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we offer a brief Daily Prayer. Before using the Daily Christmas Prayer, read this Guide to Daily Prayer. |
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December 31 - January 8 January 1st is the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God. It is also the World Day of Prayer for Peace, and since it is commemorating the naming day of Jesus, it is the feast from which the Society of Jesus takes its name. |
We
have two Calendars A number of other changes occur because of this difference, so we respect the integrity of both calendars in our daily prayers for each day of the Christmas Season. Entering
this second week
But it is wonderful to pay attention to several themes throughout this week. The first letter of John fills this week with the language of God's love for us. This leads to simple, but deep, reflection on the love we must have for our brothers and sisters. The celebration of and preparation for Epiphany colors the week with images of light, and a number of themes related not only to revelation and seeing, but also to baptism itself. Throughout this week, we ask for graces and continue to celebrate with joy. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice! |
December 31 - January
7 |
The
Feast of the Holy Family is always celebrated on the Sunday
after Christmas. What family or faith community can't benefit from
reflecting upon the Holy Family? This is not the time to reflect upon
a "perfect family," but to ask ourselves how we might be
blessed to reflect upon Joseph, 
Mary
and Jesus, and ask ourselves what graces they could offer us. And,
this allows us a bit more time to reflect upon the Christmas story,
including the everyday reality that was part of their lives as family
- the patience, give and take, the self-sacrifice and the love that
was a part of their very human interaction together, throughout what
we call "the hidden life" of Jesus. That can include all
the growing up years of Jesus' life, what their village was like and
what ways they spoke with each other, as well as what difficulties
they might have experienced. These are all great ways for us to contemplate
this feast. We can imagine what Jesus learned from both Mary and Joseph
that prepared him for his life of proclaiming the coming of the Reign
of God. Finally, we can imagine the death of Joseph and the life of
Mary and Jesus after his death.
Whether
we are celebrating Epiphany on the actual feast day or gathered together
for a Sunday celebration in the U.S., we are still able to draw great
fruit from reflecting upon the readings and prayers of the days before
Epiphany or the days after Epiphany.