Pope Francis turns 83 today Tuesday 17 December and we have a very special Happy Birthday Message for him on today’s Advent Calendar.

Eliza Long, aged 8, from Dunboyne, Co Meath, Ireland, sends Pope Francis a very special birthday greeting for his birthday. Eliza is in second class and is preparing for her First Holy Communion next year.

In this short video Eliza thanks Pope Francis for his prayers for all the children across the world. She assures him that she is praying for him too.

Happy Birthday Pope Francis! Thanks Eliza. We particularly love the Christmas bells and what a beautiful singing voice you have!

 

Readings for Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent

Gn 49:2, 8-10. Ps 71:1-4, 7-8, 17, R/ cf v 7. Mt 1:1-17.  www.catholicbishops.ie/readings 

Audio: Advent Thought for the Day

Each day during Advent we are bringing you an audio Thought for the Day on a different theme. Today’s Thought for the Day is from Bishop Donal McKeown, Bishop of Derry. In this piece Bishop McKeown invites us to use the Season of Advent to examine the deserts in our own lives so as to see with open eyes the true meaning of Christmas. 

Click below to listen to the audio.

Visual Thought for the Day 

Our thought for the day for today for sharing on social media is from Pope Francis.

The “O Antiphons” 

The “O Antiphons” refer to the seven antiphons that are recited (or chanted) preceding the Magnificat during Vespers of the Liturgy of the Hours. They cover the special period of Advent preparation known as the Octave before Christmas, December 17-23, with December 24 being Christmas Eve and Vespers for that evening being for the Christmas Vigil.

The exact origin of the “O Antiphons” is not known. Boethius (c. 480-524) made a slight reference to them, thereby suggesting their presence at that time. At the Benedictine abbey of Fleury (now Saint-Benoit-sur-Loire), these antiphons were recited by the abbot and other abbey leaders in descending rank, and then a gift was given to each member of the community. By the eighth century, they are in use in the liturgical celebrations in Rome. The usage of the “O Antiphons” was so prevalent in monasteries that the phrases, “Keep your O” and “The Great O Antiphons” were common sayings. We might conclude that in some fashion the “O Antiphons” have been part of our liturgical tradition since the very early Church.

The importance of “O Antiphons” is twofold: Each one highlights a title for the Messiah: O Sapientia (O Wisdom), O Adonai (O Lord), O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse), O Clavis David (O Key of David), O Oriens (O Rising Sun), O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations), and O Emmanuel. Also, each one refers to the prophecy of Isaiah of the coming of the Messiah.

The Words of Pope Francis 

“Christ is alive! He is our hope, and in a wonderful way he brings youth to our world.  The very first words, then, that I would like to say to every young Christian are these: Christ is alive and he wants you to be alive!”.

Thus begins the post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Christus vivit (Christ is alive) by Pope Francis published in April.  This year’s Advent Calendar is featuring Pope Francis’ words from Christus vivit which he has addressed to young people , and to the entire People of God and published on 2 April 2019. In the document, the Pope explains that he allowed himself to be “inspired by the wealth of reflections and conversations of the Synod” on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment which took place in the Vatican in October 2018.

Today’s excerpt follows: 

73. Many young people are taken in by ideologies, used and exploited as cannon fodder or a strike force to destroy, terrify or ridicule others. Worse yet, many of them end up as individualists, hostile and distrustful of others; in this way, they become an easy target for the brutal and destructive strategies of political groups or economic powers.

74. “Even more numerous in the world are young people who suffer forms of marginalization and social exclusion for religious, ethnic or economic reasons. Let us not forget the difficult situation of adolescents and young people who become pregnant, the scourge of abortion, the spread of HIV, various forms of addiction (drugs, gambling, pornography and so forth), and the plight of street children without homes, families or economic resources”.[30] In the case of women, these situations are doubly painful and difficult.

75. As a Church, may we never fail to weep before these tragedies of our young. May we never become inured to them, for anyone incapable of tears cannot be a mother. We want to weep so that society itself can be more of a mother, so that in place of killing it can learn to give birth, to become a promise of life. We weep when we think of all those young people who have already lost their lives due to poverty and violence, and we ask society to learn to be a caring mother. None of this pain goes away; it stays with us, because the harsh reality can no longer be concealed. The worst thing we can do is adopt that worldly spirit whose solution is simply to anaesthetize young people with other messages, with other distractions, with trivial pursuits.

(CV) 

#LivingAdvent 2019

During Advent are sharing family prayers and suggestions for acts of kindness or charity that all of us are encouraged to undertake during the month of December. The Advent Calendar is also also offering tips on how families can care for our common home by having a more sustainable Christmas. 

Advent Random Act of Kindness 

Offer to help someone who has a big to-do-list for Christmas.

Let’s Be Family – Act of Charity 

Support families in need this Christmas. Give what you can of your time or make a donation to one of the many organisations helping people in need.  

Living Advent by Caring for Our Common Home 

Don’t forget to think ethical gifts if you are doing some Christmas shopping today. They are gifts that can be put to work for families in need around the world. Many of the gifts available from Trócaire are helping families who are suffering from the impact and effects of climate change.  You can find information on Trócaire’s range of ethical gifts on their website www.trocaire.org

 

Advent Prayers

Our Prayer Intentions for the Day to Pray Together 

2. We pray for those who are sick;
that they may experience
the Lord’s healing touch.

3. Loving Father, we place our trust in you,
You gave us the Lord Jesus Christ to be our armour.
Hear our prayers during this Advent Season,
through Christ, our Lord. Amen

Advent Music

All my heart this night rejoices. This is a beautiful hymn for Advent and Christmas.