Christmas is here...the Lord Jesus is near!

“While they were there, she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger…”

Do you think that St. Luke had any clue as to the significance of these words? Do you think he had any idea it would come to this…I mean, this Christmas thing we do?

This birth was honored first by Mary, Joseph and a few smelly shepherds. The next year it was remembered in a stone and straw hut at Nazareth…a hundred years later in an underground community enduring persecution…a thousand years later in a more enlightened society that thought the world was flat. Here we are in 2007 doing what has been done by an ever-increasing number of people for more than two millennia.

For all this time, people have been considering the birth of this one person, this little child, to be an event so significant to them personally and to the entire human family, that we have found cause, year after year, to celebrate.

Let’s not over-decorate this happening in Bethlehem. There was no snow; there were no lights…just the unfortunate circumstance of a newly married couple about to have a baby with no place to stay. They found shelter in a stable used by men to corral their sheep. And this was a young, probably teenage girl giving birth with only the help of her embarrassed and confused husband. She gave birth to a son conceived at the message of a strange visitor from the heavens. She placed the baby in an animal feeder and they named him “Jesus” meaning “One who saves”.

That is what really happened. For thousand years and another thousand years, this seemingly insignificant event has been remembered and celebrated…because, deep down, we know, along with millions around the world, countless millions who have preceded us, along with all the angels of heaven…we know, that this simple birth is, in fact, the turning point of all human history.

We honor, not so much a moment in time, but rather a person, the person of Jesus…Jesus who is the very essence of God wrapped in the fullness of our humanity. What an amazing, awesome thing…our God has come to live and walk among us…and two thousand years later He still lives, mysteriously in our presence. I do believe that each of us seeks Him; we wish to touch and to know the mystery of God made human, the eternal Word made flesh. It is this search that motivates and fuels our work a CatholicTV.

For more than two thousand years peoples lives have been changed profoundly by this One person. For all this time people like us have come to Christ Jesus for hope and forgiveness and inner peace. He personally invites you with these words: “Come to me, all you who labor and find life sometimes a burden and I will refresh you.”

All praise and glory to Jesus Christ…He is with us.

Merry Christmas!

Words remembered from retreat...

Last week I had the privilege of a few days away from CatholicTV to be quiet and pray a bit more than usual. On the feast of St. Lucy, the Office of Readings gave me words that never hit me in past years, words that now I will always remember...

St Ambrose wrote: "When you are in your room, then, at night, think always on Christ, and wait for his coming at every moment. Embrace him, the one you have sought; follow carefully the path God tells you to take, for he is swift in his passing. Whoever seeks Christ in this way, whoever prays to Christ in this way, is not abandoned by him; on the contrary, Christ comes again and again to visit such a person, for he is with us until the end of the world."

My retreat is over and I am back at my desk at CatholicTV. These unique days of Advent will pass quickly as well. We should take the advice of St. Ambrose to heart, at every moment waiting for His coming, always thinking on Christ.

As Christmas draws near, wait on the Lord and tune in for great Advent and Christmas specials right here on CatholicTV.

The cause of our Joy

On CatholicTV and in our parishes we sing in these familiar words: “Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to you…” On Christmas morning we will sing: “Joy to the World, the Lord is come…”

Joy…that is the word of the day…Rejoice. Traditionally this weekend has been referred to as Gaudete Sunday or the Sunday of Joy. It is the weekend we begin to light the rose-colored candle on the Advent wreath and the vestments at Mass might be rose colored.

We rejoice because the coming of our God is close at hand…like the precious yield of the soil for which the farmer waits.

What does it mean to be joyful? Happy…well, yes. But many things make us happy. Christmas cards and lights for example, or finding the right gift; the sight of Santa Claus, an easy day at school or at work; good health, new clothes, going out to supper or the movies; here in Boston, celebrating a World Series win or watching the Patriots win again and again!

However, there is a little, no a lot more to being joyful than just feeling happy. There are so many things which make us unhappy…the threat of terrorism, for one; a war that drags on and on with the weekly report of young soldiers killed in their prime; crime in our city streets; the sickness of a family member or perhaps our own struggling condition; the way that the celebration of Christmas gets grosser and stranger every year; perhaps some dream or goal that remains unrealized; a death in the family and grief that we just cannot get past. We have much to be sad about but, I would daresay that though we might be saddened, at the same time, be able to rejoice!

I think of the great work being done in parishes all over the place. I think of the hard work that groups such as the St. Vincent de Paul Society or the Salvation Army or the Globe Santa do for struggling families. I think of the ongoing work of our Religious Education Programs and RCIA teams who share the fullness of the Faith with young and old. I think of the real spirit of this season which is precisely the presence of our God among us…He Who came as a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in an animal feeder.

These things are the cause of great joy. Despite the many difficulties and controversy that swirl around us, the Church is very much alive…right here! Jesus Christ is among us and He is alive! How fortunate we are to have such an instrument as CatholicTV to bring the true joy of the Gospel message to you, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Had Jesus Christ not come among us in Bethlehem some two millennia ago, what good would life be to us? We will listen to those words sung next Easter at the Great Vigil: "What good would life have been to us had Christ not come as our Redeemer.”

This is the cause of our joy: the coming of our God among us – to renew His friendship with us, to bring us hope and to show us true love. In this Eucharist the words of the prophet Isaiah ring true: Be strong, fear not: here is your God.

Rejoice, rejoice…to you shall come Emmanuel. Jesus is the One for whom we look; He is the object of our deepest desire! This Christmas, what we await is more than something to simply make us happy…it is Jesus, the cause of our joy.

The Bicentennial in full swing!

Catholics of the Archdiocese of Boston began their observance of the 200th anniversary of the archdiocese with a special Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross on the first Sunday of Advent. It was very well-attended, with many priests, deacons, religious and faithful representing the parishes of this local Church. The choirs represented the diversity of our archdiocese with the Cathedral Brass Ensemble, the Cathedral Hispanic Choir, the Cathedral Festival Choir and different parish choirs representing the Brazilian, Haitian, Kenyan, Korean and Vietnamese communities.

If you still haven’t had a chance to watch the Mass, you can watch see it on demand at the CatholicTV web site by clicking here. If you would like to simply hear Cardinal Sean’s homily to open this year of celebration, simply click here.

During this bicentennial year, there will be a number of events. One very important initiative is “Arise: Together in Christ,” a program prepared by Renew International that is the cornerstone of our celebration. A new Archdiocesan web page will be launched in the upcoming year, and there is already a site for the bicentennial at http://www.boston200.org/.

The Church of Boston begins her Bicentennial Celebration!

This Sunday, December 2, 2007 at 2:00 PM, Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley will be joined by priests, religious, deacons and parishioners from around the Archdiocese of Boston celebrate the opening Mass for the bicentennial. The bicentennial celebration will be observed over the next twelve months concluding with a closing liturgy on Sunday, November 23, 2008 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

The centerpiece of the yearlong celebration will be a comprehensive process of spiritual renewal. This process, now underway, is being be offered by RENEW International and is entitled ARISE: Together in Christ. Many events, talks and liturgical celebrations will take place during the course of the year.

For information on the entire celebration please visit http://www.boston200.org/.CatholicTV will broadcast the opening Mass this Sunday beginning at 2pm. It will be available on its cable channel and online at http://www.catholictv.com/

OneFaith: a great opportunity at CatholicTV

Our life is a journey with Christ and our lives together are marked by tremendous and touching stories. Our society and world is in desperate need of inspiration from great thinkers, gentle souls and creative, happy women and men who are being formed as disciples of Jesus Christ.

To this end, we would like to help you tell the world about the stories of Faith that you have seen, heard or told. We invite you to submit a video of between three and five minutes which creatively tells the true story of the Faith of an individual, couple, family, group or parish. The video could be of various styles including fiction, non-fiction, documentary, exposé, comedy or YouTubesque. This video must be completely original and follow closely the guidelines included with this letter. We reserve the right to choose or not to choose the video for airing...we also reserve the right to play the heck out of it if it is really ingenious and fun!If chosen, your video could be seen nationally in a new series on CatholicTV tentatively called: One Faith!

This is your big chance to inspire many others outside your circle of family, friends and parish toward a deeper Faith in Christ. The deadline is January 21, 2008 so get working…you never know whose life you will change by telling your one great story of Faith.

For more information about the OneFaith project, click right here.

Skin Cells? Stem Cells? Watch CatholicTV!

The incredible engineering behind stem-cell research is beyond most of us. The fact is, we might be on the cusp of some incredible breakthrough in medicine which could have an impact on all of our lives and the quality of the years we have left.

This Friday during our live show, "This is the Day" (live, Friday at 10:30 am EST) we will be privileged to have Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph.D. join us to discuss some new, exciting and morally solid developments in this line of research. Father Tad earned his doctorate in neuroscience from Yale and did post-doctoral work at Harvard. He currently serves as the Director of Education at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia.

Father Tad will explain how simple skin cells, when carefully harvested and reprogrammed, could allow us to exploit the advantages of embryonic stem cells without the destruction of human embryos. Although this new development is not without shortcomings and the need for more research and experimentation, the idea that my skins cells or yours could one day produce new tissue specific to us as individuals without the threat of rejection...this is an absolutely astonishing breakthrough.

Join us this coming Friday to learn more. If CatholicTV is not available in your area, then watch on-line at http://www.catholictv.com/ and click on "watch live!" -Father Reed

The New CatholicTV Monthy Magazine

Every month here at CatholicTV we are excited to share our thoughts and any new developments at the station with our viewers. We actually mail the magazine, free of charge. This week, the December CatholicTV Monthly will be arriving in mailboxes and the coverstory is: "The Joy of Waiting: Advent Hope".

It seems to me that the older you get, the more time is spent in remembering. What a wonderful gift God has given us in our memories! How terribly sad it is when someone we love loses the ability to remember because of a debilitating disease like Alzheimer’s or dementia. Our recollection of the good things that have happened to us, as well as the bad, these memories make up the fabric of who we are as unique individuals; and there remains in each one of us a youthful anticipation.

Some would say that the coming Advent Days are the most exciting of the whole Church calendar. These will be days filled with the images of light and darkness, of joyful anticipation ofthe nearness of our God. There is no taking Jesus Christ out of Christmas, for we know deepwithin us that He is the reason for this holy season. We long for Him as for life itself. Although we forget, in our hearts we know that Jesus is our only hope, the light of our lives and our world.

If you would like to receive a copy of the CatholicTV Monthly and learn more, we would be glad to send it to you each month. Just visit our website and sign up on-line right here. We would be pleased to welcome you to the CatholicTV family!

Daily Appeciation

The celebration of Thanksgiving in our country and with our families is an annual reminder of how grateful we really should be. Now that the holiday is past, this Monday morning gives us an opportunity to be grateful. This should be a daily practice for it is a practice of our Faith.

Personally speaking, I am not feeling that well. I came down with some brutal chest cold late last week and it really has a grip on me. However, this afternoon I am going to visit with a man in his 50's, the brother of a neighbor of mine. This man is in the last stages of a fight with cancer. He wants to talk about death and his funeral. So, as you can see, I have every reason to be grateful, even if I am physically dragging.

Apart from my health, my Faith, my priesthood, my family and friends I remain daily thankful for the chance to work at CatholicTV. We have a fantastic group of people who make this Catholic television station run 24 hours, every day. We have many generous priests who come in to celebrate the television Mass and not without personal sacrifice. We have good programs and a bright future. Best of all, I feel we represent and serve the average, good Catholic who is out there striving to be like Jesus Christ in the midst of daily living!

So, consider yourself quite fortunate today and make this a daily practice. God has been so good to you and me. Make gratitude to Almighty God the first prayer of your day, every day.

-Father Reed of CatholicTV.com

a CatholicTV thought: Who is the Lord of all?

This month we have tried, according to our Catholic tradition, to pray a lot for those who have died. Faced when we are with the mystery of death, the inevitable question in all of this, for all of us is: “why?” Death is not natural for us…tragedy is not God’s will, God does not desire us to suffer. But we are trapped in our frail and sinful human condition. In the end, I am convinced a reason for all that has occurred will be found, the questions will be answered, and even the tragedies of life will make sense.

Today we conclude the Church liturgical year by honoring Jesus Christ as King of all creation – perhaps “Lord” is an even better term. For Jesus Christ is in charge of everything, even death. We, however, love to pretend that it is we who are Lord, we who are in charge. Of those two criminals hanging on either side of the Lord on Calvary, only one had learned this lesson.

Yes, Jesus is calling the shots and will bring to a wonderful resolution all those things that make us wag our heads and mutter “why?” Why must good and innocent people, die so horribly? Why must people for months and years be bowed down with grief? Why must life be so difficult at times

Our eventual demise and all the “little deaths” which are dealt to us and through which we pass are the road to new and abundant Life in God’s Kingdom.

“Well, that’s all fine and good,” you might think – “but what about today, what about this week? What do we do when tragedy strikes…when we must carry our cross?”Well, I guess we do what comes natural to us as men and women of Faith…we band together, we share our sorrow, and we turn in prayer to Jesus our brother. He suffered and died and rose to new life. He is Lord of all creation…and He is with us here…and always.

The Book of Revelation reminds us that Jesus is “the Alpha and the Omega.” The meaning of those words lies, of course in the fact that Alpha and Omega are the A & Z of the audience St. John was addressing. Jesus is for us and for all creation the beginning and the end, the author and the finisher of Faith, of life itself and of all things.So, as we honor Christ the King, Jesus, Who is Lord of all…we put everything…all our situations, our problems and questions, our loved one and our very lives into His capable hands. He who has begun the good work in us will certainly bring it to a good end…if we let Him!Jesus is the Lord of all.

All praise and honor be His, now and forever!

Oh, and don't forget to check out what's new at CatholicTV by pointing your browser to http://www.catholictv.com/!

CatholicTV 's eye on the Consistory

Pope Benedict XVI created 23 new cardinals today, including 2 Americans. This new group of Red Hats includes 18 electors who under the age of 80 and therefore eligible to vote for the next pope.

The two Americans are Cardinal John Foley who served for 23 years as President of the Pntifical Council for Social Communication and Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston. DiNardo, born in Steubenville, Ohio, and a priest of the Pittsburgh diocese, also served in the Congregation for Bishops from 1984 until 1990. In the case of Cardinal DiNardo, many feel that the red hat is considered a recognition of the shifting Catholic population in the United States, away from its long-held center on the East Coast toward the Southwest.

A consistory is the gathering of Cardinals and the ceremony in which the nominees formally become members of the College. The appointments bring the total number of American cardinals to 17, and the number of cardinal-electors to 13.

Father Tad Pacholczyk to discuss new discoveries in stem-cell research on CatholicTV

The upcoming Friday, November 30, 2007 episode of CatholicTV’s live show entitled “This is the Day” will feature an interview with Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph.D. Father Tad, the Director of Education at the National Catholic Bioethics Center, will provide commentary on the recent successes in re-engineering skin cells to perform as stem cells avoiding the moral dilemma associated with embryonic stem-cell research. This is an exciting development in the health care field.

Father Tad will be interviewed by the Director of CatholicTV, Father Robert Reed, and Jay Fadden, General Manager. Also appearing on the show is Joseph Reardon of Por Christo, a non-profit, medical volunteer services organization in the field of international health. It was founded by the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston in response to the 1979 visit to Boston of Pope John Paul II, who challenged the people of Boston to share their abundance with those in need, particularly in Latin America.

Scot Landry appears on CatholicTV

I had the privilage of an extended online interview with Mr. Scot Landry, Cabinet Secretary for the Archdiocese of Boston and it may be viewed at www.iCatholic.com as well as near the end of this post. This interview features the announcement of the dates of the well-received Boston Catholic Men’s and Women’s Conference. Additionally, Scot discussed his transition from corporate America to working for the Church, his deep respect for Cardinal Sean O'Malley as well as new strategies for the 2008 Catholic Appeal. You should know that the 2007 Catholic Appeal campaign received an international award, shared with the Archdiocese of Chicago, for the design of resources used in the appeal. Scot Landry is a native of Lowell, Massachusetts and is a graduate of Harvard Business School. He is one of the founding members of the Men’s and Women’s Conferences

Check out Scot Landry's extended interview on CatholicTV here:



If you have not heard of us, CatholicTV® is a 57-year-old broadcast, cable and production company with headquarters in Watertown, MA. CatholicTV provides family-friendly, religious, news, teaching and entertainment programming. Founded in Boston, Massachusetts well over fifty years ago, CatholicTV is available in selected areas in the United States and Canada. At our high quality website www.catholictv.com, programming is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week all over the world.