Sunday, December 25, 2011

TAKE FIVE FOR FAITH: Daily renewal for busy Catholics 12/25/2011 Christmas Day

Sunday, December 25
SOLEMNITY OF THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD


Not so fast
One year during Saint Francis of Assisi’s life, Christmas fell on a Friday. Knowing the holy man’s love of fasting in imitation of Jesus, the brothers asked Francis if he wished them to fast even though it was Christmas. “Fast?” Francis replied. “How can we fast on the feast of the Lord’s birth? Rather we should smear the walls with meat!” Obviously not a vegetarian, and perhaps prompting a little queasiness in his hearers, Francis’ point was that in celebrating the God-who-becomes-flesh even the walls rejoice! Nothing is held back from the God who held nothing back from us but who embraced our whole humanity. In your joy today, in your compassion, reconciliation, forgiveness, mercy, and justice, don’t hold anything back.

TODAY’S READINGS: Day: Isaiah 52:7-10; Hebrews 1:1-6; John 1:1-18 or 1:1-5, 9-14 (16)
“[God] has spoken to us through the Son . . . who is the . . . very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word.”


CONTRIBUTORS

Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Father Larry Janowski, O.F.M., Ann O'Connor, Joel Schorn, Patrice J. Tuohy, and Sister Julie Vieira, I.H.M.


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Citing of the Week
"Only by harnessing the gifts in any situation as so many God-given levers will we see the capacity to respond."
--© Bryan Froehle, 2011, Pastoral Trends, PrepareTheWord.com

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