THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS
SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ DECEMBER 31, 2024
HOLY MASS IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE LATE PONTIFF, POPE BENEDICT XVI [Holy Mass link below]
KIND REMINDER: Tomorrow, January 1 2025, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, the Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major will be opened.
Greetings and blessings, beloved family. Happy Tuesday, the Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas and Happy New Year’s Eve!
THANKSGIVING: We thank God for the gift of life and for bringing us all successfully to the end of the year 2024. We pray for His grace and mercy as we usher in the New Year 2025!🙏
New Year’s Eve always prompts us to look back as well as to look forward. It is often a time when we look back on the past year. For many, the past year will have been a difficult one. The economic situation of the country and the world at large has left many without a job and forced others to emigrate whose preference would have been to stay at home. Some will have lost a loved one during the year and are struggling to come to terms with the loss. As well as looking back on the struggles and pains of the year, new year’s eve can also be a time to look back in thanksgiving, a time to name the graces and gifts that have come our way and have enhanced our lives. No matter what we have been through, we all have something to give thanks for; we have all been graced in one way or another. It is that graced dimension of our lives that our Gospel reading today draws attention to. The greatest grace and the source of all other graces is the Lord’s presence to us. That grace is memorably expressed in today’s Gospel reading as, ‘The Word was made flesh and He lived among us, and we saw His glory’. Jesus who was God became flesh as we are flesh, and as risen Lord remains with us until the end of time. The Gospel reading also declares that ‘from His fullness we have, all of us, received – yes, grace upon grace’. None of us knows what the future holds for our us or our families in the coming twelve months. No doubt, there will again be that mixture of light and shade which colors the life of every family. As we prepare to usher in the New Year, we are all invited to keep drawing grace upon grace from the fullness of the Lord’s loving presence. That realization keeps us thankful for the past and gives us confidence as we face into the future. We thank God Almighty for His many blessings upon us. We are thankful for the past and pray for the grace and confidence as we face into the future this coming year… Amen🙏
On this Special Feast day, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints, we humbly pray for all families and for the safety and well-being of all children. We pray for the souls of all the faithful departed, particularly all those persecuted and killed for the faith, and for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest. We pray for God’s grace and mercy and for the safety and well-being of our children and for peace in our family and the whole world.
On this day, we remember our late Pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI on the 2nd remembrance of his death. We pray for his gentle soul and we continue to remember the souls of all the faithful departed and the souls in Purgatory. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls and souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ… Amen 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯
“Blessed are those who have died in the Lord; let them rest from their abors for their good deeds go with them.” ~ Rev 14:13
PRAYER FOR THE DEAD: In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life, you embraced them with your tender love; deliver them now from every evil, and bid them eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen🙏
Watch “Holy Mass in Memory of Pope Benedict XVI | LIVE from the Vatican | December 31, 2024 | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/12/31/watch-holy-mass-in-memory-of-pope-benedict-xvi-live-from-the-vatican-december-31-2024/
LIVE from the Chair of St. Peter Altar at St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City, for the Holy Mass in memory of Pope Benedict XVI, marking two years since his passing. The Mass is presided over by Cardinal Kurt Koch, followed by a procession to his tomb. The late pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI died on December 31, 2022 at the age of 95. May his gentle soul continue to rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen 🙏🏽
Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary | December 31, 2024 | EWTN on YouTube |
Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | December 31, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary for Peace with Pope Francis” | LIVE Basilica of St. Mary Major | October 6, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | December 31 2024 |
Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| December 31, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” oùn YouTube |
Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |
Today’s Bible Readings: Seventh day in the Octave of Christmas | Tuesday, December 31, 2024
Reading 1, First John 2:18-21
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 96:1-2, 11-12, 13
Gospel, John 1:1-18
OPENING OF THE HOLY DOORS SCHEDULES
Pope Francis opens the Holy Door Ushering in the Jubilee of Hope | ‘Hope is Alive’ | Vatican News | December 24, 2024 | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/12/25/pope-francis-opens-the-holy-door-ushering-in-the-jubilee-of-hope-hope-is-alive-vatican-news-december-24-2024/
- On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis opened the First Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica.
- On Christmas Day, Pope Francis delivered his Urbi et Orbi message to the people of the city of Rome and the world from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica at noon.
- On 26 December, for the first time in the Jubilee tradition, Pope Francis opened a fifth sacred portal in a Roman prison, a gesture of hope that shows his ongoing closeness to detainees.
- On Sunday, 29 December, the Pope opens the Holy Door of his cathedral, Saint John Lateran, which on 9 November this year celebrated the 1700th anniversary of its dedication.
- Then, on 1 January 2025, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, the Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major will be opened.
- Lastly, Sunday, 5 January 2025, will mark the opening of the Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls.
These last three Holy Doors will be closed on Sunday, 28 December 2025.
SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT SYLVESTER I, POPE AND CONFESSOR – FEAST DAY ~ DECEMBER 31ST: Today is the seventh day in the octave of Christmas and we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Sylvester I, Pope and Confessor.
SAINT SYLVESTER I, POPE AND CONFESSOR: Pope St. Sylvester called Silvester (c. 250-335 A.D.) was born in Rome, son of a Roman named Rufinus, he was raised as a Christian under the care of pious parents, and the religious instruction of a devout priest. St. Sylvester was later ordained by Pope St. Marcellinus to Holy Orders in Rome during the peace that preceded the outbreak of Christian persecutions of Emperor Diocletia and passed through those days of terror, witnessing the abdication of Diocletian and Maximian, and saw the triumph of Constantine in 312. During this time he became well-known as a good and holy priest, so much so that when the Pope died, St. Sylvester was appointed the new Bishop of Rome two years later in January 314. St. Sylvester was chosen by God to govern His holy Church during the first years of Her temporal prosperity and triumph over Her persecuting enemies. St. Sylvester occupied the chair of St. Peter as Pope from January 31, 314 A.D. until his death in December 31, 335 A.D. Little is known about Pope St. Sylvester other than the many important events in Church history that occurred under his pontificate. He served as the bishop of Rome at a crucial era in the history of Christianity, during the reign of Constantine I and the emergence of the Arian controversy, that involved matters pertaining to Christology and the Trinity.
During St. Sylvester’s pontificate, Christianity became the favored religion of the Roman emperor, after having endured centuries of intermittent persecution. Many important events in Church history occurred under his pontificate. He ruled the Church during the reign of Constantine when the Arian heresy and the Donatist schism had provoked great discord. He was the reigning pope during the Council of Nicea, he convoked the first Ecumenical Council of Nicaea which condemned the Arian heresy. He did not himself attend the First Council of Nicaea in 325, but he was represented by two legates. He established the Nicene Creed; he was the Holy Father who converted and baptized the Roman Emperor Constantine. During his Pontificate, Rome’s greatest churches were built under his direction by Constantine, including the Basilica and baptistery of St. John Lateran, the Basilica of the Sessorian palace (Santa Croce), the Church of St. Peter in the Vatican, and several cemeterial churches over the graves of martyrs. The Church saw the beginnings of temporal prosperity and the establishment of the Christian Roman Empire and he gave the Church a new discipline for the new era of peace. He might be called the first “peace Pope” after centuries of bloody persecution. He also established the Roman school of singing. On the Via Salaria he built a cemeterial church over the Catacomb of St. Priscilla, and it was in this church that he was buried when he died on December 31, 335.A.D. St. Sylvester is celebrated on December 31st, the day of his burial in the Catacomb of Priscilla. He’s Patron Saint of Feroleto Antico; Sylvestrine; Benedictines; Nonantola. His feast day is December 31st.
PRAYER: Lord, come to the aid of Your people who are supported by the intercession of St. Sylvester Your Pope. May they pass the present life under Your guidance so that they may have the happiness of attaining life in heaven. Amen🙏
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:
Bible Readings for today, the Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
Gospel Reading ~ John 1:1-18
“The Word became flesh”
“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 the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God. And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only-begotten Son, full of grace and truth. John testified to him and cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’” From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The only-begotten Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him.”
Today’s Gospel reading speaks of a beginning. ‘In the beginning was the Word’. Before all things came into being, before anything was created, the Word was. This Word was God’s self-communication, a self-communication that was so complete and perfect that it was itself God, ‘the Word was God’. It was this Word that became flesh, according to our Gospel reading. This self-communication of God became human in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. We celebrate the birth of Jesus because we recognize in this child the fullest possible self-communication of God. Jesus is the fullest Word that God could have spoken to us. We speak, we communicate, not just by our words but by the way we relate, by the way we live and, even, by the way we die. God spoke to us through the life of Jesus, and through His death and resurrection. God has said everything He wants to say to us through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, His Word. God and His Son, together, have sent us the Holy Spirit to help us plumb the depths of all God has said to us through Jesus. As Jesus will later declare in the Gospel, the Holy Spirit ‘will guide you into all the truth… he will take from what is mine and declare it to you’. The Holy Spirit enables us to keep hearing the Word that is Jesus in all its richness, to hear it as a word for us here and now. Every year has its light and shade for us all. As we end one year and are about to begin a new year, today’s Gospel reading gives us that wonderful statement, ‘the Word was made flesh, He lived among us, and we have seen His glory’. God became human in the person of Jesus, His Son. God could not get any closer to us than that, and having become human flesh through His Son, God has remained in the flesh of our lives, the stuff of our lives, through His Son, who is now risen Lord. Wherever the journey of life takes us, God is journeying with us through His Son and the Holy Spirit. Even in the darkest moments of our life journey, the light of the Lord’s presence is shining, a light that darkness could not overpower, in the words of today’s Gospel reading. As we head into a new year, we do so in the knowledge that the true light who enlightens all people has come into the world and is constantly coming into our personal world. The Gospel reading invites us to keep opening our hearts and our lives to that enduring light of the Lord’s loving presence, so that, like John the Baptist, we can become witnesses to the light before others. At the beginning of the new year, we invite the Spirit to open us up more fully to the truth of this Word that God spoke in the beginning and that became flesh in the person of Jesus and dwelt among us.
Our first reading today from the Epistle of John the Apostle spoke strongly about the antichrists and the false prophets, all of whom proclaimed words and gospels that were different from what the Lord had revealed and spoken to His people. Even at that time during the early days of the Church, there were already those who tried to subvert the truth and the Good News of God to suit their own selfish purposes and desires, or trying to gain more popularity and power for themselves. St. John spoke of the need for all the faithful to reject the temptations of Satan, and to continue to uphold the righteous path which has been shown and taught to them by God through His Church. During this festive season we are called to be vigilant and avoid the things which may easily distract us away from the Lord and His righteous path. And unless we are vigilant, we may fall into the wrong path and temptations, sometimes without us even realising it. We are reminded to stay focused on the reason why we all gather together and rejoice during this time and season of Christmas, that is to be joyful at the coming of the Lord’s Salvation into our midst and to thank Him for all the love that He has shown us.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today as we celebrate the Feast of a great Saint, Pope St. Silvester I on this very last day of the current Calendar of this Year of Our Lord 2024, we are all reminded of the need for each one of us to contemplate and reflect on the year that has just passed us by. And at the same time we should also spend some time to consider our options going forward to the next, new year in 2025. As we continue to progress through this time and season of Christmas, the time of great rejoicing in celebrating the birth and arrival of the Saviour of the whole world, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the true reason of our Christmas joy and celebrations, we should always hold onto the fullness of truth, hope and reassurances that we have received from God Himself. All of us as Christians must be the bearers of the Good News of God’s salvation in how we live our lives each day and in how we celebrate Christmas, so that everyone may come to know more about the Lord through them. This Christmas is truly a great opportunity for us to tell everyone about the Lord and His salvation. Jesus is the pinnacle of God’s good creation. Jesus speaks to us of God more powerfully than anything or anyone else in all creation. He is the fullest revelation of God’s love for the world. God calls out to us to receive from the fullness of His love that resides in Jesus. We can all say, in the words of today’s Gospel reading, ‘from His fullness, we have, all of us, received’. We spend our lives receiving from that fullness of God’s love in Jesus. No matter where we are on our life journey, there is always more to be received. It is in receiving God’s love present in Jesus that we are empowered to give that love to others. As we face into a new year, we are called to keep giving out of what we keep receiving. Let us all therefore reflect upon and emulate the life and ministry of the Saints, particularly Pope St. Silvester I who we celebrate today. As we continue to progress through the celebration and festivities of this current Christmas season, let us all continue to stay focused on the Lord and put Him at the centre of all things and of all our celebrations and festivities. And as we are about to end this current year and begin a new year tomorrow, let us all strive to live a new life truly attuned to the Lord and be firmly faithful in all of our ways, so that by our every words, actions and deeds, we may reveal the Lord, His truth, His Good News and love to many more people around us, and inspire them all to come towards the Lord. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and be with us all, and may He continue to bless our every good efforts and endeavours. Amen 🙏🏽
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF DECEMBER:
MONTH OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION: The month of December is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Chosen before time to be the Mother of God Incarnate, Jesus Christ, God created Mary perfect and full of grace, preserving her from the stain of Original Sin. Mary Immaculate is the most beautiful fruit of the work of redemption accomplished by her Son, thereby making her the perfect model of holiness for all Christians.
https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/months/10_1.cfm
THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER – FOR PILGRIMS OF HOPE: We pray that this Jubilee Year strengthen our faith, helping us to recognize the Risen Christ in our daily lives, and that it may transform us into pilgrims of Christian hope.
https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2024
PRAYER FOR PEACE ~ POPE FRANCIS:
Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!
Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/
PRAYER INTENTIONS: Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints, on this special feast and the last day of the year, we humbly pray for all families, We pray for peace, love and unity in our families and our world today, as we face these incredibly challenging times. We pray and thank God for bringing us to the end of the year and we pray for His grace and mercy for the coming year. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the safety and well-being of all those traveling during this season of Christmas. We pray for the sick and dying, especially sick children, those who are mentally and physically ill, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for an end to wars, political and religious unrest. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of the faithful departed and we pray for all widows and widowers. We pray for torture victims, the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable in our communities and around the world. We pray for all parents and children, for peace, love, justice and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy, for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world… Amen🙏
Let us pray:
Lord, Jesus, You are the Light Who dispels all darkness. You are the Eternal Word Who answers every question in life. I invite You into my life this day so that Your Divine Presence may fill me, consume me and lead me down the path toward eternal joys. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏
Our Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Our Blessed Mother Mary; Saint Joseph and Saint Sylvester I, Pope ~ Pray for us 🙏
Please find below links to the websites for Daily Reflections, Foundation and interesting topics and articles about our Catholic faith and doctrines:
DAILY REFLECTIONS | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/
FOUNDATION | https://gliopiepehe.org
SIR G.L.I OPIEPE’S HEALTH AND EDUCATION FOUNDATION | https://youtu.be/gB31nuOFx0A?si=mSoZs-wiByhGsY
THE LITURGICAL YEAR IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/12/03/the-liturgical-year-in-the-catholic-church/
THE HOLY ROSARY: WHAT IS THE HOLY ROSARY AND WHY DO WE PRAY THE HOLY ROSARY? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/21/the-holy-rosary-what-is-the-holy-rosary-and-why-do-we-pray-the-holy-rosary/
THE SAINTS: WHO ARE THEY AND HOW ARE THEY CANONISED? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/01/the-saints-who-are-they-and-how-are-they-canonised/
PURGATORY: WHAT IS PURGATORY? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/15/purgatory-and-limbo/
Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all. Journey mercies for all those traveling during this Christmas season. Wishing all of us a most blessed, safe and grace-filled Christmas Season and New Year! Amen🙏
Blessings and love always, Philomena💖