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As we celebrate the #ImmaculateConception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we pray: O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee. #catholicTO
On the one hand, the arguments against Jesus being born on December 25 don’t work, and the claim the date was chosen to supplant a pagan celebration is unsupportable. Not only do we find Christians supporting December 25 well before the pagan holiday in question, we also don’t find them saying anything like, “Let’s provide an alternative celebration.” The ones who support December 25 sincerely believe that’s when Jesus was born.
On the other hand, the Bible doesn’t give us enough information to determine Jesus’ birthday, and the tradition in the Church Fathers is mixed, with different dates being proposed.
It has been noted that, in the ancient world, two of the dates—December 25 and January 6—were sometimes reckoned as the date of the winter solstice, the time when days begin to get longer. Further, the Church Fathers discussed Christ’s birth in terms of light coming into the world, based on Malachi’s prophecy: “For you who fear my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings” (4:2).
Therefore, it’s possible that the belief Christ was born on a solstice date was based on this prophecy. Alternately, there may have been a memory that Christ was born in the winter, and the specific date was determined based on the prophecy. Or it may be that Christ simply was born on one of these dates, and its conjunction with ancient reckonings of the solstice was a matter of divine providence.
Whatever the case, Christ was born. The sun of righteousness did rise, and “the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned” (Matt. 4:16; Isa. 9:2).
www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/was-jesus-born-december-25th
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We pray for the newest members of the College of Cardinals. In a special way, we give thanks for our chief shepherd, the Archbishop of Toronto, Frank Cardinal Leo. May the newest members of the College of Cardinals continue to serve Holy Mother Church and the Holy Father faithfully, and shepherd Christ’s flock courageously, helping to strengthen our relationship with Jesus our Saviour. We pray to the Lord. #catholicTO
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Year of Prayer
The coming months will lead us to the opening of the Holy Door, with which we will begin the Jubilee. I ask you to intensify your prayer to prepare us to live well this event of grace, and to experience the strength of God’s hope. Therefore, today we begin the Year of Prayer; that is, a year dedicated to rediscovering the great value and absolute need for prayer in personal life, in the life of the Church, and in the world.
Pope Francis
Monthly Prayer For Pilgrims of Hope
What a joy to feel called to be pilgrims of hope! Joyful pilgrims, renewing our search of the Risen Christ in the midst of life. Father, we want to live this time making our way with your Son Jesus, embracing the cross of self-giving and service. We want to give reason for our faith! Proclaiming to the world that our faith is not in vain. Our hope is not an illusion nor our pains are dead ends! Our life is a journey, a pilgrimage, following one person, Christ, source of Life! We celebrate the fact that we are children of a living God who acts and blesses us, for whom we are all beloved children. Christ is our destiny and our way! Amen.
Monthly Prayer For A Shared Mission
Here we are O Lord! Available to your mission. We are Church because you call us, and invite us to live this call. The Pope, successor of Peter, tells us that in your Church there is room for everyone, everyone, everyone… And he has asked us not to make of it a customs office that allows the entry of some, who meet the requirements and not others. Do we believe in a Church for all, without exception? How often do we negate what we do not like or exclude those who think differently! You, on the other hand, count on everyone, you welcome everyone, and you trust everyone. Help us to feel that your mission is the co-responsibility of all and not just the task of a few; that in this game, we are all starters and no one is a substitute. Lord, convince us that no one is more important, that we are all needed because You love us. Amen.
In the Midst of Fatima: An Expression of Church Universal
As I head off to my Pilgrimage and Journeying ‘experiment’ starting in Ponte de Barca, I reflect on the whirlwind of activities that has happened that past couple of days. In particular, I reflect on my experiences of my pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary in Fatima. Fatima is a place … Read moreIn the Midst of Fatima: An Expression of Church Universal