USCCB president urges Catholics to give gift of themselves in New Year
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IMAGE: CNS/Karen Callaway, Catholic New WorldBy WASHINGTON(CNS) -- In his message for Christmas, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo ofGalveston-Houston, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, encouragedCatholics to visit the manger this Christmas and reflect on how to give ofthemselves in the New Year."Mybrothers and sisters in Christ, like the Magi and the shepherds before us, weare making our Christmas journey to see the newborn Savior," he said Dec. 20. "Centuriesago, gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh greeted the infant Jesus. People inneed of God's love rejoiced in the news of his birth and offered gifts ofgratitude."ThisChristmas, let us also visit the manger and give the gift of ourselves. This giftarises from our desire and search for peace at this time and place," CardinalDiNardo said.Avideo version of his message can be viewed on Facebook at http://tinyurl.com/j839prc.Hereis the full text of Cardinal DiNardo's Christmas message:TheGift of OurselvesMybrothers and ...
IMAGE: CNS/Karen Callaway, Catholic New World
By
WASHINGTON
(CNS) -- In his message for Christmas, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of
Galveston-Houston, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, encouraged
Catholics to visit the manger this Christmas and reflect on how to give of
themselves in the New Year.
"My
brothers and sisters in Christ, like the Magi and the shepherds before us, we
are making our Christmas journey to see the newborn Savior," he said Dec. 20. "Centuries
ago, gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh greeted the infant Jesus. People in
need of God's love rejoiced in the news of his birth and offered gifts of
gratitude.
"This
Christmas, let us also visit the manger and give the gift of ourselves. This gift
arises from our desire and search for peace at this time and place," Cardinal
DiNardo said.
A
video version of his message can be viewed on Facebook at http://tinyurl.com/j839prc.
Here
is the full text of Cardinal DiNardo's Christmas message:
The
Gift of Ourselves
My
brothers and sisters in Christ, like the Magi and the shepherds before us, we
are making our Christmas journey to see the newborn Savior. Centuries ago,
gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh greeted the infant Jesus. People in need
of God's love rejoiced in the news of his birth and offered gifts of gratitude.
This Christmas, let us also visit the manger and give the gift of ourselves.
This gift arises from our desire and search for peace at this time and place.
We
discover the fragile innocence of hope in the eyes of a newborn baby, wrapped
in swaddling clothes. Mary and Joseph welcomed this young hope, for Jesus made
known, in his very Person, the promise of "great joy that will be for all
people." We can nurture that same hope today. We do this by greeting one
another in love and charity, embracing civility and not letting our differences
hide the dignity and beauty God has given each of us as his children.
Allow
me to say a special word to our sisters and brothers who find themselves
immigrants and refugees on Christmas Day. In you, we see the very struggles of
the Holy Family. From the angel of the Lord, Joseph heard the call to "rise and
flee" in order to keep Mary and Jesus safe from violence at home. The Catholic
Church in the United States is praying for you and is working to welcome you as
we would the Holy Family.
We
remain a people in need of God's love this Christmas, especially the unborn or
unemployed, the suffering and sick, the lonely and the grieving. Let us pray
the Holy Spirit will come upon us as he overshadowed the Virgin Mary at the
Annunciation so that filled with the love of her Son, we will "proclaim the
greatness of the Lord." Merry Christmas!
- - -
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In an aerial view, the cargo ship Dali sits in the water after running into and collapsing the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024, in Baltimore. / Credit: Tasos Katopodis/Getty ImagesACI Prensa Staff, May 5, 2024 / 14:00 pm (CNA).Bishop Brendan Cahill of Victoria, Texas, is inviting Catholics throughout the United States to join the May 22 "National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for Sailors and People of the Sea," which this year will include a special prayer in memory of those affected by the catastrophic March 26 Baltimore bridge collapse. "Each year, we pray for those who work on the high seas and the ports. In a special way this year, we remember those who have been impacted by the collapse of the Key Bridge, particularly the six construction workers who perished in the bridge collapse, and for their families as they mourn the loss of their loved ones," Cahill said.On March 26, the container ship Dali suffered a power failure and collided with one of the bridge...
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The "Holy Fire" is passed from inside Christ's tomb to pilgrims gathered inside the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher in Jersusalem on May 4, 2024, for the annual Orthodox Christian ceremony, held on the day before Easter, according to the Julian calendar. / Credit: Marinella Bandini/CNAJerusalem, May 5, 2024 / 09:00 am (CNA).Pilgrims gathered in Jerusalem on Saturday for the annual "Holy Fire" ceremony at the revered site of Jesus' burial and resurrection, an ancient custom considered by many believers to be a miraculous event that takes place the day before the Orthodox Christian celebration of Easter.For safety reasons, attendance at the May 4 event was capped at 4,200 people inside the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher, though the crowds were more manageable and somewhat subdued this year because of a lack of pilgrims from the Palestinian territories and abroad due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.Israeli police man a checkpoint inside the Old City of Jerusalem duri...
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Pope Francis greets the crowd gathered at St. Peter's Square on May 5, 2024. / Credit: Vatican MediaVatican City, May 5, 2024 / 09:30 am (CNA).Pope Francis asked for a moment of silence as he spoke from the window of the Apostolic Palace on Sunday for people to thank the Lord for their friends. The pope reflected on the gift of friendship during his Regina Caeli address on May 5."Since childhood, we learn how beautiful this experience is: We offer friends our toys and the most beautiful gifts; then, growing up, as teenagers, we confide our first secrets to them; as young people we offer loyalty; as adults, we share satisfactions and worries; as seniors, the memories, considerations, and silences of long days," the 87-year-old pope said."The word of God, in the Book of Proverbs, tells us that 'Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel' (Prv 27:9). Let us think a moment of our friends and thank the Lord for them."S...
