“We draw people to Christ not by loudly discrediting what they believe or by telling them how wrong they are and how right we are, but by showing them a light that is so lovely that they want with all their hearts to know the source of it……Live in such a way that those who know you, but don’t know God, will come to know God because they know you.”

Gospel Text: (Lk 2:36-40)

There was a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. 
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. 
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. 
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.

When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee,
to their own town of Nazareth. 
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him.

 

There is a great lesson for each one of us in Anna’s encounter with Jesus.  When You encounter our Lord in your life of faith and prayer, do you then eagerly desire to share your faith with others?  Perhaps it is by your words, but perhaps it’s more often by your witness.  

 

The bottom line is that the true meaning of Christmas must be shared.  It must be proclaimed far and wide so that all will understand the joy of the coming of the Savior of the World.  

"If you're sincerely seeking God, God will make His existence evident to you…..God cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence.”

Gospel Text: (Lk 2:22-35)

When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. 
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. 
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:

“Lord, now let your servant go in peace;
your word has been fulfilled:
my own eyes have seen the salvation
which you prepared in the sight of every people,
a light to reveal you to the nations
and the glory of your people Israel.”

The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
“Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
(and you yourself a sword will pierce)
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

 

We should strive to learn from holy Simeon.  No, we are not a prophet in the Temple some 2,000 years ago, but we are privileged to see the Christ each day in numerous ways.  The Child Simeon held was God indeed.  But He was God under the veil of the flesh of a little Child.  Simeon, nonetheless, saw Him for who He was and rejoiced.

 

We must strive to do the same!

“The feast of the Holy Innocents has been remembered by the Church since the fifth century. These children are venerated as martyrs of sorts—they died not only for Christ but actually instead of Christ. St. Augustine called them buds killed by the frost of persecution the moment they showed themselves…….. With that said………The Holy Innocents are few in comparison to the genocide and abortion of our day…. Scientifically, it’s a human life. The textbooks teach us that……. How can an action that ends an innocent and defenseless life in its blossoming stage be therapeutic, civilized or simply human? I ask you: Is it right to ‘do away with’ a human life in order to solve a problem?...... Abortion is not the lesser of two evils. It is a sin, which only can be forgiven thru a Sacramental Confession”

Gospel Text: (Mt 2:13-18)

When the magi had departed, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,
“Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt,
and stay there until I tell you.
Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.”
Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night
and departed for Egypt.
He stayed there until the death of Herod,
that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled,
    Out of Egypt I called my son.

When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi,
he became furious.
He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity
two years old and under,
in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi.
Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet:

    A voice was heard in Ramah,
        sobbing and loud lamentation;
    Rachel weeping for her children,
        and she would not be consoled,
        since they were no more.

 

Reflect, today, upon that which is most painful for you this Christmas season.  Whatever it may be, you are invited to unite your hurt and pain today with the sorrow of the families who lost these little ones.  Let God do for you what He ultimately did for all of them.  Let His Incarnation, death and Resurrection transform your hurt into a crown of martyrdom.  In the end, the Lord will be victorious in your life if you let Him.

 

“Prayer is essentially the practice of the presence of God, and that is the road to Heaven. There is no alternative. God is the only game in town. All other roads are dead ends. Since we must give our all to the one true God, we must not give any part to idols, to the many false gods that now bite away at our lives……. Life is this simple……….. We are living in a world that is absolutely transparent and God is shining through all the time. This is not just a fable or a nice story. It is true. If we abandon ourselves to God and do our best to forget ourselves, we see it sometimes, and we see it maybe frequently. God shows himself everywhere, in everything- in people and in things and in nature and in events. It becomes very obvious that God is everywhere and in everything and we cannot be without him. It’s impossible. The only thing is that we don’t see it….Because we CHOOSE not too!...Dare to be different!”

Gospel Text: (Lk 1:39-45)

Mary set out in those days
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth. 
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy. 
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.”

 

Do you perceive the presence of Christ when He comes to you?  If Elizabeth and her unborn child could perceive Him, shouldn’t we also be able to perceive Him?  When you enter a church, for example, are you immediately aware of the divine presence of our Lord?  Do you sense His closeness?  And when you receive Him in Holy Communion, is your heart intently fixed upon the Savior coming to you and residing within you?  This takes faith and it takes eyes that are fixed on the coming and presence of the Lord.

 

Pray, today, for the gift to see.  Pray that our Lord will give you the eyes you need to perceive His divine presence all around you.  And pray, especially, that your mind and heart will be open to His divine presence as you encounter and receive Him in Holy Communion.