Merry Christmas

Welcome to this world!

Our Christmas present arrived in Rome, Italy on December 21st at 5:20 PM when Astrid gave birth to Samuele. Father Simone was at her side and Grandma’ Nora is in Rome for this season. We welcome Samuele to this world, weighting 7.4 lbs and measuring 20"! Alex and Christian are joining Rainer in Miami for Christmas. María José had gone to Santa Fe to spend the holidays with her birth family in Argentina. Last year the whole family was together. This year, the first time in 37 years for Nora and Rainer to spend Christmas on separate continents, but for a very joyous reason: Samuele, our first grandson!!!

Nuestro regalo de Navidad llegó a Roma el 21 de diciembre a las 17:20, cuando nuestra hija Astrid dio a luz a su primogénito: Samuele. El padre, Simone está al lado de Astrid y la abuela primeriza, Nora ayudando en Roma. Damos la bienvenida a este mundo a Samuele con sus 3.360 kg y 51 cm. Alex y Christian pasarán la navidad con Rainer en Miami. María José festejará el fin de año con su padre y hermanos en Santa Fe. El año pasado logramos una Navidad con toda la familia reunida. Esta vez, la primera en 37 años que Nora y Rainer lo festejarán en continentes separados. Gracias a Dios por muy auspicioso motivo: nuestro primer nieto, Samuele!!!

Unser Weih-nachtsgeschenk ist am 21. Dezember um 17:20 in Rom angekommen, als unsere Tochter Astrid ihr erstes Kind auf die Welt brachte,Samuele. Vater Simone war bei Ihr und Neu-grossmutter Nora ist zu Besuch in Rom. Wir will-kommen Samuele mit seinen 3.360 kg und 51 cm in diese Welt. Alex und Chris-tian sind fuer Weihnacht mit Rainer in Miami. María José ist bei Vater und Ge-schwistern in Santa Fe, Argentinien. Letztes Jahr wa-ren wir alle zusammen. Die-ses Mal, das Erste in 37 Jahren, feiern Nora und Rainer Weihnachten auf verschiedenen Kontinente, fuer einen wunder-schönen Grund: Samuele, unser erstes Enkelkind!!

Il nostro regalo di Natale è arrivato a Roma il 21 dicembre 17:20, dove Astrid ha dato alla luce Samuele. Il papa’ Simone era accanto a lei ed anche la nonna Nora è a Roma per questo periodo. Diamo a Samuele il benvenuto tra noi, forte dei suoi 3,360 kg e la sua ‘‘autorevole’’ lunghezza: 51 cm! Alex e Christian si uniscono a Rainer a Miami per il Natale, mentre María José trascorre le feste a Santa Fe in Argentina con la sua famiglia di origine. Mentre l'anno scorso tutta la famiglia era riunita a Miami, quest'anno per la prima volta in 37 anni Nora e Rainer trascorrono il Natale lontani, ma per un motivo gioioso: la nascita del nostro primo nipote Samuele!!!

With God’s Love and Blessings,

Rainer & Nora

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

Feliz Navidad y un Feliz Año Nuevo!

Frohe Weihnachten & einen guten Rutsch!

Buon Natale e un Felice Anno Nuovo!

聖誕快樂&新年快樂

Joyeux noël & une bonne et heureuse année!

Wesołych Świąt i Szczęśliwego Nowego Roku!

Fijne kerstdagen & een gelukkig nieuwjaar!

Рождеством и счастливого нового года

Feliz Natal e um Feliz Ano Novo!

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Dear All, On this Fourth and last Sunday of Advent the prophet Micah in the First Reading, has been encouraging the people of Israel about their future. Micah, a contemporary of Isaiah, is believed to have been active between 740 and 700 BCE. The temple will be raised high on a mountain and all nations will see Israel as a holy nation. Israel is a small area and other clans and nations were much stronger at the time. Micah announces that from the little town of Bethlehem, the place of David, the great king who reined Judah and Israel from 1010–970 BCE, will come a special person to be the awaited-for great leader. This person will be of the line of David and as did David, this “one” will bring back all of Israel into the kingdom of Israel. From the smallest shall come forth the revelation of God’s greatness. This “one” shall bring unity peace within and among all nations. Micah’s prophesy that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem into the family descendant from King David, is one of the four dozens predictions about the Savior of Israel in the Old Testament. Several scholars have found biblical proof that Jesus, whose incarnate birthday we celebrate on Christmas in just five days, fulfilled al forty eight predictions. Interesting piece of trivia, isn’t it? The Gospel account this week according to Luke is an intimate encounter between two pregnant women of faith. They both are moved to share their secrets. Mary had dream visit from an angel and trusts what she heard in her soul. Elizabeth hears Mary’s greeting at the entrance of the house of the priest Zechariah and trusts what she hears and feels within her body (“the infant –John the Baptist– leaped in her womb”). Elizabeth greets Mary with a tender benediction “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled”. Mary is pictured as having received a tremendous gift and promise. The first thing she is moved to do is to check it out with her older cousin whom she learned was pregnant too, after a long barren life. Elizabeth

reads the signs of the times, the “something more” than an ordinary human event -the stirring of the little John in her womb- and proclaims the blessedness that God has bestowed on Mary and the One she carries. So much preparation for the great Gift of God’s impregnating the womb of this world. The mystery of the Incarnation means that God has come to us according to what makes sense to our minds. Through our senses God has come to visit and stay. It does remain more than we can handle and yet God continues to give the Gift into our little hands, our little stables, our little mangers to hold and begin distributing. He came that we might have life and be freed to give it, and Him away in the life-long, life-giving visits we make in the lives of others. On a very personal note, this week’s liturgical stories, their backgrounds and our very current family reality bring a number of elements together that just keep my head spinning. Our daughter, Astrid, who was born on a 24th of June (the birthday of John the Baptist) is in the final hours of a little boy leaping in her womb. She lives in Italy and right now is in a hospital in Ostia (Eastern municipality of Rome on the Tyrrhenian Sea Coast) waiting for her first born to come to this world. They will name him Samuele. The Prophet Samuel was the one who in 1010 BCE anointed the shepherd David to King of Israel. Please join us in prayer for Astrid and Samuele in this defining moment and for Simone, the father to-be. May this beautiful Italian family be blessed abundantly by our endless loving God. The complete text of today’s Readings can be found at http://scriptures-my-journey-oflife-andfaith.blogspot.com/2009/12/fourth-sunday-of-advent.html With God’s Love and Blessings, Rainer

For a Print version (pdf file) go to http://www.scribd.com/doc/1234567/Print-Version-30th-Sunday-in-Ordinary-Time

Third Sunday of Advent

Dear All, The Third Sunday of Advent is called Sunday of Joy (Gaudete in Latin). This is a reminder during the preparation season of Advent that there is ample reason for joy, even in the midst of spiritual repentance that John the Baptist calls us to. The Sunday takes its name from the Second Reading, where we continue from last week, to read from the letter that Paul writes out of prison to the Philippians (and to us) about the nearness of the Lord. Appropriate at this time, be it because of two week’s before Christmas or either of the other two encounters with Christ we spoke about last week: at the end of times or in each other in our daily lives. A very practical recommendation on how to deal will all the ‘stuff’ and stress that fills our days in this paragraph from Paul: “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God”. There is reason for joy, isn’t there? For those of us blessed with faith, we can believe that statement wholeheartedly… and when the ruts are about to take over, be reminded of it, and lift up our fears to God, “by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving” and relax (=”have no anxiety”). As an additional aide memoire we light the rose candle on the Advent wreath on this Sunday. The First Reading is from the Prophet Zephaniah, one of the twelve Minor Prophets from the Old Testament, most likely compiled to its present form in the Hebrew Bible around 200 BCE, but referring to a cotemporary of Jeremiah around 640-609

BCE and the Babylonian Captivity. The short book is a catastrophe prophecy affecting Judah and all the nations condemned for corruption springing from pride. Salvation to a humble remnant is promised and today’s passage describes at length the joy Zion, Israel and Jerusalem will have when the Lord has removed the judgment against them and turned away their enemies. In Luke’s Gospel we encounter a humble, but very pragmatic John the Baptist. He acknowledges and points to the “one mightier than I” coming after him to baptize with the Holy Spirit. Has some very practical advice for his enquiring followers, share excess cloak and food; to tax collectors to stop collecting more than is prescribed and to soldiers not to practice extortion and refrain from false accusations. As we get ourselves ready for the coming of Christ, let us reflect on these practical suggestions and consider which ones need fine-tuning in our own ‘portfolio’. The complete text of today’s Readings can be found at http://scriptures-my-journey-oflife-andfaith.blogspot.com/2009/12/third-sunday-of-advent.html With God’s Love and Blessings, Rainer

For a Print version (pdf file) go to http://www.scribd.com/doc/1234567/Print-Version-30th-Sunday-in-Ordinary-Time

Second Sunday of Advent

Dear All, On this Second Advent, we light another candle, this one for peace on the Advent Wreath. (I wrote about the wreath tradition last year). The First Reading this week is from the Prophet Baruch a contemporary of Jeremiah, actually his secretary. Baruch’s prophecies, though from the Old Testament are not found in the Hebrew Bible. It was written in Babylon, during the Jewish captivity in the sixth century before Christ Era (BCE) and sent back to Jerusalem to be read at religious gatherings. In this week’s passage the prophet consoles the exiles with a reminder of messianic hope. We can clearly hear the prophet also speaking to those of us today who sometimes understand the mourning and misery much better than the salvation that is possible. His words challenge us to a radical hope and to the possibility of return from our own exiles of discouragement or spiritual alienation. Baruch is one who sees with God’s eyes the hope that is nearing fulfillment. During these hectic times full of anxieties, knowing to be “remembered by God” is a profound image that probably needs time to do its healing work. The Second Reading is from the ‘letter of joy’ that Paul wrote, ironically from a prison (scholars are not sure if Rome or Ephesus) to the Philippians’ community for whom he holds special love and gratitude. I read it as if written to us today, as a call to greater holiness, to do even more of what we have been doing. The Advent season embodies the inherent tension of the kingdom, which is at hand, but is yet to come in fullness. The final prayer from Paul reminds us, during this often distracting season, about what is truly of value: Love… to increase… in knowledge… of perception to discern what is of value… for the glory and praise of God. The Gospel according to Luke makes a particular point to situate his narrative about the Good News (i.e. Gospel) in the context of human history. He introduces the ministry of John the Baptist "in the fifteen year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar..."; then he goes on to mention other secular rulers: Pontius Pilate, Herod, Philip and Lsyanias; as well as religious authorities of the time: Annas and Caiphas. Yet for those who like to split hairs about historical precision,

Luke has some ambiguity in his ‘time-counting’ about the "fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar." The problem is that the Roman emperor Tiberius shared power with Augustus for two years and we do not know when Luke is beginning his count of the years of Tiberius' reign. Luke is probably smiling to himself about those historians that get hang up by this (what are two years in two thousand years of history?). In any case this is one of the several places in the Bible where we can anchor our believes that Jesus did exist in history, despite several books written in the 20th century to the contrary. To counter these, a Chicago Tribune court reporter, Lee Strobel, wrote several fascinating books about contemporary legalistic proof that Jesus actually walked this earth. Back to Luke…, after such a solemn introduction we expect something momentous about to happen. You would think that this was the announcement of the birth of Jesus. But it isn't (on this 2nd Sunday of Advent)... yet the event that is announced is earthshaking: The Word of the Lord came to John the Baptist who started to proclaim a baptism of repentance and calling people to prepare the way of the Lord. At that specific time and place, God intervened in human history, by inspiring John the Baptist to proclaim his presence. How did he convince John to do this? Was there a bolt of lightning, a vision in sky, a miraculous event? Or did John simply respond to the voice within him telling him to go into action? Given that scripture is void of any sort of marvel, I think it is telling us here, as in many other places that God often works his wonders in whispers (remember Elijah at the cave?). The complete text of today’s Readings can be found at http://scriptures-my-journey-oflife-andfaith.blogspot.com/2009/12/second-sunday-of-advent.html With God’s Love and Blessings, Rainer