Sunday, December 29, 2019

Collect for Feast of Holy Family


COLLECT SERIES

COLLECT SERIES ICON.


FEAST OF HOLY FAMILY YEAR A


COLLECT

O God, who were pleased to give us the shining example of the Holy Family,
Graciously grant that we may imitate them in practicing 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.


REFLECTION QUESTIONS

In making this prayer tangible for during the week, the following reflection questions emerged:
1.    What is the shining example of the Holy Family?
2.    Why did God us the example of the Holy Family?
3.    What answer do I give to someone who mocks the Holy Family and/or who says they are irrelevant today?
4.    What are the virtues of family life?
5.    How will I practise the virtues of family life this coming week?
6.    What spiritual goals will I implement in this  coming year?

GOSPEL REFLECTION

THE HOLY FAMILY at the Manger.


Many scholars and priests choose to emphasise refugees, displaced families and the plight of their wellbeing on  this Feast of Holy Family.  However important this is, Matthew in today’s Gospel and throughout his Gospel wants to ensure we get the true message: Jesus, son of David, born in Bethlehem is Son of God.  This truth bears a promise which is a promise of a new world for all.  He emphasises this truth even further with the last line of the Gospel
“ He will be called a Nazarene’’.

Why is this sentence significant?  It connects Jesus the baby with Jesus the adult who suffered and died and rose again for us to bring us a new world to all.  In the Passion, the soldiers identify Christ as Jesus the Nazarene.

As we hear today’s Gospel, let the truth of who Jesus is take root in our hearts and do our part to make the promise of a new world for all a reality. We can make His kingdom come.

The other important aspect of today’s feast is of course family.  Family and marriage is increasingly under attack from media and society.  Yet in our own domestic or extended family or spiritual family, we can strengthen the bonds which hold us.  This can be done in prayer, in how we treat each other,  how we resolve conflict and forgive each other sincerely and particularly in the practical matters of family or parish life- contributing in ways that make a difference done with love.  It may be as simple as doing some dishes, keeping our rooms tidy or doing some shopping for someone who has come out of hospital. We need to invest time in each other.
That is what the holy family did- invested time in each other. Joseph, foster father of Jesus taught him the skills of carpentry whilst Mary nurtured Jesus as her child even though she knew He was the Saviour.  She took on motherhood with all its joys and challenges especially when she did not understand her Son’s destiny and behaviours.  Jesus played His part too. He was human as well as divine and He respected both Joseph and Mary as His earthly parents. He was obedient to them and respected their authority as parents.

On this feast of the Holy Family, why not offer a prayer of blessing for your own family and put your family under the protection of the Holy Family.  You could write your own family prayer and say it with them each week. You may add the practicalities of that week so that it is prayer and action done out of love for God and each other.
In that way, you will be contributing to the promise of Jesus to make a new world for all.

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Christmas

CHRISTMAS

THE MANGER AT BETHLEHEM- HOLY LAND.


Christmas...

Hymns have tried to capture all the wonder

Books of wisdom leave it unexplained

Paintings have attempted to portray it

But its meaning will forever be contained

In the the words a mother whispered by a manger,

A word she heard God's angel first proclaim

JESUS...


All the shining Glory of Christmas is found 

within that holy, precious name.

JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON.


Happy Christmas to all my readers. 
May you be truly blessed during Christmastide.


Want to enjoy some Music during Christmastide or give someone special a unique gift?  
I have composed music to 18 Christmastide Psalms, sung and played them and recorded them.  Go to talkingmusic.online to 

  1. Listen to an excerpt of Psalm 95 -
    Today is born a Saviour Christ the Lord.
  2. Sign up for a free track from Singable Sunday Psalms for Christmastide.
  3. Head to online store to download and purchase Singable Sunday Psalms for Christmastide.




Singable Sunday Psalms for Christmastide is a gift which keeps on giving. You will be able to listen and enjoy it the whole year.

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Collect for 4th Sunday Advent Year A.


COLLECT SERIES

THE MASS  COLLECT SERIES ICON.


COLLECT

The Collect for the 4th Sunday of Advent Year A reads as follows:
Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord your grace into our hearts,
That we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ your Son
Was made known by the message of an Angel,
May by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God for ever and ever.


REFLECTION QUESTIONS

In making this prayer tangible the following reflection questions emerged.

1.Why is this Angelus prayer used as a Collect on this 4th Sunday of Advent?
2. What specific grace do I wish to receive from Jesus this Christmastide?
3.What does Jesus as God’s Son  being born mean for me?
4. What message does God wish to give me through His Angel?
5. Ponder the life of Jesus- born to be a Saviour of humanity through His Passion and death and to give me the glory of His Resurrection. What does this mean for my life this coming week?

GOSPEL REFLECTION


The Gospel is from Matthew 1:18-24. Here we learn how God does not do things our way but His.  If God had preserved the kingdom of Judah (which he could so easily have done), and if the Messiah, the son of David, were to be born in the royal palace in Jerusalem, it would be natural and we would almost say, more fitting the dignity of the Messiah.  Instead, God allowed the kingly line, and the throne of Judah, to disappear, and he chose a humble carpenter of Nazareth, a true descendant of David but a lowly one, to be the foster-father of his divine Son, when he took human nature and came on earth to "dwell among us."

Perhaps we may say or feel that we do not understand His ways.  Maybe we ask in prayer for something so very much needed and we  seemingly get no answer or a definite no to it. 
God does not value bank accounts or social standing but rather virtue. This is evident in the choice He made for the foster father of Jesus.  No king sat on the throne of Judah, not even David himself, who was more acceptable to God as foster-father for his Son, than Joseph, the carpenter of Nazareth.

The Church puts forth Joseph as our reminder to imitate Joseph and Mary who were the humblest of the humble, the kindliest of the kindly, and the greatest-ever believers in God's goodness and mercy. We can never hope to equal them, but we can follow them humbly.

This is the last Sunday of our preparation for Christmas, the anniversary of Christ's birth. Like Joseph, we can all feel unworthy of the honour of welcoming him into our hearts and our homes. We are indeed unworthy, not because we have little of this world's goods, but because we have so little humility, so little charity, so little faith and trust in God's goodness. Let us try to imitate Joseph and Mary.

We realise that we can never make ourselves worthy of HIs infinite love, but let us imitate Joseph and accept the honour which God is giving us, as we trust and work towards through growing in virtue that God will continue to make us daily  more worthy of Him by how we live our lives.

 In God’s eyes we are always worthy of Him.  After all, He loved us so much to be born for us, died and rose again for us- why .. so that we could be renewed once more as children of God and live with Him for ever in Heaven. 





Saturday, December 21, 2019

The Saviour of the world was born


REFLECTION AND PRAYER SERIES.

My reflection and prayer series is about sharing reflections and Prayers which have impacted upon me and have provided food for thought. I hope that they will also nurture your soul and spirit.

My Scripture reflection is 


''Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you”’ 
(Luke 2:11)


                                                   Christ The Redeemer.

 


My post is called:

                                                              The Saviour of the world was born 

One night in Bethlehem, beneath a singing sky,
a royal prince gave up His throne,
a Shepherd came to seek His own.
The Saviour of the world was born
one night in Bethlehem.


Sunday, December 8, 2019

Collect for 2nd Sunday Advent.

COLLECT SERIES


THE MASS: COLLECT SERIES ICON.

COLLECT


The Collect for the Second Sunday of Advent reads as follows:

Almighty and merciful God,
may no earthly understanding hinder those who set out in haste to meet Your Son, 
but may our learning of heaven wisdom gain us admittance to His company. 
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.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

In making this prayer tangible during the week the following reflection questions emerged.

1. What are the earthly hindrances which prevent us from my relationship with Jesus?

2.What one hindrance might I choose to eradicate with God's grace this Advent?

3. What does heaven's wisdom want to say to me this Advent?

4. How will I incorporate this wisdom into my life this coming week?

5. How is my spiritual goal for Advent progressing after the first week?  Does it need tweaking or do I need to choose a different goal?


PERSONAL NOTE


I am still in rehab after my mini stroke but the good news is that I will be coming home this week.  I am so looking forward to going home after 5 weeks since the stroke.  I have been fortunate in how the stroke has affected me and over time, there will be a full recovery. Unfortunately this does not happen immediately.  I have to wait.

So my advent is very much about waiting for full recovery and being patient with myself. Both of these are not my forte normally.  I can wait for others patiently and I can be incredibly patient with other people. However, waiting and being patient with myself is whole different story.  I have normally so much energy and i make things happen.   I am very much goal driven and motivated. So, waiting patiently and not seeing any/much improvement is frustrating and very difficult to accept.
Still we can learn something when we need to and gradually, I can still learn new skills- new attitudes or hone old ones in a new way.


Missing daily Mass has been a huge blow over these last 5 weeks. Still I have had communion on some days and have watched Mass on TV and I also found Mass streamed from St James The Great Pettswood in UK.  Obviously, it does not replace Mass for those physically able to be at Mass.  However, for the sick and house bound, it is an amazing service.  It is also helpful because I am able to watch it at night in Australia whilst of course the UK is in northern hemisphere.

Not that I wish any of you to be ill, however it is good to know how you can still access Mass should this occur. This is one option   .http://www.stjamespettswood.org/


If you wish to buy my CD for Advent and Christmastide, it is available on www.talkingmusic.online in my onlinestore.  There are the accompanying ebooks as well.  Have a look.  The advent psalms are accompanied on piano whilst the Christmastide Psalms are accompanied on the organ.  I did this to create variety and choice for a wide audience.

I composed the music, played, sung and recorded   Singable  Sunday Psalms for Advent and Singable Sunday Psalms for Christmastide.  It would make a great gift.


Looking for some reflections on Advent?  I have written extensively on this topic over 10 years so why not check out some of these past posts/series.


Sunday, December 1, 2019

Collect for First Sunday of Advent Year A

COLLECT SERIES


The Mass: Collect Series.



HAPPY NEW YEAR.




COLLECT

The Collect for the First Sunday of Advent Year A  reads as follows:

Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God, 
the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ 
with righteous deeds at his coming, 
so that, gathered at his right hand,
they may be worthy to possess the heavenly Kingdom. 
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.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS


In making this prayer tangible for during the week the following reflection questions emerged:

1. As we begin Advent, what is my resolve spiritually?
2. How do we intend to carry out my resolve during Advent- what is my plan?
3. How do I want to meet Christ at Christmas in a different way than last year?
4. Take time to make a spiritual stock take and consider my current level of spirituality and what areas I need to address?
5. What righteous deeds might I carry out this coming week that will be pleasing to God?


PERSONAL NOTE


I am still in hospital and not yet well enough to do a complete blog post. Nevertheless, I want to say happy new year to my readers and wish you a wondrous time in Advent.

If you are looking for blog posts to read, you will be able to find them in the search or categories.  Over the ten years as a blogger for this site, I have talked about the Advent wreath and its traditions, the Jesse tree, the names of the Candles of the advent wreath and lots more.  Why not take a look.

If you are wanting something different then why not check catholic culture 

I have composed, played/sung and recorded  Singable Sunday Psalms for Advent and Christmastide.  These  ebooks and digital CDs are available in my online store (digital download) at talkingmusic.online