521 Nijmegen, Duchy of Guelders, Habsburg Netherlands Died 21 December 1597 (aged 76) Fribourg, Switzerland Honored in Catholic Church Beatified 1864, Rome by Pope Pius IX Canonized 21 May 1925, Rome by Pope Pius XI Major shrine College of St. Michael Fribourg, Switzerland Feast 21 December; 27 April (General Roman Calendar, 1926-1969) Patronage Catholic press, Germany. Peter Canisius, S.J. (Dutch: Pieter Kanis, 8 May 1521 – 21 December 1597) was an important Jesuit Catholic priest who supported the Catholic faith during the Protestant Reformation in Germany, Austria, Bohemia, Moravia, and Switzerland. The restoration of the Catholic Church in Germany after the Protestant Reformation is largely attributed to the work there of the Society of Jesus, which he led. He is venerated in the Catholic Church as a saint and as a Doctor of the Church. About Today Fourth Sunday of Advent Today we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Advent. In His coming, we are reminded of the special roles humans played prior to His arrival. In Isaiah, we see a model of waiting; in John the Baptist, a keeper of expectant proclamation; and in the Blessed Virgin, a willing participant in God’s plan. May each of them aid us in preparing our hearts for Our Lord’s coming at Christmas. The hope, love, and joy we’ve experienced in this season of Advent are about to culminate in peace. The Prince of Peace is coming. [1] Fourth Sunday of Advent Lectionary: 11 Reading 1 2 SM 7:1-5, 8B-12, 14A, 16 When King David was settled in his palace, and the LORD had given him rest from his enemies on every side, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God dwells in a tent!” Nathan answered the king, “Go, do whatever you have in mind, for the LORD is with you.” But that night the LORD spoke to Nathan and said: “Go, tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: Should you build me a house to dwell in?’ “It was I who took you from the pasture and from the care of the flock to be commander of my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you went, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you. And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth. I will fix a place for my people Israel; I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place without further disturbance. Neither shall the wicked continue to afflict them as they did of old, since the time I first appointed judges over my people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies. The LORD also reveals to you that he will establish a house for you. And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.” Responsorial Psalm PS 89:2-3, 4-5, 27-29 R/ (2a) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord. The promises of the LORD I will sing forever; through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness. For you have said, “My kindness is established forever”; in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness. R/ For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord. “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: Forever will I confirm your posterity and establish your throne for all generations.” R/ For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord. “He shall say of me, ‘You are my father, my God, the Rock, my savior.’ Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him, and my covenant with him stands firm.” R/ For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord. Reading 2 ROM 16:25-27 Brothers and sisters: To him who can strengthen you, according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages but now manifested through the prophetic writings and, according to the command of the eternal God, made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith, to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ be glory forever and ever. Amen. Alleluia LK 1:38 R. Alleluia, alleluia. Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel LK 1:26-38 The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. Saint John-Paul II Hail, full of grace! Joy is a basic component of the sacred time now beginning. Advent is a time for being watchful, for prayer, for conversion, in addition to being one of fervent and joyful expectation. The motive is clear: “The Lord is near.” (Phil 4:5) The first thing said to Mary in the New Testament is a joyful invitation: “Exult, rejoice!” (Lk 1,28 in Greek) Such a greeting is linked to the Savior’s coming. Mary is the first one to receive the announcement of a joy that will be afterwards proclaimed to the whole people. She participates in it in an extraordinary way and to an exceptional extent. In her, ancient Israel’s joy is concentrated and finds its fullness; in her, the happiness of messianic times bursts forth irrevocably. The Virgin Mary’s joy is in particular that of the “small remnant” of Israel (Isa 10,20f.), of the poor who await God’s salvation and who experience his fidelity. So that we also might participate in this feast, it is necessary to wait in humility and to welcome the Savior with trust. “In considering the ineffable love with which the Virgin Mother awaited the Son, all the faithful who live the spirit of Advent through the liturgy, “vigilant in prayer and filled with gladness”, will be led to take her as their model and to prepare to go out to meet the Lord who is coming” (Paul VI, Marialis cultus). From a commentary on Luke by Saint Ambrose, bishop Mary visits Elizabeth When the angel revealed his message to the Virgin Mary he gave her a sign to win her trust. He told her of the motherhood of an old and barren woman to show that God is able to do all that he wills. When she hears this Mary sets out for the hill country. She does not disbelieve God’s word; she feels no uncertainty over the message or doubt about the sign. She goes eager in purpose, dutiful in conscience, hastening for joy. Filled with God, where would she hasten but to the heights? The Holy Spirit does not proceed by slow, laborious efforts. Quickly, too, the blessings of her coming and the Lord’s presence are made clear: as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting the child leapt in her womb, and she was filled with the Holy Spirit. Notice the contrast and the choice of words. Elizabeth is the first to hear Mary’s voice, but John is the first to be aware of grace. She hears with the ears of the body, but he leaps for joy at the meaning of the mystery. She is aware of Mary’s presence, but he is aware of the Lord’s: a woman aware of a woman’s presence, the forerunner aware of the pledge of our salvation. The women speak of the grace they have received while the children are active in secret, unfolding the mystery of love with the help of their mothers, who prophesy by the spirit of their sons. The child leaps in the womb; the mother is filled with the Holy Spirit, he fills his mother with the same Spirit. John leaps for you, and the spirit of Mary rejoices in her turn. When John leaps for joy Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit, but we know that though Mary’s spirit rejoices she does not need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Her son, who is beyond our understanding, is active in his mother in a way beyond our understanding. Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit after conceiving John, while Mary is filled with the Holy Spirit before conceiving the Lord. Elizabeth says: Blessed are you because you have believed. You also are blessed because you have heard and believed. A soul that believes both conceives and brings forth the Word of God and acknowledges his works. Let Mary’s soul be in each of you to proclaim the greatness of the Lord. Let her spirit be in each to rejoice in the Lord. Christ has only one mother in the flesh, but we all bring forth Christ in faith. Every soul receives the Word of God if only it keeps chaste, remaining pure and free from sin, its modesty undefiled. The soul that succeeds in this proclaims the greatness of the Lord, just as Mary’s soul magnified the Lord and her spirit rejoiced in God her Savior. In another place we read: Magnify the Lord with me. The Lord is magnified, not because the human voice can add anything to God but because he is magnified within us. Christ is the image of God, and if the soul does what is right and holy, it magnifies that image of God, in whose likeness it was created and, in magnifying the image of God, the soul has a share in its greatness and is exalted.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Dec 2014 17:28:52 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015