Advent and such

Okay, so Advent is the new calendar year in the Catholic Church.  This is the time that we make resolutions. In the days leading up to Advent we read about the second coming of Jesus as recorded in the Bible. The idea is to prepare our hearts for his coming hear on earth to take his During Advent we discuss the events leading up to the coming of Jesus at his birth. We celebrate Christmas into January. The 12 days of Christmas don't actually start until Christmas Day.

There are other celebrations during this time. The Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Did you know that the Immaculate Conception is not Jesus? That is a common misunderstanding. Sure, Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, but the Immaculate Conception is actually Mary. Mary was conceived and born without the original sin that all others were born with. Would she not have to be, since she was to be the Mother of Jesus?

We celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas. The following is an excerpt on Saint Nicholas taken from Catholic Online.  http://www.catholic.org/

 "He {Saint Nicholas} was exceedingly well brought up by his parents and trod piously in their footsteps. The child, watched over by the church enlightened his mind and encouraged his thirst for sincere and true religion". His parents died when he was a young man, leaving him well off and he determined to devote his inheritance to works of charity. An opportunity soon arose. A citizen of Patara had lost all his money, and had moreover to support three daughters who could not find husbands because of their poverty; so the wretched man was going to give them over to prostitution. This came to the ears of Nicholas, who thereupon took a bag of gold and, under cover of darkness threw it in at the open window of the man's house. Here was a dowry for the eldest girl and she was soon duly married. At intervals Nicholas did the same for the second and third; at the last time the father was on the watch, recognized his benefactor and overwhelmed him with his gratitude.

On December 12 we have the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  This form of Mary appeared to Juan Diego in Mexico. Our Lady told Juan Diego that she wanted a church built for people to come to. When Juan Diego passed this message along to the local Bishop, he asked for a sign to prove the Lady's existence. The sign she gave was a field of roses, not in season at the time, and asked Juan Diego to collect them to take them to the bishop. Juan filled his cloak with them and when he spilled them out for the bishop, an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was present on the cloak. The cloak, which should have decayed since then, is located in Mexico and still viewable today. Many flock to the shrine to pray for aid in healing. My friend Carlos has visited there recently to pray for his sick mother. I hope to go there myself, one day.

The feast days in the Catholic church are to bring us closer to Jesus by remembering what we have learned from the lives of the saints. From St. Nicholas we can learn generosity. From Juan Diego, obedience. I am hoping to pass lessons on to my children this Christmas. In our time today, we can pass lessons on through traditions, readings and teachings. Whatever your path, I pray that you and your family will draw nearer to Jesus this Christmas.

Thought for the day: A day not stitched in prayer quickly unravels.