I heard of something called the Octave of Christmas. What does that mean? Pierre

Pierre,

     Simply put, the Octave of Christmas is a way of continuing the celebration of Christmas so that we can better understand the Incarnation of Jesus. 
     Unpacking what that means will take a little more time.  Here's how I understand it:  Sometimes an event is so significant that it is impossible to take that event in all at one time.  An example might be visiting the Grand Canyon, or the Basilica of St. Peter - or even reading the Bible.  There is so much to take in, that it is virtually impossible to comprehend it all in one viewing, or in one visit.   So, we return to it - again and again in order to soak in all that it has to offer.   That's the way it is with the mystery of the Incarnation (God becoming Man).  It's so huge that we need more time to ponder the mysterious ways of God in all that this entails.
     At one time there were as many as 15 'octaves' on the Catholic Liturgical Calendar.   However, in 1969, all were removed except for Christmas and Easter.  The Octave of Christmas starts on Christmas Day and extends for seven more days through January 1st.  That makes eight days - and the word octave means eight.  Each one of the days reflects back on the Nativity and the impact of that Birth.The liturgies on those days honor someone who loved Jesus without question.  
Dec 25th is the Nativity itself.
Dec 26th remembers St. Stephen who was the first martyr who died because he believed that Christ, whom we celebrate on the Nativity, was truly God.
Dec 27th is St. John the Evangelist who was the only Apostle at the Crucifixion.
Dec 28th is dedicated to the Holy Innocents.  Those are the baby boys under the age of two who were killed by King Herod because he was afraid that the new 'King' whom the Jews were awaiting, and was sought by the Magi, was among them.   
This year (2014) the feast of the Holy Family is celebrated on the 28th the because this Feast is to fall on the first Sunday after Christmas and it pre-empts all the other feasts celebrated during the octave - except the solemnity of the Blessed Mother.  When Her Solemnity falls on that 1st Sunday after Christmas, then the feast of the Holy Family is moved to the 30th of December.
Dec 29th is St. Thomas Becket.  He was Martyred because he defended the Church from being taken over and run by King Henry II.
Dec 30th Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.  We are to emulate their love and faith in God.  Because we celebrate this day on the 28th this year, the 30th will just be called the 6th day in the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord.
Dec 31st the life of Saint Pope Sylvester I.  He supported the Council of Nicea in 325AD where the Church proclaimed Jesus and both human and divine, and as consubstantial (of the same substance) with God the Father. 
Jan 1st ends the Octave with the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.  The Gospel reading of the day focuses on her obedience to the law and the circumcision and naming of Jesus on the 8th day after His birth.  It is a Holy Day of Obligation on which we honor Mary's role in salvation history. 

Hope this helps!
(from Our Sunday Visitor (OSV) December 28, 2014  "The Christmas octave:  Continuing the celebration."  D.D. Emmons.  P6 & 7)

A resolution-ary thought for 2015!!

Last year the Pittsburgh Catholic ran an excellent article about resolutions for the New Year.  I didn’t read it until a week or so after it ran, and I felt that it was too late then to share.  However, it was so good that I clipped it out and kept it to share for this year.  Its words must be something someone who is reading this is supposed to hear because I actually found the article!  I didn’t lose it; I remembered that I wanted to share it with you; and the week that I remembered it is the week for our New Year’s bulletin ie:  the timing is PERFECT!

Isn’t that just how God works?!!

Here it is: 

     "A new year always brings the opportunity for a fresh start.  Resolutions can be a tricky thing because they force us to consider altering long-held behavior patterns, and then make an affirmative choice for the change in behavior when the situation presents itself.  Take TV watching.  It could be ripe for a change in behavior because Americans have the TV on so much every day.  That allows for many chances to make those affirmative choices, instead of surrendering to the status quo.
     "Here are a few suggestions on making more affirmative choices in your television diet.  First, watch less TV.  When NBS coined the phrase ‘must –see TV’ to describe its powerhouse Thursday prime-time lineup of a generation ago, it didn’t meant that all of us must see TV regardless of what’s on!  Instead, think of the term ‘appointment television.’  Just as you would with meals, put some advance thought about what it is you want to watch before you turn on the TV.  Don’t be content with just watching the next show that comes on, and the show after that, and so on.
         "(Second)If you watch TV, then resolve to watch TV.  Avoid multitasking with the tube on.  If you’re going to presumably view the collective effort of hundreds of people working on both sides of the camera, you don’t really want to be playing solitaire on your smartphone, do you?  That lessens he experience for you, and shortchanges the people on the creative end.
       "(Third)  If you have children in your home, don’t let them watch TV unattended.  Watch with them.  Make TV watching a reward, rather than a diversion that allows t you to do ‘more important things.’  In truth, time spent helping form children’s attitudes and consciences is the best time spent of all.
       "Finally, be a critique of TV.  That’s different from being a criticizer.  While there is much about television to criticize, you have to develop the abilitiy to think critically about what you’ve viewed, and judge whether you as a viewer are being manipulated in ways you like or don’t like, ranging from the latest e[isode of a hit series to the local news.  With as many channels as there are today, you can certainly shop the television-programming marketplace to find shows that better appeal to your values and sensibilities, if you take the time to seek them out."
(‘Resolve to be a better television watcher’ by Mark Pattison, Catholic News Service.  Pittsburgh Catholic, Friday, January 10, 2014, p 7)

I couldn't have expressed it better myself!  Happy 2015!!

Don't forget to look back at the earlier blogs!

There's info early on about the
Ark of the Covenant,
forgiveness,
the Scapular,
the Culture of Waste,
Jesus' last name,
abstinence from meat on Fridays,
and more!                              
Just like some people I know, they may be older, but they're still good!!

¡¡ Happy New (Liturgical) Year !!

It's almost time for our new liturgical year to begin! 

What's "Liturgical Year"?  It's our name for the Church's Cycle of Readings.  The 'Church Year' is arranged in seasons - Advent, Christmas, Ordinary time, Lent, Easter, and Ordinary time again.  Within each season, the Church celebrates by pondering on Jesus' birth, life, death, Resurrection, and Ascension. 

The decorations on the Altar help us celebrate.  And, the priest also helps by wearing the color of the season on his chasuble.  For example... Violent is the color used to symbolize penance and preparation. We see it in Advent and Lent.  White represents innocence and joy.  It is worn at Christmas and Easter (as well as on some other special feast days.)   Green is used in ordinary time and symbolizes hope.  Take a look at a couple of different versions of a liturgical calendar: 

                       
http://picsjpg.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/catholic_liturgical_calendar_2014_canada.jpg          http://www.freewebs.com/asctech/wheel.gif


                                                
                                                       http://cart.pflaum.com/image.php?type=P&id=39

Note that all are shown as cyclical.  That's because we never end in our Worship of God!  Note that all have the colors mentioned on them.  You can see that the Gospel reading for the Sundays are listed on two of them.  Holy Days of Obligation and other special celebration days can also be seen. The Church's Liturgical Year begins on the first Sunday of Advent.  The last week is the Feast of Christ the King. 

In the first picture, you'll note that even the weekday readings are listed - which is why the wheel is so thick - The Sunday is on the outside of the wheel and the weekdays are listed towards the middle of the ring. 

On the last picture, you can see that the Cycle Year is listed.   2015 is Cycle B in the Church Calendar.  What does that mean?  Well, if you went to Mass every single day for three years, you'd hear the entire Bible read at the Masses.  Every time we celebrate Mass, we hear a reading from the Old Testament, the Psalms, the New Testament, and the Gospels.  Each year the Gospel readings come primarily from one Gospel... Year B Gospel readings will be mostly from Mark.   Wait! there are 4 Gospels, you say?  How right you are!  Every year, the Gospel of John is visited at different times too. 

Why so many green weeks of ordinary time?  Well, I like to have my students think about it like this:  What happens in the ordinary time of the year ie:  when the weather is not too rainy, when it's not too cold, not too dry, not too hot etc?  The green grass just grows.  That's what we are supposed to do during ordinary time.  We are to be nurturing our faith life so that we can blossom during the special times. 

We delve intensely into preparing for Jesus'  birth at Advent, and into his passion, death, and resurrection during Lent.  Christmas and Easter are the mountaintop moments which shine brightly in our year.  

You will notice some numbering differences on the calendar also.  They aren't listed from 1 - 52 like a yearly calendar.  We count the weeks of each period separately. We have 34 weeks of Ordinary time with the other seasons falling into place among those weeks.  Check it out and see what you discover!

I just heard about some new way to pray. I think it's called lexio divinity. What is that? - Mike

Mike,
The prayer form you are talking about is called Lectio Divina.  And it's actually quite an old form of meditation.  It means "divine reading."  It is a way of turning inward and inviting God to talk with us.  Saint Cyprian said it like this, "When you pray, you speak with God' when you read, God speaks with you." 
Basically,  the way it works is this: 
1.  Read the passage aloud so you can carefully 'hear' a word or phrase that captures your attention.
2.  Meditate on that word or phrase by silently repeating it over and over.  Think about what God might be saying to you through that word or phrase.
3.  Read the passage aloud again considering what God is saying to you through this reading.

Then, you're not over ... Reflect on how you will put God's Word into action!  and do it!!  Your action may be a change in your thinking, an actual work, or even more prayer time with God. 

I was recently at my youth group and a discussion was brought up about Jesus on the cross. We were discussing what Jesus meant when he said, "My God, why have you forsaken me?" I have always thought that he was quoting scripture. Which scripture is he quoting? If any? Regards, Missy

Yes, you are right it was a quote from Bible.  Jesus quoted a lot of scripture in his ministry!

At this time it was Psalm 22:2. The title of the Psalm is "The Prayer of an Innocent Person"  and although it begins with such intense distress, it progresses to inviting people to praise God and ends in a universal chorus of praise. 

Now I ask you something, Missy ... Jesus quoted scripture throughout his life and especially at his final moments.  What was he teaching us?  What should we learn from him through that?  What do I need to do if I want to be more like Jesus in my life?

"Did Jesus really multiply the loaves and the fish?" I have friends who say that the real miracle that took place was that the people shared their food with each other.

Yes, Jesus really multiplied the loaves and the fish.  People who say that everyone shared their food then are doing something "theologians call 'reductionism,' ie:  trying to explain a supernatural event in purely natural, worldly terms.

In John:6 the focus is on what JESUS did, not what the people did.  Jesus showed his compassion for the people who had been with him all day.  He recognized that they were hungry and so asked the apostles about buying food for them.  The apostles informed Jesus of two things.  1. There was no place nearby where there would be enough food for that many people, and 2. Even if there was someplace they could purchase enough food, they would need more than 200 days' wages to be able to get enough to feed them all.  Two hundred days is over 6 months worth of days!  They would have had to work over 1/2 a year to have enough money to feed all those people!

Jesus already know that.  John tells us, "he said this to test [Philip], because he himself knew what he was going to do."  John 6:6. 

Peter's brother Andrew then came forth and said that he had found a little boy who was selling food, but he only had 5 barley loaves and two fish - certainly not enough for 5000+ people!   Jesus told the crowd to sit and get ready to eat.  He didn't stand up and ask if anyone else had more food.  He didn't give them a lecture about sharing what they had.  No, he blessed the food and fed them all.  When the leftovers were collected, there were 12 wicker baskets of bread fragments left. 

In this miracle Jesus revealed that "He is the One who provides nourishment - both physically and spiritually - for his people. ... He is the living bread come down from heaven which gives life to the world.  (John 6:51, 35)"  This miracle foreshadows the Eucharist.  And what a miracle that is!
(Did Jesus have a last name & 199 other questions from Catholic teenagers.  by Matthew Pinto & Jason Evert   Ascension Press  (c) 2005 p 45)