A baby changes everything

"The history of 20 centuries begins in this stable,

for the Child, is in very truth the source of all things."  ~Blessed John XXIII

Have a very merry & blessed Christmas!! 

O Emmanuel

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.

Father in heaven,

I am eagerly awaiting

the gift of my redemption,

Jesus, the Christ

the Son you sent to save me

Emmanuel, God-with-us.

Bleesed are we who embrace

Him, for by doing so,

we embrace You!

O Rex Gentium

O Come, Desire of the nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind;
bid every strife and quarrel cease
and fill the world with heaven's peace

Father in heaven,
join me together with all your children,
so that in living your will,
we make bring your kingdom here to earth.

O Oriens

O Come, Thou Dayspring from on high,
and cheer us by thy drawing nigh;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night
and death's dark shadow put to flight.

Father in Heaven,

as we enter into the darkest night of the year,

help me to remember that the light of your Son

is with me always.

O Clavis David

O Come, Thou Key of David, come,
and open wide our heav'nly home,
make safe the way that leads on high,
that we no more have cause to sigh.

Father in heaven,
My path is rocky and my heart is heavy,
be with me on my journey and
and help me to not fall into doubt & despair.

O Radix Jesse

O Root of Jesse
by Ansgar Holmberg, CSJ

O Come, Thou Rod of Jesse's stem,
from ev'ry foe deliver them
that trust Thy mighty power to save,
and give them vict'ry o'er the grave.

Father in heaven,

You promised a Savior

who would deliver me from sin & death.

Help me to prepare my heart to receive Him.

O Adonai

O Come, O Come, Thou Lord of might,
who to thy tribes on Sinai's height
in ancient times didst give the law,
in cloud, and majesty, and awe

Father in heaven,

Grant me the strength & courage to follow your ways.

Even when it is difficult and I feel all alone,

I know that you will always be with me
to straighten my crooked path.

O Sapientia

O Come, Thou Wisdom, from on high,
and order all things far and nigh;
to us the path of knowledge show,
and teach us in her ways to go.


Father in heaven,
grant me the gift of wisdom,
to hear and understand your voice.
Teach me your paths and lead me into your light,
so that my thoughts, words & deeds give glory to you always.

Thomas Merton

The writings of Thomas Merton have been an important part of my spiritual journey.  In fact, it was after stumbling across this prayer, that I made the decision to return to the faith.

MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
~ Thomas Merton, "Thoughts in Solitude"
© Abbey of Gethsemani

Last year, a friend shared this little gem of advent wisdom from "Fr. Louis"~

The Advent mystery is the beginning of the end of all in us that is not yet Christ.

Praying with this piece of wisdom last year proved to me quite enlightening, and helped me to participate in the joy of the Incarnation is a way that I never had before.

Yesterday, December 10th, was the 43rd anniversary of Thomas Merton's death, and I found a link to the Thomas Merton Institute, where I signed up for an Advent reflection newsletter.  This arrived in my "in-box" this morning~

"the only way to enter into that joy is to dwindle down to a vanishing point and become absorbed in God through the center of your own nothingness. The only way to possess His greatness is to pass through the needle's eye of your own absolute insufficiency.

~Thomas Merton. New Seeds of Contemplation. (New York: New Directions Books):

Needless to say, "Fr. Louis" has given me another great Advent gift.  I have a feeling that contemplating on these words, in light of where I am on my journey, will bear much fruit.

The Gospel of Mark

A few years ago, my spiritual director at the time, recommended that I take some time and read the Gospel of Mark in one sitting.  I took this advice while on a private retreat at a friend's home on Keuka Lake.  It was a wonderful week of solitude and contemplation, that was enhanced by my reading of Mark's gospel.  For the first time, I saw the humanity of Jesus in a whole new way, a way that I could relate to.

Since then, I find myself, every so often, carving out some time to re-read it, and let Mark's words speak to those parts of me that need to hear them.

So, as I was reading bulletins from parishes in my area this week, I was delighted to see that one of our local parishes was sponsoring an event called Mark's Gospel Live! 

Fr. Joseph Morris, in a "one-man performance" recounts the Gospel of Mark, as the early Christians would have heard it, as a story.   I experienced Mark's gospel in a way I never thought possible- to actually hear the whole thing from beginning to end, told by a master story-teller, was a powerful and moving spiritual experience.  If you ever have the opportunity to see this, please take it!  It was truly a blessed experience!