Feast Of Saint John, Apostle And Evangelist - 27 December

Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist "was the son of Zebedee and Salome. His brother was James, who was another of the Twelve Apostles. The Church Fathers identify him as John the Evangelist, John of Patmos, John the Elder and the Beloved Disciple, and testify that he outlived the remaining apostles and that he was the only one to die of natural causes." [1]

Quoted below is from My Catholic Life! [2]:

Saint Jerome, while living in Palestine in the late 300s, relates a touching anecdote still being told at that time about John the Evangelist.  When John was old and feeble, Jerome recounts, and no longer able to walk or preach, he would be carried among the faithful in church and would repeat only one thing over and over again: “My little children, love one another.” Saint Polycarp, through Saint Irenaeus, tells us that Saint John’s long life ended peacefully in Ephesus about 100 A.D. John was the only Apostle not to die a martyr.

Quoted from Wikipedia  without references [3]:

The Basilica of St. John was a basilica in Ephesus. It was constructed by Justinian I in the 6th century. It stands over the believed burial site of John the Apostle. It was modeled after the now lost Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople.

The basilica is on the slopes of Ayasuluk Hill just below the fortress near the center of Selçuk, İzmir Province, Turkey and about 3.5 km (2.2 mi) from Ephesus.

Ruins of the Basilica of St. John in Turkey

...

During his time and until his death in Ephesus, St John preached about Christianity. According to legend, before he died, Christ, along with all the other apostles, visited St John and said to him:

Come, my beloved one, and join me and all other brethren of thine at my table; the time has finally come to do so,...the Sunday next, thou wilt come to stay henceforth with me.

As the story unfolds, the following Sunday, St. John continued with his preaching of Christianity before finally informing his disciples of his time. Then he entered the cave of his church whereupon an intense light shone, preventing his disciples from entering farther. When the light dissipated, so did St. John. His legend was furthered when the opening of his tomb during Constantine’s reign yielded no body or relics. Another fact that continues to advance the legend of St. John's assumption into Heaven is the fact that while all the other Saints' body or relic has been claimed by at least one or more city/church, St. John (along with Mary, the Mother of Jesus) is the only Saint whose body is not claimed by anyone or anywhere.

It was also said that St. John was not dead in, but sleeping beneath his tomb. And each time he breathed, he would cause the dust around his altar to stir, which in turn, made them holy. Because of this, the dust, called manna, was said to be able to cure the sick.

First reading quoted from United States Conference of Bishops - 1 Jn 1:1-4, posted on December 26, 2019 [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. 

Faith in God the Father and in His Son Jesus Christ must remain strong despite a very difficult 2020 pandemic year with many lives lost around the world.  A new year with new challenges will begin in few days.  In the words of Christ from John 14:27 [5]:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.

May God bless all in 2021! 

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_the_Apostle, quoted without hyperlinks.

[2] https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/27-december-saint-john-the-apostle-and-evangelist-feast/

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_St._John, quoted without references.

[4] https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122719.cfm

[5] https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/14, 27, quoted without references.

Thoughts On Christmas During This 2020 Pandemic Year

Due to the on-going worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, Christmas 2020 will be less festive than Christmases of recent past.  This may seem regrettable because office parties and other gatherings might have already been canceled.  In spite of this, there is a silver lining.

Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Christ, followed by celebrating the life of Christ and one's life in Christ.  This holy occasion has over the years been secularized by decorating trees, putting up lights, having dinner parties under normal circumstances, drinking, shopping, sending holiday cards, giving and receiving gifts (notwithstanding how happy underprivileged children are when they unwrap their presents) with hardly any thought given to a Savior Who was born in a stable in Bethlehem and placed inside a feeding trough for animals.

It is enough of a gift to the one and only merciful and loving God if the activities and joys of a secular Christmas can remind one of its origin even for just a moment.  Displaying a simple ornament of Christ's nativity scene would be more of a reminder and a more thoughtful gift.  It need not be modern like the 2020 Vatican nativity scene pasted below at [1] or elaborate like the one put up by Saint Francis of Assisi.

Quoted in part below without hyperlinks from an article entitled The First Christmas Nativity Scene: Created by Saint Francis of Assisi  published by Learn Religions [2]:

St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and founder of the Catholic Church’s Franciscan Order, began the Christmas tradition of nativity scenes (also called creches or manger scenes) because he wanted to help people gain a fresh sense of wonder about the miracles that the Bible records from the first Christmas. 

...

Francis, who was living in the town of Greccio, Italy at the time, got the Pope’s permission to proceed with his plans. Then he asked his close friend John Velita to loan him some animals and straw to set up a scene there to represent Jesus Christ’s birth in Bethlehem.... 

...

The scene, which was set up in a cave just outside Greccio, featured a wax figure of the infant Jesus, costumed people playing the roles of Mary and Joseph, and the live donkey and ox that John had loaned to Francis. Local shepherds watched over their sheep in nearby fields, just as shepherds in Bethlehem had watched over sheep on the first Christmas when the sky suddenly filled with angels who announced Christ’s birth to them.

For the few regular and occasional readers of this blog, wherever they may be (in 17 languages, using Google Translate) - 

Merry Christmas!

Feliz Natal!

Fröhliche Weihnachten!

Joyeux Noël!

¡Feliz Navidad!

Buon Natale!

Vrolijk kerstfeest!

Счастливого Рождества!

Весела Коледа!

Щасливого Різдва!

Täze ýyl gutly bolsun!

!عيد ميلاد مجيد

!חג מולד שמח

메리 크리스마스!

メリークリスマス！

聖誕快樂! 

Felicem natalem Christi!

(image obtained online)

[1] Copied from an image search: 

[2] https://www.learnreligions.com/christmas-nativity-scene-saint-francis-assisi-124443

Feast Of Saint Thomas The Apostle - 21 December (Tridentine - Traditional Rite - Calendar)

Quoted in part below is from The Free Dictionary By Farlex [1]:

 

The Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle, established in the twelfth century, originally fell on December 21, the day of the winter solstice. Folk customs attached to the saint's day, therefore, reflected both the occurrence of the solstice and the closeness of Christmas.... [T]he Roman Catholic Church has since moved St. Thomas's [Feast] Day to July 3,...

Catholic Culture  quotes Pope Gregory I on Saint Thomas the Apostle [2]:

In the Breviary lessons Pope St. Gregory the Great makes the following reflections: "Thomas' unbelief has benefited our faith more than the belief of the other disciples; it is because he attained faith through physical touch that we are confirmed in the faith beyond all doubt. Indeed, the Lord permitted the apostle to doubt after the resurrection; but He did not abandon him in doubt. By his doubt and by his touching the sacred wounds the apostle became a witness to the truth of the resurrection. Thomas touched and cried out: My Lord and my God! And Jesus said to him: Because you have seen Me, Thomas, you have believed. Now if Thomas saw and touched the Savior, why did Jesus say: Because you have seen Me, Thomas, you have believed? Because he saw something other than what he believed. For no mortal man can see divinity. Thomas saw the Man Christ and acknowledged His divinity with the words: My Lord and my God. Faith therefore followed upon seeing."

Quoted from Wikipedia  without hyperlinks and references, on the death of Saint Thomas the Apostle [3]:

According to Syrian Christian tradition, Saint Thomas was allegedly martyred at St.Thomas Mount in Chennai on 3 July in AD 72, and his body was interred in Mylapore. Ephrem the Syrian states that the Apostle was killed in India, and that his relics were taken then to Edessa. This is the earliest known record of his death.

The records of Barbosa from early 16th century witness that the tomb was then maintained by a Muslim who kept a lamp burning there.[37] The San Thome Basilica Mylapore, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India presently located at the tomb was first built in the 16th century by the Portuguese and rebuilt in the 19th century. St. Thomas Mount has been a revered site by Muslims, and Christians since at least the 16th century.

Wikipedia  also mentioned that "[i]n 1258, some of the relics were brought to Ortona, in Abruzzo, Italy, where they have been held in the Church of Saint Thomas the Apostle."

[1] https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/St.+Thomas%27s+Day#:~:text=The%20Feast%20of%20St.%20Thomas%20the%20Apostle%2C%20established,of%20the%20solstice%20and%20the%20closeness%20of%20Christmas.

[2] https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-07-03

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_the_Apostle

[4] Ibid, quoted without hyperlinks and reference.

Our Lady Of Guadalupe Feast Day - 12 December

 Quoted below in its entirety is from franciscan media [1]:

The feast in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe goes back to the 16th 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.

Juan was walking by a hill called Tepeyac when he heard beautiful music like the warbling of birds. A radiant cloud appeared, and within it stood an Indian 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.

Eventually the bishop told Juan to have the lady give him a sign. About this same time Juan’s uncle became seriously ill. This led poor Juan to try to avoid the lady. Nevertheless the lady found Juan, assured him that his uncle would recover, and provided roses [during "pre-climate change" winter] for Juan to carry to the bishop in his cape or tilma.

On December 12, 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 the tilma where the roses had been appeared an image of Mary exactly as she had appeared at the hill of Tepeyac.

"Supernatural Music Written by God on Mary's Shroud of Guadalupe in the Year 1531" can be heard on YouTube [2].  "This short excerpt of music is what was written by God on Mary's shroud in the image that she gave to Juan Diego who presented it to his bishop as proof of Our Lady's having revealed herself to him atop Tepayec Hill on the outskirts of Mexico City in the year 1531. If you turn the shroud on its side and plot the stars on a musical sheet, this is the sound it makes." [3]  See music sheet from Mystic Post [4] with background cropped:

Quoted below, in part, is from Matrix Drops [5]:

NASA has publicized the results of the related examination of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

It was established, with instruments of the eye-specialist, that in the picture, the eyes of Mary’s retinas, when exposed to light – similar to the human’s eye – expand and contract. The researchers have also concluded that the temperature of the cloth, where the image can be observed, is permanently 36.6 degrees, such as a healthy human’s body temperature. The image has also been examined with a stethoscope. The scientists have measured a pulse of 115 beats/min at Mary’s belt which corresponds with the number of a fetal heart rate.

NASA engineers have also stated the paint with which the image was made does not exist on Earth and has never existed – written by the Tsn.ua which is a news site on the internet.

In the beginning of the 20th century a bomb was detonated next to the image. As a result of this, everything was destroyed in a large circular radius, the image, however, remained intact.

More on Our Lady Of Guadalupe's image on San Juan Diego's tilma, quoted, in part, from olg.cc [6]:

The image, to this date, cannot be explained by science.

The image shows no sign of deterioration after 450 years!  The tilma or cloak of Juan Diego on which the image of Our Lady has been imprinted, is a coarse fabric made from the threads of the maguey cactus. This fiber disintegrates within 20-60 years!

There is no under sketch, no sizing and no protective over-varnish on the image.

Microscopic examination revealed that there were no brush strokes.

...

According to Kodak of Mexico, the image is smooth and feels like a modern day photograph.  (Produced 300 years before the invention of photography.)

The image has consistently defied exact reproduction, whether by brush or camera.

Several images can be seen reflected in the eyes of the Virgin. It is believed to be the  images of Juan Diego, Bishop Juan de Zummaraga, Juan Gonzales-the interpreter and others.

The distortion and place of the images are identical to what is produced in the normal eye, which is impossible to obtain on a flat surface.

The stars on Our Lady's Mantle coincide with the constellation in the sky on December 12, 1531....

 

Similarly, see article entitled Science Proves Our Lady Of Guadalupe Is A Miracle  published by Catholics Online [7].

[1] https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/our-lady-of-guadalupe

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEDLgSrePIA

[3] https://www.spreaker.com/user/wcatradio/marys-shroud-of-guadalupe-miraculous-hea

[4] https://mysticpost.com/2019/05/music-from-heaven-listen-now-celestial-music-found-by-scientist-on-mantel-of-our-lady-of-guadalupe-miraculous-and-healing/

[5] http://www.matrixdrops.com/en/news/nasa-has-called-the-image-of-the-virgin-of-guadalupe-living

[6] https://olg.cc/about/about-our-patroness/our-ladys-image-on-the-tilma/

[7] https://francismary.org/science-proves-our-lady-of-guadalupe-is-a-miracle/

San Juan Diego Feast Day - 9 December

San Juan Diego's feast day was not included in the Roman Catholic Daily Missal 1992  and is not part of the Tridentine calendar, even though San Juan Diego died in 1548 [1], four hundred and fourteen (414) years before it was published.

The Blessed Virgin Mary chose Juan Diego, but the Vatican apparently doubted the apparitions and it took nearly 454 years after his death before he was canonized on Wednesday, July 31, 2002. [2].  "[T]he process for canonization in this case was subject to delays and obstacles of various kinds." [3]  San Juan Diego was "the first indigenous Saint of the American Continent." [4]

As the saying goes, it is better late than never.

Quoted in part below, without emphasis and italics, is from Vatican.va [5]:

St Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (1474-1548). Little is known about the life of Juan Diego before his conversion, but tradition and archaelogical and iconographical sources, along with the most important and oldest indigenous document on the event of Guadalupe, "El Nican Mopohua" (written in Náhuatl with Latin characters, 1556, by the Indigenous writer Antonio Valeriano), give some information on the life of the saint and the apparitions.

Juan Diego was born in 1474 with the name "Cuauhtlatoatzin" ("the talking eagle") in Cuautlitlán, today part of Mexico City, Mexico. He was a gifted member of the Chichimeca people, one of the more culturally advanced groups living in the Anáhuac Valley.

When he was 50 years old he was baptized by a Franciscan priest, Fr Peter da Gand, one of the first Franciscan missionaries. On 9 December 1531, when Juan Diego was on his way to morning Mass, the Blessed Mother appeared to him on Tepeyac Hill, the outskirts of what is now Mexico City. She asked him to go to the Bishop and to request in her name that a shrine be built at Tepeyac, where she promised to pour out her grace upon those who invoked her. The Bishop, who did not believe Juan Diego, asked for a sign to prove that the apparition was true. On 12 December, Juan Diego returned to Tepeyac. Here, the Blessed Mother told him to climb the hill and to pick the flowers that he would find in bloom. He obeyed, and although it was winter time, he found roses flowering. He gathered the flowers and took them to Our Lady who carefully placed them in his mantle and told him to take them to the Bishop as "proof". When he opened his mantle, the flowers fell on the ground and there remained impressed, in place of the flowers, an image of the Blessed Mother, the apparition at Tepeyac.

With the Bishop's permission, Juan Diego lived the rest of his life as a hermit in a small hut near the chapel where the miraculous image was placed for veneration. Here he cared for the church and the first pilgrims who came to pray to the Mother of Jesus.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Diego#cite_note-68

[2] http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/homilies/2002/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_20020731_canonization-mexico.html

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Diego#cite_note-68

[4] http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/homilies/2002/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_20020731_canonization-mexico.html, first paragraph after the Gospel of Matthew.

[5[ http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20020731_juan-diego_en.html

Feast Of The Immaculate Conception Of The Blessed Virgin Mary - 8 December

 Quoted below, without hyperlinks, is from Learn Religions [1]:

The Immaculate Conception refers to the condition 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—her birth—on September 8; nine months before that is December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

The Blessed Virgin Mary confirms Her Immaculate Conception to Bernadette Soubirous of Lourdes.  Quoted in part below is from The Arlington Catholic Herald [2]:

On March 2, [1858, Our Lady of Lourdes] asked Bernadette to "Go and tell the priests that people are to come here in procession and to build a chapel here." The parish priest of Lourdes wanted to know the lady’s name, and he asked for a miracle: that a rose bush flower in the middle of winter. After school March 3, Bernadette went to the grotto. When she saw the lady, she asked for her name, only to receive a smile.

On March 4, with about eight thousand people present, the lady returned. The rose bush did not bloom, but she did reveal her name: "Que soy era Immaculada Concepciou." "I am the Immaculate Conception." Bernadette did not know this title was assigned to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Four years earlier, in 1854, Pope Pius IX dogmatically declared this a truth of the Catholic faith.

[1] https://www.learnreligions.com/what-is-the-immaculate-conception-542107#:~:text=The%20Immaculate%20Conception%20refers%20to%20the%20condition%20that,December%208%2C%20the%20Feast%20of%20the%20Immaculate%20Conception.

[2] https://www.catholicherald.com/Faith/Your_Faith/_I_am_the_Immaculate_Conception_/#:~:text=%22%20Bernadette%20did%20not%20know%20this%20title%20was,felt%20that%20she%20was%20in%20front%20of%20it.