Since the sixth century, on December 28, the Church has celebrated the memory of those children killed because of Herod’s rage against Christ (Mt 2:16-17). Liturgical tradition refers to them as the “Holy Innocents” and regards them as martyrs.

Throughout the centuries Christian art, poetry and popular piety have enfolded the memory of the “tender flock of lambs”(125) with sentiments of tenderness and sympathy. These sentiments are also accompanied by a note of indignation against the violence with which they were taken from their mothers’ arms and killed.

In our own times, children suffer innumerable forms of violence which threaten their lives, dignity and right to education. On this day, it is appropriate to recall the vast host of children not yet born who have been killed under the cover of laws permitting abortion, which is an abominable crime. Mindful of these specific problems, popular piety in many places has inspired acts of worship as well as displays of charity which provide assistance to pregnant mothers, encourage adoption and the promotion of the education of children.

As recorded in the gospel of Matthew, after the visit of the Magi, Herod, in rage and jealousy, slaughtered all the baby boys in Bethlehem and surrounding countryside in an attempt to destroy his perceived rival, the infant Messiah. These “innocents” are honored by the Church as martyrs.

In countries where our own innocents are daily being slaughtered by abortion, this feast day is a special time to remember the unborn, to pray for their cause, and perhaps to picket or pray at facilities where unborn babies are killed through abortion.

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The Feast of the Holy Family celebrates the family unit and the Holy Family: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The feast usually falls on the Sunday after Christmas. If Christmas is a Sunday, then the feast is celebrated on December 30th.

This year the feast falls on December 28, 2008.

Prayers:-

Let us pray
Father,
help us to live as the Holy Family,
united in respect and love.
Bring us to the joy and peace of your eternal home.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Let us pray
Father in heaven, creator of all,
you ordered the earth to bring forth life,
and crowned its goodness by creating the family of man.
In history’s moment when all was ready
You sent your Son to dwell in time,
obedient to the laws of life in our world.
Teach us the sanctity of human love,
show us the value of family life,
and help us to live in peace with all men
that we may share in your life forever.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

Lord Jesus Christ,
who, being made subject to Mary and Joseph,
didst consecrate domestic life
by Thine ineffable virtues;
grant that we,
with the assistance of both,
may be taught by the example
of Thy Holy Family
and may attain to its everlasting fellowship.
Who livest and reignest forever. Amen.

Jesus, our most loving redeemer,
You came to enlighten the world
with your teaching and example.
You willed to spend the greater part of Your life
in humble obedience to Mary and Joseph
in the poor home of Nazareth.
In this way, You sanctified that family,
which was to be an example for all Christian families.
Graciously accept our family,
which we dedicate and consecrate to You this day.
Be pleased to protect, guard, and keep it
in holy fear, in peace,
and in the harmony of Christian charity.
By conforming ourselves to the Divine model
of Your family,
may we attain to eternal happiness.

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated every year on the eighth of December. Even though this feast day occurs in the liturgical season of Advent, which prepares for the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Immaculate Conception refers to the conception of Mary in the womb of her mother, St. Anne.

The dogma of the Immaculate Conception asserts that, ” from the first moment of her conception, the Blessed Virgin Mary was, by the singular grace and privilege of Almighty God, and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of Mankind, kept free from all stain of original sin.”

St. Ephraem of Syria wrote in the Nisibene Hymns: “Certainly You alone and your mother are from every aspect completely beautiful for there is no blemish in Thee, my Lord, and no stain in Thy mother.” (Hymn. B. Maria 13:5-6)

The Immaculate Conception is the conception of the Virgin Mary without any stain (“macula” in Latin) of original sin. It is sometimes also called the Immaculata, also in artistic contexts. The dogma thus says that, from the first moment of her existence, she was preserved by God from the lack of sanctifying grace that afflicts mankind, and that she was instead filled with divine grace. It is further believed that she lived a life completely free from sin.

In the words of Pope Pius XII in Mystici Corporis, “she was free from any personal or hereditary sin”. Her immaculate conception in the womb of her mother, by normal sexual intercourse, should not be confused with the doctrine of the virginal conception of her son Jesus. The apparitions of Mary to St. Catherine Laboure in 1830 under the image of the Miraculous Medal helped to give further support , with its invocation, “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.”

In 1847, Pope Pius IX (1846-1878) consulted the cardinals of the church about the possibility of defining the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, An encyclical, Ubi Primum, was sent to the 603 bishops of the world asking their thoughts . Only four or five bishops opposed definability and several others questioned the “opportuneness” of the definition. On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX solemnly defined the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception with the papal bull, Ineffabilis Deus. Several years later, in 1858, the Blessed Mother gave her name to St. Bernadette at Lourdes stating, “I am the Immaculate Conception.”

As we celebrate the beautiful solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady, may Mary’s holiness encourage us to seek her help and continued protection in our own efforts to overcome sin and lead holy, sanctified lives.

Tags: church, free, god, holy, jesus christ, mary, Special Days, virgin mary

All Soul’s Day also known as “The Day of the Dead” is a Roman Catholic day of remembrance for friends and loved ones who have passed away. The living pray on behalf of Christians who are in purgatory, the state in the afterlife where souls are purified before proceeding to heaven. All Souls’ Day commemorates the faithful departed. This day is observed in the Roman Catholic Church, churches of the Anglican Communion, Old Catholic Churches, and to some extent among Protestants. All Souls’ Day is also known as the Feast of All Souls, Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed.

The commemoration of all the faithful departed is celebrated by the Church on 2 November, or, if this be a Sunday or a solemnity, on 3 November. The day purposely follows All Saint’s Day in order to shift the focus from those in heaven to those in purgatory. It is celebrated with masses and festivities in honor of the dead. While the Feast of All Saints is a day to remember the glories of Heaven and those there, the Feast of All Souls reminds us of our obligations to live holy lives and that there will be purification of the souls of those destined for Heaven.

The Office of the Dead must be recited by the clergy and all the Masses are to be of Requiem, except one of the current feast, where this is of obligation. The theological basis for the feast is the doctrine that the souls which, on departing from the body, are not perfectly cleansed from venial sins, or have not fully atoned for past transgressions, are debarred from the Beatific Vision, and that the faithful on earth can help them by prayers, almsdeeds and especially by the sacrifice of the Mass. Souls in purgatory, who are members of the church just like living Christians, must suffer so that they can be purged of their sins.

It is a time to pray for their souls that they may be received into heaven. Upon death, it is believed that souls have not yet been cleansed of sin. Praying for souls of loved ones helps to remove the stain of sin, and allow the souls to enter the pearly gates of heaven. Through prayer and good works, living members of the church may help their departed friends and family. There are three Requiem Masses that are said by the clergy to assist the souls from Purgatory to Heaven: one for the celebrant, one for the departed, and one for the pope.

This is the day when the Church commemorates and prays for the holy souls in Purgatory, undergoing purification of their sins before entering heaven.

Prayers:-

Merciful Father,
hear our prayer and console us.
As we renew our faith in Your Son,
whom You raised from the dead,
strengthen our hope
that all our departed brothers and sisters
will share in His resurrection,
who lives and reigns
with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen

Eternal Rest grant unto them (him/her),
O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them (him/her).
May they (he/she) rest in peace.

We suppliants, O Lord,
pour forth our prayers
for the souls of Thy servants and handmaids,
that Thou wouldst mercifully pardon
whatsoever they have committed
through human frailty
and graciously bring their sufferings to an end.
Through Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

My God,
bestow Thy blessings and Thy mercies
on all persons
and on those souls in Purgatory
for whom I am in charity, gratitude, or friendship bound
and have the desire to pray. Amen

O God,
who has commanded us
to honor our father and mother:
in your mercy
have pity on the souls of my father and mother
and forgive them their trespasses;
and make me to see them again
in the joy of everlasting brightness. Amen.

Incline Thine ear, O Lord,
unto our prayers,
wherein we humbly pray Thee
to show Thy mercy
upon the soul of Thy servant [Name],
whom Thou hast commanded
to pass out of this world,
that Thou wouldst place him
in the region of peace and light,
and bid him be a partaker with Thy Saints.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

We beseech Thee, O Lord,
according to Thy loving-kindness,
have mercy upon the soul of Thy handmaiden [Name],
and now that she is set free
from the defilements of this mortal flesh,
restore her to her heritage of everlasting salvation.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

O most sweet Jesus,
through the bloody sweat
which Thou didst suffer
in the Garden of Gethsemane,
have mercy on these Blessed Souls.
Have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus,
through the pains
which Thou didst suffer
during Thy most cruel scourging,
have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus,
through the pains
which Thou didst suffer
in Thy most painful crowning with thorns,
have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus,
through the pains
which Thou didst suffer
in carrying Thy cross to Calvary,
have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus,
through the pains
which Thou didst suffer
during Thy most cruel Crucifixion,
have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus,
through the pains
which Thou didst suffer
in Thy most bitter agony on the Cross,
have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus,
through the immense pain
which Thou didst suffer
in breathing forth Thy Blessed Soul,
have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

(Recommend yourself to the Souls in Purgatory and mention your intentions here)

Blessed Souls,
I have prayed for thee;
I entreat thee, who are so dear to God,
and who are secure of never losing Him,
to pray for me a miserable sinner,
who is in danger of being damned,
and of losing God forever. Amen.