The Holy Innocents

Beloved, now this is the message that we have heard from Jesus Christ and proclaim to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5

Today is the Feast Day of the Holy Innocents, the patron saints of babies. These innocent little children were the first martyrs for Jesus Christ.  We remember the 20 children and 6 adults who were murdered in the massacre in Newtown, CT one year ago. These kindergarten children were the faces of goodness and light.  Jesus came to us as a vulnerable little baby like these little ones.  Today, let us pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for their families. 

Matthew 2:12-18
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way. When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him." Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, "Out of Egypt I called my son." When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi. Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet: "A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled, since they were no more." Herod was “greatly troubled” when astrologers from the east came asking the whereabouts of “the newborn king of the Jews,” whose star they had seen. They were told that the Jewish Scriptures named Bethlehem as the place where the Messiah would be born. Herod cunningly told them to report back to him so that he could also “do him homage.” They found Jesus, offered him their gifts and, warned by an angel, avoided Herod on their way home. Jesus escaped to Egypt.

Herod became furious and ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under. The horror of the massacre and the devastation of the mothers and fathers led Matthew to quote Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children...”Rachel was the wife of Jacob. She is pictured as weeping at the place where the Israelites were herded together by the conquering Assyrians for their march into captivity.

They have been ransomed as the firstfruits of the human race for God and the Lamb. Revelation 14:4



We remember the Holy Innocents today.  We pray for all the babies lost in our time to the horror of abortion and we pray for their families. The greatest treasure God put on the earth is a baby, destined for eternity and graced by the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus.  Lord, You are the Giver of life. We pray that ALL LIFE will be protected, in Your Holy Name, through the powerful intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Unborn.

Behold, thy Mother.

Saint John, known as the Evangelist and the "beloved disciple" was born in Bethsaida. Today we celebrate his feast day. He was called to follow Jesus while mending his fishing nets. John wrote the fourth Gospel, three Epistles and the book of Revelation. His passages before the existence of the Word, his writings are among the most powerful of the New Testament. He wrote of how Jesus became the light of the world and life of our souls.

John, the Evangelist, wrote of Christ and His Divine and brotherly love. With James, his brother, and Simon Peter, he was one of the witnesses of the Transfiguration. John is thought to have been especially close to Jesus; he alone was at the foot of the cross when Our Lord died, and it was to John that Jesus said, "Behold thy Mother."

According to legend, the emperor Diocletian once tried to poison John by ordering him to drink a cup of poisoned wine. Saint John blessed the wine and the poison slithered away in the form of a snake.

1 John 1: 1-4 Beloved: What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes; what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life, for the life was made visible; we have seen it and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was made visible to us, what we have seen and heard we proclaim now to you so that you too may have fellowship with us; for our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.

What we have seen and heard, we proclaim now to you, we speak of the Word of life. 1 John 1:1,3

O Beloved Disciple Saint John, the Evangelist, help us to have a personal encounter with Jesus each day. Help us to be His disciples.  We ask your intercession for all the intentions we receive through this ministry for babies, little ones and their families.

Reflection: A Child is born...

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."  Luke 2:1-14

God’s sign is simplicity. God’s sign is the baby. God’s sign is that he makes himself small for us. This is how he reigns. He does not come with power and outward splendor. He comes as a baby, defenseless and in need of our help. He does not want to overwhelm us with his strength. He takes away our fear of his greatness. He asks for our love: so he makes himself a child. He wants nothing other from us than our love, through which we spontaneously learn to enter into His feelings, His thoughts and His Will. We learn to live with Him and to practice with Him that humility of renunciation that belongs to the very essence of love.
Pope Benedict XVI Homily Saint Peter's Basilica December 24, 2006

Heavenly Father, bless us as we contemplate the newborn Baby Jesus, all holy, full of innocence, the Son of God. May we realize on this Christmas day, the absolute dignity of each human person who is "fearfully and wonderfully made" in Your "image and likeness."

Let us enter the stable in Bethlehem.  The little lamb nuzzles close to the crib.  Mary and Joseph are gazing tenderly at their newborn baby.  Light radiates from the baby.  Love pours forth from Him.  Sweet baby Jesus, we rejoice on this day of Your birth.  Come into our hearts and bring Your peace and love.  May we gaze upon You and fall deeply in love more and more each day.  

We entrust to You all the names we receive through this prayer ministry and ask our Mother Mary to always be our Comforter and our Most Powerful Intercessor.

The Christmas crib...

The cherished tradition of the Christmas Crib and the Nativity scene was begun by Saint Francis of Assisi. On Christmas Eve in 1223, Saint Francis so longed to see with his own eyes the circumstances of Jesus' coming to Bethlehem, that he arranged to have the scene recreated in a cave at Greccio, using live people and animals. During the solemnities of the Mass being offered there, a little child was seen lying in the manger. From that celebration began the custom of the Christmas crib or crèche."


Pope Benedict XVI spoke on the tradition of the Christmas Crib:

"Following a beautiful and firmly rooted tradition, many families set up their crib immediately after the feast of the Immaculate Conception, to set up the crib at home can be a simple but effective way of presenting the faith and transmitting it to one's children. The manger helps us to contemplate the mystery of God's love who revealed himself in the poverty and simplicity of the Bethlehem cave.

Saint Francis of Assisi was so overwhelmed by the mystery of the Incarnation that he wanted to present it again in Greccio with the living manger, thus becoming the initiator of a long popular tradition which still keeps its value for evangelization today.

The crib can help us, in fact, to understand the secret of the true Christmas, because it speaks of humility and the merciful goodness of Christ, who "though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor." 2 Corinthians 8:9  His poverty enriches those who embrace it and Christmas brings joy and peace to those who, as the shepherds, accept in Bethlehem the words of the Angel: "And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger". Luke 2:12  It continues to be a sign also for us, men and women of the 21st century. There is no other Christmas."

May our own Nativity scenes which rest under our Christmas trees be a visible reminder of that night when our Savior was born. May we never forget to see in our hearts the the Holy Family, Mary and Joseph and the little Babe of Bethlehem, who came to save us from sin. May we always remember that the wood of the manger that held Him so securely would one day give way to the wood of the cross. May we too embrace Jesus with all of our love as did Saint Francis.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, pray for us and all the names we receive through this ministry.

Reflection: Gazing at a baby...

What happens when we gaze at a baby?  Our hearts are lifted and we smile.  Gazing at a baby brings love, joy, peace, wonder, comfort and hope.  In the tender embrace of holding my babies, it is love that passed between us.  God is love.  In His tiny creation, God manifests His love for us.  It is a mutual exchange of love.  A baby is innocent, vulnerable, pure, dependent and trusting.  Gazing at a baby, we see beauty, goodness and light.  

As we prepare our hearts for the coming of the baby Jesus, let us ponder His birth by gazing at His Face.  He comes to us in love. His Face is love.  His little hands stretch out to draw us close in love.  When His gaze comes upon us, we are forever transformed in love.      

The baby Jesus is calling you. "Come to Me and I will give you rest."  

Let us peer into the tiny stable in Bethlehem and gaze at the baby Jesus.  

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."

When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went in haste 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.  Luke 2:4-20

On Christmas Eve in 1937, Saint Faustina encountered the Holy Child Jesus:

"When I arrived at Midnight Mass, from the very beginning I steeped myself in deep recollection, during which time I saw the stable of Bethlehem filled with great radiance. The Blessed Virgin, all lost in the deepest of love, was wrapping Jesus in swaddling clothes, but Saint Joseph was still asleep. Only after the Mother of God put Jesus in the manger did the light of God awaken Joseph, who also prayed. But after a while, I was left alone with the Infant Jesus who stretched out His little hands to me, and I understood that I was to take Him in my arms. Jesus pressed His head against my heart and gave me to know, by His profound gaze, how good He found it to be next to my heart."  Diary of Saint Faustina, 1442

For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; upon His shoulder dominion rests.  They name Him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.  Isaiah 9:5 

The story of Christmas draws us toward complete trust in God. This Christmas season, let us carry Saint Faustina’s vision of the baby Jesus in our hearts. Let us be inspired by God’s message of hope in the story of Christmas. Let us gaze upon the baby Jesus stretching out His little hands to touch us with His love and peace. Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.  Let us embrace the baby Jesus and hold His love and peace in our hearts. 

The Heart of Mary

The Virgin’s love conceived first in her heart and then in her womb. Saint Augustine stated this when commenting on the Gospel of the Annunciation: “The angel announces; the Virgin listens, believes and conceives. Christ is believed and conceived through faith. The Virgin Mary first conceived in her heart, and then fruitfulness came to the Mother’s Womb”.

A promise of love can only be fulfilled in love! The sign that God chose to give humanity to reveal the promise of his presence in history, as John Paul II taught us, found its full meaning in the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word. The sign was a virgin’s heart, receiving with love the Heart of God who is Love. A Virgin’s love will conceive, a Virgin’s heart will receive the fullness of life and give birth to the Life of the World!

Therefore, the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall name him Emmanuel. 
Isaiah 7:14

A Virgin, a pure and humble heart, dedicated totally to loving God, completely available and generously disposed to His designs, was the one to cooperate, with her fiat, in the fulfillment of the plan of salvation. In the Virgin’s undivided, prayerful, generous and pure human heart a miraculous conception, a miraculous fecundity, took place. A love so pure, so total, and so unconditional became so powerfully life-giving. The pure, immaculate love of a human heart was the soil, the perfect soil, to bear the child and thus, to be the sign of the presence of God among men. This is the great sign promised by Isaiah: love, pure, unconditional love is so powerful that it gives life. Only love creates, said St. Maximilian Kolbe, because love is the force, the powerful force, that calls forth life.

O Mary, the Mighty One has done great things for you and Holy is His Name. Help us, Mother Mary, to prepare our hearts for the baby Jesus. Help us to be a sign of love to those we meet. We entrust all the names we receive through this ministry to you, Mary, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary. Protect them and bring them to the baby Jesus.

Lamb of God: A mother's reflection on the loss of her child in Newtown, CT

She Pondered These Things in Her Heart 

                    Lamb of God

                Jennifer Hubbard

Jennifer Hubbard is a resident of Newtown, CT.  The younger of her two children, Catherine Violet, was a victim of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on 
December 14, 2012  From the December edition of the Magnificat Pages 187-188

It is the time during Mass where my tears flow steadily: 


Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. 
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. 
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

It is then that the pain becomes overwhelmingly raw. The wound that I think has started to heal is suddenly ripped open. 

Lambs are innocent, exposed, and vulnerable, and yet they are always protected. My lamb is Catherine. I knew her cry before it came from her lungs. I knew it was Catherine calling “Mamma” even though she was in a room full of children calling out. I knew where she was, even when I couldn’t see her. She is the lamb I knew had been called home before I truly understood what had happened. Just knowing- it is a gift God gave me when he placed her next to my heart for nine months. A gift he gave me when he allowed the quiet beating of our hearts to find rhythm next to each other’s. 

It is always a lamb I see when I think of Catherine. She is the lamb that would nuzzle right beside Mary in the Nativity. She is the lamb that greets us from the pasture as we walk on a foggy spring morning. She is the lamb that I have carved into the footstone at her resting place. And now, as I tuck it into the pages when I close my Bible, it is Catherine that I see walking confidently beside Jesus on her prayer card. 

“The Lord is my Shepherd there is nothing I shall want” (Ps 23:1). It was Jesus who was waiting for her as he welcomed his flock. He led her to still waters, and she fears no evil. She is the lamb, innocent and vulnerable- naïve to what the world was capable of. She is sheltered under vigilant watch; she is whole and is resting peacefully at his feet. 

And I too am his lamb. It is myself he has cradled across his shoulders. He knows my heart aches to feel the beating of hers against mine. He acknowledges my cry, even when it hasn’t yet left my lungs. He hears my quiet calling through all the voices and comes to me. I know that he will guide me as I seek his guidance, and that he will answer my voice when I call out. He continues to scoop me up and carry me when the days seem too much. He shows his unending love in the simplest things that are undeniably Catherine. In doing so he reminds me that his promise has not been broken. He reminds me that one day he will gently lift me from his shoulders and place me beside her. When that day comes, I will close my eyes and relish the quiet rhythm of our beating hearts.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Patroness of the Unborn  Today is the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. A poor Indian Juan Diego was a 57 year old widower who lived in a small village near Mexico City. On Saturday morning December 9, 1531, he was on his way to attend Mass in honor of Our Lady. He was walking by a hill called Tepeyac when he heard beautiful music like the warbling of birds. A radiant cloud appeared and within it a young Native American maiden dressed like an Aztec princess. The lady spoke to him in his own language and sent him to the bishop of Mexico, a Franciscan named Juan de Zumarraga. The bishop was to build a chapel in the place where the lady appeared.

The picture is Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Shrine of the Holy Innocents at the National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. This shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe is a beautiful place to remember a child who was lost. It is a place of healing and hope.

Mary to Juan Diego: “My dearest son, I am the eternal Virgin Mary, Mother of the true God, Author of Life, Creator of all and Lord of the Heavens and of the Earth...and it is my desire that a church be built here in this place for me, where, as your most merciful Mother and that of all your people, I may show my loving clemency and the compassion that I bear to the Indians, and to those who love and seek me.”

The bishop told Juan Diego to have the lady give him a sign. About this same time Juan Diego’s uncle became seriously ill. Poor Diego was to try to avoid the lady. The lady found Diego and assured him that his uncle would recover and she provided roses for Juan to carry to the bishop in his cape or tilma. Juan Diego told his story to the Spanish bishop, who instructed him to return and ask the Lady for a miraculous sign to prove her claim. The Virgin told Juan Diego to gather some flowers from the top of Tepeyac Hill. It was winter and no flowers bloomed, but on the hilltop Diego found flowers of every sort, and the Virgin herself arranged them in his tilma, or peasant cloak. When Juan Diego opened his tilma in the bishop’s presence, the roses fell to the ground and the bishop sank to his knees. On Juan Diego’s tilma appeared an image of Mary miraculously imprinted exactly as she had appeared at the hill of Tepeyac. It was December 12, 1531.

Our Lady's apparition was an event of great significance for Native Americans. Nine million Indians became Catholic in a very short time. Our Lady of Guadalupe shows us God's love for the poor and for the unborn that stems from the Gospel itself.

The Image on the Tilma
The imprint of Mary on the tilma is striking, and the symbolism was primarily directed to Juan Diego and the Aztecs. Mary appears as a beautiful young Indian maiden with a look of love, compassion, and humility, her hands folded in prayer in reference to the Almighty God. Her rose dress, adorned with a jasmine flower, eight petal flowers, and nine heart flowers symbolic to the Aztec culture, is that of an Aztec princess. Her blue mantle symbolized the royalty of the gods, and the blue color symbolized life and unity. The stars on the mantle signified the beginning of a new civilization. La Morenita appeared on the day of the winter solstice, considered the day of the sun's birth; the Virgin's mantle accurately represents the 1531 winter solstice! Mary stands in front of and hides the sun, but the rays of the sun still appear around her, signifying she is greater than the sun god, the greatest of the native divinities, but the rays of the sun still bring light. Twelve rays of the sun surround her face and head. She stands on the moon, supported by an angel with wings like an eagle: to the Aztec, this indicated her superiority to the moon god, the god of night, and her divine, regal nature. Most important are the black maternity band, a jasmine flower, and a cross that are present in the image. Mary wore a black maternity band, signifying she was with child. At the center of the picture, overlying her womb, is a jasmine flower in the shape of an Indian cross, which is the sign of the Divine and the center of the cosmic order to the Aztec. This symbol indicated that the baby Mary carried within her, Jesus Christ, the Word made Flesh, is Divine and the new center of the universe. On the brooch around her neck was a black Christian cross, indicating she is both a bearer and follower of Christ, the Son of God, our Savior, who died on the Cross to save mankind. The image signified Mary bringing her Son Christ to the New World through one of their own.

Mary to Juan Diego:Am I not here, who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not the fountain of your joy?

Our Lady of Guadalupe, we entrust all the names we receive through this prayer ministry to you, our most loving and merciful Mother.

Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Today we celebrate the Feast Day of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Because today is the second Sunday of Advent, many dioceses will celebrate the Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception tomorrow.  On this day, we honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was conceived without sin. The Immaculate Conception means that the Blessed Virgin Mary was free from Original Sin from the very moment of her conception in the womb of her mother, Saint Anne. We celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on September 8; nine months before is December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Today is the Patronal Feast Day of the United States of America. May Our Lady bless our country and protect and guide us.  This year, we are called to pray and fast for the protection of Life, Marriage and Religious Freedom in our beloved country. 

You are all beautiful, my beloved, and there is no blemish in you. Song of Solomon 4:7

Mary, the one who is "full of grace" and the one whom "all generations will called 'blessed'" has been viewed as unique since the earliest days of the Christian faith. Just as Christ has been called the "new Adam," the Church Fathers, especially Saint Justin in 150AD and Saint Irenaeus 180AD, saw Mary as the "new Eve," who humbly obeyed God, even though Eve disobeyed. The Church Fathers also called Mary the "new ark of the covenant" and theotokos, God-bearer. It is from these titles that the doctrine of Mary's Immaculate Conception and sinlessness unfolded. Saint Ephrem, the Syrian, in 373AD spoke of Mary as without stain or blemish, calling her "all pure, all immaculate, all stainless, all undefiled, all incorrupt, all inviolate." Saint Augustine left open the possibility of Mary's sinlessness, even using language similar to the Catholic dogma of the Immaculate Conception.



Heavenly Father, You prepared the Virgin Mary to be the worthy mother of your Son. You let her share beforehand in the salvation Christ would bring by His death and kept her sinless from the first moment of her conception. Help us by her prayers to live in Your presence without sin. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

Reflection: Advent with Mary

Today is the First Sunday of Advent.  Over these special weeks before Christmas, we gather and give thanks.  We pray and sing together, inviting the Lord into our lives, our homes, the Church and into the world which God loves so much that He sent His only Beloved Son.

The best way to prepare for Advent is to spend Advent with Mary.  Let us reflect on the Annunciation and Mary's yes, her Fiat to God when the Angel appeared to her.  She heard the Word of God and she believed.  Mary was still.  She pondered God's Word.  She invites us to be still and to listen as God speaks to us during this beautiful season of Advent, as we prepare our hearts for the birth of Jesus.

Luke 1:26-31  In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, favored one!  The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.  The the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus."

How can we prepare our hearts for the coming of the baby Jesus on Christmas Day?  Think about how we prepare for Thanksgiving dinner, cleaning our homes, shopping for food, cooking and serving a delicious meal for family, friends and neighbors.  What is the best way to prepare for the coming of the baby Jesus?  It is through the healing power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  The best way to prepare our hearts for the baby Jesus is to go to confession.  It is there, the priest, in the person of Jesus Christ, hears and forgives our sins.  With the forgiveness of sins comes an outpouring of God's grace and mercy.

What is the best way to go to confession?  Ask Our Lady to accompany us.  When we pray to her and invite her to be with us in confession, she is there as our most loving Mother.  Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Jesus heals our hearts and shines His light and love upon us.  If you have not been to confession for a while, ask Mary to accompany you and go.  Run to Jesus.  He is waiting for you with His love, mercy and peace.  It is the best way to prepare for the coming of the King.

The heart of the message of Advent is to bring light into a world of darkness.  The Advent candles symbolize Jesus Christ, the True Light of the world.  It is He who can dispel darkness and bring hope.  The Lord is always coming to those who seek Him!  Let us seek Him through the eyes and heart of Mary.