Count Your Blessings at Christmas

A heart-warming story.

In the Russian village we found a grandmother from Ukraine who had lost her memory.

 

Thank you, I look forward to watching this latter!

Christmas is a wonderful time for stories. I watched this little one during the week.

 

Just watched "The Bells of St Mary's" on Turner classics last night. I've seen it many times. A wonderful wonderful film. A window in on a world of growing up Catholic in the US in the good old days. In some ways profound--especially from where we are standing now. It's a world we have lost but movies like this remind us.

 

These guys do a wonderful job for a few of the many, many thousands of abandoned old people and youngsters ejected at age 16 from orphanages and left to fend for themselves. Some of you may want to send them a few dollars, pounds or euros?

We have no gas and nowhere to bathe. A gift of 100,000 rubles for a poor woman

 

I hope to find it to watch later...

 

St Teresa of Calcutta said we can't help everyone so let's help one person...my friend put my little orphan grandaughter in a special charity for Christmas.. I wrapped all the presents... sneakers. Books, little girly things...I am floored by this anonymous person's donations...yes if we can only help one

 

This is lovely.

 

My wife and I just prayed Morning office on tbus Christmas Eve morning. We are counting our blessings. I wanted to share this written by St. Augustine. My human brain really cannot fully grasp that God who is infinitely larger and massive compared to us His creatures became one of us. A gift that gives us opportunity of eternal life. Thank you God. Peace to all. Merry Christmas. God is Good all the tine.


From a sermon by Saint Augustine
Truth has arisen from the earth and justice has looked down from heaven

Awake, mankind! For your sake God has become man. Awake, you who sleep, rise up from the dead, and Christ will enlighten you. I tell you again: for your sake, God became man.

You would have suffered eternal death, had he not been born in time. Never would you have been freed from sinful flesh, had he not taken on himself the likeness of sinful flesh. You would have suffered everlasting unhappiness, had it not been for this mercy. You would never have returned to life, had he not shared your death. You would have been lost if he had not hastened to your aid. You would have perished, had he not come.

Let us then joyfully celebrate the coming of our salvation and redemption. Let us celebrate the festive day on which he who is the great and eternal day came from the great and endless day of eternity into our own short day of time.

He has become our justice, our sanctification, our redemption, so that, as it is written: Let him who glories glory in the Lord.

Truth, then, has arisen from the earth:Christ who said, I am the Truth, was born of the Virgin. And justice looked down from heaven:because believing in this new-born child, man is justified not by himself but by God.

Truth has arisen from the earth: because the Word was made flesh. And justice looked down from heaven: because every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.

Truth has arisen from the earth: flesh from Mary. And justice looked down from heaven:for man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.

Justified by faith, let us be at peace with God: for justice and peace have embraced one another. Through our Lord Jesus Christ: for Truth has arisen from the earth. Through whom we have access to that grace in which we stand, and our boast is in our hope of God’s glory. He does not say: “of our glory,” but of God’s glory:for justice has not come out of us but has looked down from heaven. Therefore he who glories, let him glory, not in himself, but in the Lord.

For this reason, when our Lord was born of the Virgin, the message of the angelic voices was: Glory to God in the highest, and peace to men of good will.

For how could there be peace on earth unless Truth has arisen from the earth, that is, unless Christ were born of our flesh? And he is our peace who made the two into one: that we might be men of good will, sweetly linked by the bond of unity.

Let us then rejoice in this grace, so that our glorying may bear witness to our good conscience by which we glory, not in ourselves, but in the Lord. That is why Scripture says: He is my glory, the one who lifts up my head. For what greater grace could God have made to dawn on us than to make his only Son become the son of man, so that a son of man might in his turn become son of God?

Ask if this were merited; ask for its reason, for its justification, and see whether you will find any other answer but sheer grace.

 

"For nothing will be impossible with God.."

 

We have no idea what it's like to live like that.. God bless those young men and that organization for helping the helpless. A work of mercy

 

A holy Christmas Eve to everyone.

 

Yes. A Holy Christmas to all you dear prayer warriors and special prayers for Padraig Brian and John (Quis) who work so hard keeping us going with the forum.
All of you are in my prayers tomorrow at the altar.

 

A holy night and a merry Christmas to all in the peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Adoration of the Shepherds, by Gerard van Honthorst (circa 1622).

 

Taking you and all your intentions to Midnight Mass this evening.. May the Holy Family keep the joy and peace of Christmas alive in all hearts throughout the coming year and bless all your endeavours..
Have a blessed Christmas

 

Merry Christmas to all!!!

 

Thank you!!!

 

Prayers for everyone!!! Thank u

 

Sitting here ready to go to Midnight Mass, it is 10:20 and it begins with Carols at 11:30. I forget how long it has been since I have been at an actual Midnight Mass so it is a bit of a time machine to my childhood. I expect it will be packed to the Rafters, Traditional has become so popular. How lovely for parents to be able to bring their young children and form their own Traditions for their own Traditions. Traditions that very often went back for many, many centuries. How lovely we live in a time when we reclaim the Treasures of the centuries. Such a Catholic thing to do. It is was a very old Protestant Church layed out in very rich woods. They have spent a couple of weeks decorating it with tress and boughs and twinkling lights, like its very own Christmas Cards. From somewhere they found two very, very old Christmas Cribs which are small works of art. My favourite are the little Chickens, one in particular. It is white as a dove with little black beady eyes and its little head perched to one side as though in inquiry. It makes me smile and laugh every time I see it. It is the little things. It makes me feel like a little child again to see it all.

This has been a very special Advent for me as I prepare to travel to a far off country making my own journey and following my very own star. My own hopes and fears have helped me join in the hopes and fears of Mary and Joseph as they travelled to Bethlehem . May I, like them find angels singing and humble folk to welcome me when I arrive there in my own humble home.

I hope to post pictures later.

May the Christ child find a crib in the very center of your loving hearts this Christ Mass

 

Merry Christmas to everyone on the forum! May God bless you in the coming new year with peace, health, and unity in your families.

 

Thank you, sparrow.