Blog by-the-Sea

Benedict VXI on the Family and the Future of Humanity

In his words at today's midday Angelus, Pope Benedict spoke about the Holy Family, drawing from the Gospel reading for Mass (Luke 2:41-52) about Mary and Joseph finding Jesus in the temple.  Speaking in Spanish about a demonstration for the family held today in Madrid, the Pope said encouraged Christians "to bear witness serenely but firmly that the family is based on the marriage of a man and a woman, so as to safeguard it and promote it, because it is of the utmost importance for the present and the future of humanity."  Here is his English-language greeting after the Angelus prayer:

"I am happy to greet all the English-speaking visitors present at this Angelus prayer. Today we celebrate with joy the Feast of the Holy Family, who shared with us this fundamental human experience. I pray that the Lord may bless all Christian families and assist them in living their daily life in mutual love and in generosity to others, after the example of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. May Almighty God continue to bless you all with peace and joy during this Christmas Season!"

I will add a link to a full translation when available.  The Daily Bulletin has the original text in Italian, with the Spanish portion as mentioned, and with greetings in several languages.  Asia News has an article.

Later in the day, the Pope visited a soup kitchen to have lunch with the poor of Rome.  Vatican Radio has an audio report on that visit and on the earlier Angelus address.

Christmas and the Feast of St. Stephen at the Vatican

Here are some links for Pope Benedict's Christmas Eve homily, Christmas Day Urbi et Orbi address, and his words at the midday Angelus for today's celebration of the Feast of St. Stephen.  This video is from today.

Unveiling of the Crèche: Vatican Radio has an audio report on Christmas Eve at the Vatican and the evening unveiling of the Christmas Crèche.  The Pope participated in the unveiling of the Nativity Scene from the window of the papal apartments.  Benedetto XVI Forum has photos of the crèche and the Pope's presence in his window.

Christmas Vigil Mass:    The Daily Bulletin of the Vatican Press Office has the full Italian text of the Holy Father's homily with full translations into several languages, including English.  Zenit and Benedetto XVI Forum have full English translations of the Holy Father's homily at the Christmas Vigil Mass held on Christmas Eve in St. Peter's Basilica.  Benedetto XVI Forum also has a collection of photographs.  KTO French Catholic TV has video on demand of the Mass.

In his homily, Pope Benedict spoke about the shepherds as models for how we too should respond to the birth of Christ.  They heard the message because they were awake, he said, and we too should be awake.  They went at once.  Pope Benedict said, "From them we should learn not to be crushed by all the pressing matters in our daily lives."  The shepherds set off to see what has happened.  "In the figure of Jesus Christ, in the whole of his life and ministry, in his dying and rising, we can see the Word of God and hence the mystery of the living God himself. This is what God is like."

Afterward, the Vatican issued a Note the following day on an incident in which a woman believed to have mental problems attacked the Pope and Cardinal Etchegaray during the procession at the beginning of the Mass.  The Pope was not injured, and he continued with the Mass. Cardinal Etchegaray will need surgery for a broken femur.

Urbi et Orbi: The Daily Bulletin also has the Italian text and translations into English and several other languages for the Pope's Christmas Address to the City of Rome and to the World ("Urbi et Orbi").  KTO has video on demand.  Zenit and Benedetto XVI Forum also have English translations.  Asia News has an article.  Vatican Radio has an audio report, which also discusses the Christmas Vigil Mass and the attack on the Pope that evening.

In his Urbi et Orbi address, Pope Benedict began, "The liturgy of the Mass at Dawn reminded us that the night is now past, the day has begun; the light radiating from the cave of Bethlehem shines upon us."  He spoke about the light of Christ, saying, "Wherever there is an 'us' which welcomes God’s love, there the light of Christ shines forth, even in the most difficult situations."  He concluded by speaking of the gift of being part of "the communion of the Most Holy Trinity", open to everyone, from whose heart Jesus came into the world as God with us.

Feast of St. Stephen: Benedetto XVI Forum has an English translation of the Pope's words at today's midday Angelus.  The Daily Bulletin has the original Italian text and greetings in several languages.   Asia News has an article.  Speaking of the first Christian martyr, he said, "Stephen's testimony, like that of all the Christian martyrs, shows contemporary men, often distracted and disoriented, in whom to place our trust in order to give sense to life."  Remembering Christians who are suffering for their faith in various parts of the world, the Holy Father asked that we "commit ourselves to sustaining them with prayers, and never to fall short of our Christian calling, always placing Jesus Christ in the center of our life, whom we contemplate these days in the simplicity and humility of the manger."

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to everyone.  I was in the San Francisco Bay Area for Christmas Day, back at 1:00 a.m. this morning, and thankful to have a restful week-end to enjoy a few days of Christmas at home.

2009 San Diego County Christmas Mass Schedule

This post will stay at the top through Christmas Day.  Please scroll down for newer posts.

Here are the 2009 Christmas and Christmas Eve Mass schedules for several San Diego County parishes, with an emphasis on North County parishes.

Please check the website links or download the bulletins to double-check the accuracy and to check for whether a time change may have occurred after I posted the information.

You can also check the Diocese Website to find phone numbers and websites for some parishes not listed here.

Mission San Luis Rey Parish:
Oceanside - 760-757-3250
Download Christmas_Season_Schedule

Christmas Eve:
  4:00 p.m. Children's Mass in English (Serra Center)
  6:30 p.m. Mass in Spanish (Serra Center)
  9:00 p.m. Mass in English (Serra Center)

Christmas Day:
  8:00 and 10:00 a.m. Mass in English (Serra Center)
  12:00 noon Mass in Spanish (Serra Center)
  (There will be no 7:00 a.m. Mass)

Prince of Peace Abbey:
Oceanside (Benedictine) - 760-967-4200

Christmas Eve:
  12:00 midnight Mass

Christmas Day:
  11:00 a.m. Mass

St. Thomas More:
Oceanside - 760-758-4100

Christmas Eve:
4:00, 6:00 and 10:00 p.m. Mass
9:30 p.m. Christmas Caroling

Christmas Day:
9:30 a.m. Mass

St. Patrick's Church
Carlsbad, CA - 760-729-2866
Download St. Patrick's Bulletin 12-13-09

Christmas Eve:
  4:00 p.m. Mass in Englsh
  4:15 p.m. Mass in Parish Hall
  6:00 and 10:00 p.m. Mass in English
  8:00 p.m. Mass in Spanish

Christmas Day:
  7:30, 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. Mass in English
  1:00 p.m. Mass in Spanish

St. Francis of Assisi:
Vista, CA - 760-945-8000 
See Parish Calendar Page

Christmas Eve:
  4:30 p.m. Mass (Church and Halls)
  7:00 p.m. Mass (Vietnamese)
  9:00 p.m. Mass (English)
  12:00 midnight Mass (English in church, Spanish in hall)

Christmas Day:
  7:00, 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. Mass in English
  8:45 a.m. Confessions
  12:00 noon Mass in Spanish

Church of the Nativity:
Rancho Santa Fe - 858-756-1911
Download Nativity's Bulletin 12-13-09

Christmas Eve:
  4:00 p.m. Children's Mass
  6:00 and 9:00 p.m. Mass

Christmas Day:
  9:00 and 10:30 a.m. Mass

St. James Church:
Solana Beach - 858-755-2545
Download St. James & St. Leo Bulletin 12-13-09

Christmas Eve:
  5:00 p.m. Mass with Spirit Choir (in Church) and Mass with classical music (in Parish Hall)
  8:00 p.m. Mass (Lifeteen)
  10:00 p.m. Mass with St. James Campostela Choir

  9:30 p.m. Choral Concert

Christmas Day:
  9:00 and 11:00 a.m. Mass with Congregational Singing

St. Michael's Church:
Poway 858-487-4755
See Christmas Mass Schedule

Christmas Eve:
  4:45 Children's Mass with 5:00 p.m. overflow in Parish Hall
  7:00 and 9:00 p.m. Mass

Christmas Day:
  7:15, 9:00, 10:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Mass

Saint Gabriel's Church:
Poway 858-748-5348
Download St. Gabriel's Bulletin 12-6-09

Christmas Eve:
  4:00 p.m. Children's Mass (For families with children, teaching children how to celebrate Christmas)
  6:00 p.m. Family Mass
  8:00 p.m. Youth Mass
  10:00 p.m. Mass of the Nativity

Christmas Day:
  9:30 and 11:00 a.m. Mass

St. Thérèse of Carmel 
Del Mar - 858-481-3232
Advent and Christmas Schedule

Christmas Eve:
  4:00, 7:00 and and 10:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass
  9:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Concert

Christmas Day:
  9:00 and 11:00 a.m. Mass

San Rafael Cathoic Church
Rancho Bernardo - 858-487-4314
See San Rafael Schedule

Christmas Eve:
4:00 p.m. Family Mass for families with small children
6:00, 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. Mass

Christmas Day:
8:00 and 10:00 a.m.

St. Anne's Catholic Church
San Diego Traditional Latin Mass Congregation (Priest from FSSP)
Download St. Anne's Bulletin 12-6-09

Christmas Eve:
  12:00 Shepherd's Mass, Sung Mass

Christmas Day:
  8:30 a.m. Christmas Mass at Dawn (Low Mass)
  10:00 a.m. Christmas Mass of the Day (High Mass)
  12:00 p.m. Christmas Mass of the Day (Low Mass)

Carmelite Monastery:
San Diego 619-280-5424
(Carmelite monastery chapel - all are welcome to attend)

Christmas Eve:
  7:30 a.m. Morning Mass for Christmas Eve
  9:30 p.m. Mass

Christmas Day:
  4:00 p.m. Christmas Mass

Our Lady of the Rosary Parish:
Downtown San Diego (Italian National Parish) - 619-234-4820
Christmas Schedule

Christmas Eve:
  7:30 a.m. Christmas Eve Mass
  12:00 noon Christmas Eve Mass
  4:00-5:00 p.m. Confessions
  5:30 p.m. Christmas Mass for Children
  11:30 p.m. Christmas Carols in Italian and English
  12:00 Midnight Christmas Mass

Christmas Day:
  7:30, 9:00 and 10:30 Mass in English
  12:00 noon Mass in Italian

Picture: Nativity scene at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Paray-le-Monial, France.

Contemplating the Mystery of Christ's Birth

In today's General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about the history of the celebration of Christmas joy.

Zenit and Benedetto XVI Forum have full English translations of the text.  The Daily Bulletin has the original Italian text followed by the Holy Father's greetings and comments in several languages.  Asia News has an article, and Vatican Information Service has a press release.

Here is the Holy Father's English language greeting:

"In these last days before Christmas, the Church invites us to contemplate the mystery of Christ’s Birth and to experience the joy and hope which the newborn Saviour brings into our world. Gazing on the Christ Child lying in the manger, we contemplate the love of a God who humbly asks us to welcome him into our hearts and into our world. By coming among us as a helpless Child, God conquers our hearts not by force, but by love, and thus teaches us the way to authentic freedom, peace and fulfilment. This Christmas, may the Lord grant us simplicity of heart, so that we may recognize his presence and love in the lowly Babe of Bethlehem, and, like the shepherds, return to our homes filled with ineffable joy and gladness."

The messianic peace of the mystery of Christmas commits Christians to become Jesus' instruments of peace.

In his words before praying today's midday Angelus, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about the prophecy from Micah 3:1-4 in today's readings for Mass, particularly the words "He himself shall be peace!"  That prophecy of messianic peace, he said, represents "a peace that is laboriously sought and awaited".  He said that the mystery of Christmas "commits Christians to face the barriers, the crises, often unknown and hidden, and the conflicts of their lives, with the sentiments of Jesus, to become the instruments and messengers of peace everywhere, to bring love where there is hate, forgiveness where there is offense, joy where there is sadness, and truth where there is error, according to the beautiful expressions of a famous Franciscan prayer."  After the Angelus, his English language greeting spoke about Mary's visit to Elizabeth.

Zenit and Benedetto XVI Forum have full English translations.  The Daily Bulletin has the original Italian text and greetings in several languages.  Asia News has an article.

John of Salisbury: Reason's Capacity to Know the Truth

In today's General Audience, Pope Benedict spoke about John of Salisbury from the 12th century.

Full English translations of the text have been posted by Zenit and Benedetto XVI Forum.    The Daily Bulletin has the original Italian and summaries in several languages.  Vatican Information Service has a press release, and Asia News has an article.

Here is the English language summary from the Daily Bulletin:

"In our catechesis on the Christian culture of the Middle Ages, we now turn to John of Salisbury, an outstanding philosopher and theologian of the twelfth century. Born in England, John was educated in Paris and Chartres. A close associate of Saint Thomas Becket, he was involved in the crisis between the Church and the Crown under King Henry II, and died as Bishop of Chartres. In his celebrated work, the Metalogicon, John teaches that authentic philosophy is by nature communicative: it bears fruit in a message of wisdom which serves the building up of society in truth and goodness. While acknowledging the limitations of human reason, John insists that it can attain to the truth through dialogue and argumentation. Faith, which grants a share in God’s perfect knowledge, helps reason to realize its full potential. In another work, the Policraticus, John defends reason’s capacity to know the objective truth underlying the universal natural law, and its obligation to embody that law in all positive legislation. John’s insights are most timely today, in light of the threats to human life and dignity posed by legislation inspired more by the "dictatorship of relativism" than by the sober use of right reason and concern for the principles of truth and justice inscribed in the natural law."

St. John of the Cross: "Set thine eyes on Him alone"

"Wherefore he that would now enquire of God, or seek any vision or revelation, would not only be acting foolishly, but would be committing an offence against God, by not setting his eyes altogether upon Christ, and seeking no new thing or aught beside. And God might answer him after this manner, saying: If I have spoken all things to thee in My Word, Which is My Son, and I have no other word, what answer can I now make to thee, or what can I reveal to thee which is greater than this? Set thine eyes on Him alone, for in Him I have spoken and revealed to thee all things, and in Him thou shalt find yet more than that which thou askest and desirest. For thou askest locutions and revelations, which are the part; but if thou set thine eyes upon Him, thou shalt find the whole; for He is My complete locution and answer, and He is all My vision and all My revelation; so that I have spoken to thee, answered thee, declared to thee and revealed to thee, in giving Him to thee as thy brother, companion and master, as ransom and prize."

- St. John of the Cross, Ascent of Mt. Carmel, Book II, XXII:5

Today is the feast day of St. John of the Cross.

The Crèche Reminds Us that True Joy Does Not Consist in Having Many Things

At the Angelus on this third Sunday of Advent, Pope Benedict spoke about one of the readings for today's Mass, Philippians 4:4-7 ("Rejoice in the Lord always.  I shall say it again:  rejoice!").  Blessing images of the baby Jesus, brought today by children from Rome to be placed in their families' crèches, he spoke about the true joy of Christmas:

"The blessing of the 'Bambinelli', as we say in Rome, reminds us that the crèche is a school of life, where we can learn the secret of true joy. This does not consist in having many things, but in feeling loved by the Lord, in giving ourselves to others, and in loving each other."

Zenit and Benedetto XVI Forum have full English translations.  The Daily Bulletin has the original Italian text with greetings in several languages.  Asia News and Catholic News Agency have articles.

Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa's Advent Sermons 2009

Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, ofmcap., the Preacher to the Papal Household, has posted an English translations of his first Advent sermon in the papal household for this year.  That sermon and his earlier sermons, as well as his Advent and Lenten reflections from past years can be found on his own website's page of homilies in the papal household in English.  Here is a link for the first sermon and an excerpt from it:

I will add links as more sermons are posted for this year.

Dec. 4: Servants and Friends of Jesus Christ:

"We priests, more than anyone else, are exposed to the danger of sacrificing what is important for the urgent. Prayer, the preparation of the homily or for Mass, study and formation, are all important things, but not urgent; if they are postponed, apparently, the world does not collapse, while there are so many little things -- a meeting, a phone call, a material task -- which are urgent. Thus one ends up by postponing systematically the important things to a "later" that never arrives."

Dec. 11: Ministers of the New Covenant of the Spirit:

"This is what the priest should be: the good perfume of Christ in the world! But the Apostle puts us on guard, adding immediately after: "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels" (2 Corinthians 4:7). In the end we know too well, from the recent painful and humiliating experience, what all this means. Jesus said to the Apostles: "You are the salt of the earth; But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot" (Matthew 5:13). The truth of this word of Christ is painfully before our eyes."

Dec. 18:  Mary, Mother and Model of the Priest: 

"There are two simple words that Maria said in the moment of the Anunciation, and that the priest says in the moment of his ordination: 'Here I am', and 'Amen' or 'Yes.' I remember the moment of my ordination, together with some 10 other companion, when my name was called. I responded with emotion, 'Here I Am!'"