BIBLE VERSES ABOUT LIHGT

 

Psalm 119:105;

105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

 

Matthew 4:16,

16 the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”

 

Matthew 5:16;

16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

 

John 1:5;

5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

 

John 8:12;

12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

 

1 John 1:5-9;

5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

 

Psalm 27:1;

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?

 

John 12:35-37;

35 Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. 36 Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them. 37 Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.

 

Ephesians 5:14;

14 This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

 

Luke 11:34-35;

34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy,your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy,your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.

 

Psalm 119:130;

130 The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.

 

John 12:36-37;

36 Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them. 37 Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.

 

James 1:17;

17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

 

1 Peter 2:9;

9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

 

Revelation 21:23,

23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.

 

Ecclesiastes 2:13;

13 I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness.

 

 

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BIBLE KJV

 

https://sites.google.com/site/christanitystudies/home/bible-verses-about-lihgt

THE NICENE CREED

 

 

 

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,

and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

 

https://sites.google.com/site/thetruechristianreligion/Home/nicene-creed

THERE IS POWER IN THE NAME OF JESUS!

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Any power attributed to the name of Jesus originates in the Person of Jesus. When we “believe in Jesus’ name,” we are trusting in the finished work of the risen Christ on the cross.

1John 5:13;

13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

 

 Jesus is not a magic word. There is nothing special about the arrangement of the letters in His name. Had Jesus not been God in the flesh who lived a perfect life, died for the sins of all who would believe, and rose again, we wouldn’t even be talking about His name. Any power that Christians access in Jesus’ name comes from true faith in who Jesus is and what He does for sinners.

There is no magical power in the name of Jesus—there is only power in Jesus Christ, Himself. By simply calling out the name of “Jesus,” one cannot expect a special power, outcome, or better standing with God. The name of Jesus is precious, however, and brimming with meaning. From Pastor Kevin DeYoung: “What about Jesus? ‘And you shall call his name Jesus,’ the angel told Joseph, ‘for he will save his people from their sins’.

Matthew 1:21;

21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

 

More than a great teacher, more than an enlightened man, more than a worker of miracles, more than a source of meaning in life, more than a self-help guru, more than a self-esteem builder, more than a political liberator, more than a caring friend, more than a transformer of cultures, more than a purpose for the purposeless, Jesus is the Savior of sinners.”

The saving, healing, protecting, justifying, redeeming power of God resides in the Person of Christ, and Jesus is His name. And how did the omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent Creator of the universe choose to wield His power? Through His Son, born in humble circumstances—a baby with all the power

 of the King.

  Luke 2:11-12;

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ ethe Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

 

Jesus laid down His life to save sinners, and He exercised His authority to raise it up again  so that any who call on His name in faith can receive forgiveness of sins and salvation for all eternity. 

 

John 10:18;

18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

 

Romans 10:13;

13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

 

That is the resurrection power of the Savior—He alone is the force behind His name.

It is in Jesus’ name that God instructs us to pray.

 

Joh 16:23-24;

23 In that day you will pask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

 

 Believers are invited to pray in Jesus’ name with an expectation that God answers prayers.

 

John 14: 13-14;

13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

 

 Praying in Jesus’ name means praying with His authority  and asking God the Father to act upon our prayers because we come by faith in the name of His Son, Jesus. Praying in Jesus’ name means praying in line with Jesus’ character and His will.

 

Luke 10: 19;

19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.

 

 Praying in Jesus’ name demonstrates our faith in God’s power to act when we believe that Jesus’ name is more than just a grouping of letters but a representation of who He actually is.

Jesus was a very common name in first-century Israel. The only thing that sets apart the name of Jesus of Nazareth is the Person it belongs to and what He did for us. In Christ “all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form”.

 

Colossians 2:9;

9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,

 

 Jesus is “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being”.

 

Hebrews 1: 3;

3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

 

 But where there is no faith, no relationship, or no submission to His lordship, the name Jesus is nothing but a word.

We are wise to guard ourselves from the temptation to misuse the name of Jesus. The Bible tells the intriguing story of a group of seven Jews in Ephesus who attempted to cast out demons using the name of Jesus. These men did not know Jesus. They were not believers. Instead they sought the admiration of others and an opportunity to make names for themselves. They had not submitted to God and thus failed to cause the spirits to flee.

 

James 4: 7;

 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

 

 Once, a demon mocked the seven exorcists, who were essentially trying to perform magic tricks using “Jesus” as their incantation of choice: “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” the evil spirit taunted. Then the evil spirit empowered the man it possessed to beat the would-be magicians until they were bloody and naked.

 

Acts 19: 13-16;

13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

 

 These seven men attempted to misuse the power in the name of Jesus for their own gain, but we serve a God who will not be manipulated and cannot be fooled.

Job 12: 16; 

16  With him are strength and sound wisdom;the deceived and the deceiver are his.

The name of Jesus, the one who saves His people from their sins, denotes all the power of the mighty Creator Himself. Jesus gives believers the authority to serve, work, and pray in His name when we do so believing in Jesus’ saving power and desiring God’s will. Jesus, with the authority of the Father, exercised power to save sinners, and His name is the only name we can call on for salvation. 

 

Acts 4: 12;

12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

 

As adopted sons and daughters into God’s family, Christians experience God’s saving grace through faith in the Person of Jesus. When we call on Him, we participate in His power and find that “the name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” 

 

Proverbs 18: 10;

10  The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.

 

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READ MORE

 

https://www.gotquestions.org/power-in-the-name-of-Jesus.html

 

 

https://sites.google.com/site/thetruechristianreligion/Home/nicene-creed/is-there-power-in-the-name-of-jesus

The Birth of Jesus Is Only The Beginning by Kyle Golden

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As a baby, laying in the manger, Jesus was the eternal, infinite, and unchangeable Creator of the universe, while taking on a temporal, finite, and changeable human body. People had strong reactions to the birth of Jesus. Consumed with fear, shepherds cowered. Consumed with jealousy and hatred, Herod attempted to murder Jesus. And, consumed with joy, angels worshipped and proclaimed: 

“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:10-12). 

 

The shepherds, the angels, and Herod all had strong reactions because they knew what the birth of Jesus meant. They knew what would happen next. So, this Christmas season, let’s praise the eternal Son of God not only for taking on human form, but also for dying for humanity’s sin, and being raised from the dead so humanity might do the same.

The Birth of Jesus: The Word Made Flesh

At last, the moment the world greatly anticipated had come. The Logos, the ordering principle behind its creation and preservation, arrived. He lay vulnerable in a manger. He bore the Father’s glory and was full of grace and truth. God’s promises and provisions pointed to this babe. Through Jesus, the world’s groanings of pain and longing will transform into proclamations of joy and satisfaction.

In taking human form, Jesus experienced many things through his life that we experience. Throughout his life, he experienced the hunger, thirst, exhaustion, and a desire for peace, somewhere to call home, and for his people to accept him. Jesus fasted for forty days and nights. Jesus endured restless nights and mornings. His people rejected him. Jesus had no home.

Jesus experienced the reality of depending upon the Father for all his need and endured the failure of those needs being met. Two comforts arise from this statement. First, during this, he remained perfectly righteous. And it is this righteousness that can be attributed to us as our own if we believe in him. Second, he is our perfect high priest who sympathizes with our struggles and weaknesses. He hears our prayers and intercedes for us before the Father.

The Death of Jesus: Our Legal Representative and Perfect Sacrifice

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1 Peter 2:24-25).

What a humbling contradiction! Jesus is the exact image of Yahweh, the Word through and for whom all things were created, and the preserver of all things (Colossians 1:15-17). Yet, he surrendered himself to a horrendous death. Our imagination quickly runs to the physical which was insufferable. He was stripped, beaten, mocked, and nailed to a cross where he endured great thirst. But, the wrath and rejection of his Father were far worse.

Can you imagine the suffering? For all of eternity, Jesus fully experienced his Father’s love through the Holy Spirit’s begetting. But, in his humanity, Jesus experienced what we deserved to endure for all eternity. He gasped one last breath, declaring the agony of his suffering. Yet, he was greater than the penalty. He was fully God, and he would overcome death.

As our representative, Jesus accomplished what Adam failed to do. He surrendered himself to the Father’s will, which was momentarily his humiliation. As our perfect sacrifice, Jesus consumed the Father’s wrath and rejection. Now, in Christ, we are legally holy and blameless before the Father.

The Resurrection of Jesus: Our Champion Over Sin and Death

After submitting himself to humiliation, the Father exalted him. On the third day, by the Father’s approval and the Holy Spirit’s power, Jesus rose from the dead. Our ransom had been paid in full. Thus, the Father began his renovation project of creation. After being resurrected, Jesus walked out of his grave in a glorified body, not as some angelic ghostlike figure. He talked with his disciples and ate a breakfast of fish and bread with them on the beach. As the firstborn of this renovation project, Jesus’ glorified body will also be ours one day.

Formerly, we despised Jesus, rather than holding him up in esteem. But, now by the Father’s approval, the spoken and proclaimed Word, and the Holy Spirit’s power, we are new creations. The renovation accomplished in Jesus’ body has begun in us. Let us take comfort in this good news as we endure various degrees and experiences of chaos and darkness around us. One day, they will be overcome and replaced with overwhelming glory. This glory will enable us to live in joyful and rightful community with God and one another expressed by dancing, singing, and feasting.

The Christmas season points to this great comfort. Our God is orchestrating all things to that time when all earthly and heavenly things are united in Christ.

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways.

‘For who has known the mind of the Lord,

or who has been his counselor?’

‘Or who has given a gift to him

that he might be repaid?’

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:33-36).

READ MORE

https://unlockingthebible.org/2018/12/birth-jesus-beginning/

https://sites.google.com/site/thedivinityofjesus/home/the-birth-of-jesus-is-only-the-beginning

THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD JESUS JANUARY 6

 

The Epiphany of Our Lord is the Christian feast observed on January 6.

The word “epiphany” comes from the Greek epiphainen, a verb that means “to shine upon,” “to manifest,

” or “to make known.” Thus, the feast of the Epiphany celebrates the many ways that Christ has made Himself known to the world, mainly the three events that manifested the mission

and divinity of Christ: the visit of the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12),

the baptism of Jesus (Mark 1:9-11), and the miracle at Cana (John 2:1-11).

The visit of the Magi is emphasized on Epiphany Day, and Christ’s baptism is celebrated the first Sunday that follows.

 

This is the last day of Christmas (the 12th Day of Christmas). And on the Epiphany, we remember Christ revealing His divinity in three ways:

 

To the Magi who, guided by the great and mysterious Star of Bethlehem, came to visit Him when He was a Baby (Matthew 2:1-19)

 

Through His Baptism by St. John, when “the Spirit of God descending as a dove” came upon Him and there was heard a voice from Heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3, John 1), and all Three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity were manifest (Note: the Baptism of Our Lord is also commemorated on the 13th of January)

 

Through His first public miracle — that of the wedding at Cana when Our Lord turned water into wine at the request of His Mother (John 2). Just as God’s first miracle before the Egyptian pharaoh, through Moses, was turning the waters of the Nile into blood, Our Lord’s first miracle was turning water into wine.

 

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Matthew 1:18-2:23;

 

THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

 

23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall call his name Immanuel”

 

(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

 

THE VISIT OF THE WISE MEN

2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

 

6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

 

7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

 

THE FLIGHT TO EGYPT

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

 

HEROD KILLS THE CHILDREN

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

 

18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,

weeping and loud lamentation,

Rachel weeping for her children;

she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

 

THE RETURN TO NAZARETH

19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

 

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BIBLE CEI

https://sites.google.com/site/maryofnazarethblessed/home/the-epiphany-of-the-lord-i

 

 

 

 

 

THE MOST HOLY NAME OF JESUS JANUARY 3

 

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Today the Church celebrates the optional memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus. According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite

 this feast is celebrated on January 2. In the liturgical revisions of Vatican II, the feast was removed, though a votive Mass to the Holy Name of Jesus

 had been retained for devotional use. With the release of the revised Roman Missal in March 2002, the feast was restored as an optional memorial in the Ordinary Form on January 3.

Reverence for the Holy Name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, arose in the apostolic times.  St. Paul in his Letter to the Philippians wrote, “So that at Jesus’ name every knee

 must bend in the heavens, on the earth and under the earth, and every tongue proclaim to the glory of God the Father: Jesus Christ is Lord” (2:10-11). 

 Just as a name gives identity to a person and also reflects a person’s life, the name of Jesus reminds the hearer of who Jesus is and what He has done for us. 

 Keep in mind that the name Jesus means “Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh is salvation.”

In invoking our Lord’s name with reverential faith, one is turning to Him and imploring His divine assistance.  An old spiritual manual cited four special rewards 

of invoking the Holy Name:  First, the name of Jesus brings help in bodily needs.  Jesus Himself promised at the Ascension, “…In my name they will cast out demons,

 they will speak in new tongues, they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them, they will lay their hands on the sick and they will recover.

” (Mark 16:17-19).  After Pentecost, St. Peter and St. John went to the Temple to preach and encountered a cripple begging; St. Peter commanded,

 “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I have I give you!  In the name of Jesus Christ, the Nazorean, walk!” and the crippled began to walk (Acts 3:1-10). 

 Invoking Jesus’ name, St. Peter also cured Aeneas (Acts 9:32ff).

Second, the name of Jesus gives help in spiritual trials.  Jesus forgave sins, and through the invocation of His Holy Name, sins continue to be forgiven. 

 At Pentecost, St. Peter echoed the prophecy of Joel, “Then shall everyone be saved who calls on the name of the Lord” (Acts 2:21), 

a teaching echoed by St. Paul in his Letter to the Romans (10:13).  As St. Stephen, the first martyr, was being stoned, he called upon the name of the Lord and prayed,

 “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59).  St. Thomas More, the patron saint of our diocese, as he awaited execution wrote to his daughter Margaret, “I will not mistrust Him, 

Meg, though I shall feel myself weakening and on the verge of being overcome with fear.  I shall remember how Saint Peter at a blast of wind began to sink because of his lack of faith, 

and I shall do as he did: call upon Christ and pray to Him for help.  And then I trust He shall place His holy hand on me and in the stormy seas hold me up from drowning.”

Third, the name of Jesus protects the person against Satan and his temptations.  Jesus on His own authority exorcized demons 

(e.g. the expulsion of the demons of Gadara (Matthew 8:28-34)).  Through the invocation of His Holy Name, Satan is still conquered.

Finally, we receive every grace and blessing through the Holy Name of Jesus.  Jesus said, “I give you my assurance, whatever you ask the Father,

 He will give you in my name.  Until now you have not asked for anything in my name.  Ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:23-24).

  In summary, St. Paul said, “Whatever you do, in whether in speech or in action, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17).

Both St. Bernardine of Sienna (1380-1444) and his student St. John of Capistrano (1386-1456) promoted devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. 

 In their preaching missions throughout Italy, they carried a monogram of the Holy Name surrounded by rays.  

In its origin, the monogram IHS is an abbreviation of the name Jesus in Greek: I and H representing an Iota and Eta respectively,

 the first two letters of the name; to which later was added S, a Sigma, the final letter.  (A later tradition holds that IHS represents the Latin Iesus Hominum Salvator,

 meaning “Jesus Savior of Mankind.”)  St. Bernardine and St. John blessed the faithful with this monogram, invoking the name of Jesus, and many miracles were reported.  

also encouraged people to have the monogram placed over the city gates and the doorways of their homes. 

 Dispelling the objections of some who considered this veneration superstitious, Pope Martin V in 1427 approved the proper veneration to the Holy Name 

and asked that the cross be included in the monogram IHS.  Later in 1455, Pope Callistus III asked St. John to preach a crusade invoking

 the Holy Name of Jesus against the vicious Turkish Moslems who were ravaging Eastern Europe; victory came in their defeat at the Battle of Belgrade in 1456.

In 1597, Pope Sixtus V granted an indulgence to anyone reverently saying, “Praised be Jesus Christ!”  Pope Cement VII in 1530 allowed the Franciscans

 to celebrate a feast day in honor of the Holy Name, and Pope Innocent XIII extended this to the universal Church in 1721; the feast day was celebrated

 on the Sunday between January 1^st  and 6^th, or otherwise on January 2^nd.  (Unfortunately, the feast day was dropped with the revision 

of the liturgical calendar in 1969 by Pope Paul VI.)   Pope Pius IX in 1862 approved a Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus, which Pope Leo XIII later endorsed

 for the whole Church because he was “…desirous of seeing an increase in the devotion toward this glorious name of Jesus among the faithful, 

especially in a period when this august name is shamelessly scoffed at.”

Pope John Paul II has reinstituted the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus to be celebrated on January 3.   Moreover, the reverential invocation 

of the Holy Name of Jesus as part of prayer or work, and the recitation of the Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus still convey a partial indulgence for the reparation of sin.  

Also, the Holy Name Society, first organized in 1274 and granted the status of a confraternity in 1564, continues to promote at the parish and diocesan

 levels an increased reverence for the name of Jesus, reparation for the sins of profanity and blasphemy against the Holy Name, and the personal sanctification of its members.

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http://catholicstraightanswers.com/what-is-the-origin-of-the-holy-name-of-jesus-january-3/

CIRCUMCISION OF THE INFANT JESUS JANUARY 1

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As Christ wished to fulfil the law and to show His descent according to the flesh from Abraham. He, though not bound by the law,

 was circumcised on the eighth day (Luke, ii, 21), and received the sublime name expressive of His office, Jesus, i.e. Saviour. He was, as St. Paul says,

 “made under the law”, i.e. He submitted to the Mosaic Dispensation, “that he might redeem them who were under the law: that we might receive the adoption of sons”

 (Gal., iv, 4, 5). “The Christ, in order to fulfil all justice, was required to endure this humiliation, and bear in His body the stigma of the sins which He had taken upon Himself”

 (Fouard, A Life of Jesus, tr., I, 54). The circumcision took place, not in the Temple, though painters sometimes so represent it, but in some private house,

 where the Holy Family had found a rather late hospitality.

The public ceremony in the synagogue, which is now the usage, was introduced later. Christmas was celebrated on 25 December, even in the ertrly centuries,

 at least by the Western Church, whence the date was soon adopted in the East also. (See CHRISTMAS). Saint Chrysostom credits the West with the tradition, 

and St. Augustine speaks of it as well and long estabblished. Consequently the Circumcision fell on the first of January. In the ages of paganism,

 however, the solemnization of the feast was almost impossible, on account of the orgies connected with the Saturnalian festivities, which were celebrated at the same time. 

Even in our own day the secular features of the opening of the New Year interfere with the religious observance of the Circumcision, 

and tend to make a mere holiday of that which should have the sacred character of a Holy Day. St. Augustine points out the difference between the pagan

 and the Christian manner of celebrating the day: pagan feasting and excesses were to be expiated by Christian fasting and prayer (P. L., XXXVIII, 1024 sqq.; 

Serm. cxcvii, cxcviii). 

The Feast of the Circumcision was kept at an early date in the Gallican Rite, as is clearly indicated in a Council of Tours (567), 

in which he Mass of the Circumcision is prescribed (Con. Tur., II., can. xvii in Labbe, V, 857). The feast celebrated at Rome in the seventh century was not the Circumcision as such, 

but the octave of Christmas. The Gelasian Sacramentary gives the title “In Octabas Domini”, and prohibits the faithful from idolatry and the profanities of the season (P. L., LXXIV, 1061). 

The earliest Byzantine calendars (eighth and ninth centuries) give for the first of January both the Circumcision and the anniversary of St. Basil. 

The Feast of the Circumcision was observed in Spain before the death of St. Isidore (636), for the “Regula Monachorum”, X, reads: 

“For it hath pleased the Fathers to appoint a holy season from the day of the Lord’s birth to the day of His Circumcision” (P.L., LXXXIII, 880). It seems,

 therefore, that the octave was more prominent in the early centuries, and the Circumcision later.

 

It is to be noted also that the Blessed Virgin Mary was not forgotten in the festivities of the holy season, and the Mass in her honour was sometimes said on this day. 

Today, also, while in both Missal and Breviary the feast bears the title “In Circumcisione Domini et Octav Nativitatis”, the prayers have special reference to the Blessed Virgin,

 and in the Office, the responses and antiphons set forth her privileges and extol her wonderful prerogatives. The psalms for Vespers are those appointed for her feasts,

 and the antiphons and hymn of Lauds keep her constantly in view. As paganisn passed away the religious festivities of the Circumcision became more conspicuous and solemn; 

yet, even in the tenth century, Atto, Bishop of Vercelli, rebuked those who profaned the holy season by pagan dances, songs, and the lighting of lamps

 

TRADITIONAL CATHOLIC PRIEST

 

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http://www.traditionalcatholicpriest.com/2015/12/31/circumcision-jesus-jan-1/

THE SOLEMNITY OF MARY MOTHER OF GOD 1 JANUARY

 

 

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January 1st

Mary, Mother of God – Solemnity

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 2,16-21.

The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.
When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

 

Saint Ephrem (c.306-373)

deacon in Syria, Doctor of the Church

 

Hymn

 

“The shepherds … glorified and praised God for all they had heard and seen.”

Come, Moses, show us that bush on top of the mountain whose flames danced on your face (Ex 3:2): it is the child of the Most High who became visible from the womb of the Virgin Mary and who illumined the world when he came. Glory to him from every creature, and blessed is she who bore him! Come, Gideon, show us that fleece and the sweet dew (Judg 6:37), explain to us the mystery of your word: the fleece is Mary who received the dew, the Word of God. He manifested himself in creation through her and redeemed the world from error. Come, David, show us the city that you saw and the plant that germinated there: Mary is the city, the plant which came forth from there is our Savior whose name is Dawn (Zech 3:8, LXX). The tree of life that was guarded by the cherubim with a sword of fire (Gen 3:24) now dwells in Mary, the pure Virgin, and Joseph guards it. The cherubim have laid down their sword, for the fruit they were guarding was sent from the height of heaven even to the exiles in their abyss. Eat of it, everyone, mortal human beings, and you shall live. Blessed be the fruit that the Virgin bore. Blessed be the one who came down and dwelt in Mary and who came forth from her to save us. Blessed are you, Mary, who were considered to be worthy to be the mother of the Son of the Most High, you who bore the Ancient One who had given birth to Adam and Eve. He came forth from you, the sweet fruit filled with life, and through him, the exiles again have access to paradise.

 

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Mary, Mother of God – Solemnity

 

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, our Lady’s greatest title. This feast is the octave of Christmas. In the modern Roman Calendar only Christmas and Easter enjoy the privilege of an octave. According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the Solemnity of Circumcision of Our Lord.

“Mary, the all-holy ever-virgin Mother of God, is the masterwork of the mission of the Son and the Spirit in the fullness of time. For the first time in the plan of salvation and because his Spirit had prepared her, the Father found the dwelling place where his Son and his Spirit could dwell among men. In this sense the Church’s Tradition has often read the most beautiful texts on wisdom in relation to Mary. Mary is acclaimed and represented in the liturgy as the “Seat of Wisdom.” — Catechism of the Catholic Church 721

A plenary indulgence may be gained by reciting or singing the hymn Veni Creator Spiritus on the first day of the year. This hymn is traditionally sung for beginnings of things, calling on the Holy Spirit before endeavoring something new.

 

 

 

 

https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2018-01-01&fbclid=IwAR2o0RiH_rsrnWCEBLm_3SOn3efGHvB6vImxURSmaO4UTwKf3GVHKiV4Pmo

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Mary, Mother of God – Solemnity

The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God is a liturgical celebration observed on January 1st. It is a holy day of obligation for Catholics, meaning that Mass attendance is required (though the Mass obligation is sometimes waived by the bishop for various reasons; when in doubt, check with your parish.)

The use of the word “Solemnity” here is a designation used for certain days within the liturgical (church-based) calendar of the Church. Solemnities are the highest rank of liturgical celebration, higher than feast days or memorials. By celebrating a solemnity dedicated to Mary’s motherhood, the Church highlights the significance of her part in the life of Jesus, and emphasizes that He is both human and divine.

Jesus’ nature as both and equally human and divine is something we may take for granted today. But back in the early days of the church, this dogma of our faith was hotly debated. In 431 A.D. during the Council of Ephesus, the title of “Mary Mother of God,” in Greek “Theotokus,” was defended and defined against the heresy of Nestorius. Nestorius, Bishop of Constantinople, refuted the title of “Theotokus” claiming that Christ had two loosely united natures, and therefore, Mary was only the mother of the human part of Him.

Catholic theologians rejected this claim, and defined that Christ indeed has two natures, a divine nature and a human nature definitely united in one divine person, and since Christ’s two natures form one single person, Mary is the mother of the whole Person of Christ.

Therefore, Mary can be properly called “Mother of God,” not in the sense that she came before God or is the source of God, but in the sense that the Person that she bore in her womb is indeed true God and true man.

The Solemnity of Mary Mother of God falls exactly one week after Christmas, the end of the octave of Christmas. It is fitting to honor Mary as Mother of Jesus, following the birth of Christ.

When Catholics celebrate the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God we are not only honoring Mary, who was chosen among all women throughout history to bear God incarnate, but we are also honoring our Lord, who is fully God and fully human.

Calling Mary “mother of God” is the highest honor we can give Mary. Just as Christmas honors Jesus as the “Prince of Peace,” the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God honors Mary as the “Queen of Peace.”

Pope Paul VI, in his apostolic exhortation Marialis Cultus (1974), called the Solemnity of Mary “a fitting occasion for renewing adoration of the newborn Prince of Peace, for listening once more to the glad tidings of the angels (cf.Lk 2:14), and for imploring from God, through the Queen of Peace, the supreme gift of peace.”

https://www.americaneedsfatima.org/Our-Blessed-Mother/solemnity-of-mary-mother-of-god.html?fbclid=IwAR1c-8VnUbjNIQEBPkpEN2WW5p6U0D9yFjhxBvN0NLvRrPxiBL5eUysDmhM

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