Five Things to Remember on Dec. 10

 

1.   St. Juan Diego, whose feast was, Dec. 9, tells of thepower of the marginalized in the story of his encounter with Our Lady ofGuadalupe. One lesson from his life is that those who sometimes are marginalized orpowerless can, in spite of everything, recognize and know that God is with themand that God cares for them.

 

2.  As families decorate for Christmas, crèches come down from the attic and up from the basement. Setting up the manger scene is time to pause and offer a blessing. Here is one from the U.S. bishops’ Advent website. The actual blessing is found at: http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/blessings/objects/blessing-of-a-christmas-manger-or-nativity-scene.cfm

 

3. The Supreme Court decision December 7 to hear a case challenging California’s Proposition 8 and a case challenging the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is significant. In 2008, California voters passed Proposition 8, which defines marriage in California’s State Constitution as the union of one man and one woman. DOMA, passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996, defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman for purposes of federal law. The church  teaches that marriage is the union of one manand one woman.

 

4. Holiday time is movie time. Here are four recent movies classified as either A-I, good for the whole family, or A-II, for adults and adolescents, or A-III, for adults. Classifications and reviews come from Catholic News Service’s Media Review Office.

“Chasing Mavericks,” A-II
“Frankenweenie,” A-I
“Lincoln,” A-III
“Rise of the Guardians,” A-I
"Wreck-It Ralph," A-II

 

5.      God loves you.