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     Everyone has a different way of counting to Christmas. Some do it in terms of shopping days. Catholics do it in the form of the “O Antiphons.” These are the antiphons that are recited or chanted during evening prayer before the Magnificat for the octave preceding Christmas. Each antiphon connects the coming of Christ with his foretelling in the Old Testament either from the prophet Isaiah or Micah. The first is “O Sapientia” (O Wisdom)

Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong, tender care. Come and show your people the way to salvation.

Please pray for all priests and seminarians and support Sacred Heart Radio.

      Today is the Feast of St. Lucy, a virgin martyr of the early Church. She is one of several virgin martyrs that are listed in the Roman Canon at Mass. Not much are known about them, but the Canon at least tells us they existed. Lucy is included with Agatha, Agnes, Cecilia, Anastasia. She is the patroness of those who suffer from diseases of the eye. She is often pictured holding her own eyes on a platter. Not too pleasant. I believe that the fact of the historical existence of these women martyrs could be used as a great example for young catholic girls. These martyrs provide an example of holiness, purity and dedication to God; all of the things society tells young girls they should not be involved with. 

Lord, give us courage through the prayers of St. Lucy. As we celebrate her entrance into eternal glory, we ask to share her happiness in the life to come. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God forever and ever. Amen.

Please pray for all priests and seminarians and support Sacred Heart Radio

     The Blessed Mother took good care of Sacred Heart Radio today. Through her intercession and the generosity of many people of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, The SonRise Morning show with Brian Patrick was able to raise a little more than $16,000 in pledges and contributions. Thank you all very much. I am very grateful for the support of the many listeners who called in and contributed, as well as the people who came in and talked about the importance of Sacred Heart Radio on the air. The only way the station an grow is through the committment of people who love the Catholic faith and wish to share it with others.  Tomorrow at Mass, my intention will be for all the benefactors of the station who helped today. May God bless you and may the Blessed Virgin keep you from all harm.

Please pray for all priests and seminarians and support Sacred Heart Radio. 

     This year, for the first time, Sacred Heart Radio (AM740) will be running a pledge drive during the Sonrise Morning Show with Brian Patrick. We hope to be able to raise pledges and donations in the amount of 25,000 so that we end up this year in the black. The show will be on from 6:00am-9:00am with special live interviews from the regulars of the morning show, including Rich Leonardi, Emily Bissonette, Fr. Phillip Devous and others.

     We have been graced by God’s Providence over the years. While we have not received many large donations, we receive very many small donations that have a habit of adding up quickly. It is clear that the people who are listening are the ones who are contributing and we take their committment very seriously. The Mission of Sacred Heart Radio has always been to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ as it is lived and prayed and celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church. We seek to offer the best Catholic programming possible and we have been blessed with local priests and deacons and lay persons who have volunteered and sacrificed to make this idea a reality, as well as a smart and talented station manager who is dedicated to his faith and the spreading of Catholic radio. If you have a chance, please listen Wednesday to the Sonrise Morning Show to donate, or go to our website www.sacredheartradio.com . We cannot do this without you and the Lord!!

Please pray for all priests and seminarians and support Sacred Heart Radio.  

      A Happy feast of the Immaculate Conception to all. It is always a good day to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary. DE MARIA NUMQUAM SATIS! It is the Patronal feast of the Seminary today and Archbishop Pilarczyk will celebrate Mass and welcome our first year Seminarians into Candidacy. Candidacy is a special rite in which the first year men make a public statement of their desire to study for the priesthood, and the Archbishop accepts it. The names of the men making candidacy today are Jon-Paul Bevak, Karl Borchers, Daniel Hunt, Bob Lanterman, Matthew Robben, Jim Romanello and Marc Soellner. This is their first formal step towards Holy Orders, so keep them in your prayers.

     Yesterday was the feast of St. Ambrose, and I did not have the opportunity to write on him. So today, I am including a Marian passage from St. Ambrose on the Annunciation:

     She does not appear to have doubted the event but asked how it would take place. Clearly, if she asked how it would happen, she must have believed in its fulfillment. Thus she merited to hear the words: Blessed are you becuase you have believed.

     Yes, truly blessed for having surpassed the priest Zechariah. While the priest denied, the Virgin rectified the error. No wonder that the Lord, wishing to rescue the world, began his work with Mary. Thus, she through whom salvation was being prepared for all people, would be the first to receive the promised fruit of salvation.      

Father, you prepared the Virgin Mary to be the worthy Mother of your Son. You let her share beforehand in the salvation Christ would bring by his death and kept her sinless from the first moment of her conception. Help us by her prayers to live in your presence without sin.                                                                                  

Please pray for all priests and seminarians and support Sacred Heart Radio

     Today is the Feast of St. Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra in Asia Minor (Turkey). He died in 345AD. While this day is usually seen as a day of receiving gifts from St. Nicholas in our stockings or shoes, generosity is only one of his many virtues. He was also imprisoned by the Emperor Diocletian during the persecutions and later released. Eusebius mentions in his Ecclesiatical History that Nicholas was also present at the Council of Nicea, where he defended the full divinity of Jesus Christ.  The Orthodox Christians, especially the Greeks, highly venerate St. Nicholas (How many Greeks do you know who are named Nick?).

     He is also a warm-up for the Great Western Doctor of the Church that we celebrate tomorrow, St. Ambrose.

Father, hear our prayers for mercy, and by the help of St. Nicholas, keep us safe from all danger and guide us on the way to salvation. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.

Please pray for all priests and seminarians, and support Sacred Heart Radio.

     St. John Damascene, one of the last great Patristic writers, wrote these words in honor of the Mother of God, whom we especially honor in Advent:

     Through her, the long warfare waged with the creator has been ended. Through her, the reconciliation between us and him was ratified. Grace and peace were granted to us so that men and angels are united in the same choir, and we, who have been deserving of disdain, have become sons of God. From her we have harvested the grape of life; from her we have cultivated the seed of immortality. For our sake she became Mediatrix of all blessings; in her God became man and man became God.

     We today also remain near you, O Lady. Yes, I repeat O Lady, Mother of God and Virgin. We bind our souls to your hope, as to a most firm and totally unbreakable anchor, consecrating to you mind, soul, body and all our being and honoring you, as much as we can, with psalms, hymns and spirutal canticles.

Please pray for all priests and Seminarians and support Sacred Heart Radio.

     A Blessed Advent season to all! Sacred Heart Radio radio began running my advent series “Thy Kingdom Come” on Friday, November 30 at 8:00am. Parts two, three, and four, respectively will be run on December 7, 14, 21 at 8:00am as well. The series is also available for sale on www.sacredheartradio.com . Stay tuned this week. I will be posting my summary of the Pope’s new Encyclical on Hope, God willin’ and the crick don’t rise (or freeze as the case may be).

Please pray for all priests and seminarians and support Sacred Heart Radio

     It looks as if Pope Benedict is giving the Church an early Christmas present this year. According to Catholic News Service, his encyclical on Hope will be released on Friday, the Feast of St. Andrew. While his encyclical DEUS CARITAS EST was good, I have even higher “hopes” for his one on Hope. Pope Benedict’s most commented upon book is his textbook on Eschatology, which is published by Catholic University of America Press. Anyone who writes on the topic of eschatology, Catholic or Protestant, has taken this work very seriously. Since this book was on the developement of a Catholic Theology of Hope, I am curious to see how he addresses the topic in his Encyclical. After the social encyclical that Church pundits think will be coming out this spring or summer, we can probably count on an encyclical that addresses the virtue of faith. That will round out the Theological virtues.

       What is the significance of this? I think there is one point particular. Pope John Paul II’s first encyclical was Redemptor Hominis. This work set the Christological tone of most of his writings and his Pontificate. I think it was one of proclaiming Jesus to the whole world. Deus Caritas Est  speaks of God’s love, as well as the ways we can respond positively to that gift. In that sense, while John Paul II was focusing on the proclamation of Christ, Pope Benedict has decided to speak about the human response to that proclamation, which is rooted in love, sustained in hope and manifested in faith.

       While Pope John Paul II saw a crisis in the world regarding ther reality of Christ, Pope Bendict builds on this by teaching us how we are to respond to the reality of Christ- faith, hope charity, and love of neighbor (social encyclical). We will have to see what happens.

Pray for all priests and seminarians and support Sacred Heart Radio.

     I am glad to report that I saw the movie Bella last Tuesday in Springdale. It is definitely worth all the hype we have been hearing about it. It is definitely Catholic in the best sense of the word. In a world full of sin, grace not only appears in unexpected places, but it ultimately prevails. It is not preachy, but rather shows how faith in God has its roots in the dignity of the nature of the family, who is the bearer of faith. This is seen through the family relationships that are woven all through the movie. The only thing you need to be aware of is that there are subtitles when the family speaks Spanish. That may bother some, but I really have to say I did not notice it. It is now playing at the Mariemont theater, so those of you on the East side don’t have to go so far to see it. I hope to see it again this week or next, if the theaters keep it around. It will definitely be DVD worthy when it comes out. 

     If any of you have seen it yet, let me know what you think.

Please pray for all priests and seminarians, and support Sacred Heart Radio.