Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
Wednesday, December 8, is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. It is a holy day of obligation. It marks that Mary was conceived free from original sin because God chose her as mother of the Savior. The dogma was declared by Pope Pius IX in 1854 but during the Renaissance many paintings were made of Mary as the Immaculate Conception, including the one above.About the painter: Bartolomé Esteban Murillo was a Spanish Baroque painter best known for his religious works. He painted Esquilache Immaculate Conception about 1650, when he was about 33 years old. He was influenced by Flemish and Italian masters as well as by Spanish painters Francisco de Zurbarán, Jusepe de Ribera and Alonzo Cano.
Masses
Vigil Mass – Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception – Wednesday, 8 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Making a difference with The Giving Tree
The tags on The Giving Tree tell the stories of hard times, of too few dollars to keep the lights on or the water flowing, or to keep a roof over the family’s heads.
They tell of little girls and little boys who wouldn’t have anything come Christmas morning if it weren’t for the generosity of strangers.
The tags tell of the need and St. Raphael parishioners respond. Traditionally, St. Raphael parishioners have supported the work of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul throughout the year, but are especially generous at this time. It is the way Catholics help the poor.The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a 177-year-old organization created to provide financial, material, educational and spiritual support for those in need.
Italian scholar Frédéric Ozanam founded the organization with five other students in Paris in 1833. He began studying at the Sorbonne in 1831 and soon became the Catholic “voice” in a city where poverty reigned. Ozanam contended that the role of the Catholic Church was to help the poor with clothing and food.
He and fellow students put their beliefs into action. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in Notre Dame de Paris in 1997.
In Pinellas, the Society has been active since 1931. Local Vincentians visit thousands of homes as well as prisons, hopsitals and nursing homes to provide help for those in need.
And so, The Giving Tree stands tall in the narthex, festooned with ornaments.
The Giving Tree ornaments are tags telling the needs of local people who can be helped by the generosity of St. Raphael parishioners. Already gifts are appearing under the tree, beautifully wrapped with the appropriate tag attached.
Gifts are still needed.
Want to help?: Please take an ornament off and return the specified gift, wrapped, and with the ornament attached to the outside by Sunday, December 12. Please drop gift certificates or checks into the St. Vincent de Paul Box next to The Giving Tree.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Immaculate Conception
By Paul Turner“The Immaculate Conception” is a title for Mary, the mother of Jesus. The expression means that Mary was conceived without sin. The conviction that Jesus was born of a virgin is a distinct belief, even though many Catholics erroneously think that the Immaculate Conception refers to Jesus.
Contributing to the confusion is the celebration of the Immaculate Conception during the season of Advent. While the faithful are preparing to honor the birth of Jesus, we commemorate the conception of Mary. The choice of Dec. 8 for the Immaculate Conception does not directly relate to Advent; it corresponds more to the traditional date for the feast of the birth of Mary, Sept. 8., which coincides with the dedication of a Jerusalem church in honor of the mother of Mary. The feast for the conception of Mary is backed up from that day nine months. In a similar way we celebrate the Annunciation on March 25, nine months before the birth of Jesus.
Belief in the Immaculate Conception asserts that God preserved Mary from all sin from the moment of her conception, thus preparing a pure vessel for the incarnation of the Son. This belief is not expressly contained in the Scriptures, but it enjoys a widespread following in the church’s tradition. Although the Immaculate Conception of Mary has been affirmed since the earliest centuries of Christianity, it was not formally proclaimed a dogma of the church until 1854.
Dec. 8 (Wednesday) is now a holy day of obligation in the United States, which is placed under Mary’s patronage with this title.
When Mary is depicted as the Immaculate Conception, she is often shown wearing a crown of stars as the woman in Revelation 12 and standing on a snake, reversing the temptation of Eve. Mary, the Immaculate Conception, is the exalted queen of heaven who manifests God’s power over sin.
Image: The Immaculate Conception (1767-69) by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, a Venetian painter and print maker who received commissions to paint many churches.
Copyright © 2003 Resource Publications, Inc., 160 E. Virginia St. #290, San Jose, CA 95112, (408) 286-8505, Paul Turner, pastor of St. Munchin Parish in Cameron, Mo.
The Gospel this Sunday
The Second Sunday of Advent
Matthew 3:1-12
John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea
and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said:
A voice of one crying out in the desert,
Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
John wore clothing made of camel’s hair
and had a leather belt around his waist.
His food was locusts and wild honey.
At that time Jerusalem, all Judea,
and the whole region around the Jordan
were going out to him
and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River
as they acknowledged their sins.
When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees
coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers!
Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.
And do not presume to say to yourselves,
‘We have Abraham as our father.’
For I tell you,
God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees.
Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit
will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
I am baptizing you with water, for repentance,
but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I.
I am not worthy to carry his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand.
He will clear his threshing floor
and gather his wheat into his barn,
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
• Read the first and second readings and the Responsorial Psalm
– United States Conference of Catholic Bishops