One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic

Here's a great way to prayerfully end what has been for many of us a quite troubling year! To all the readers at OHCA, I wish you a blessed and holy New Year. --CCM The Te Deum , also sometimes called the Ambrosian Hymn because if its association with St. Ambrose, is a traditional hymn of joy and thanksgiving. First attributed to Sts. Ambrose, Augustine, or Hilary, it is now accredited to Nicetas, Bishop of Remesiana (4th century). It is used at the conclusion of the Office of the Readings for the Liturgy of the Hours on Sundays outside Lent, daily during the Octaves of Christmas and Easter, and on Solemnities and Feast Days. The petitions at the end were added at a later time and are optional. A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who recite it in thanksgiving and a plenary indulgence is granted if the hymn is recited publicly on the last day of the year . ( CatholicCulture.org ) The prayer (when chanted in English) takes about four minutes to recite (see video ...

H Holiness is possible. Creating holy moments by being in the moment. As we are still in the season of Christmas, may we recognize the Christ Child in the moment.  We need to be present to Him and others around us rejoicing in the moment. This is where we can see Matthew Kelly’s Amazing possibilities. From Dynamic Catholic Gospel  JN 1:1-18 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and th...

H Holiness is possible. Creating holy moments one at a time. Giving of each other welcoming and sharing time talent and treasure with each other. From Dynamic Catholic Gospel LK 2:36-40 There was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.  She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.  She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.  And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.  The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him. Blessing to all who read and share. Make it a great day in Our Lord Jesus. 

H Holiness is possible. Creating holy moments one at a time. As Paul wrote to the Colossians 3:12 “Put on, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” From Dynamic Catholic Gospel  MT 2:13-15, 19-23 When the magi had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt,  and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him." Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night  and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod,  that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, Out of Egypt I called my son. When Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel,  for those who sought the child's life are dead." He rose, took the ...

H Holiness is possible. Creating holy moments one at a time sharing God’s love and His truth during this Christmas season From Dynamic Catholic Gospel  MT 2:13-18 When the magi had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him." Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, Out of Egypt I called my son. When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi. Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet: A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentatio...

H Holiness is possible. Creating holy moments one at a time changing lives by staying in the moment collaborating with God. Living Christmas today as we still celebrate the birth of Our Savior From Dynamic Catholic Gospel  JN 20:1A AND 2-8 On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we do not know where they put him.” So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.  Blessi...

H Holiness is possible. Creating holy moments one at a time. Allowing the Holy Spirit to speak for us and giving ourselves to the will of God. Collaborating with Christ Child this Christmas Season. From Dynamic Catholic Gospel  MT 10:17-22 Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.” Blessing to all who Read and Share Make it a great day in Our Lord J...

H Holiness is possible. It is only possible because of Emanuel. He came to dwell with us! From Dynamic Catholic Best Advent Ever - Joy To The World! The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) - Mass During the Night 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 nigh...

The scheming of a few petty bishops not withstanding, this man WILL be declared a saint some day. Blessed Fulton Sheen, pray for us!  Here are some of his thoughts on this most holy of nights, taken from his book Life of Christ : [E]very other person who ever came into this world came into it to live. He came into it to die. Death was a stumbling block to Socrates — it interrupted his teaching. But to Christ, death was the goal adn fulfillment of His life, the gold that He was seeking. Few of His words or actions are intelligible without reference to His Cross. He presented Himself as a Savior rather than merely as a Teacher. It meant nothing to teach men to be goo unless He also gave them the power to be good, after rescuing them from the frustration of guilt. The story of every human life begins with birth and ends with death. In the Person of Christ, however, it was His death that was first and His life that was last. …  The manger and the Cross thus stand ...

H Holiness is possible. Creating holy moments starts with the classroom of silence. When we slow down and listen to the stillness we can learn to listen to Gods voice. Happy Christmas Eve! From Dynamic Catholic Best Advent Ever - Presents Vs. Presence Gospel  LK 1:67-79 Zechariah his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied, saying: "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; for he has come to his people and set them free. He has raised up for us a mighty Savior, born of the house of his servant David. Through his prophets he promised of old that he would save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us. He promised to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant. This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to set us free from the hand of our enemies, free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life. You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord t...

H Holiness is possible! Creating holy moments one at a time. Seeking God’s voice in the quietness, as Matthew Kelly and Dynamic Catholic have called it in the classroom of silence. When we stop and listen, as Mary & Jospeh have taught us, we will hear His voice guiding us to create the holy moments He would like us to create. From Dynamic Catholic Best Advent Ever - The Business of Busy Gospel  LK 1:57-66 When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother said in reply, "No. He will be called John." But they answered her, "There is no one among your relatives who has this name." So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. He asked for a tablet and wr...

H Holiness is possible. Surrendering to God’s will for our life creates the amazing possibilities Matthew Kelly has been speaking about this Advent. We can create incredible holy moments From Dynamic Catholic Best Advent Ever - What Is God Saying to You? Reposted from Saturday Gospel  MT 1:18-24 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,  but before they lived together,  she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame,  decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,  "Joseph, son of David,  do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit  that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,  because he will save his people from their s...

Here's a word of caution to the good people who frequent this site: Not every outfit calling themselves "Catholic" is worthy of our attention. That goes for fly-by-night charities, certainly, but it also large chunks of religious orders whose names you probably recognize. It's a sad state of affairs that we have to view solicitations for our cash from organizations with perhaps hundreds of years of goodness behind their names, but such is the state of our Church in the midst of this crisis. Here is one very disturbing example: In case the words in this image are blurry, here is the text of the Christmas greetings which the Franciscans International are offering you in their hideous little e-card : In the context of the nativity, Luke tells us about the meeting between Mary and her cousin Elizabeth. The two women, both expecting a child, meet each other with attentiveness and sensitivity. At the opening of the Synod, Pope Francis asked us to approach the p...

H Holiness is possible. Creating holy moments one at a time. Finding the need to resting in Gods love and refueling our selves in the silence helps us create holy moments when our in the world From Dynamic Catholic Best Advent Ever - What is God Saying to You? Gospel  LK 1:39-45 Mary set out in those days and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.  When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.  And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.  Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." For the readings of the Optional M...

H Holiness is possible. During this Advent Matthew Kelly has been asking for us to Collaborate with God. I believe in this collaboration we can create none only holy moments but amazing possibilities as well. Today we hear yes I will do what you will. From Dynamic Catholic Best Advent Ever - Comfort Stifles Potential Gospel  LK 1:26-38 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will ...

H Holiness is possible. Creating holy moments one at a time. It is the simple things slowing down during this busy holiday rush. Enjoying the quiet of the morning or a stillness during a coffee break at work. In the calmness we can be one with Jesus. In that moment we can be holy. From Dynamic Catholic. Best Advent Ever - God Never Underestimates You Gospel  LK 1:5-25 In the days of Herod, King of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah of the priestly division of Abijah; his wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.  Both were righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.  But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren and both were advanced in years.  Once when he was serving as priest in his division's turn before God, according to the practice of the priestly service, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense.  Then, when the whole asse...

H Holiness is possible. Creating holy moments one at a time. Getting into the classroom of silence setting aside the world for a few minutes each day. This allows us to begin to hear God more clearly in doing this He will show us what needed for the moment. From Dynamic Catholic Best Advent Ever - Life Is Messy Gospel  MT 1:18-25 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.  When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.  Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly.  Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,  "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.  For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.  She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will s...