Next MMJ - January 4th - "Blind Spots - Objects are Closer Than They Appear"

Gents – We will waste no time in 2008 and get the ball rolling with Jack leading us in a teaching on “Blind Spots – Objects Are Closer Than They Appear”.  It will be all about uncovering the things you do or don’t do and are clueless about the impact they are having on others.  I promise you this will be a real eye-opener!

If you have never been to an MMJ or it’s been a while, how about committing to coming on a regular basis in 2008.  I promise you will get a lot out of coming, meet some great guys, and grow in your faith.  How about it men?!

Let me know if you plan on joining the first session of MMJ in 2008!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Test Your Knowledge About Jesus

Men – think you know a lot about Jesus?  Well take the test!  You can try for the easy, medium, or hard.  Come on, go for the hard one!

Web Link: Jesus Central

True Meaning of Christmas

Fellas,

Check out this quick link with a neat story to share with the family and most importantly, the children.

Just a week before Christmas I had a visitor. This is how it happened. I just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door to the front room and to my surprise, Santa himself stepped out next to the fireplace.

Web Link: True Meaning of Christmas

New Papal Encyclical on Christian Hope - SPE SALVI

VATICAN CITY (CNS) - In an encyclical on Christian hope, Pope Benedict XVI said that, without faith in God, humanity lies at the mercy of ideologies that can lead to "the greatest forms of cruelty and violations of justice."

The pope warned that the modern age has replaced belief in eternal salvation with faith in progress and technology, which offer opportunities for good but also open up "appalling possibilities for evil."

"Let us put it very simply: Man needs God, otherwise he remains without hope," he said in the encyclical, "Spe Salvi" (on Christian hope), released Nov. 30.
The 76-page text explored the essential connection between faith and hope in early Christianity and addressed what it called a "crisis of Christian hope" in modern times.

Full article at Catholic.org: People need God to have hope, pope in new encyclical

To view the entire encyclical click here.

Catholic Advent Prayers

Found this at www.catholicexpert.com and it had a lot of prayers for Advent and other liturgical seasons.

Here's a sample prayer from the site, Manger Prayer:

O God, whose mighty Son was born in Bethlehem those days long ago, lead us to that same poor place, where Mary laid her tiny Child.

And as we look on in wonder and praise, make us welcome him in all new life, see him in the poor, and care for his handiwork the earth, the sky and the sea.

O God, bless us again in your great love.

We pray for this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Catholic Advent Prayers

Call for Comments...How's Your Advent Going??? Only 14 Days to go...

That's right, whatever you thought you were going to do during Advent to get focused -- you only have 14 days to get it right.

Have you decided what Advent means for you?

Is it the same thing as last year?

Did you get involved with adopt a family again this year?

How are you doing finding time to pray and reflect on Advent?

Do you have an Advent wreath?

Do you realize that there are only 14 days to get it right?

The Pope today had these words to share with the crowd in St. Peter's Square:

"at the end of our days on earth, at the time of death, we will be judged according to our likeness or unlikeness with the child that is born in the poor cave of Bethlehem, because he is the standard of measure that God gave mankind."

"the Heavenly Father, in the birth of his only begotten Son has expressed his merciful love, he calls us to follow in his footsteps making, like him, our existence a gift of love. And the fruits of love are those 'worthy fruits of conversion' referred to by St. John the Baptist. "

Whatever it is that you wanted to do during Advent,

NOW IS THE TIME TO DO IT!

If you need resources or ideas I hope the "Advent Resources" links in the sidebar of this blog are helpful.

May be your Advent is going great.  If so, please share your experience here so others may benefit and get focused!

Full Papal article here - Catholic Online - Advent

December 12th - Our Lady of Guadalupe

The feast in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe goes back to the sixteenth century. Chronicles of that period tell us the story.

A poor Indian named Cuauhtlatohuac was baptized and given the name Juan Diego. He was a 57-year-old widower and lived in a small village near Mexico City. On Saturday morning, December 9, 1531, he was on his way to a nearby barrio to attend Mass in honor of Our Lady.

Find more at:

Our Lady of Guadalupe - Saint of the Day - American Catholic

Men’s Night of Reflection – December 10th

Gents – just to remind you there will be the regular men's night of formation at St. Andrew's this coming Monday.  It starts with mass at 6:30PM followed by a couple of talks given by Father Todd Belardi.  Confession is also available. 

It's a great monthly spiritual refresher so let me know if you plan on coming.  Many of the men that attend MMJ also attend this night.  Please note it's the 2^nd Monday of every month so please mark your calendars.  Hope to see you there!

Who Is St. Nick?

Thursday, December 6th is the Feast of St. Nicholas.

The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.

More on St. Nicholas at the St. Nicholas Center.

Looking for Something to Keep the Focus on Advent?

Men – As we discussed at MMJ this past Friday, the Christmas season can be camouflaged by shopping, advertisements, traffic, parties, cards, etc..  Yet in the Church we have the true season of Christmas – Advent.  Advent is four weeks of preparation for Christmas and our resolution at MMJ was to do something to truly make the next four weeks meaningful and special. 

A friend sent this online advent retreat to me a couple years ago and it is excellent (see link below).  I have decided this is what I will do this advent to make it special.  I offer this for your consideration if you would like to join me.

http://www.makingthepartswhole.com/online_retreats/advent/index.html