The Roman Missal: Friday of the Passion of the Lord— Good Friday: The Solemn Intercessions: VI. For the Jewish People. Let us pray also for the Jewish people, to whom the Lord our God spoke first, that he may grant them to advance in love of his name and in faithfulness to his covenant. Almighty ever-living God, who bestowed your promises on Abraham and his descendants, hear graciously the prayers of your Church, that the people you first made... Read more
The Needy God-Baby Jesus with Mary and Joseph in a Wholly Human Holy Family Through him, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, all things came into being. God the Son came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. Consequently, for our sake God was a needy baby. God needed to breastfeed, otherwise he would not be able to stay alive and grow. True God needed to urinate and defecate, and... Read more
Faith Without Conversion Matthew 2: Herod’s Massacre of Bethlehem’s Innocent Children. [Link] We can have faith, we can believe, and then we can make choices in that regard. We can choose to do something, but likewise we can choose to do nothing. King Herod had faith in certain signs and prophecies, and so he chose to do something. The Signs and Prophecies. Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem. They said to Herod, “Where is the newborn king of the... Read more
A human in heaven! Oh my God! St. Stephen’s testimony and martyrdom are in the Book of Acts, chapter 7. I received the saint’s original Greek name, “Stephanos,” when I made vows as a monk in 1983. So, celebrating the feasts of Christ’s birth and St. Stephen’s martyrdom back-to-back is dramatically personal for me. On Christmas Day we gape at God’s birth on earth as a human baby. Then, we awaken the following day to gape into heaven... Read more
Do not be afraid! For the Christmas Mass at Midnight, the readings are: Isaiah 9:1-6; Titus 2:11-14; and Luke 2:1-14. At Midnight Mass on Christmas, the Gospel tells the hour of Christ’s birth with four phrases. she gave birth to her firstborn son She wrapped him in swaddling clothes laid him in a manger there was no room for them in the inn But, this tight telling has nothing about the feelings of Joseph and Mary. Thus, we don’t hear... Read more
I am a monk and priest of Prince of Peace Abbey, a Benedictine (“Order of St. Benedict”) monastery in Oceanside, California. The featured image shows our church and a detail of its icon of Christ the Prince of Peace. As the Nativity of Christ the Prince of Peace, Christmas is also the titular solemnity of our monastery. On that day I will also start blogging here. Christ is born, and a blog will be born. I grew up a brown,... Read more
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