Mother Angelica Live - Dec 1998- Christmas

yeah like a live brought to you from the Eternal Word television studios in Birmingham see in you the love the compassion of Jesus glorious work of all to praise God in his kingdom moved by the spirit one who lives in love lives in God and God lives but a wonderful thing is our church this whole network was built the essence of evangelization is to tell everybody jesus we are all called to be great Saints don't miss the aperture well it's cold in Alabama but it's a 29 tonight I know that's not a lot for all of you up north but to us it's freezing but our little group tonight is a very full of energy so it won't matter however I think tomorrow night there's my last show until next year it seems far away when you say next year but it's creeping up on us and it's hard for me to think a hat for December is overhead you notice how fast how fast that time is going and and you get up in the morning first thing you know you you're going to bed again a lot of people go to bed very early nothing huh but anyway it just seems to become wrong and so tonight and tomorrow night is my last two nights before the new year and so when I get back y'all say Happy New Year there be 1999 you know I was born in 1923 and I never did I think I would be here in 1999 let alone you know in a television station God does wonderful things that we don't even expect and that's one of the awesome many many awesome things about God that he does he does awesome things with us and I would like to talk a little bit tonight about Christmas you know you see more and more signs that says season's greetings season's greetings well what does that mean are we celebrating winter I mean that's the season this is not this is a winter season or you say seasons the drinking what do we say happy winter to you and happy winter too it's freezing who wants to say happy winter winter is never happy it's freezing it's it's the world saying so much for you hey season's greetings up north they have snow and they're sliding this way in that way you say oh that's fun I never thought it was fun I had blue my laser blue and I'd walked to school three miles and and I didn't think it was fun at all so I would never say season's greetings and now they have cards cards okay you got a big snowman are you celebrating it snowman season because it says season's greetings then they have sleighs maybe we're celebrating sleigh time oh then they always have a winter scene you know where people are in a sleigh and they're gone their way and and but that says season's greetings all so now I know they should write the word the letter X means Christ it's fine but now we don't want to even write it out we'll put Xmas well I know that says Christ's Christmas but they're very few few people who say Merry Christmas meaning have a happy Christ mass the Incarnation is among us see and you see lights on streets that's fine but if you if a city puts a crib up then they get sued you see because it's something about church and state didn't know that monkey business so we're not really allowed almost to to put something up that says I am celebrating the birthday of the Messiah and yeah I wonder and I'm sure you wonder why are we ashamed or afraid to say Christmas whose birthday is it the winter no Santa Claus no that st. Nicholas and you're already gone it's December 6 if you're in Italy you celebrate the Magi which is January 13 that's when they give their gifts why because the Christmas is the father's gift to us and we never give Jesus a gift you give Jesus a gift for Christmas well what are you going to buy him at I know you don't buy your diet I think the season is at eyes I never saw so many ties in my life is when you go to an airport they have three or four stores that have not say but ties how many ties do you men wear I mean they have thousands of ties and whose gift whose birthday is it I don't know if we know anymore whose birthday it is see what we're supposed to celebrate is the birth of Jesus son of God I'm not on Christmas Eve we always sing happy birthday to Jesus and all during Advent we try to do something for him make a gift of myself to Jesus we've lost the whole reality of the birthday of Jesus and you have everything except say why do you buy a gift for somebody why don't you do it February 10th this is good a day as anything else why don't we do it another day no we pick the birthday of Jesus to give each other gifts well I suppose it's a good thing you're you're imitating the father but are we are we imitate the father or is it just a happy season it's a season for giving gifts now if you notice they start around November middle of November with Christmas trees you could never put a Christmas tree when I was a young kid up until Oh about a week before Christmas because we knew what we were celebrating and then I want you to look on December 26 walk downtown you'll sign all those Christmas trees on the street they're finished now I don't have a big white sale right there what the white sale sheets well my a1 sheets sheets pillowcases towels so well mixed up the season is to put your tree up the night before Christmas and you keep it up until the 13th of January because that's the season for his birth for the Jamaica come me see we're not liturgical at all we're commercial I'll make a bet that beautiful tree that you put a week on and probably spend a couple hundred dollars with decorations will come down that 26th of December because your season's over oh there is no such thing we have to celebrate at least a couple of weeks it took hundreds and hundreds of years for him to come I would like you to just examine yourself you know I bet the people that are alone on Christmas are the only ones celebrating Christmas think about it women and lonely apartments and maybe you are lonely maybe you're crying because there's nobody around and everybody's celebrating but maybe you're the only one celebrating maybe you're the one that really knows whose birthday it is when my mother was alone when she after I entered the monastery for Christmas she was alone but she had two plates on her table one for her and one for Jesus say oh come on now he wasn't there yeah he was and spirit he appreciated that she know it was his birthday and she celebrated his birthday I should go across the street to st. Peters and found the entire afternoon in adoration well on in the eyes of the world she was a lonely woman all by herself on this great feast of Christmas but I wonder if she wasn't one of the few that understood whose birthday it was and spent the afternoon with him you see we have lost the reality of why he came and so we don't celebrate why he came we don't and so I would like to just go over a little bit I'm st. Luke's Gospel because I would like to get into your hearts before the great day comes the beauty of Christmas I you and I were saved when he came the salvation of the world redemption of the world began when Mary said be it done to me according to thy will and there he was through the power of the Holy Spirit that's what you're celebrating Oh prophets wrote about it I they especially and men and women for centuries thought about it prayed about it prayed it would come soon and soon and soon and hundreds of years passed and suddenly there he was but where was he and it's stable you see even then we didn't understand there was nobody there but a few shepherds you know shepherds in those days but not the cleanest people in the world or well we wouldn't say they smelled bad but I bet they did I bet if you're out in the field night after night day after day you're in the mud you're in the Ranger they didn't go on take a little shower I mean they were dirty and not only were they smelly you hate to say these beautiful Shepherds you got on your crib were smelly but what happens to you if you don't take a bath every day I mean it's pretty bad they didn't have deodorant but these men came as they work they didn't say well I'd better dress up at all but the crib wasn't that hot either you can't have ten five ten animals in a cave and have it smell good see we don't understand what Jesus did for us because he was not welcome to this world he came to save he wasn't welcome we have no room in the inn and that's what we're saying today season's greetings you don't have room in your in for him we don't have room we're busy about many many things all I not against gifts Dolores hope sent made three boxes of dates about that big I don't know where they got I mean I never saw date that big you ate one of those you're ready to I mean you had a meal oh I'm grateful for get them every Christmas but you see it's not my birthday it's his birthday and I know everybody sending me gifts a wee gobble up I got salami tonight it's that big and it's Italian from this end to that end and I was so excited I didn't know what to do and somebody's under us from it you know true I said to sister cut it thin and last longer I appreciate all these gifts and I know it's given at the Wrights intention but a lot of people don't have the right intention well let's just start here a little bit we all know that the angel came upon her came to her and said that the power of the most high will cover you with its shadow we can't even imagine what that meant the Spirit of the Lord the third person of the Blessed Trinity came and overshadowed Mary and there he was the one awaited for centuries and they all missed him he was in their midst and they knew it not and I got to ask you and I have to ask myself the same question he is in our midst do we know it or do we know it not you know it would be a shame and I'm sure when we read this he came into his own and his own received him not isn't it true today when you omit when you forget whose birthday it is when you forget why he came today you don't think you have any sin there's no sin in the world today big sinners are excused if I were a man I'd be insulted today if I I'm a woman and I'm insulted today because women are not considered as women they're considered vehicles of pleasure and trash you can I go you cannot watch it you can't go through with the channels even to get the news without seeing how women dress and how they're considered by the producers who produce their programs trash their half-dressed if their half-dressed would be happy they'd be well dressed if they were half dressed and you consider that something wonderful you don't even know when you're being insulted that's what's so bad so and then well if someone can commit the most terrible sins and lusts and be said he's only a man that means the rest of you are in the same boat that's not a compliment it's not a compliment to be considered trash see but we treat Jesus the same way you can't help treating each other the same way no because we don't know who came to us and why if the father felt so much pity for pity that he sent his son to ridhima under such trying circumstances trying in a cave his boy rap was swaddling though Cole then having to run away from home a king that was mental insane filled with disease you know I heard died well he decided he was God a lot of people decide their God today and he he had made for him a gold gold gown when he went out and talked to the people the gold show in the Sun so bright and they said I build a god and he sat down and suddenly that down began to move on him yeah you know what was moving under that gown maggots the man was dying in front of their faces if out of their eyes and before he died the maggots were already eating him up so much for that game you see he didn't know either that a child was born a child was given to us to save us there he died a miserable wretch who never accepted his God who was so jealous and ambitious he had all the children slaughtered that were up to two years old and then he decided he made a law that the moment he died all the sons of all the wealthy and all the kings would be killed why so somebody would cry the day he died now you say that is terrible oh come on come on what are we doing today on Christmas Day there will be slaughtered some young babies and their mothers will make a bet and we don't care because we're celebrating a season already better than the ones over there the first coming and will we be any better when he comes the second time you say oh you gonna bring that up yeah yeah I'm gonna bring it up you don't like it during your diet you don't need to listen to me but you're going to because you're curious you want to know what I've got to say next and what am I going to say is I don't think we're much better than it were the first time because we're too interested in the season well let's see what he's interested in we all know that you my dear lady went to visit that it's a bit and then it says there was the time and Caesar Augustus issued a decree for a census you know when when David ordered a decree was punished by the Lord and everyone went to his own town to be registered and Joseph set out you know I'd like to see Joseph when he went up to the they care the captains or soldiers and the soldier would look like he said name please he says Joseph my tribe David that your wife yes go on do you know what he meant have you any idea what that so true meant he was talking to the foster father of the son of God he will say just like any other is that your wife yeah it's gone he talked to a lady who would give their arm and front teeth to talk to a lady he missed a chance of a lifetime and within her was she's a son of God but all he was interested is the census and all we're interested is in that season is there any difference hmm but I'm sure Joseph thought he had enough relatives there somebody would take him in they're all too busy are we Christmas creeping up on it we're also busy do we know what's going to happen or we like that soldier name address tried go on I would like that well it looks like it because he goes on and it's how why they were there the time came for her to have her child and she gave birth to us on her firstborn and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him where and a nice comfortable bed with a wool blanket in a warm house no in a drafty windy cave with prickly straw and while some thing about it is that she was content and so it shows of why because they had Jesus they had Jesus the birth of the Son of God had to be awesome we don't always realize what happened what's happened we believe since our lady remained a virgin before and after that the the son of God came through her little tummy like he did at the resurrection he already was risen when the Angels rolled that stone back he came through the stone like he went through the door when the apostles were talking about him and suddenly went the door locked he was standing there and some of the great mystics have told us that the scene of the birth of Christ that Michael and Gabriel were there to hand him to his mother and there in her arms suddenly was the son of God awesome awesome the first birthday of Lord Messiah the first birthday and it was cold and nobody was there but Joseph and Mary and tonight in most places in the world it's cold and there's nobody there but Jesus see Mary we haven't changed very much we're too interested in the world in the things of the world and we don't know either that he has come amaya and then it says the Shepherd's were terrified and the angel said don't be afraid I bring you news of great joy a joy to be shared by the whole people your word says the angel appeared to a few shepherds are the only ones he could find there weren't too busy just sitting around talking maybe they were talking about the Messiah maybe they were sitting there wondering in the middle of the night would he ever come are things always gonna be like this and then suddenly there was a great light and they didn't know what was happening and they were petrified would you be I hope you'd be I would be if you looked up into the sky and the whole sky was lit up at midnight and you saw angels up there and they were singing their hearts out I bet there had to be one deaf Shepherd he'd say what they're saying they said oh shut up we don't know ourself I write my own scripture I made it he says it's gotta be great choice over what well listen shut up but I'll tell you what he said the Messiah is here no yeah well where is he in some cave a cave the Messiah in a cave yeah he's like us poor unknown unheralded unaccepted by his own but the angel said the whole people should know do you know do you know you're part of the whole people do you know whose birthdate it is this here I bring new it's a great joy a joy shared by all the people today in the town of David a savior has been born to you he's Christ the Lord and here's a sign you know we're always asking for signs a sign for this and a sign for that fact we can't travel unless you have a sign you would know whether is east west north or south you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes so far there's no different than any other baby buying though in a manger that's different no baby lies in a manger today they have garbage cans that's what you have for babies today garbage cans while you sell them you sell them for money you get money for abortion then you get money from another scientist because he wants to operate on her brain he wants to take something out of their body no we have garbage cans today we don't have cribs and majors yeah we know how to do it we make Herod look good no no and suddenly there was a great drawing of the heavenly host praising God glory to God and the highest heaven peace to men who enjoy his favor well they found Jesus so they hurried away and found him in the manger are you looking for Jesus are you looking for The Anointed One are you looking for the one that prophets spoke about are you looking for the Savior or don't you need one you don't need one huh I can tell you buddy you need one bad but he's come he's coming our midst he's in the Eucharist you can go to any Catholic Church and he's there I hope he's there I hope and pray you will go to your church on Christmas Day and say happy birthday Lord I'm so glad you came I'm glad you're here I am grateful that you saved me you know if you really know it's Christmas his birthday the best gift you can give Jesus for his birthday is to go to confession that's what he wants he wants to come back into your heart and soul he wants to come back he wants you to open the door of your heart and and take him in and say welcome Lord I'm sorry you've been gone so long I'm sorry I've been such a sinner and sorry I've ignored you I'm sorry I didn't know you were around I'm sorry I didn't give you any attention I'm sorry I didn't give you any love I'm sorry I'm not grateful or I'm so sorry and so I'm hoping this Christmas will be your best I'm hoping that you make it his best that you give him the gift he wants not to give you one that between now and then you'll go to confession and then won't it be a Christmas huh when Jesus will come into the little stable of your heart and lie in that manger and feel at home again it would be a lot better then celebrating a season we have a call hello hi Mother Angelica hi where are you from we're from Chicago my name is Ella and my husband's name is Ray well merry Christmas to both of merry Christmas to you mother we wanted to call you and tell you that this year we decorated our whole we live in an apartment and on the outside is our nativity scene great and we have two posters up that are 2 feet by 5 feet and one says Jesus is the reason for the season and the other one says Jesus is the heart of Christmas sausages and our whole tree is done with angels and nativity we wanted to tell people in Chicago we live about three blocks away from Midway Airport on the main thoroughfare and it's all done with white lights and we wanted to tell Chicago that Jesus is the reason not them nobody else it's Jesus birthday they're so happy and God bless you Mother Angelica we love you thank you I'm glad you did that because I think I think that's what we should all do and we shouldn't be afraid you cannot be ashamed of Jesus birth you know I know a lot of people have other religions or no religion and they they resent that but that's okay we supposed to live in a free country and I think we have the privilege of celebrating our religion our God's birthday and I'm very happy that you had the courage and the strength and to to really manifest to everyone and the love true that you love Jesus we have another call hello hello mother honey where you found I'm from Oakland Illinois oh good and what is your question well I have been suffering through depression and I haven't had much of any kind of happiness about the last 16 and a half years that I've been in depression it's my faith though that's been keeping me through thanks buddy God for that but it's rough I can't really enjoy life I don't feel emotions just like st. Therese every little flower in it yeah okay well that's okay give your depression to Jesus but just think of what's happened to this day we we celebrate Christmas huh think about it we all have depressions around Christmastime I guess you you recall somebody who just died and so they're not there to celebrate there's all kinds of reasons why people feel sad at Christmas but I think if we tried to just say Jesus I'm so happy you were born in our midst what would I do without you he would like to hear that I know you have great depression but just think of Jesus just for five minutes but you do that and say Jesus hi I can't feel you but you don't need to feel God it's a matter of will it's a matter of wanting to know Jesus and to be happy he came and asked Our Lady to teach you that wonderful lesson that we must be joy-filled not over ourselves not over conditions they change they change you feel good one day the next day you feel terrible the world is all wonderful today and the next day it's terrible we live in a changing world but we must love the change of us when you try it we have another call hello hello mother where are you from I'm from Seminole Florida and what is your question I don't have a question I'd like to wish you a very Merry Christmas thank you I'd like to share with you also that the main focal point in our home is the nativity great we don't have a tree up my husband's built a beautiful manger for our nativity set we have a large lighted nativity in our front yard and we do not exchange gifts my husband and I but he along with my parents and my brothers family have adopted another family this year for Christmas and we are buying for them so that they will have a Merry Christmas that they otherwise would not have well that's what Christmas is all about see to know whose birthday it is and and I want to congratulate all of you who have not forgotten whose birthday it is and that's that's what Christmas is all about if all the Catholics and Christians in this country did the same would it be a change huh I don't think it's hard to convert a whole nation if the people love Jesus they'll convert if we know we know Jesus and we love Jesus there's nothing too hard for us nothing and we can accept the pain one one season I was in the hospital for Christmas and I gave it to the Lord it was obviously what he wanted and and the sisters put the telephone in the chapel was off the hook and they put it on it's in the chapel I heard the whole midnight mass and after after Christmas after mass was over they all said hi and Merry Christmas and and we were saying for me and and I I felt at home because all by myself in this room was very quiet on the floor that night and and I had a little crib and and you know it was one of the best Christmases I had why well no I heard midnight man I was there with the sisters and most important I was alone with the Child Jesus with God it was his birthday and we were together in a lonely place on his birthday I had a realization of his birth greater than any other day of my life and and I think all of you that are alone and really suffer because of it maybe you're not alone I know I'm sure you're not you could have the best Christmas of your life like I did because you're celebrating the real reason we have another call hello where are you from and what is your question well mother I don't have a question about how people forget we started a tradition in my family when my boys were young 30 28 26 and we won yourself because I didn't want them to forget that Christmas that's wonderful you see that's that's a wonderful we do that every Christmas see we have a table decorated we have Jesus right there as a child Jesus and we sing happy birthday to you because that's what we're celebrating the father's gift and this is the year of the father I don't think in my lifetime we've never celebrated the year the father is he we thank him he is Lord creator God of all but at the same time we have very special reason now we have another call hello Simon oh wow how old are you dear I'm 12 years old wonderful and what is your question my question my aunt is very sick my Aunt Susan and she has a brain tumor and they operated on her but I went see you pray for her you you went dressed to pray for her healing huh okay Lord God we pray that this young child's aunt may be here on your birthday Lord we we know there are many sick in our audience there are many people Lord who just have forgotten because of pain and despair and depression diaper I ask Lord that you look at this answer of this child and look upon her as you always do Lord with great love and great compassion and give her that healing she needs that she may continue in her life to know to love and to serve thee amen you know many people are calling for prayers for Christmas and I want you all to know there are many people being laid off right after Christmas many people are alone for Christmas many sick this Christmas but I want you to look at Jesus son of God who came at Christmas and and unite your pain your loneliness to his you know for centuries and centuries people called and said when are you coming but when he came there was no one there that's loneliness huh when he came nobody was interested that's what you suffer isn't it oh he wasn't sick but there is a kind of loneliness that's a pain a deep pain in the heart it isn't that sickness of pain isn't that a part of loneliness well there are many of you out there all I'm asking is that you don't make a wrong choice you say life is not worth living yes it is for his sake that you don't separate yourself from him forever that you say Lord you were alone in a in a cave and I'm alone and I love you and I wish you a happy birthday you'll be surprised what I'll do for you see you and he have a lot in common and maybe that's why he was born in a crypt maybe that's why his his birth was my son lonely went a few Shepherds not at all the Great King coming or a parade or some great celebration no Joe whenever he came into his own and his own received him not so all of you that are in that condition please think of him we have a call hello Oh how are you where you from I'm from New Jersey and what is your question oh dear mother and joke we want to tell you how much we love you thank and we have teenagers and some men in our family that need to be prompted for special prayers perhaps we can bow our heads together right now and pray for the coming of Jesus the season of Advent for me and my family together with you it would be an honor to put our heads together and pray with you Lord God we do pray sure we do thank you for coming we thank you for suffering from that kind of loneliness no one can describe just to be with us Lord you are with us often we are not with you we have forgotten your presence we have forgotten your ways and we have forgotten your great gift of salvation so enlighten us tonight give us grace to see the real purpose of our life the real purpose of our life to know to love and to serve the Amen you know if you wonder what you can give to Jesus for Christmas he deserves the first gift I would think confession would be a wonderful gift communion would be a wonderful gift to get up Christmas morning not running down to see what you got but just say merry happy birthday Jesus let him be first in your mind Christmas morning when that be nice huh go to midnight mass and I don't understand people who go to midnight mass then go to a party get drunk what's wrong with you anybody understand that I've been a I'll bet a nickel you went to confession to communion when oh my god drunk now does that make any sense after you're drunk you don't know what day it is what's the purpose you don't know you're out like a light you could wake up New Year's Day and you wouldn't know what happened for two weeks you see it wait see we we don't we just do dumb things that's all you could say arose about some of you haven't said a rosary since Vatican - I bet you don't even had one if you're right to me I must have a 1 million 520 I mean I got paid 7 that big all blessed so I can't sell them but see that would be a nice thing for you to do you might want to call an enemy a person haven't spoken to it for a long time and say hey I'm sorry I'm very sorry please forgive me wouldn't that be a gift for Jesus huh wouldn't that be a gift of gifts you might want to call your mother-in-law why not say well I'm here I know you're not too happy about it but here I am and I love you you may be a bad Lac but I love you I don't think she'd appreciate better skip that part of it but she may just be waiting for you to say hello why don't you call a friend or visit a friend within a nursing home or just call him up if you're too far away oh there's a thousand things you can give Jesus for his birthday and I would like to mention one more would you say hello to his mother would you say thank you Mary for saying be it unto me according to thy word and for burying the son of the Most High God thank you you know we we do thank Jesus and we should but let's not forget to thank his mother on Christmas Day and thank him for his love his peace joy and forgiveness bye

Channel: EWTN

Views: 19,209

Rating: 4.8943896 out of 5

Keywords: Christmas, December, Catholic, Nun, EWTN, MA902679

Id: Irc_WAEigro

Length: 55min 31sec (3331 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 07 2012