"Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset." Saint Francis De Sales

Friday, December 11, 2015

12 Days and The Holy Door


My Slow Takes

1. The Richmond Spiders beat William & Mary and now advance to the second round of the FCS. They travel to Normal, Ill. and face Illinois State on Saturday.

2. The 12 Days of Christmas are suppose to have a religious connection to Christianity. Read about this from Fr. Hal Stockert, the Catholic Information Network. 

The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Two (2) Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments
Three (3) French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues
Four (4) Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists
Five (5) Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", 
     which gives the history of man's fall from grace.
Six (6) Geese A-laying = the six days of creation
Seven (7) Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments
Eight (8) Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes
Nine (9) Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
Ten (10) Lords A-leaping = the ten commandments
Eleven (11) Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles
Twelve (12) Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed

3. Monday, December 7, 2015 marked the 73rd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Peter Holley has an informative article here.

4. Tricia has written a beautiful article on her blog, “Prince of Grace,” about the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Please read it here.

“Today begins the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy announced by Pope Francis.  The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is a fitting kick-off, because it illustrates how God has loved us and longed for us to be reconciled with Him.”

5. The Jubilation Choir of Salisbury Presbyterian Church, Richmond, Virginia, held it’s annual Christmas Concert. Admission is free, but space is limited. Dee and I were there, along with family and friends, and enjoyed the performance. My favorite song was “How Should a King Come?” I found this version on YouTube.


6. On Wednesday, Beth DeCristofaro, from Your Daily Tripod, wrote of Pope Francis and the "Holy Door."

"Even as he invokes the rich traditions of our ancestors, Pope Francis looks forward.  In a break with Catholic tradition, Pope Francis has declared that during this Jubilee Year of Mercy, every diocese may designate a “Holy Door,” symbol of Jesus as the door, the gateway, to salvation which we are all welcome to enter.  In the past only five churches had such holy doors but the Pope wants all to take advantage of pilgrimage in their own home.  In keeping with the theme of bringing the mercy of Jesus to all the faithful, Pope Francis is also designating special confessors and also priests will be allowed to absolve women who have had abortions. At St. Peters in Rome, the Pope prayed on December 8, "Open the gates of justice." As he pushed open the Holy Door, a symbol of God's justice, which he said will always be applied in God’s mercy."

I was unaware of the "Holy Door," but learned more about in the following video that Beth recommended.


7. Josh Groan sings, “O Holy Night.”




Go over to "Written By The Finger of God,” where Anabelle is hosting more takes this week.

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