Welcome to this week's Kadishat!
As we continue to prepare for the Birth of Jesus, we reflect this Sunday on the Revelation to Joseph. The truth is revealed to Joseph after doubts concerning his beloved Mary. Joseph was in front of a great Mystery, the Virgin is with child, and a great vocation: to become an earthly father of the Son of God. Joseph was a righteous man, and he is an example to every one of us to be men and women of prayer surrrendering completely to God’s Will.
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And as we approach the feast of Christmas, we also remember and pray for our brothers and sisters in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and all the Middle East that the Prince of Peace may bring peace and happiness to their families and nations at this time. We especially pray for the children being massacred or exposed to violence that they may know peace at this time and enjoy the love and warmth of their families.
Christmas Carols
St Charbel's Choir is holding its Annual Christmas Carols this coming week. On Wednesday 19 December, the English Choir will perform at 7.30pm and on Friday 21 December, the Arabic and College choirs are performing at 7.30pm. All parishioners are invited.
I wish you all a blessed week!
In God’s Love,
Fr. Dr. Antoine Tarabay
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21st Year—Number 1039 Sunday 16/12/2012
Season of the Birth of Jesus
The Revelation to Joseph Sunday
Sunday’s Readings: Ephesians 3: 1-13 & Matthew 1: 18-25
He did as the angel of the Lord commanded him
“Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.
But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus. ..” Matthew 1: 18-25
Refelection of the Week
In today’s Gospel, the advent of the birth of Jesus is seen as the fulfilment of the prophecy. The Gospel carefully notes the divine origin of Jesus. It does this by painstakingly pointing out that Joseph, though betrothed to Mary, was not the biological father of Jesus. Mary, a virgin, conceived “through the Holy Spirit”. The naming of Jesus is important. He is the true presence of God, Emmanuel, and His mission will be to save His people, a reference to the meaning of the name Jesus.
The importance of Joseph as the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus lies not only in his portrayal as an honourable, compassionate and faithful man of God but also because through his family Jesus could be seen as belonging to the House of David, the royal family from whom the Messiah was to come.
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and they will call him Emmanuel, a name which means God is with us“. (Matthew 1:v23 ). The angel told Joseph to name the Child Jesus because he will save his people from their sins. Joseph played a humble but indispensable part in salvation history. This gospel portrays Joseph’s most evident contribution and actions in the New Testament, along with displaying Joseph’s true nature, that is, a righteous and honourable man willing to follow the will of the Lord.
Prepare the Way of the Lord
At this time, the people of God are asked to prepare for the com-ing of Christ and the coming of the Kingdom. Time and again we hear that the Kingdom is at hand. And yet to where do we wander? Do we isolate ourselves in our worldly possessions and forget to welcome Jesus into our lives? The Christmas Season asks us to be uncompromising in our choices as we wait for the coming of Jesus on Christmas Day. We must be honourable and definitive just like Joseph. We must faithfully submit to God’s will and humbly follow Him. As we approach the birth of the Messiah, we ourselves must renew and revive our faith and become true followers and believers. Believers who celebrate the Birth of Jesus, by morally preparing themselves and their families for a period of joy, love and togetherness. This season, lets us commit ourselves to the Lord; in our prayer, in the choices we make in our day to day living, in our openness to let something new come into our lives and transform us.
The more we come to know Jesus, the more we un-derstand why it is right to choose him as the One to follow. If we as believers can have a mere fraction of the faith and belief that Joseph had, we will truly become children of the Lord.
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Now is the Time
Have faith and be strong, because now is the time to believe.
Don’t delay, and don’t put things off, because this shows God that we are not ready for salvation.
In this time where society has lost its faith, and secularism is expanding at rapid rates, it is essential we the Christians turn to our faith and be more devout than ever. In doing so we will save ourselves, and just like Joseph, illustrate to God our strong faith and devotion to God. As we prepare for the coming of our Saviour at Christmas, we need to find God in others, not in our isolated self. It is a process of moving from our self-centredness to an openness to others. This is what we should strive for this Christmas Season.
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Saint of the Week
Daniel, Prophet (628 BC)
Maronite Feast Day: December 18.
The name Daniel (Hebrew dnyal or dnal) is also held by two other persons in the Old Testament and means "God is my judge". In the Book of Daniel, God's judgments are repeatedly pronounced upon the Gentile powers.
Daniel belonged to the tribe of Juda and was of noble, or perhaps of royal, descent. When still a youth, probably about fourteen years of age, he was carried captive to Babylon by Nabuchodonosor.
Daniel was shown great favour when he was able to interpret the emperor’s dream where all else had failed. As a result he was made ruler of the whole province of Babylon and chief governor of all the wise men.
Daniel's fidelity to God exposed him to persecution by jealous rivals within the king's administration. Later, he was cast into a den of lions for continuing to practice his faith but was miraculously delivered.
Christians regard Daniel as a prophet, and Jesus is quoted as referring to him as "Daniel the prophet" in Matthew 24:15. In the context of the books of the Bible, Christians refer to Daniel as one of the four great prophets.
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COMMUNION AND WITNESS
APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION for the MIDDLE EAST (9)
APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION for the MIDDLE EAST (9)
PART ONE(8): Migrant
31. Life in the Middle East is rich in diversity, but all too frequently restrictive and even violent. This affects all the inhabitants of the region and every aspect of their lives. Christians, who frequently find themselves in a delicate position, feel keenly, at times with weariness and little hope, the negative consequences of these conflicts and uncertainties. They experience frequent humiliation. They know from experience that they are often the victims when trouble breaks out. After taking an active part for centuries in the growth of their respective nations and helping to forge their identity and prosperity, many Christians are now seeking more favourable horizons and places of peace where their families will be able to live a dignified and secure life, and spaces of freedom where they can express their faith openly without fear of various constraints.[24]
This is a heart rending decision. It has a profound impact on individuals, families and Churches. It dismembers nations and contributes to the human, cultural and religious impoverishment of the Middle East. A Middle East without Christians, or with only a few Christians, would no longer be the Middle East, since Christians, together with other believers, are part of the distinctive identity of the region. All are responsible before God for one another.Thus it is important that politicians and religious leaders appreciate this and avoid those policies or partisan strategies which would result in a monochromatic Middle East that would be completely unreflective of its rich human and historic reality.
32. The Pastors of the Eastern Catholic Churches sui iuris realize with regret and concern that the numbers of their faithful are dwindling in the traditional Patriarchal territories, and for some time now they have had to develop a plan of pastoral care for emigrants.[25]
I am certain that they are doing all in their power to exhort the faithful to continue to hope, not to leave their homelands and not to sell their possessions.[26] I ask them to continue to show affection for their priests and faithful in the diaspora, and I encourage them to stay in close contact with their families and Churches and above all to remain steadfast in their faith in God through their religious identity, built as it is upon venerable spiritual traditions.[27]
By preserving this closeness to God and to their respective Churches, and by cultivating a deep love of their Latin brothers and sisters, they will greatly benefit the entire Catholic Church. I also exhort the Church’s Pastors in those places where Eastern Catholics have settled to welcome them with charity and fraternal esteem, to facilitate the bonds of com-munion between emigrants and their Churches of origin, and to enable them to celebrate in accordance with their own traditions and, wherever possible, to develop pastoral and parish activities.[28]
33. The Latin Church in the Middle East, which has also seen a dramatic decline in the number of its faithful, operates in different circumstances and has to deal with a variety of new pastoral challenges. In countries with strong economies, her Pastors have to respond to a massive influx of workers coming from Africa, the Far East and the Indian sub-continent. These groups, comprising many single men and women or entire families, face insecurity on two fronts. They are aliens in the country where they work, and they frequently experience discrimination and injustice. God has a special concern for the foreigner, who thus deserves respect. The way we treat strangers will be taken into account at the Last Judgement (cf. Mt 25:35, 43).[29]
Next Sunday: Migrants (2)
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