Monday, 24 December 2012 Thanks from DGOcom Daily Gospel

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From: DGO <noreply@evzo.org>
To: donald ...
Sent: Monday, 24 December 2012, 5:43
Subject: Peace on earth to men of good will!

DAILY GOSPEL

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www.dailygospel.org

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” John 6:68 

Dear Madam, dear Sir,

Dear Subscribers,

The whole team of Daily Gospel wishes you a very happy and holy Christmas!

On this holy night among all, let’s free our heart from the world, its restlessness, its material wealth, and let’s merely, humbly, kneel before our Savior. Let’s follow him in his impoverishment to contemplate the eternal realities: in the mystery of Christmas, God the Son comes to us and takes us into transports of delight, love and gratitude, for it is to each of us that God gives his Son. Let’s prepare our souls to receive this priceless gift and let’s sing with the angels the glory of God!

Just as God was born on earth from Mary, may He also born in each of us, in our souls, by the grace and love.

The English team of Daily Gospel

Gregor, Sr Gillian.

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Tonight: Nativity of the Lord (Christmas), solemnity
Nativity of the Lord  THE SON OF GOD BECAME MAN I. WHY DID THE WORD BECOME FLESH?                    With the Nicene Creed, we answer by confessing: "For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit, he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and was made man."         The Word became flesh for us in order to save us by reconciling us with God, who "loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins": "the Father has sent his Son as the Saviour of the world", and "he was revealed to take away sins": Sick, our nature demanded to be healed; fallen, to be raised up; dead, to rise again. We had lost the possession of the good; it was necessary for it to be given back to us. Closed in the darkness, it was necessary to bring us the light; captives, we awaited a Saviour; prisoners, help; slaves, a liberator. Are these things minor or insignificant? Did they not move God to descend to human nature and visit it, since humanity was in so miserable and unhappy a state? (St. Gregory of Nyssa)           The Word became flesh so that thus we might know God's love: "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him." "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."           The Word became flesh to be our model of holiness: "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me." "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me." On the mountain of the Transfiguration, the Father commands: "Listen to him!" Jesus is the model for the Beatitudes and the norm of the new law: "Love one another as I have loved you." This love implies an effective offering of oneself, after his example.          The Word became flesh to make us "partakers of the divine nature": "For this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God." "For the Son of God became man so that we might become God." "The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods." II. THE INCARNATION          Taking up St. John's expression, "The Word became flesh", The Church calls "Incarnation" the fact that the Son of God assumed a human nature in order to accomplish our salvation in it. In a hymn cited by St. Paul, the Church sings the mystery of the Incarnation: Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. and being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. (Ph 2:5-8)  The Letter to the Hebrews refers to the same mystery: Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, Lo, I have come to do your will, O God." (He 10:5-7)          Belief in the true Incarnation of the Son of God is the distinctive sign of Christian faith: "By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God." Such is the joyous conviction of the Church from her beginning whenever she sings "the mystery of our religion": "He was manifested in the flesh." Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 456-463 - Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana