The CatholiCity Message
Volume X, Number 8 – December 13, 2006
Dear CatholiCity Citizen,
Today we have some thought-provoking Christmas Quotes and a surprising item called the First Christmas Prayer. Unfortunately, we haven't reached our goal for our annual Christmas drive.
We need only $10,000 to match last year's success–but that means hundreds of donations. Will you be one of our heroes who puts us over the top?
Maybe you missed last week's email, lost our plea amid the spam, or decided to make a gift but didn't get around to it? Perhaps we should have asked more urgently? If so, please forgive us. We are not a "sky-is-falling" apostolate. We're too successful and efficient. We're a lot like you. We don't overspend. We're just normal folks with bills to pay.
But we do need you to make a decision to help us reach souls in 2007. Please, take a few minutes to make your online donation now.
If you make a gift of $25 or more we'll send you a lovely Saint Joseph statue as a small token of our thanks, though we believe you would gladly make your gift without it.
TO MAKE YOUR CHRISTMAS GIFT ONLINE
(and view the Saint Joseph statue):
http://www.catholicity.com/support/donation.html
CHRISTMAS QUOTES
"The first Christmas Day is the solstice or bottleneck of history. Things got worse until then, ever since we had lost Paradise. Things are to get better ever since then, 'til we reach Paradise once more. History is shaped like an X."
R. Knox
"Even though the succession of physical actions is now past...nevertheless we unceasingly adore the birth from the Virgin that brought forth our salvation."
Pope Saint Leo I
"I don't believe the crass and unproven myth that more people are depressed on Christmas than any other day. Sadly, the depressed, like the poor, shall be with us always–and tragically, they are an unhappy lot on other days of the year. Rather, I believe Christmas to be that bright amazing day when the contented are most happy, when children are most childlike, when materialists are most generous, when those who prefer to sleep in on a day off rise early–and all this because a baby became most divine."
Joe Wood
How can I keep the Christmas feast
In its due festive show
Reft of the sight of the High Priest
From Whom its glories flow?
Cardinal Newman
1. THE FIRST CHRISTMAS PRAYER
After Jesus, Our Lady is the focus of Christmas. This is clear in Sacred Scripture, in movies (old and new) which retell the Christmas story, and in the liturgy and songs we will sing at this time of year:
"Sing of Mary, pure and holy, virgin mother undefiled."
However, the story of Christ's entry into human history begins with His conception in Mary's womb, when the angel greets Mary with the following words, which are destined (through recitation the Rosary) to become the most repeated words of prayer in all of human history:
"Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee."
The words above, in short, summarize Christmas: through Mary, Jesus is with us. The phrase "full-of-grace" means without sin–an unambiguous reference to Mary's own Immaculate Conception. Jesus is not "coming" on December 25, 2006; He is already here.
The Hail Mary is a Christmas prayer.
During Advent until Christmas day, the Church reviews the nativity story for three reasons, among others, which pertain to the past, present, and future:
- to teach us about who Jesus is from the way He came into the world
- to help us welcome Jesus into our individual lives today
- to prepare us for his Second Coming (in history or on the day we die)
Many Christians do not know, however, the origin of the second "half" of the Hail Mary. It was added because of the Nestorian Heresy, whose adherents objected to referring to Mary as Theotokos, or "Mother of God." To put it simply, Nestorians did not believe Jesus to be fully God, therefore they did not believe Mary could be called the Mother of God. (How very un-Christmas-like of them!) After the Council of Ephesus in 431, the following words were added to complete the "modern" Hail Mary:
"Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen."
Let us focus on one word in the second half of the Hail Mary: "now." Every time we pray the Hail Mary, we ask Our Lady to pray for us at the very moment we are praying. It's quite intimate. Mary is listening to us right now. She is praying for us right now. The prayer itself, like the Christmas story, has elements of the past, present, and future. "Holy Mary, Mother of God (Past–Birth of Jesus), pray for us sinners, now (Present–the moment in time as we pray) and at the hour of our death (Future–our personal second coming with Christ), Amen."
4. IN EVERY STOCKING
If you live in the United States, you must order your free CDs or novels today or tomorrow so we can make sure your package arrives in time for Christmas:
TO REQUEST MARY FOUNDATION CDs:
https://secure.catholicity.com/order.html
TO REQUEST SAINT JUDE MEDIA NOVELS:
https://secure.catholicity.com/order.html
Please, pray of us. We pray for you. May you and yours have a holy, happy, and blessed Advent and Christmas!
With Christ,
Your Friends at CatholiCity
