In the earliest tradition, the believing community celebrated the Lord’s Nativity four times by listening to Matthew, Luke and John’s interpretation of Christ’s birth.
Matthew 1:18-25 is proclaimed in vigil at sunset: “Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way.” The birth’s meaning: “… ‘they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.’”
At midnight the community listens as Luke (2:1-14) tells the Gospel story about an engaged pregnant woman named Mary who gave birth and “…wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger…”
An angel reveals the birth’s meaning: “…I am bringing you good news of great joy…to you is born …a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”
At dawn, Luke (2:15-20) continues telling his story. Shepherds “…went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.” “But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.” The community continues Mary’s tradition to this day.
Later on Christmas Day John’s Gospel poem (1:1-18) leads the community into deeper meaning of the birth:
“And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth …From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.”
The Lord’s Nativity is such a sumptuous banquet of God’s Word, body and blood that four times on Christmas Day the Lord gathers the community just to sample the rich feast offered by Matthew, Luke and John.
On Dec. 4 I attended the high school retreat organized by the Newman Catholic Student Center students in Iowa City.
The theme was “On That Holy Mountain.” They talked about the struggles people have or obstacles that come in the way of staying on top of your “holy mountain.” Everyone faces these mountains in their life. We even fear them and struggle to climb them. Some come unexpectedly and some we can see from a far distance. The point is that with our faith and God close by we can all get to the top of the mountain.
We broke into groups and talked about the different struggles that we have as high school students. Everyone shared some of the different kinds of struggles within their lives from school, peer pressure, getting ready for college, parents, death of a family member, and even the death of a close friend. It helped us relate, and showed us that everyone struggles to find God in certain situations. We also learned different methods in working through these situations.
We then read two different passages from the Bible. These readings showed us how God, Abraham, Jesus and his disciples struggled to reach their “Holy Mountain.”
The first passage we read was from Genesis Chapter 22. In this reading, Abraham was able to climb a mountain because of his trust in God. We trust in God every day by doing certain tasks. Some of these tasks are as simple as going to school and trusting in God that we don’t get isolated for the way we look or how we act.
The second passage we read was from Luke Chapter 6. In this reading, Jesus departed to the mountain to spend the night in prayer with God. Later, Jesus chose his 12 disciples with the guidance of God. From this passage we learned that everyone needs guidance. Life gives us choices … we just have to trust in God to show us the best ones. Sometimes it’s hard to put all of your trust upon God. Leaning on God is a process that starts with small steps but, eventually you start to walk, and if you have total faith you will learn to run.
Thank you Newman Center for this awesome retreat!
(Amrika Stumpf, 17, is a student at Iowa City West High School and a member of St. Patrick Parish in Iowa City and the Diocesan Youth Ministry Committee.)
Q: Why do some saints get a feast day?— Nicole Schnack, age 10, St. Joseph School and Parish, DeWitt
Are you going to be a Saint that begins with a capital “S”? Then you will probably have a special feast day. Maybe like the one the Diocese of Peoria, Ill., is hoping to get for Archbishop Fulton Sheen. But most of us will be saints with a little “s.” We will be a saint no matter what if we become the person God wants us to be. So here goes the Catholic Church’s process:
Canonization, the process the Church uses to name a saint, has only been used since the 10th century. For hundreds of years, starting with the first martyrs of the early Church, saints were chosen by public acclaim. Though this was a more democratic way to recognize saints, some saints’ stories were distorted by legend and some never existed. Gradually, the bishops and finally the Vatican took over authority for approving saints.
In 1969, the Church took a long look at all the saints on its calendar to see whether there was historical evidence that a saint existed and lived a life of holiness. The Church discovered little proof that many “saints,” including some very popular ones, ever lived.
Take, for example, St. Christopher. He was listed as a martyr who died under Decius. Nothing else is known about him. One legend tells how he was crossing a river when a child asked to be carried across. When Christopher put the child on his shoulders he found the child to be unbelievably heavy. The child, according to the legend, was Christ carrying the weight of the whole world. This legend made Christopher the patron saint of travelers. His former feast day was July 25. Christopher was one of the names determined to have a basis mostly in legend, and was dropped from the universal calendar.
In 1983, Pope John Paul II made sweeping changes in the canonization procedure. The process now begins after the death of a Catholic whom people regard as holy. Often, the process starts many years later in order to give perspective on the candidate. The local bishop investigates the candidate’s life and writings for heroic virtue (or martyrdom) and orthodoxy of doctrine. Then a panel of theologians at the Vatican evaluates the candidate. After approval by the panel and cardinals of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the pope proclaims the candidate “venerable.”
The next step, beatification, requires evidence of one miracle. Since miracles are considered proof that the person is in heaven and can intercede for us, the miracle must take place after the candidate’s death and as a result of a specific petition to the candidate. When the pope proclaims the candidate beatified or “blessed,” the person can be venerated by a particular region or group of people with whom the person holds special importance.
Only after one more miracle will the pope canonize the saint. The title of saint tells us that the person lived a holy life, is in heaven, and is to be honored by the universal Church. Canonization does not “make” a person a saint; it recognizes what God has already done.
Canonization takes a long time and a lot of effort. So while every person who is canonized is a saint, not every holy person has been canonized. You have probably known many “saints” in your life, and you are called by God to be one yourself.
We pray with saints, not to them. Have you ever asked anyone to pray for you when you were having a hard time? Why did you choose to ask that person?
You may have chosen someone you could trust, or someone who understood your problem, or someone who was close to God. Often we ask particular saints to pray for us if we feel they have a particular interest in our problem. Many people ask for St. Monica’s intercession when they have trouble with unanswered prayers. Monica prayed for 20 years for her son’s conversion to Christianity. Finally, her prayers were answered in a way she never dreamed of — her son, Augustine, became a canonized saint and a Doctor of the Church.
Just remember that to be a SAINT in the eyes of God we live our lives in an extraordinary way with love and respect for all. Our feast is celebrated every year on the first of November, All Saints Day!
— Mary Wieser, director of Faith Formation for the Diocese of Davenport
(Students in grades kindergarten through 12 are invited to submit questions about the Catholic Church for The Catholic Messenger’s new Young & Curious feature. Send them to arland-fye@davenportdiocese.org or The Catholic Messenger, 780 W. Central Park Ave., Davenport, Iowa, 52804.)
David P. Miller, 77 of Davenport, died Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011 at St. Mary’s Health and Rehabilitation Center after an extended illness.
A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be Thursday, December 22, 2011 at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, Davenport. His family will greet friends prior to mass from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at the church. Inurnment will be in Oakdale Memorial Gardens. Honoring his wish the rite of cremation was accorded. Memorials may be made to H.E.L.P. Legal Aid, Davenport, in his name.
David Paul Miller was born on January 23, 1934 in Rock Island, a son of Dr. Herbert P. and Rosalia M. (Brauch) Miller. He was united in marriage to Tommy L. Stanley, January 26, 1963 in Rock Island. David had attended University of Notre Dame, Columbia University and University of Iowa where he received his B.A. and J.D. He had practiced law for fifty years, specializing in bankruptcy. He was elected County Attorney 1965-1966. He was a Trustee in Bankruptcy and later the Federal Attorney for Trustees in Bankruptcy in Des Moines. He was the author of numerous books. He traveled widely, most memorably to Singapore and the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa.
David was extremely well-read, delighting in mysteries and biographies. He had a scholar’s grasp of history, art, and literature. He loved to draw and was especially fond of cartooning. He had a beautiful singing voice, occasionally bursting into song, and he was renowned for his whistling. He loved to take liberties with the English language to the amusement of his family. He had a true appreciation for movies of all kinds and rejoiced in treating his family to dinner.
David is survived by his loving wife of almost 48 years, Tommy Miller, Davenport, and their children and spouses; Benjamin (Anna) Miller, New York City, NY, Elizabeth (Bill) Mercier, West Lafayette, IN, Howard P. Miller, Bellevue, IA, Nanette (Ben) Zorn, Grand Rapids, MI, and Nathan (Nancy) Miller, Davenport; his loving grandchildren, Sammy and Owen Mercier and Maggie Lou, Benji, Lily Belle, Eliza, and Charles Zorn; his siblings, a sister, Mary Weichman, Madison, WI, and two brothers, Dr. Herbert Miller, Evansville, WI and Dr. Frank Miller, Rock Island; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his beloved daughter and grandson, Marianna Rose Miller and Henry Beckett Mercier. Online remembrances and condolences may be expressed to the family by visiting David’s obituary at www.hmdfuneralhome.com.
Who has never been in a new situation feeling tense with hope for a friendly face and welcoming word? We’ve all faced these situations from early in life. The child on a kindergarten playground who offers to be a friend and invites us into play is like the presence of God.
The person who first makes us feel at ease in a new job or among strangers in any crowd provides the same warmth and freedom that allows us to come alive with new energy.
These people who look out for the poor, the marginal, the stranger, the immigrant newcomer; these wonderful people go out of themselves to be with the person in need. They are all very much like the presence of God.
They are God’s people. They embody the God who does not stand off, away, aloof while we desperately seek connection with a spark of life. They behave like the God who rushes across an infinite threshold to bring new life.
The God we celebrate at Christmas. God embodied in active love. God the compassionate. God whose reality is being-in-relationship, being-with rather than being alone.
Why else would God join us as a helpless baby? Jesus is introduced among us as one who needs us. He needs everything, beginning with a friendly welcome very much like what we do when we befriend a shy classmate or new coworker.
These people who go out of themselves in imitation of God are us. All of us. We are God’s people and Christmas is our feast.
Many of us even understand that Christmas calls for a kind of extravagance, like that of Mary, the mother of Jesus, who let God have his way with her, no questions asked.
Yes, there was one question: “How can this be?” But that had more to do with wonderment than hesitation or reluctance: How can God be with me so intimately?
What kind of love is this?
It appears to be a meeting of one extravagance with another; one ultimate, no-limits offer meeting a total, unrestricted welcome, something like the dream that keeps all of us looking and striving outward.
We want that divine meeting, that ultimate in relational bliss. It’s the normal hope and desire of a human life. It’s the spark we offer each time we make someone feel at home in awkward circumstances.
It’s the reason we can’t help enjoying the extravagant lighting displays that some people put up on their homes around Christmas time. A good welcome is a delightful experience of light in the midst of darkness.
Our Scripture says of Jesus that he is Immanuel, which means God is with us. It is just as true, then, that we are with God as we embody that love experienced by Mary, limited as we might be.
Every good act of ours has the Word made flesh in it. We should realize that and celebrate it.
Now that Advent is coming to an end and our semester here at St. Ambrose is completed, I have had some spare time to surf the web in search of a couple of theology articles I needed. I had a flash-back memory of seeing an article entitled: “Are you ready for all the Presence this Christmas?”
I am sure the author intended to catch our attention by throwing out a “play on words.” At first glance you may think to yourself, “He should have checked his spelling carefully.” He meant to write “presents.” This certainly makes sense in a materialist culture that began marketing jewelry, toys and gadgets at the beginning of Halloween.
After some short reflection I knew that the author’s intent was to invite us to some soul-searching. By this I mean some serious theological reflection. In our anticipation and excitement to tear open all the material wonders under the tree, have we forgotten that the most meaningful gift of this season is not any one present but “The” tangible Presence of God in our world, Jesus Christ.
In my first semester of sacramental theology in the seminary, we were asked to read a challenging theological work by a famous Dutch-Catholic theologian, Dominican Father Edward Schillebeeckx, entitled, “Christ, Sacrament of Encounter with God.” My intrigue with his theology was the primary impetus for me to choose a focused theological discipline for my master’s and doctoral studies, sacramental-liturgical theology. He made a convincing argument that in much of our theological speculation we often compartmentalize and divide theological disciplines, which in the case of Jesus serves only to cloud the true and mystical meaning of Jesus’ Real Presence in the world.
Schillebeeckx’s work is visionary in grounding all sacramental and liturgical theology on the foundation of a solid Christology. Jesus is the first, primordial sacrament of God’s tangible presence in the world. Are we open and willing to wait for and embrace his full presence in our lives? Fr. Schillebeeckx does a masterful job in wedding Jesus’ presence in sacrament, most enduring for us, the Real Presence of Jesus in our Catholic Eucharist.
But he warns that any tangible, ritual presence we celebrate and experience needs to be intimately connected to both an ecclesial and spiritual theology.
In liturgical theology we often refer to this transcendent, cosmic presence as the “Totus Christus,” the Whole Christ.
The gift of God’s incarnational presence in Jesus invites us to open our eyes, hearts and minds to the powerful, grace-filled encounters we have with Jesus when his Word is effectively, mystically revealed, much in the tradition of St. Ambrose’s famous gift for homiletics.
The gift also includes a sinful and broken presence of the mystical body of Jesus in his Church. Jesus’ unconditional love and mercy are affectively and sacramentally shared in the community of faith, our parish family. The first, meaningful presence of Jesus in my childhood experiences came through his tangible presence in our true pastors and authentically prayerful priests and religious Sisters who served our parish. They became my much-needed true spiritual parents.
But there is still one more meaningful presence that I believe most Americans have not forgotten. This is the Jesus incarnated in the cries, actually “screams” of the poor, marginalized, victimized, sick and suffering souls, both physically and spiritually. Too many of our human family are falling through the cracks, even the heroic soldiers who keep returning from war.
Ultimately, the question that ought to confront us as Christmas grows closer is whether or not we will joyfully and enthusiastically embrace the full/total presence of God as his beloved son Jesus manifests himself to us in so many uncountable ways. It is appropriate that I end with Jesus’ own words: “And Know that I AM ALWAYS with you, until the end of time.”(Matt. 28:20)
(Fr. DeFranciso is a professor of theology at St. Ambrose University in Davenport.)
Statistics show that no presidential candidate has won the popular vote without carrying Catholics.
It seems that Catholics (lay and religious), who historically have worked to provide “an option for the poor,” have lost confidence in themselves, and have demanded that some far-off, poorly supervised entity take on the mantle of Christ instead. Sadly, this plan, which has for over 50 years touted itself “the answer,” has delivered after multi-billions invested, only millions more in dire need.
Wearing the emperor’s new clothes (the seamless garment with no substance without the basic thread of life itself), many have convinced themselves they must accept all planks in their party’s platform. Wrong! This is a systemic problem that must — can — be eradicated. It will take a laser will.
All Catholics must go en masse to their caucuses Jan. 3, understanding their obligation to demand a platform plank that protects the most vulnerable among us — the innocent preborn children. Not doing so makes all culpable if they in turn vote for flawed candidates with a flawed platform. Let us hear the clarion call to action from every pulpit.
