Communication with Visitors* Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on us! December 12 (17, 24, 25, 31) Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, Today is the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. May the Patroness of the whole of North America help us prepare for the coming of Christmas! Alleluia! Yours very sincerely in Christ and Our Heavenly Mother, Editor P.S. (Dec. 17) Facing all the chastising impurity scandals and their consequences in North America, there seem to be at least two responses: 1) This is exactly what we do not need. 2) This is exactly what we need. If such an unprecedented chastisement, however painful and embarrassing, would eventually bring forth unprecedented truth, honour, justice, purity, love and graciousness (cf. Phi 4.8), this may be exactly what the Church needs. Shall we praise God in all circumstances? 1Thess 5:16-24 definitely says yes. P.S. (Dec. 24) Besides IQ (Intelligent Quotient) and EQ (Emotional Quotient), many people today have been thinking of SQ (Spiritual Quotient). What possible areas of SQ can one develop during the Christmas Season then? Briefly, we make two suggestions with the fact that God is both Love and Light: 1) LQ (Love Quotient) We may ask: How much does God love us through the birth of Christ Our Lord? What would have happened to all creation without the Christ's Incarnation? How could we share with others the love of God for us? 2) LQ (Light Quotient) As Christmas (just as Easter) is a festival of lights, we may ask: How often do the Scriptures, hymns, liturgical texts use the word "light" and its synonyms (as well as its countless synonymous adjectival and adverbial forms) during the Christmas Season? This may help us to better understand the Five Mysteries of Light which the current Year of the Holy Rosary is celebrating. Here we wish every dear sister and brother in Christ a truly merry Christmas and Happy New Year! P.S. (Dec. 25) Happy Birthday, Jesus! According to St. Gregory of Nyssa, the highest division of all beings is that between the Uncreated and the created. If so, the only future of the created and to be in loving union with the Uncreated. Comparing the finite created with the infinite Uncreated, the whole creation is smaller than the smallest drop of water, particle, or dust existing in the midst of an infinite Pacific Ocean of Uncreated Divine Love, Joy and Peace. Without doubt, the whole creation has been created primarily to be in irreversible union with the Uncreated. Cut off from the omnipresent, all-permeating and all-loving Uncreated, the created simply goes nowhere in untold self-suffocation and loss of meaning. Its only true faith, hope and love consists in its ceaseless openness, love and union with the Uncreated (and in that loving union to be in loving union with other created beings). Sin is a cut-off from the Uncreated. Jesus Christ, the Uncreated-Created Word Made Flesh, the Only Bridge (or Way) between the Uncreated and the created has never been more needed in our sinful world (just think of 911 and its extremely sad, seemingly unstoppable conflicts among nations). Without the Bridging of this All-Loving and All-Forgiving Uncreated-created Bridge, the whole creation would be forever lost to itself, condemning itself to utter folly and darkness, even irreversible separation from the All-Present Uncreated. Today is born (or reborn) to the whole creation the Lord of the infinite Uncreated and the Only One Bridge between the finite created and this Omnipresent and Omnipotent Uncreated. How can the whole creation not adore this Bridge (who is born only to die as the Victim of our sins and folly) with all its heart, all its mind, all its soul and all its strength (unless we think the whole creation can be in loving union with the Uncreated without this Mediator between the Uncreated and the created)? As they know what they are doing, may all of us join the whole Family of Holy Angels and Saints in unceasing adoration and thanksgiving to Jesus Christ, the Lord and Saviour of all created beings! P.S. (Dec. 31) God's Uncreated Love, Joy and Peace are then everywhere permeating the whole creation. How could we then tap into such Uncreated Treasures? The whole Divine Heavenly Family would say, "Pray, pray, and pray." Perhaps we should start praying daily the whole Holy Rosary (which includes the Joyful, the Sorrowful, the Glorious and the Luminous Mysteries) as quite a few Christians have already started doing, besides attending Mass and an Holy Hour daily before Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament (who does not cease radiating such Uncreated Treasures to us). Alleluia! Here we wish every dear sister and brother in Christ and Our Heavenly Mother a happy New Year! * Fr. Michael Lapierre, S.J., and the editor John Cheng are currently taking part in this column. The background hymn is a version of "Immaculate Mary". Thank you.
December 12 (17, 24, 25, 31)
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Today is the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. May the Patroness of the whole of North America help us prepare for the coming of Christmas! Alleluia!
Yours very sincerely in Christ and Our Heavenly Mother,
Editor
P.S. (Dec. 17) Facing all the chastising impurity scandals and their consequences in North America, there seem to be at least two responses: 1) This is exactly what we do not need. 2) This is exactly what we need. If such an unprecedented chastisement, however painful and embarrassing, would eventually bring forth unprecedented truth, honour, justice, purity, love and graciousness (cf. Phi 4.8), this may be exactly what the Church needs. Shall we praise God in all circumstances? 1Thess 5:16-24 definitely says yes.
P.S. (Dec. 24) Besides IQ (Intelligent Quotient) and EQ (Emotional Quotient), many people today have been thinking of SQ (Spiritual Quotient). What possible areas of SQ can one develop during the Christmas Season then?
Briefly, we make two suggestions with the fact that God is both Love and Light: 1) LQ (Love Quotient) We may ask: How much does God love us through the birth of Christ Our Lord? What would have happened to all creation without the Christ's Incarnation? How could we share with others the love of God for us?
2) LQ (Light Quotient) As Christmas (just as Easter) is a festival of lights, we may ask: How often do the Scriptures, hymns, liturgical texts use the word "light" and its synonyms (as well as its countless synonymous adjectival and adverbial forms) during the Christmas Season? This may help us to better understand the Five Mysteries of Light which the current Year of the Holy Rosary is celebrating.
Here we wish every dear sister and brother in Christ a truly merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
P.S. (Dec. 25) Happy Birthday, Jesus!
According to St. Gregory of Nyssa, the highest division of all beings is that between the Uncreated and the created. If so, the only future of the created and to be in loving union with the Uncreated.
Comparing the finite created with the infinite Uncreated, the whole creation is smaller than the smallest drop of water, particle, or dust existing in the midst of an infinite Pacific Ocean of Uncreated Divine Love, Joy and Peace. Without doubt, the whole creation has been created primarily to be in irreversible union with the Uncreated. Cut off from the omnipresent, all-permeating and all-loving Uncreated, the created simply goes nowhere in untold self-suffocation and loss of meaning. Its only true faith, hope and love consists in its ceaseless openness, love and union with the Uncreated (and in that loving union to be in loving union with other created beings).
Sin is a cut-off from the Uncreated. Jesus Christ, the Uncreated-Created Word Made Flesh, the Only Bridge (or Way) between the Uncreated and the created has never been more needed in our sinful world (just think of 911 and its extremely sad, seemingly unstoppable conflicts among nations). Without the Bridging of this All-Loving and All-Forgiving Uncreated-created Bridge, the whole creation would be forever lost to itself, condemning itself to utter folly and darkness, even irreversible separation from the All-Present Uncreated.
Today is born (or reborn) to the whole creation the Lord of the infinite Uncreated and the Only One Bridge between the finite created and this Omnipresent and Omnipotent Uncreated. How can the whole creation not adore this Bridge (who is born only to die as the Victim of our sins and folly) with all its heart, all its mind, all its soul and all its strength (unless we think the whole creation can be in loving union with the Uncreated without this Mediator between the Uncreated and the created)?
As they know what they are doing, may all of us join the whole Family of Holy Angels and Saints in unceasing adoration and thanksgiving to Jesus Christ, the Lord and Saviour of all created beings!
P.S. (Dec. 31)
God's Uncreated Love, Joy and Peace are then everywhere permeating the whole creation. How could we then tap into such Uncreated Treasures? The whole Divine Heavenly Family would say, "Pray, pray, and pray." Perhaps we should start praying daily the whole Holy Rosary (which includes the Joyful, the Sorrowful, the Glorious and the Luminous Mysteries) as quite a few Christians have already started doing, besides attending Mass and an Holy Hour daily before Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament (who does not cease radiating such Uncreated Treasures to us). Alleluia!
Here we wish every dear sister and brother in Christ and Our Heavenly Mother a happy New Year!
* Fr. Michael Lapierre, S.J., and the editor John Cheng are currently taking part in this column. The background hymn is a version of "Immaculate Mary". Thank you.