Glory to God in the Highest; and On Earth Peace to Men of Goodwill

1 And it came to pass, that in those days there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that the whole world should be enrolled. 2 This enrolling was first made by Cyrinus, the governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be enrolled, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem: because he was of the house and family of David, 5 To be enrolled with Mary his espoused wife, who was with child.

6 And it came to pass, that when they were there, her days were accomplished, that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him up in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 And there were in the same country shepherds watching, and keeping the night watches over their flock. 9 And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them; and they feared with a great fear. 10 And the angel said to them: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people: 11 For, this day, is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God, and saying: 14 Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will.

Christmas Eve

Collect for Christmas Eve, Vigil of the Nativity of the Lord:

Come Lord Jesus, do not delay; give new courage to your people who trust in your love. By your coming, raise us to the joy of your kingdom, where you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Sanctity is For All Ages, says Pope Benedict XVI. Two Stories of Inspiring Courage

Receiving a delegation of youth from the group Italian Catholic Action yesterday, the Pope spoke of young Antonia Meo, a former member of the group who died of cancer in 1937 at age 7, whose cause for canonization has been recently introduced. Citing her "faith, hope and charity" as a model for the young, the Pope said that "her existence, so simple and yet so important, shows that sanctity is for all ages: for babies and for young people, for adults and for the elderly."

He went on to remind all, that "God made Himself man to show us the way. Indeed, by becoming a child He made Himself 'the way', also for young people like you: He was like you, He was your age."

The rest of the article can be read at EWTN News.

A story from the Catholic News Agency earlier this fall highlights the heroic sanctity of another Italian youth, Carlo Acutis, who was just 15 when he succumbed to leukemia in 2006. According to the article, Carlo

was a teen of our times, like many others. He tried hard in school, with his friends, [and] he loved computers. At the same time he was a great friend of Jesus Christ, he was a daily communicant and he trusted in the Virgin Mary.

As a little boy, especially after his First Communion, he never missed his daily appointment with the Holy Mass and the Rosary, followed by a moment of Eucharistic adoration, recalls his mother, Antonia Acutis.

With this intense spiritual life, Carlo has fully and generously lived his fifteen years of life, leaving a profound impact on those who knew him. He was an expert with computers, he read books on computer engineering and left everyone in awe, but he put his gift at the service of others and used it to help his friends, she added.

His immense generosity made him interested in everyone: the foreigners, the handicapped, children, beggars. To be close to Carlo was to be close to a fountain of fresh water, his mother said.

Antonia recalls clearly that shortly before his death, Carlo offered his sufferings for the Pope and the Church. Surely the heroism with which he faced his illness and death has convinced many that he was truly somebody special. When the doctor that was treating him asked him if he was suffering a lot, Carlo answered: There are people who suffer much more than me!

The postulator for causes of the Milan Archdiocese suggests that the cause for Carlo's cause for beatification could be opened soon.

Read the rest of this story at Catholic News Agency.

As we prepare to welcome God among us as that little child on Christmas, these stories show how striving for sanctity is possible for all of us, even the very young!

Biblia Clerus

The Vatican's Congregation for the Clergy introduced last week Biblia Clerus, which is both a powerful research website, and a downloadable tool which offers several different, searchable versions and translations of the Bible (NAB and RSV are offered in English; you can also choose the Latin, Hebrew, Greek, French, etc. Versions will differ depending on which language is selected), cross-referenced (and easily clickable) links to commentary on every verse from the early Church Fathers, Papal documents, Council documents, several catechisms, Aquinas' Summa Theologica and writings from other Doctors of the Church. From the Congregation's Clerus website:

This program offers Sacred Scripture, its interpretation in light of Sacred Tradition and the teachings of the Magisterium, with appropriate theological commentary and exegesis. The downloadable version allows you to connect Sacred Scripture to the complete works of many Doctors of the Church, Councils, Encyclicals, teachings of the Popes, Catechisms, as well as commentaries from secular literature, etc.

So far, after downloading and poking around the program a bit, I've discovered literature in English from Belloc and Chesterton (including his biography of St. Thomas, and the delightful Fr. Brown mysteries!), and the poems of St. Therese (cross referenced to scripture!). There is also an option for downloading the 2002 Roman Missal - all of it - including the propers for each day.

Latin students can, of course, check out all of these works in ... Latin!

This is an amazing resource for teachers, students, priests, everyone with an interest in reading and understanding scripture "in the light of sacred tradition" and magesterium of the Church, as the Congregation for the Clergy's site puts it. The website appears to still have a few glitches (I could only find the daily readings in French, for example, and the Antiqua Vulgata in Tibetan!), so I recommend, if you have the space (40ish mb) and a speedy internet connection, downloading the Biblia Clerus program and the texts to have on your own computer.