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WM39 – Living the Reality of the Christmas Season – Why it Matters: An Exploration of Faith with Archbishop George Lucas Podcast

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Episode 39 – Living the Reality of the Christmas Season – Why it Matters: An Exploration of Faith with Archbishop George Lucas

Archbishop Lucas and Kris McGregor discuss living the joys and challenges of the Christmas Season authentically.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

The Christmas mystery

525 Jesus was born in a humble stable, into a poor family.²⁰² Simple shepherds were the first witnesses to this event. In this poverty heaven’s glory was made manifest.²⁰³ The Church never tires of singing the glory of this night:

The Virgin today brings into the world the Eternal
And the earth offers a cave to the Inaccessible.
The angels and shepherds praise him
And the magi advance with the star,
For you are born for us, Little Child, God eternal!²⁰⁴

526 To become a child in relation to God is the condition for entering the kingdom.²⁰⁵ For this, we must humble ourselves and become little. Even more: to become “children of God” we must be “born from above” or “born of God”.²⁰⁶ Only when Christ is formed in us will the mystery of Christmas be fulfilled in us.²⁰⁷ Christmas is the mystery of this “marvellous exchange”:

O marvellous exchange! Man’s Creator has become man, born of the Virgin. We have been made sharers in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share our humanity.²⁰⁸

Notes:

202 Cf. Lk 2:61.203 Cf. Lk 2:8-20.

204 Kontakion of Romanos the Melodist.

205 Cf. Mt 18:3-4.

206 Jn 3:7; 1:13; 1:12; cf. Mt 23:12.

207 Cf. Gal 4:19.

208 LH, Antiphon I of Evening Prayer for January 1st.

For more episodes in this series, visit the

Why it Matters: An Exploration of Faith with Archbishop George Lucas Podcast page

For more teachings and information about Archbishop George J. Lucas of the Archdiocese of Omaha, visit: archomaha.org

A Christmas Novena Day 9 – Mp3 audio and Text – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Day 9 – Life Eternal

O Lord, infant Jesus, bring us to live eternal with You! Jesus, your nativity was not without purpose. Your purpose was to bring us to You. We pray that you will bring us to Life Eternal with you this Christmas.

Divine Infant,
after the wonders of Your birth in Bethlehem,
You wished to extend Your infinite mercy to the whole world
by calling the Wise Men by heavenly inspiration to Your crib,
which was in this way changed into a royal throne.
You graciously received those holy men
who were obedient to the Divine call
and hastened to Your feet.
They recognized and worshipped You as Prince of Peace,
the Redeemer of mankind,
and the very Son of God.

Show us also Your goodness and almighty power.
Enlighten our minds,
strengthen our wills,
and inflame our hearts to know You,
to serve You,
and to love You in this life,
that we may merit to find our joy in You eternally in the life to come.

Jesus, most powerful Child,
We implore You again to help us
with the intentions we hold in the depths of our hearts.

Divine Child, great omnipotent God,
I implore through Your most Holy Mother’s most powerful intercession,
and through the boundless mercy of Your omnipotence as God,
for a favorable answer to my prayer during this Novena.
Grant us the grace of possessing You eternally
with Mary and Joseph
and of adoring You with Your holy angels and saints.
Amen.

A Christmas Novena Day 8 – Mp3 audio and Text – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Day 8 – Holiness

O Lord, infant Jesus, inspire us to be repulsed by sin! You, Lord, are holy but we are not. We pray that you will make us holy and keep us from temptation this Christmas.

Jesus, most powerful Child,
We implore You again to help us
with the intentions we hold in the depths of our hearts.

A Christmas Novena Day 7 – Mp3 audio and Text – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Day 7 – Forgiveness

O Lord, infant Jesus, move us to forgive others as you forgive us! Your Divine Mercy is unending! We pray for Your Divine Mercy on us and that we may participate in Your mercy by forgiving others this Christmas.

Jesus, most powerful Child,
We implore You again to help us
with the intentions we hold in the depths of our hearts.

A Christmas Novena Day 6 – Mp3 audio and Text – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Day 6 – Peace

O Lord, infant Jesus, give us Your peace! You are the Prince of Peace and the ultimate fulfillment of your incarnation brings us to you in heaven where peace will come to perfection. We pray for peace this Christmas.

Jesus, most powerful Child,
We implore You again to help us
with the intentions we hold in the depths of our hearts.

A Christmas Novena Day 5 – Mp3 audio and Text – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Day 5 – Love

O Lord, infant Jesus, inspire in us Your selfless love! You humbled yourself to become like us in all things but sin, and even humbled yourself to die on a cross. We pray that you will help us to love as You love this Christmas.

Jesus, most powerful Child,
We implore You again to help us
with the intentions we hold in the depths of our hearts.

WM38 – Preparing for the Coming of Christ – Why it Matters: An Exploration of Faith with Archbishop George Lucas Podcast

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Episode 38 – Preparing for the Coming of Christ – Why it Matters: An Exploration of Faith with Archbishop George Lucas

Archbishop Lucas and Kris McGregor discuss the events leading up to the celebration of Christmas and how the coming of Christ experienced in our lives today.

Gospel

Lk 2:1-14

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus
that the whole world should be enrolled.
This was the first enrollment,
when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.
And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth
to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem,
because he was of the house and family of David,
to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
While they were there,
the time came for her to have her child,
and she gave birth to her firstborn son.
She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields
and keeping the night watch over their flock.
The angel of the Lord appeared to them
and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were struck with great fear.
The angel said to them,
“Do not be afraid;
for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy
that will be for all the people.
For today in the city of David
a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.
And this will be a sign for you:
you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes
and lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel,
praising God and saying:
“Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

For more episodes in this series, visit the

Why it Matters: An Exploration of Faith with Archbishop George Lucas Podcast page

For more teachings and information about Archbishop George J. Lucas of the Archdiocese of Omaha, visit: archomaha.org

A Christmas Novena Day 4 – Mp3 audio and Text – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Day 4 – Hope

O Lord, infant Jesus, bring us the Hope that saves! Your birth to the Virgin Mary brought a Hope to the world that continues to sustain us. We pray for a saving Hope this Christmas.

Jesus, most powerful Child,
We implore You again to help us
with the intentions we hold in the depths of our hearts.

A Christmas Novena Day 3 – Mp3 audio and Text – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Day 3 – Faith

O Lord, infant Jesus, give us the gift of Faith! You, Lord, deserve our complete faith. We pray for deeper and more perfect faith in you this Christmas.

Jesus, most powerful Child,
We implore You again to help us
with the intentions we hold in the depths of our hearts.

A Christmas Novena Day 2 – Mp3 audio and Text – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Day 2 – Humility

O Lord, infant Jesus, grant us great humility! You gave us the model of perfect humility in your incarnation, life, and death. We pray for a greater Humility this Christmas.

Jesus, most powerful Child,
We implore You again to help us
with the intentions we hold in the depths of our hearts.