* * *** “After the Lord was baptized, the heavens were opened, and the Spirit descended upon him like a dove, and the voice of the Father thundered: This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Entrance Antiphon ~ Cf. Mt 3:16-17, Daily Roman Missal)

— The Spirit whom Jesus possessed in fullness from his conception comes to “rest on him”. Jesus will be the source of the Spirit for all mankind. At his baptism “the heavens were opened”… (CCC 536)

* * *** “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil 2:10-11)

~ Karlskirche in Vienna / Tetragrammaton high above the main altar, transliterated as YHWH

* * *** “The brightness of God illuminated the holy city Jerusalem, and the nations will walk by its light.” (Communion Antiphon-Cf. Rev 21:23, Daily Roman Missal)

— The Epiphany is the manifestation of Jesus as Messiah of Israel, Son of God and Savior of the World. (CCC 528)

* * *** “Hail, Holy Mother, who gave birth to the King / who rules heaven and earth forever.” (Entrance Antiphon, Daily Roman Missal)

— We wish you and family a blessed and joyous New Year!

This feast venerates the memory of the male children King Herod ordered to be killed in his attempt to kill the infant Christ.

“The innocents were slaughtered as infants for Christ; spotless, they follow the Lamb and sing for ever: Glory to you, O Lord.” (Proper of Saints, Daily Roman Missal)

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“O God, who through the blessed Apostle John have unlocked for us the secrets of your Word, grant, we pray, that we may grasp with proper understanding what he has so marvelously brought to our ears. Through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Proper of Saints, Daily Roman Missal)

May Nazareth teach us what family life is, its communion of love, its austere and simple beauty, and its sacred and inviolable character… (CCC 533)

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of […]

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father… For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (Jn 1:14,17)

We wish you a Blessed Christmas! ~ from all of us at Midwest Theological Forum

* * *** St. John of Kanty, also known as John Cantius, was born in Cracow, Poland. He taught at the Jagiellonian University for most of his life and was noted for his piety and the humble, unassuming spirit of charity that pervaded his professional life.

~ Patron of St. John Cantius Church in Chicago, where both the extraordinary and ordinary forms of the Latin Rite are celebrated.

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— St. John was persuaded by Teresa of Avila to join her in reforming the Carmelites, and as a result he suffered many tribulations, including imprisonment. During his incarceration he wrote “Dark Night of the Soul,” a profound work of mysticism and study on the development of the soul. St. John’s writings are considered to […]

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