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December 24, 2009
Advent Weekday

Read

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace, read about the Catholic Campaign for Peace in the Holy Land.

Daily Readings

Pray

Prayers, p. 18 Prayer for the Night of Christmas
Let us ask the Lord
to grant us the grace
of looking upon the crib this night
with the simplicity of the shepherds,
so as to receive the joy
with which they returned home (see Lk 2:20).
Let us ask him to give us the humility and the faith
with which St. Joseph looked upon the child
that Mary had conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Let us ask the Lord to let us look upon him
with that same love with which Mary saw him.
And let us pray that in this way
the light that the shepherds saw will shine upon us too,
and that what the angels sang that night
will be accomplished throughout the world:
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased.”
Amen!
Homily
December 24, 2006

Reflect

Pope Benedict XVI,
World Day of Peace Message 2009
Back in 1993, my venerable Predecessor Pope John Paul II, in his Message for the World Day of Peace that year, drew attention to the negative repercussions for peace when entire populations live in poverty. Poverty is often a contributory factor or a compounding element in conflicts, including armed ones. In turn, these conflicts fuel further tragic situations of poverty. “Our world”, he wrote, “shows increasing evidence of another grave threat to peace: many individuals and indeed whole peoples are living today in conditions of extreme poverty. The gap between rich and poor has become more marked, even in the most economically developed nations. This is a problem which the conscience of humanity cannot ignore, since the conditions in which a great number of people are living are an insult to their innate dignity and as a result are a threat to the authentic and harmonious progress of the world community”

Act

Say a family rosary for global poverty. Pray each decade for one of the issues related to global poverty found at www.usccb.org/globalpoverty.
As you pray together, remember those living in extreme poverty and pray for elected officials with the power to enact U.S. policy to combat poverty.

Attend Midnight Mass or watch the broadcast of Midnight Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI from St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.   The Vatican Midnight Mass  can be seen on most NBC affiliate stations beginning at 11:30 p.m. ET