[powerpress]  Msgr. Esseff not only laments the horror of the massacre of the Holy Innocents in Bethlehem 2000 years ago, but the tragedy of the continued holocaust of children within their mother’s womb that occurs today.  He reflects on the passage from Revelation which recounts the hatred the devil has for the womb of the woman:  The enemy HATES life.  Msgr. Esseff reminds us of the VICTORY of Christ and discusses the forgiveness and hope found with God.  He shares the stories of two seperate women named Maria, both of whom touched his life and who can help show us the way.

[powerpress]  Msgr. Esseff, on his patronal feast day, discusses St. John the Evangelist.  He recalls the message found in the Gospel of St. John, his letters, and stories from St. Polycarp.  Msgr. Esseff discusses the relationship of Our Lady with John, and the gift Jesus made of her to John and to us all.  He also shares how deeply the Sacred Heart is found in the teachings of St. John.

The importance of our family in faith, the Communion of Saints….Join Teresa Monaghen, of Pro Sanctity, as she offers a “Personal Plan for Holiness”.  Listen along with these short, but beautiful meditations which encourage us tocontinue on our journey as “saints in the making”!

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Learn more about Pro Sanctity at www.prosanctity.org

John, the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, saw and believed

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an excerpt from today’s reflection by Don Schwager:

What was it like for those who encountered the Son of God in human form? John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, wrote his gospel as an eye-witness of  the Word of God who became flesh and dwelt among us, and who died and rose for our salvation. John was the first apostle to reach the tomb of Jesus on Easter Sunday morning. Like the other disciples, he was not ready to see an empty tomb and to hear the angel’s message, Why do you seek the living among the dead (Luke 24:5)?  What did John see in the tomb that led him to believe in the resurrection of Jesus? It was certainly not a dead body. The dead body of Jesus would have disproven the resurrection and made his death a tragic conclusion to a glorious career as a great teacher and miracle worker. When John saw the empty tomb he must have recalled Jesus’ prophecy that he would rise again after three days. Through the gift of faith John realized that no tomb on earth could contain the Lord and giver of life.

John in his first epistle testifies: What we have seen, heard, and touched we proclaim as the word of life which existed “from the beginning” (1 John 1:1-4). John bears witness to what has existed from all eternity. This “word of life” is Jesus the word incarnate, but also Jesus as the word announced by the prophets and Jesus the word now preached throughout the Christian church for all ages to come. One thing is certain, if Jesus had not risen from the dead and appeared to his disciples, we would never have heard of him. Nothing else could have changed sad and despairing men and women into people radiant with joy and courage. The reality of the resurrection is the central fact of the Christian faith. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Lord gives us “eyes of faith” to know him and the power of his resurrection. The greatest joy we can have is to encounter the living Christ and to know him personally as our Savior and Lord.

“Lord Jesus Christ, you have triumphed over the grave and you have won new life for us. Give me the eyes of faith to see you in your glory. Help me to draw near to you and to grow in the knowledge of your great love and power.”

for the full reflection visit : Daily Reading and Meditation

Nothing is Impossible with God

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an excerpt from today’s reflection by Don Schwager:

The Holy Spirit gave Zechariah a vision for his own son as a prophet and forerunner who would prepare the way for the Messiah. Every devout Jew longed for the day when the Messiah would come. Now Zechariah knows beyond a doubt that that day is very near. Like Zechariah, the Holy Spirit wants to give us vision, joy, and confidence in the knowledge of God’s merciful love, protection, and care which he offers us through his Son Jesus Christ. Like the Baptist, we too are called to prepare the way that leads to Christ. Life is a journey and we are either moving towards the Lord or away from the Lord. The Lord comes to visit us each day with his  life-giving Word and Spirit. Those who hunger for the Lord will not be disappointed.  He will draw them to himself and show them his love and mercy.

In sending the Messiah God has made a gracious visit to his people to redeem them. This was the mission for which Jesus Christ was sent into the world — to redeem those sold for sin and sold under sin. In the feast of the Incarnation we celebrate the gracious gift of God in sending his only begotten Son to redeem us. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit may inspire us and fill us with joy and boldness to proclaim the message of the Lord’s visitation and redemption.

“Lord, you have been gracious and merciful towards your people.  Fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may bear witness to the joy of the gospel to those around me.”

for the full reflection visit : Daily Reading and Meditation

[powerpress]Msgr. Esseff shares some of his challenges, and yet, through it all God has been his strength. Allow God to gaze upon you. Ask the Father when He has found delight in you. Rest with that. He shares a story of when he was a young boy, 10 cents, and the meaning of Christmas.

 

 

 

Be sure to visit Msgr. Esseff’s website:  Building a Kingdom of Love

“What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him

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an excerpt from today’s reflection by Don Schwager:

Are you surprised to see the relatives of Zechariah and Elizabeth quibble over what to name their newborn child? Don’t we do the same thing? This child, however has been named from above! And Elizabeth is firm in her faith and determined to see that God be glorified through this child. The name John means “the Lord is gracious.” In the birth of John and in the birth of Jesus the Messiah we see the grace of God breaking forth into a world broken by sin and death and without hope. John’s miraculous birth shows the mercy and favor of God in preparing his people for the coming of its Lord and Savior, the Christ. When God acts to save us he graciously fills us with his Holy Spirit and makes our faith “alive” to his promises. Do you make your life an offering to God, along with your family, and all that you possess?  God wants to fill us with his glory all the days of our lives, from birth through death. Renew the offering of your life to God and give him thanks for his mercy and favor towards you?

“Lord Jesus, you are gracious and forgiving towards us.  May I ever seek to bring you glory in all that I do and say.”

for the full reflection visit : Daily Reading and Meditation

[powerpress] Msgr. Esseff discusses the great love the Blessed Virgin Mary has for all of us. He shares his personal experiences with the Blessed Mother and a special encounter with her love, especially through the gift of her Son. He encourages us to remember that we are never alone.

Episode 8 – Communion with Christ – Practical Prayer – The “wellsprings”  where Christ awaits us.  Responding at the moment when the subtle interior movements of the Holy Spirit calls to us.  The Word of God becomes a place of encounter. The danger of  Scripture  becoming all academic. People are converted when the Word approaches them as living.  The liturgy is also a place of encounter.  The heart as an “altar” in the liturgy.

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Deacon James Keating, PhD, the director of Theological Formation for the Institute for Priestly Formation, located at Creighton University, in Omaha.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 2652 and 2655

2652 The Holy Spirit is the living water “welling up to eternal life”³Â in the heart that prays. It is he who teaches us to accept it at its source: Christ. Indeed in the Christian life there are several wellsprings where Christ awaits us to enable us to drink of the Holy Spirit.

2655 In the sacramental liturgy of the Church, the mission of Christ and of the Holy Spirit proclaims, makes present, and communicates the mystery of salvation, which is continued in the heart that prays. the spiritual writers sometimes compare the heart to an altar. Prayer internalizes and assimilates the liturgy during and after its celebration. Even when it is lived out “in secret,”⁶ prayer is always prayer of the Church; it is a communion with the Holy Trinity.⁷

For more information on the “Institute of Priestly Formation” and for other material available by Deacon Keating, just click here

Don’t forget to pickup a copy of “Communion with Christ” , it is one of the best audio sets on prayer…ever!

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

“Joyful Anticipation of the Messiah“

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an excerpt from today’s reflection by Don Schwager:

The Gospel of Luke reveals the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in Mary’s life. When Elizabeth and Mary greeted one another they were filled with the Holy Spirit and with a joyful anticipation of the fulfilment of God’s promise to give a Savior. John the Baptist, even before the birth of the Messiah, pointed to his coming and leapt for joy in the womb of his mother as the Holy Spirit revealed to him the presence of the King to be born. The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to us to enable us to know and experience the indwelling presence of God and the power of his kingdom. The Holy Spirit is the way in which God reigns within each of us.

Mary accepted her mission with uncompromising faith and obedience. She acted with unwavering trust and faith because she believed that God would fulfill the word he had spoken. Her great hymn of praise echoes the song of Hannah (see 1 Samuel 2:1-10) and proclaims the favor of the Lord: God exalts the lowly and he fills the hungry with good things. Hannah like Mary had been without child and God in a marvelous way gave her a son, named Samuel, whom she dedicated at an early age to the service of the Lord (1 Sam. 1:24ff.)  Mary, too, would lose her son to a servant ministry that would take him to the cross. Christmas is a time for renewing our faith and hope in God and in his promises and for deepening our love for God and for neighbor. Do you seek the Lord Jesus and the power of his Holy Spirit so that you may be renewed in faith, hope, and love?

“Lord Jesus, help me to earnestly seek you with humility and confidence. Increase my faith in your promises, strengthen within me the hope of heaven and eternal life, and set my heart on fire with burning love for you and for your kingdom. May I always praise and magnify your great mercy and glory.”

for the full reflection visit : Daily Reading and Meditation

[powerpress]Msgr. Esseff reflects on Mary’s “yes” to the Archangel Gabriel. He also talks about the violent events in Egypt, Syria and other parts of the Middle East, as well as the tragedy of the typhoon in the Philippines. He shares his personal experience of being in Peru during the May 1970 earthquake, and how God taught him a very important lesson about how God brings about a greater good.

Msgr. Esseff also talks about the importance of doing God’s will…to love in Truth. How do we know what is authentic love? And he offers a teaching on the angels, in particular, the Guardian Angels.

Be sure to visit Msgr. Esseff’s website:  Building A Kingdom of Love

[powerpress]Vatican Radio:

In churches and piazzas and in homes all across Italy, nativity scenes or presepe as they’re called here have been set up to recall the humble birth of the Saviour in Bethlehem.

Naples has for centuries been one of the capitals of nativity scene-making here in Italy, with craftsmen creating elaborate figures, animals and entire villages out of clay and paper mache’. Pictures and paintings of the Nativity have been around since the very first Christians used them to record Christ’s birth. But the tradition of making a three dimensional presepe or creche dates back to the time of St. Francis of Assisi who is credited with making the first live nativity scene on a hillside in Umbria, Italy around the year 1220.

Tracey McClure sat down with Elizabeth Lev, Professor of Christian art and architecture at Duquesne University, for a fireside chat about the origins of nativity scenes and where some of the most interesting can be found here in Rome.

“The Church and New Media: Blogging Converts, Online Activists, and Bishops Who Tweet” is a must have for anyone who ventures on the internet.  Brandon Vogt offers us  a fascinating exploration of  the many aspects of New Media;  opening our eyes to the exciting opportunities and many of the dangers which occupy those who travel the “digital sea”.

 “The Church and New Media is the best kind of reading: timely, vivid and rich in valuable information.  For anyone seeking to understand and use today’s new technologies in advancing the Catholic faith, this book is an unsurpassed resource.”

Archbishop Charles Chaput,Archbishop of Philadelphia

 

“He will save his people from their sins”

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an excerpt from today’s reflection by Don Schwager:

Do you believe that God will fulfill all his promises just as he said? Advent is a time to renew our hope and confidence in God’s faithfulness to the covenant he made with his people. In preparing the way for a Savior, we see the wondrous miracle of two barren couples who conceive and bear sons – Samson in the Old Testament (Judges 13) and John the Baptist in the New Testament (Luke 1:5ff) – who are called by God to bring hope and deliverance at a time of spiritual darkness and difficulty for the people of God.

Zechariah was a godly man who was tuned to God’s voice. He was born into a priestly family
and it was his privilege to be chosen to enter the inner court of the temple to offer sacrifice to God.  Luke records that the people wondered at Zechariah’s delay and were amazed that he was speechless when he withdrew from the inner sanctuary. They rightly perceived that he had a special encounter with God. God’s angelic messenger greeted Zechariah with a blessing beyond his expectations.  “Your prayer is heard! You will have a son! And his mission will be great for all of Israel. ” Now that seemed like a lot for Zechariah to take in all at once. Could God really do a miracle for his barren wife, Elizabeth?  The angel somewhat wisely put Zechariah in his place before God’s mighty action.  He became speechless until the day the infant was dedicated to the Lord and given the name, John. When God draws us into his presence, he wants us to be still and quiet before him so we can listen to his voice as he speaks to our hearts and reveals his mind to us.  Do you listen attentively to the Lord and do you ponder his word in your heart with trust and confidence?

“Lord Jesus, you bring hope and restoration to your people. Restore and strengthen Christian family life today. Help me to love and serve my family. May your love rule in all my relationships and remove any barriers to peace and harmony.”

for the full reflection visit : Daily Reading and Meditation

[powerpress] Msgr. Esseff reflects on his experiences following surgery and the need for surrender. He discusses the incarnation and it’s magnificence, and how the story hasn’t been totally told. The dangers in “self-reliance” and the gift of humility. Our need to control, especially for men. What is the remedy? Look to Mary for your answer. God wants you to be dependent on Him.

Be sure to visit Msgr. Esseff’s website: Building A Kingdom of Love