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CATHOLIC FAITH AT HOME RESOURCES
for our STELLA MARIS
Family of Parishes
including:
St. Thomas More, St. Bernadette,
St. Mary & St. Peter
December 10
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A LONG LIST OF ADVENT RESOURCES
May this Advent be a time of spiritual awakening
and renewal for you as you prepare to
celebrate the birth of the Savior of the World.
Click the link below to find daily prayers and reflections
to help you enter into the beauty and splendor of this glorious season:
ADVENT RESOURCES
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A SPECIAL ADVENT BOOK:
A FREE eBOOK!!
“You’re not alone in feeling stress, sadness, or anxiety
with all that this season—as glorious and hopeful as it is—can stir up.
“Add guilt for feeling that way, and you’ve got a host
of crushing emotions stealing your joy
and your ability to pray and watch.
“But that’s not what the Lord wants for you.
And there is a way to approach this time of year differently.
“Spiritualdirection.com's newest eBook,
𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕: 𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑨𝒅𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑨𝒏𝒙𝒊𝒆𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒂𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔
will help you have the best Advent—and Christmas—ever.”
Brought to you by Dan Burke, the founder and president
of the Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation.
Click below to get your free ebook, Welcoming Christ:
ADVENT FREE eBOOK
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"Be Still and Know
that I am God"
During this busy season, take time for yourself to slow down,
pray and listen to God’s Word.
Join others as you find peace in community, reflection, and prayer.
Come and experience the
"peace of Christ that surpasses all understanding"
Phil 4:6.
Friday, December 15, 2023
9:30am - 11:30am
Jesuit Spiritual Center, Arrupe Building
All are Welcome
Free Will Offering
To Register: call 513.258.3500, ext. 10 or email reservations@jesuitspiritualcenter.com
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DO YOU KNOW JESUS?
There is a difference between knowing
about Jesus… and knowing Jesus.
What is an encounter with Jesus?
What does it look like?
How can we make one happen
(or, how will Jesus make it happen)?
Click below to watch Sr. Alicia Torres help you facilitate
an actual come-to-Jesus moment in only 8 minutes:
4 WAYS TO ENCOUNTER JESUS
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NOVENA PRAYER
ST. STEPHEN
STARTS: DECEMBER 17
FEAST DAY: DECEMBER 26
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Intro Prayer
O glorious St. Stephen,
first Martyr for the Faith,
filled with compassion for those who invoke you,
with love for those who suffer,
heavily laden with the weight of my troubles.
I kneel at your feet and humbly beg you
to take my present needs under your special protection: (mention request here…)
Vouchsafe to recommend it to our Lord Jesus.
Cease not to intercede for me until my request is granted.
Above all, obtain for me the grace
to one day meet God face to face,
and with you and Mary and all the angels and saints
praise Him through all eternity.
O most powerful Saint Stephen, Deacon and Martyr,
do not let me lose my soul,
but obtain for me the grace of winning my way to heaven,
forever and ever.
Amen.
Concluding Prayer
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Saint Stephen, Pray for us.
Saint Stephen, Pray for us.
Saint Stephen, Pray for us.
St. Stephen was the first Catholic martyr of our faith.
To read more about him, click the link below:
ABOUT ST. STEPHEN
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PRAYER
FOR A
FRUITFUL
ADVENT
My hidden Lord Jesus, I love You and thank You
with profound gratitude for uniting
Yourself with fallen humanity.
When You first entered into this world,
You remained hidden for nine months
in the immaculate womb of Your Blessed Mother.
She carried You, body and blood, soul and divinity,
within the sanctuary of her body.
She also carried You within her heart
as a result of her perfect love for You
and her perfect obedience to the will of the Father.
Precious Lord, as I embrace this Advent Season,
please open my eyes to see the great value
and blessing of Your Incarnation.
Help me to discover Your hidden presence
in this world and within my own soul.
I desire to see, understand and experience
the profound effects that Your Incarnation
has on my life and I desire to receive
those effects more fully this Advent.
May I become a sanctuary in which
You dwell so that I, like Your dear Mother,
may bring Your presence into the world.
My loving Jesus, I choose You, this Advent,
as my King and my God.
I abandon myself to You and seek to put all
my trust in Your tender care.
Draw me close to You and free me from my sin
so that I may love You with a pure and holy heart.
Mother Mary, as You carried your dear Son
in your immaculate womb, you also carried Him in your heart.
Pray for me, this Advent, that I may surrender
myself to the will of the Father in imitation of you.
You said “Yes” to all that God asked of you and
never hesitated to fully embrace His divine will.
Pray that I may imitate your perfect example
so as to share a deeper union with you and your divine Son.
Come, Lord Jesus,
Come, Lord Jesus,
Come, Lord Jesus!
Amen.
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NATIONAL EUCHARISTIC REVIVAL
NEW WEEKLY INFO
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NEW DETAILS NOW AVAILABLE
The wait is over! A daily schedule for the National
Eucharistic Congress is live on our website.
You can now explore what this incredible
experience will look like day by day.
Preview the options for impact sessions in the morning
that speak to your particular vocation and mission.
Then, get excited for the dynamic revival sessions,
when the whole assembly will gather in Lucas Oil Stadium
to experience the power and love of Jesus.
These sessions—and the soon-to-be-announced
afternoon breakout sessions—
will be led by the expansive list of faithful speakers
who will join us in Indianapolis this summer.
Scroll through the updated schedule to
see many powerful opportunities for
encounters with Christ through prayer and the sacraments.
Click the link below for EVENT schedules:
EVENT SCHEDULES
Click the link below for IMPACT Sessions:
IMPACT SESSIONS
Click the link below for the SPEAKERS list:
SPEAKERS LIST
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From Limelight to Lamblight:
Following the Eucharistic Light
of Christ in Advent
Deacon Lucio Carus reflects,
“As we enter once again into the beauty of Advent,
we renew our longing for the Light of Christ
to come into our lives and into all the dark places in our world.
But what exactly is this Light?
And what might prevent us from receiving it?
I would like to share some thoughts that
provide some answers to these questions
and add yet another dimension to the richness
of the Eucharist that our Church in the U.S. is reflecting upon.
Click below to read more:
FROM LIMELIGHT TO LAMBLIGHT
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In the Streets
Another major moment in the Revival:
National Eucharistic Pilgrimage
one of the largest Eucharistic pilgrimages in history!
We will process with our Eucharistic Lord on 4 routes,
departing from our nation's north, south, east, and west edges.
These branches will meet in Indianapolis in July 2024
for the National Eucharistic Congress.
To see the four routes, and intercessor for each, click below:
NATIONAL EUCHARISTIC PILGRIMAGE ROUTES
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If you see a link on your device's screen that says,
"View entire message”,
please click that link to continue seeing the entire newsletter.
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REGISTRATION INFO FOR THE CONGRESS
WILL YOU BE THERE, TOO?
You can join us!
July, 2024
for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress.
Directly experience the fruits of your intercession and
see its impact around the country.
Click the link below to REGISTER:
REGISTRATION FOR 10TH
NATIONAL EUCHARISTIC CONFERENCE
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QUIZ! FOR THE WEEK
HOW FAST CAN ANGELS FLY?
Scroll down to find the answer!
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HUMOR
HIGHLIGHT
Oil
Two old friends met one day after many years.
One attended college, and now was very successful.
The other had not attended college and never had much ambition.
The successful one said, "How has everything been going with you?"
"Well, one day I opened the Bible at random,
and dropped my finger on a word and it was oil.
So, I invested in oil, and boy, did the oil wells gush.
Then another day I dropped my finger on another word and it was gold.
So, I invested in gold and those mines really produced.
Now, I'm as rich as Rockefeller."
The successful friend was so impressed
that he rushed to his hotel, grabbed a Gideon Bible,
flipped it open, and dropped his finger on a page.
He opened his eyes and his finger rested on the words,
"Chapter Eleven."
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GOSPEL READING REFLECTION
For December 10, 2023
THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR B
Gospel: Mk 1: 1-8
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The Virtue of Friendliness
- John is the last and greatest of all the prophets of Israel, sent by God immediately before Christ’s advent to prepare the way for him (CCC 523). “John bears witness to Christ in his preaching, by his Baptism of conversion, and through his martyrdom” (CCC 523).
- Many Jews who heard John the Baptist responded positively; that is, they received this “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”
- Some questions we can all ask ourselves are: To what extent do I need to repent? To what extent have I repented? What makes me want to repent? How can I help others convert their lives?
- God desires to be in a state of friendship with us and for us to be in a state of friendship with ourselves, with other persons, and even with the natural world. That is what the Church means by original holiness and justice. It is why Christ has saved us, why he sanctifies us, and why there will be a new creation.
- God’s friendliness is what draws us to him. Human friendliness is what draws us to other persons and other persons to us.
- Friendliness is the virtue by which we show to others that we welcome, accept, value and support them. Friendliness helps us to make and keep friends. Friendliness helps us to ‘just get along’ with people in all sorts of situations. It assists us in cooperating with others to achieve goals. Other names for friendliness are sociability and agreeableness.
- It is possible to be “too” friendly or falsely friendly. Watch out for flatterers who feign friendship to manipulate. It is also a vice to lack friendliness. Nobody likes to be around a surly, self-interested lout.
- People deserve our friendliness because of their inherent human dignity.
- Friendliness is affectionate, warm, and welcoming; friendliness is delighted with and admiring of the other; it is altruistic, benevolent, beneficial, generous, and helpful whenever it sees a need; it is benign and never deliberately does harm; it is attentive, considerate, sympathetic, and supportive; it is patient, peaceful, and easy-going in the face of difficulties; it is civil, cordial, courteous, and respectful; it is cheerful and has a sense of humor; it is forgiving, lenient, conciliatory and understanding; it is communicative and responsive; it is cooperative; friendliness is loyal, faithful, devoted, and trustworthy.
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ANSWER TO QUIZ
This is a trick question.
After all, we are talking about pure spirits
who are without bodies and therefore
do not have the limitations that we have.
Angels do not move like we do.
They aren’t bogged down by a sandy beach
or bullied by strong winds or blocked by a wall.
Instead of physically running from place to place,
as we must, they are present wherever they choose to be,
or in other words, wherever their will is acting.
Their presence, then, can be instantaneous!
St. Thomas Aquinas says,
“An angel can be in one place in one instant
and in another place in the next instant,
without any time intervening.”
So, according to our understanding of “fast”
—that is, moving from one place to another as quickly as possible—
the angels are indeed fast.
Click the link below to watch a video explain more:
CAN ANGELS MOVE?
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BOOK
RECOMMENDATION
We need to be armed for battle!
At all times, and especially during these crazy times in this vale of tears,
we need to lay our foundation in Christ Jesus.
Spiritual reading helps us build and strengthen that foundation.
Order through your favorite book dealer.
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This week's recommendation is:
33 Days to Eucharistic Glory
BY
MATTHEW KELLY
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At critical times throughout Salvation History,
God’s people have been invited to consecrate themselves.
We are at one of those critical times in history,
and consecrating ourselves, our families, our country,
and indeed, the whole world to the Eucharist
may make all the difference.
33 Days to Eucharistic Glory is the first ever Eucharistic Consecration.
This unprecedented spiritual resource presents profound truths,
astonishing historical facts, powerful practical examples,
a daily virtue to adopt, extraordinary prayers, and inspiring stories
—all in an easy-to-follow daily format.
Life is a pilgrimage.
It is a sacred journey toward our eternal home with God.
Learn what it means to be a pilgrim in a world
that is constantly trying to reduce you to a tourist and consumer.
Journey with Mother Teresa, John Paul II, Thérèse of Lisieux,
Maximilian Kolbe, Thomas Aquinas, Sister Faustina,
the Children of Fatima, and Mary the Mother of God
to experience Jesus in the Eucharist like never before.
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We pray you will be excited to embark on purposeful
spiritual reading as a way to build a more prayer-filled,
Christ centered life.
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