back to calendar   « » 

December 18, 2009
Advent Weekday

Read

Today’s O Antiphon calls on the God of Moses and Israel and the law to rescue us. Read about our call to Living the Gospel of Life in today’s world.

Daily Readings

Pray

During these last few days of Advent, begin your daily prayers with the O Antiphon for the day:

O Leader of the House of Israel,
giver of the Law to Moses on Sinai:
come to rescue us with your mighty power

Reflect

Pope Benedict XVI , Year One, 98
Joseph’s Silence
The silence of St. Joseph is given a special emphasis. His silence is steeped in contemplation of the mystery of God in an attitude of total availability to the divine desires. It is a silence thanks to which Joseph, in unison with Mary, watches over the Word of God, known through the Sacred Scriptures, continuously comparing it with the events of the life of Jesus; a silence woven of constant prayer, a prayer of blessing of the Lord, of the adoration of his holy will and of unreserved entrustment to his providence. It is no exaggeration to think that it was precisely from his “father” Joseph that Jesus learned—at the human level—that steadfast interiority which is a presupposition of authentic justice. . . . Let us allow ourselves to be “filled” with St. Joseph’s silence! In a world that is often too noisy, that encourages neither recollection nor listening to God’s voice.

Angelus
December 18, 2005

Act

Gather with your family and read the story of Cain and Abel.  Many of us have brothers and sisters. And especially during the holidays, there are times when tensions in these relationships emerge.  Discuss how you handle these tensions in your family.  How can God help you heal any divisions that exist?  How can these relationships help in understanding God’s unconditional love for us?