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Prayers and Contemplation for a Happy New Year

 

Whether it involves traveling to visit family and friends out of town, dinner reservations or a simple, quiet evening at home watching college football and sharing good food with my husband (and our dog), I often forget to invite God into my plans for ringing in the new year.  God is indeed present with us as we celebrate this holiday,  as He is in all days. Sacred tradition isn’t particularly obvious in the festivities surrounding New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, but you might be surprised to learn there is some religious significance.

The close of the Christmas Octave, (the eight days following the Christ child’s birth) falls on January 1. In keeping with Jewish tradition, it was on this day that our Lord was circumcised and named Jesus, the name given to Him by the angel Gabriel, before He was conceived in the womb, when he appeared to the Blessed Virgin Mary to reveal God’s plan for her life. ‘Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.” (Luke, 1:38 NAB).  It is on this day, the feast of the Solemnity of Mary, that we honor Mary as the Mother of God.

“Mary, the all-holy ever-virgin Mother of God, is the masterwork of the mission of the Son and the Spirit in the fullness of time. For the first time in the plan of salvation and because his Spirit had prepared her, the Father found the dwelling place where his Son and his Spirit could dwell among men. In this sense the Church’s Tradition has often read the most beautiful texts on wisdom in relation to Mary. Mary is acclaimed and represented in the liturgy as the “Seat of Wisdom.” — Catechism of the Catholic Church 721

The Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God is not a holy day of obligation this year because it falls on a Saturday, but I’m sharing today’s gospel reading because it is such a beautiful depiction of the Blessed Mother’s humble love.

 

The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph,  
and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this,  
they made known the message  
that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed  
by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things,  
reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned,  
glorifying and praising God  
for all they had heard and seen,  
just as it had been told to them.  

When eight days were completed for his circumcision,  
he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel  
before he was conceived in the womb. (Luke, 2:16-21)

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day is a time of renewal, refreshment, and recommitment. I often forget it is also an especially good time to spend a few minutes with God in prayer and contemplative thought.

Prayers for the New Year

  • As the dawn breaks on a new year, let us give thanks for all we hold dear: our health, our family and our friends. Let us release our grudges, our anger and our pains, for these are nothing but binding chains. Let us live each day in the most loving ways, the God-conscious way. (https://www.xavier.edu › online-resources › prayer-index)
  • Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
    Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your     womb, Jesus.
    Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners, now and at the our of our death. Amen.
  • I wish you a year filled with serenity and happiness: may you always be certain of God’s love for us. As he did two thousand years ago, Christ comes today with his saving Gospel to guide the uncertain and faltering steps of peoples and nations, leading them towards a future of true hope. I ask him to bless this moment of festivity and good wishes, that it may be the promising beginning of a new millennium filled with joy and peace. Let us enter the Year 2000 with our eyes fixed on the mystery of the Incarnation. Christ, yesterday, today and for ever. To him belong time and the ages. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen! I thank you. Happy New Year to all. Praised be Jesus Christ! —-Pope John Paul II, Jan. 1, 2000
  • Dear brothers and sisters, it is only by pondering in the heart, in other words, by piecing together and finding unity in all we experience, that, following Mary, we can penetrate the mystery of a God who was made man out of love and who calls us to follow him on the path of love; a love to be expressed daily by generous service to the brethren. May the new year which we are confidently beginning today be a time in which to advance in that knowledge of the heart, which is the wisdom of saints. Let us pray, as we heard in the First Reading, that the Lord may “make his face to shine” upon us, “and be gracious” to us (cf. Nm 6: 24-7) and bless us. We may be certain of it: if we never tire of seeking his Face, if we never give in to the temptation of discouragement and doubt, if also among the many difficulties we encounter we always remain anchored to him, we will experience the power of his love and his mercy. May the fragile Child who today the Virgin shows to the world make us peacemakers, witnesses of him, the Prince of Peace. Amen! —-Pope Benedict XVI, Jan. 1, 2008
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Palm Sunday Mass

As we shelter in place, let us share in the sacred mass on this Palm Sunday. Click on the hyperlink below to celebrate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem marking the start of Holy Week and the final days of His earthly ministry.

The Crypt Church 

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

Washington, DC 

 

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Prayer for a Pandemic

From Father Larry Tensi, Saint Columban Catholic Church, Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

“May we who are merely inconvenienced,
Remember those whose lives are at stake.
May we who have no risk factors,
Remember those who are most vulnerable.
May we who have the luxury of working from home,
Remember those who must choose between preserving their health or paying the rent.
May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their schools are closed,
Remember those who have no options.
May we who have to cancel our trips,
Remember those who have no place to go.
May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of economic market,
Remember those who have no margin at all.
May we who settle in for a quarantine at home,
Remember those who have no home.
During this time when cannot physically wrap our arms around each other,
Let us find ways to the loving embrace of God to our neighbors. Amen”

 

 

 

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A Wonderful Way to Celebrate Palm Sunday

In compliance with President Trump’s call for continued social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Archdiocese of Atlanta has extended the suspension of public masses through April 19. Palm Sunday, the celebration of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem marking the start of Holy Week and the final days of His earthly ministry, is on April 5 this year. We may be forced to celebrate this holy day in isolation from our parish families, but the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit have an idea for a wonderful way to connect with other christians and publicly acknowledge Palm Sunday.  Check out their recent Facebook post.

 

 

“We may be physically isolated, but we are not separated. We are united as the members of the body of Christ. We are the Church.” Let’s do this!

Share photos of your Palm Sunday displays to Everyday Catholic on Facebook!

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COVID-19 and the Archdiocese of Atlanta

 

I’m am a 58 year old cradle catholic and in my lifetime I have never experienced the suspension of public mass until this week. I don’t know about other areas, but daily and weekend public masses are suspended in the Archdiocese of Atlanta through the first weekend in April.

Mass Canceled 2020
Memo
Date: March 16, 2020
To: Priests, deacons, sisters, chancery staff, partner agencies and parish communicators
From: Most Reverend Joel M. Konzen, SM, Diocesan Administrator
RE: Coronavirus update March 16
Dear Friends,
As we walk through this Lent, we have an opportunity to embrace sacrifice and ministry in a whole new way. Each day brings new information on the spread of COVID-19 from medical professionals as well as new directives from public health officials and civil authorities.
Bishop Ned Shlesinger and I look to serve the spiritual needs of our people as we make decisions on how best to protect the health of our communities. We want you to know that, in concert with the College of Consultors of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, we have wrestled with each of these decisions. The well-being and safety of all the faithful are preeminent in our concerns.
Effective Tuesday, March 17, we will suspend all public Masses for the next three weeks including the weekends of March 21-22; March 28-29; and April 4-5. As new information and directives come out from the government, we will continue to evaluate and revise our provisions. Please let your people know, the Sacrifice of the Mass will continue. Our priests will still be offering private Masses for those in their care.
The Archdiocese of Atlanta is going to step up efforts to make spiritual resources available to you during this time. You can check our website for updates on current directives as well as a list of Masses offered online via live-stream, broadcast, or social media. These Masses are private and the faithful should only participate online. The faithful can also find online a collection of prayer and spiritual resources as well as ideas for home catechesis. Bishop Shlesinger and I will partner with other clergy at the chancery to offer a livestream Mass from the chapel at the chancery office as well as periodic video messages to the faithful. Look for those messages to begin Tuesday, March 17.
Churches will remain open for prayer and adoration. We ask that you practice social distancing when utilizing these spaces. Do not come if you are sick or if coming will put you at great risk of becoming sick. Churches may choose to move adoration from a small chapel into the main sanctuary where people can spread out.
Priests will still be able to hear individual confessions by appointment, but penance services are canceled. Weddings and funerals will be limited to immediate family only with no in-parish receptions allowed right now. All other gatherings in parish facilities should be canceled or postponed.
Confirmations are postponed until further notice.
In-person parish faith formation opportunities should be suspended during this time. This does not, however, mean that faith formation should cease. The archdiocesan website has resources for individuals and parents who wish to stay engaged in this way. Parish staff and volunteers can minister to their communities by calling people at home, checking on the elderly or otherwise marginalized, and seeking opportunities to use technology to connect individuals and communities.
We can still unite in prayer. We can still care for our neighbors. We are still the Body of Christ. We are challenged to find non-traditional ways to connect with one another. It is a sacrifice, for sure, for all of us to alter our participation in the Eucharist, a sacrifice as unwelcome as it is new. Still, we understand that it is, for the time being, a cross we bear in a spirit of self-denial, an emptying of ourselves in imitation of Our Lord’s privation as He faced His Passion. We know that we can hope in the Resurrection. Let us bring that hope to our neighbors and our communities through our sacrifice, our service, and our prayer.
In Jesus and Mary,
Most Reverend Joel M. Konzen, S.M.
Diocesan Administrator, Archdiocese of Atlanta
Coronavirus is a serious health threat, not just to the elderly, the immune suppressed and those with underlying medical conditions. Yesterday I saw a statistic reflecting 54% of all reported new cases of COVID-19 in Georgia are in otherwise healthy 20 to 49 year olds. It’s easy to get caught up in the hysteria, to become frightened and anxious. It’s hard to surrender to His will in times like this, especially when we, as catholics, are precluded from the celebration of the mass as a community, but we must. Even in the worst of times God’s promises remain.
“28 [a]We know that all things work for good for those who love God,[b] who are called according to his purpose.” [Romans 8:28 NABRE]

Pray an Act of Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot, at this moment, receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.

Click HERE to experience Mass online from Cathedral of Christ the King, Atlanta, GA

 

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Saint Patrick’s Confessio

There a many myths and stories about Saint Patrick of Ireland. Discover the true story as told by the two archbishops of the Roman Catholic and Anglican St. Patrick’s cathedrals in Armagh, northern Ireland.

 

Click the image to read what Saint Patrick wrote in his Confessio.

 

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