257. In Mary we see women's role in the Church.

 YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 257

Ave Maria series

257  Is it demeaning to women that only men may receive the sacrament of Holy Orders?

The rule that only men may receive the sacrament of Holy Orders in no way demeans women.  In God’s sight, man and woman have the same dignity, but they have different duties and charisms.  The Church sees herself as bound by the fact that Jesus chose men exclusively to be present at the Last Supper for the institution of the priesthood. Pope Jon Paul II declared in 1994 “that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church’s faithful”.

Mary, a woman to ponder and love.  Mary, our Mother! In the Cathedral of Our Lady Mother of God, Porto Alegre, Brazil. .....81 .....257

Like no one else in antiquity, Jesus provocatively affirmed the value of women, bestowed his friendship on them, and protected them.  Women were among his followers, and Jesus highly valued their faith.  Moreover, the first witness to the Resurrection was a woman. That is why Mary Magdalene is called “the apostle of the Apostles”.  Nevertheless, the ordained priesthood (and consequently pastoral ministry) has always been conferred on men.  In male priests the Christian community was supposed to see a representation of Jesus Christ.  Being a priest is a special service that also makes demands on a man in his gender-specific role as male and father.  It is, however, not some form of masculine superiority over women.  As we see in Mary, women play a role in the Church that is no less central than the masculine role, but it is feminine.  Eve became the mother of all the living (Genesis 3:20).  As “mothers of all the living”, women have special gifts and abilities.  Without their sort of teaching, preaching, charity, spirituality, and guidance, the church would be “paralyzed on one side”. Whenever men in the Church use their priestly ministry as an instrument of power or do not allow opportunities to women, they offend against charity and the Holy Spirit of Jesus.  64

“No one could have been a better priest than (the Blessed Virgin Mary) was.  She could say without hesitation, ‘This is my Body’, because she really did give Jesus her own body.  And yet Mary remained the simple handmaid of the Lord, so that we can always turn to her as our mother.  She is one of us, and we are always united with her.  After the death of her Son, she continued to live on earth so as to strengthen the apostles in their ministry, to be their mother, until the young Church had taken shape.”  Bl. Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997)

Church  Statue in cathedral

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, December 30, 2018

The child Jesus found in the Temple by James Tissot, Brooklyn_Museum

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
 December 30, 2018
Lectionary: 17

Reading 1   SIRACH 3:2-6, 12-14

God sets a father in honor over his children;a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons. Whoever honors his father atones for sins,and preserves himself from them.  When he prays, he is heard;he stores up riches who reveres his mother. Whoever honors his father is gladdened by children,and, when he prays, is heard. Whoever reveres his father will live a long life;he who obeys his father brings comfort to his mother.
My son, take care of your father when he is old;grieve him not as long as he lives. Even if his mind fail, be considerate of him;revile him not all the days of his life;kindness to a father will not be forgotten, firmly planted against tcahe debt of your sins—a house raised in justice to you.

Responsorial Psalm   PSALM 128:1-2, 3, 4-5.

R. (cf. 1) Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.

Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,
who walks in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.

R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
your children like olive plants
around your table.

R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.

Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.

R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.

Reading 2   COLOSSIANS 3:12-21 

Brothers and sisters:Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.  And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection.  And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 

Wives, be subordinate to your husbands, as is proper in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and avoid any bitterness toward them.  Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord.
Fathers, do not provoke your children, so they may not become discouraged.

Alleluia  COLOSSIANS 3:15A, 16A

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let the peace of Christ control your hearts;
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel   LUKE 2:41-52

Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feastof Passover, and when he was twelve years old, 
they went up according to festival custom.  After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it.  Thinking that he was in the caravan,they journeyed for a dayand looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him,they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple, 
sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers.  When his parents saw him,they were astonished, 
and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us?  Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”  And he said to them,“Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”  But they did not understand what he said to them.  He went down with them and came to Nazareth,and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favorbefore God and man.

JC  Christ in the

256. The sacrament of Holy Orders

YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 256

Ave Maria series

256  Who can receive the sacrament of Holy Orders?

A baptized, Catholic man who is called by the Church to be a deacon, priest, or bishop can be validly ordained to that ministry.  [1577-1578]

Poster: How do I know if I am called?.....256

WHO CAN RECEIVE THIS SACRAMENT?

1577 "Only a baptized man (vir) validly receives sacred ordination."(Codex Iuris Canonici, can. 1024.)⁶⁶The Lord Jesus chose men (viri) to form the college of the twelve apostles, and the apostles did the same when they chose collaborators to succeed them in their ministry.(Compare Mark 3:14-19; Luke 6:12-16; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; 2 Timothy 1:6; Titus 1:5-9; St. Clement of Rome, Ad Cor. 42,4; 44,3:Patrologia Graeca 1,292-293; 300.)⁶⁷ The college of bishops, with whom the priests are united in the priesthood, makes the college of the twelve an ever-present and ever-active reality until Christ's return. The Church recognizes herself to be bound by this choice made by the Lord himself. For this reason the ordination of women is not possible.(Compare John Paul II, Mulieris Dignitatem 26-27; Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, declaration, Inter insigniores: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 69 (1977) 98-116.)⁶⁸–Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

1578 No one has a right to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders. Indeed no one claims this office for himself; he is called to it by God.(Compare Hebrews 5:4.)⁶⁹ Anyone who thinks he recognizes the signs of God's call to the ordained ministry must humbly submit his desire to the authority of the Church, who has the responsibility and right to call someone to receive orders. Like every grace this sacrament can be received only as an unmerited gift. –CCC

Sacrament  Holy Orders John

255. The deacon is a servant to all.

YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 255

Ave Maria series

255  What happens in diaconal ordination?

In diaconal ordination the candidate is appointed to a special service within the sacrament of Holy Orders because he represents Christ as the one who came, “not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).  In the liturgy of ordination we read: “As a minister of the Word, of the altar, and of charity (the deacon) will make himself a servant to all.”

Altar piece above: Stephen, a deacon and martyr of the Church, is first mentioned in Acts of the Apostles as one of seven deacons appointed by the Apostles to distribute food and charitable aid to poorer members of the community in the early church. …..255

DEACON:  The deacon (Greek diakonos=servant) is the first degree in the sacrament of Holy Orders in the Catholic Church.  As the name itself implies, a deacon is involved especially in charitable work (diakonia), yet he also teaches and catechizes, proclaims the Gospel, preaches at Mass, and assists during the liturgy.

The original model of the deacon is the martyr St. Stephen.  When the apostles in the original Church of Jerusalem saw that they were overwhelmed by their many charitable duties, they appointed seven men “to serve tables”, whom they then ordained.  The first mentioned is Stephen: “full of grace and power”, he accomplished much for the new faith and for the poor in the Christian community. Over the centuries the diaconate became merely a degree of Holy Orders on the way to the presbyterate, but today it is once again an independent vocation for both celibates and married men. On the one hand, this is supposed to reemphasize service as a characteristic of the Church; on the other hand, it helps the priests, as in the early Church, by establishing an order of ministers who take on particular pastoral and social duties of the Church. Diaconal ordination, too, makes a lifelong, irrevocable mark on the ordained man.  140

“Deacons likewise must be serious, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for gain,… Let deacons be the husband of one wife, and let them manage their children and their households as well.”  1 Timothy 3:8, 12

Saint  Stoning Saint Stephen

254. Priests are under their own bishop.

YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 254

Ave Maria series

254  What happens in priestly ordination?

In priestly ordination the bishop calls down God’s power upon the candidates for ordination.  It imprints upon the souls of these men an indelible seal that can never be lost.  As a collaborator with his bishop, the priest will proclaim the Word of God, administer the sacraments, and, above all, celebrate the Holy Eucharist.  [1562-1568]

The laying on of the hands is the most solemn moment of the ordination and the essential act in the sacrament of Holy Orders.….254

During the celebration of a Holy Mass, the actual ordination of priests begins when the candidates are called by name.  After the bishop’s homily, the future priest promises obedience to the bishop and his successors.  The actual ordination takes place through the imposition of the bishop’s hands and his prayer.  215, 236, 259

“The priest continues (Christ’s) work of redemption on earth.”  St. John Vianney (1786-1859)

[1562-1568]

The ordination of priests - co-workers of the bishops

1562 "Christ, whom the Father hallowed and sent into the world, has, through his apostles, made their successors, the bishops namely, sharers in his consecration and mission; and these, in their turn, duly entrusted in varying degrees various members of the Church with the office of their ministry."(Lumen Gentium 28; compare John 10:36.)⁴³  "The function of the bishops' ministry was handed over in a subordinate degree to priests so that they might be appointed in the order of the priesthood and be co-workers of the episcopal order for the proper fulfillment of the apostolic mission that had been entrusted to it by Christ."(Presbyterorum Ordinis 2 § 2.)⁴⁴–Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

1563 "Because it is joined with the episcopal order the office of priests shares in the authority by which Christ himself builds up and sanctifies and rules his Body. Hence the priesthood of priests, while presupposing the sacraments of initiation, is nevertheless conferred by its own particular sacrament. Through that sacrament priests by the anointing of the Holy Spirit are signed with a special character and so are configured to Christ the priest in such a way that they are able to act in the person of Christ the head."(Presbyterorum Ordinis 2.)⁴⁵–CCC

1564 "Whilst not having the supreme degree of the pontifical office, and notwithstanding the fact that they depend on the bishops in the exercise of their own proper power, the priests are for all that associated with them by reason of their sacerdotal dignity; and in virtue of the sacrament of Holy Orders, after the image of Christ, the supreme and eternal priest, they are consecrated in order to preach the Gospel and shepherd the faithful as well as to celebrate divine worship as true priests of the New Testament."(Lumen Gentium 28; compare Hebrews 5:1-10; Heb 7:24; Hebrews 9:11-28-; Innocent I, Epist. ad Decentium:Patrologia Latina 20,554A; St. Gregory of Nazianzus, Oratio 2,22:PG 35,432B.)⁴⁶–CCC

1565 Through the sacrament of Holy Orders priests share in the universal dimensions of the mission that Christ entrusted to the apostles. The spiritual gift they have received in ordination prepares them, not for a limited and restricted mission, "but for the fullest, in fact the universal mission of salvation 'to the end of the earth,"'(Presbyterorum Ordinis 10; Optatam Totius 20; compare Acts of the Apostles 1:8.)⁴⁷ "prepared in spirit to preach the Gospel everywhere."(Optatam Totius 20.)⁴⁸–CCC

1566 "It is in the Eucharistic cult or in the Eucharistic assembly of the faithful (synaxis) that they exercise in a supreme degree their sacred office; there, acting in the person of Christ and proclaiming his mystery, they unite the votive offerings of the faithful to the sacrifice of Christ their head, and in the sacrifice of the Mass they make present again and apply, until the coming of the Lord, the unique sacrifice of the New Testament, that namely of Christ offering himself once for all a spotless victim to the Father."(Lumen Gentium 28; compare 1 Corinthians 11:26.)⁴⁹ From this unique sacrifice their whole priestly ministry draws its strength.(Compare Presbyterorum Odinis 2.)⁵⁰–CCC

1567 "The priests, prudent cooperators of the episcopal college and its support and instrument, called to the service of the People of God, constitute, together with their bishop, a unique sacerdotal college (presbyterium) dedicated, it is true, to a variety of distinct duties. In each local assembly of the faithful they represent, in a certain sense, the bishop, with whom they are associated in all trust and generosity; in part they take upon themselves his duties and solicitude and in their daily toils discharge them."(Lumen Gentium 28 § 2.)⁵¹ Priests can exercise their ministry only in dependence on the bishop and in communion with him. The promise of obedience they make to the bishop at the moment of ordination and the kiss of peace from him at the end of the ordination liturgy mean that the bishop considers them his co-workers, his sons, his brothers and his friends, and that they in return owe him love and obedience. –CCC

1568 "All priests, who are constituted in the order of priesthood by the sacrament of Order, are bound together by an intimate sacramental brotherhood, but in a special way they form one priestly body in the diocese to which they are attached under their own bishop. . . ."(Presbyterorum Ordinis 8.)⁵²The unity of the presbyterium finds liturgical expression in the custom of the presbyters' imposing hands, after the bishop, during the rite of ordination. –CCC

Sacrament  Ordination

253. The bishop’ solicitude for all the Churches

YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 253

Ave Maria series

253  How important for a Catholic Christian is his bishop?

A Catholic Christian feels that he is under an obligation to (understands a special significance toward*) his bishop; the bishop is appointed for him, too, as Christ’s representative.  Moreover, the bishop, who exercises his pastoral ministry together with priests and deacons as his ordained assistants, is the visible principle and the foundation of the local Church (diocese).  [1560-1561]

 Jesus saying farewell to his eleven remaining disciples, from the Maesta by Duccio, 1308–1311.…..253

Through these 11 men, plus the Apostle Matthias who was selected by the Holy Spirit to replace Judas Iscariot, (Acts of the Apostles 1:15-26)we receive our bishops who in turn ordain our priests and deacons.  Just as Jesus’s message to us through the Gospels is as relevant today as it was to the early Christians 2000 years ago, so also our ordained clergy infused with the Holy Spirit are as effective as were those first disciples who then walked with Jesus to form the foundation and pillars of the Church for all time.

[1560-1561]

Episcopal ordination - fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders

1560 As Christ's vicar, each bishop has the pastoral care of the particular Church entrusted to him, but at the same time he bears collegially with all his brothers in the episcopacy the solicitude for all the Churches: "Though each bishop is the lawful pastor only of the portion of the flock entrusted to his care, as a legitimate successor of the apostles he is, by divine institution and precept, responsible with the other bishops for the apostolic mission of the Church."(Pius XII, Fidei donum: Act Apostolicae Sedis 49(1957) 237; cf. Lumen Gentium 23; Christus Dominus 4; 36; 37; Ad Gentes 5; 6; 38.)⁴¹ –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

1561 The above considerations explain why the Eucharist celebrated by the bishop has a quite *special significanceas an expression of the Church gathered around the altar, with the one who represents Christ, the Good Shepherd and Head of his Church, presiding.(Compare Sacrosanctum Concilium 41; Lumen Gentium 26.)⁴²–CCC

JR  _Apostles  Jesus  

The Nativity of the Lord – Christmas - Mass During the Day

Nativity of Jesus byMarten de Vos 1577

Lectionary: 16

Reading 1   ISAIAH 52:7-10

How beautiful upon the mountainsare the feet of him who brings glad tidings,announcing peace, bearing good news,announcing salvation, and saying to Zion,"Your God is King!"
Hark! Your sentinels raise a cry,together they shout for joy,for they see directly, before their eyes,the LORD restoring Zion.  Break out together in song, O ruins of Jerusalem!  For the LORD comforts his people,he redeems Jerusalem.  The LORD has bared his holy armin the sight of all the nations;all the ends of the earth will beholdthe salvation of our God.

Responsorial Psalm   PSALM 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6.

R.(3c) All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
his right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.

R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.

R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.

R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.

R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

Reading 2   HEBREWS 1:1-6

Brothers and sisters:  In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe,who is the refulgene of his glory,the very imprint of his being,
and who sustains all things by his mighty word.  When he had accomplished purification from sins,
he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high,as far superior to the angelsas the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
For to which of the angels did God ever say:
You are my son; this day I have begotten you?
Or again:
I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me?
And again, when he leads the firstborn into the world, he says:
Let all the angels of God worship him.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A holy day has dawned upon us.
Come, you nations, and adore the Lord.
For today a great light has come upon the earth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel   JOHN 1:1-18 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him,and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life,and this life was the light of the human race;the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.  A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light,but came to testify to the light.  The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.  He was in the world,
and the world came to be through him,but the world did not know him.  He came to what was his own,
but his own people did not accept him.
But to those who did accept himhe gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man's decision but of God.
And the Word became fleshand made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory,the glory as of the Father's only Son,full of grace and truth.John testified to him and cried out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.'"  From his fullness we have all received,grace in place of grace,because while the law was given through Moses, 
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father's side, has revealed him.

JC Birth  Nativity of