New year resolutions

Happy New Year to my readers.

At this time of the year, many of us make new year resolutions, some of which may last the year or a few months or sometimes a few days.  It seems to me that regardless of how long or short the actual resolution lasts, it is a good thing to do because the person making it stops and reflects and revisits his/her behaviours/habits and life generally.

However what is often missed in our new year resolutions is a resolve to look at our spiritual lives.
New year is a great time to be grateful for the year that has passed and to examine what has worked for us and what has not.  We need to also look at our spiritual lives in the same way  so that we can progress in spiritual growth.

Some people work to a plan whilst others do not.  I prefer to work to a plan, even if the plan does not go accordingly.  We are human but we have a reference point to refer.

God is our reference point. God is our goal and heaven is where we hope to be heading one day.
However, we do not just arrive there. We need to get ready for the journey. As I write this from an airport lounge, the concept of the journey is on my mind.

My suggestion is that we take a look at our spiritual lives before 2012 closes and name one area of our live that we will commit to during 2013 to improve.  God does not expect us to be perfect yet, but we are to try out best out of love for God.

May you all have a safe and happy new year physically,mentally , emotionally and spiritually.

I have written a lot less towards the end of the this year for one reason and another. My new year resolution for my blog is write frequently again.  However as I said previously I am at the airport on the way to have a short holiday.  So I cannot promise any posts but will try to at an internet cafe. I will try my best.  However when I return I intend to keep my resolution.

thank you for your interest in my blog even when posts have been at times infrequentt.

I hope that I will provide interesting posts for you again in 2013 and you continue in your journey of loving God and being close to HIm by the way you live.

Happy New Year  to you all.

Christmas message 2012

CHRISTMAS

Hymns have tried to capture all its wonder;

Books of wisdom leave it unexplained,

Paintings have attempted to portray it,

But its meaning will forever be contained

In 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.

May all my readers have a happy and a holy Christmas Day 

and throughout Christmastide.

What gift will you give to God this Christmas?

Let us have a talk about gifts. We all like to be given gifts.  We all like to give gifts to those we love.The gift we gives shows that we love the person to whom we give the gift.  We like to give gifts to family and frinds to thank them for all their goodness to us.  We want that gift to be the best we can find since it shows our love for them.

So what gift will you give Jesus for His birthday since it is His feast that we are celebrating. God our Heaven ly Father loves us very much.  He has given us many gifts.  If we want to show HIm that we Love Him we must have the best gift that we can find for Him.

What can we give to God?  How can we thank Him for all He has done for us this year and in previous years?

So whilst we are doing our last minute preparations for Christmas, let us remember to prepare a gift for God since 

Jesus IS the reason for the season of Christmas.     

Third Sunday of Advent-Gaudate Sunday

The Advent Wreath is an important liturgical symbol which helps us to prepare the way of the Lord with the lighting of the candles each week.  During Advent, family and friends can gather around the Advent Wreath lighting the appropriate candle(s), read from the daily Advent meditation and sing Advent hymns. The Church's official Book of Blessings also provides a blessing ceremony for the Advent Wreath which can be used in the absence of a priest. 

The rose candle is lit the third Sunday of Advent, for this color anticipates and symbolizes the Christmas joy announced in the first word of the Entrance Antiphon: "Rejoice" (Latin, Gaudete). For this reason the Third Sunday is also called Gaudete Sunday, and rose color vestments are permitted. The traditional color of the vestments during Weeks 1, 2 and 4 is either purple or violet to represent penitential spirit. Advent is a season of hope, but a penitential spirit during this season is a fitting way to prepare the way of the Lord.  

 Gaudete Sunday is the third Sunday of Advent in the Christian calendar. It can fall on any date from 11 December to 17 December. The term Gaudete is broadly translated from Latin as Rejoice, a word that appears in the entrance antiphon (introit) of Masses held on this day: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice! The Lord is near. (Roman Catholic Rite years A, B and C).
 

On Gaudete Sunday rose-coloured vestments may be worn instead of violet, which is prescribed for every day in the season of Advent. A rose coloured candle is included in the Advent wreath. During the otherwise penitential season of Advent, the readings on the third Sunday emphasize the joyous anticipation of the Lord's coming. 

So on this rejoicing Sunday let us really feel and see and sense it.  

We may wish to sing this hymn throughout the day

'Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice'

Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice.

Rejoice, Rejoice, again, I say rejoice.

Rejoice, Rejoice, again I say rejoice.

Collect for First Sunday of Advent Year C

Happy New Year.. a liturgical New Year. 

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

Let us pray,

Grant Your faithful, 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.

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

1. What is my resolve at the beginning of this liturgical New Year?
2. How will I carry out this resolve throughout this season of Advent and throughout the Year?
3. What righteous deeds will I have to offer Christ at His coming?
4. What hinders me from being worthy to possess the heavenly kingdom today?
5. How might I prepare spiritually for the coming of Christ?
6. How will I prepare for a good confession this advent?
7. What will I do this coming week to make the Year of Faith and Year of Grace my own?

Being warned is being forearemed.  However, today's Gospel message is precise and clear.

Stay awake.   

During the season of advent, we are preparing for Christmas and with all the jingles of the cash tills and the advertisments and the endless shopping trips, we can allow our hearts to become hardened from the real message of Advent.

This advent let us find some time away from the hussle and the bussle of Christmas preparations and prepare our hearts for Christ.  Let us stay awake  and not let advent slip by without some effort to grow spiritually.  Get your advent off to a great start and write down your plan for the week.

May your advent be a real time of blessing for you.

Happy Birthday New Horizons

HAPPY THIRD BIRTHDAY NEW HORIZONS

 

New Horizons is three years old today. When I commenced the world of blogging 3 years ago, it was a new adventure taken at the beginning of a new decade in my life on my 50th birthday. As I commenced this blog,my desire was to encourage my Catholic brothers and sisters to discover and enhance their Catholic faith.

During these last three years, I have felt excited to post regularly. I have been heartened by some comments and have been able to connect with my readers through the stats. This meant I could see what people were interested in and what countries were having a read.  I wish to thank all readers who have taken this journey with me and I hope you will continue to enjoy following my blog as we journey into 2013.

 From time to time this year, my posts were less than regular as I enter into another phase  of my life.  I  felt my creative spirit and energy left me. Thank you for continuing to check in on New Horizons and not losing hope that I would return again.

Please feel free to give me feedback on any posts that assisted you grow in your faith or any posts that you enjoyed reading. I would also be interested in hearing of a topic or series of topics that may interest you, and of course pass on my blog address to your friends and family who may be interested.

If you wish to give New Horizons a birthday present, please click on the donate widget. to the right of the post.   All proceeds will go to a well deserving cause.

I hope you will continue to enjoy following my blog as we journey into 2013. I look forward to posting daily during 2013 and hope and pray that

New Horizons does help you to discover and enhance your Catholic faith.

Two Great Feasts in November to think about

Origins of All Saints Day and All Souls Day

The feasts of All Saints Day and All Souls Day, when Catholics are encouraged to offer Masses and prayers for our deceased family members and relatives, were the living expression of a doctrine which stretched back to the earliest era of Christianity, and which is embodied in the Apostles' Creed.

The origin of All Saints Day is to be found in the prayers made to the martyr saints of the persecuted Church in the early centuries.  All Souls Day reflects the constant teaching of the Church, stretching back into the Old Testament period where it is record in the Book Maccabees, " It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to prayer for the dead, that they may loosed from their sins'

It seems a tragedy that All Saints Day is less recognized that Halloween, now a secular celebration of what was once the day before All Hallows (Saints) Day.

In Australia in 2001, the Australian bishops made a decision to reduce the number of Holy Days of Obligation, with the great feast of All Saints Day and All Souls Day (albeit an unofficial  Holy Day of Obligation) disappearing from the awareness of  even practising Catholics. As a consequence of that decision, a diminished awareness of the doctrine of Communion of Saints has resulted, a doctrine which teaches that believers on earth are united in a spiritual fellowship with the saints in Heaven and the souls in Purgatory.

These beautiful feasts days are both a source of inspiration and a consolation that we, in the world as the pilgrim Church can aspire to be reunited with our families and friends who are the Church triumphant in the joyful perfection of Heaven.  We can also give the souls in purgatory- great consolation by our prayers and Masses since we can pray for them, but they cannot pray for themselves.  Let us assist them by our prayers, works of charity, offering up our day and trials for them and attending Mass for their souls not only on these great feasts, but also during the month of November.

Let these great feasts touch our spiritual consciousness this year.