Advent Prophecy. Homily by Fr. Raymond.

 Mass Advent ..., 

Advent 4, Sunday 21^st Dec.

Mass: Gospel  Luke 1:26-38

Homily by Fr. Raymond.  

Subject: The prophet Daniel and St Benedict and suggesing that St Bnedict. like Daniel. could deserve the name of a 'Man of Desires'.

This raises the question of the whole place of prophecy in our life in the spirit.

Advent Prophecy

What are prophecies for? What does God mean by them?

It can hardly be so that we will know that such ad such a thing is going to happen at such and such a time. The prophecies contained in Gods Revelation are far too obscure and difficult for that. They are recognised as having been accomplished, only post factum. (Even the prophecy of the Messiahs birth was not put forward as a proof of who he was. He allowed himself to be called the Nazarene by everyone, even by his own apostles. "Jesus of Nazareth" - "can anything good come from that place?")

Besides, if prophecies were meant simply to foretell the future, then once the event had occurred, the prophecy would not have a purpose for those who came after. But we can be sure that the prophecies of scripture are always meaningful in the life of the church; they are always powerful instruments of growth in grace for those who embrace them and make them their own.

Pride of place among the prophecies of old are, of course, those which point to the incarnation of the Son of God, and indeed it might be said that every prophecy of sacred scripture points, in one way or another, to that central point of revelation. The main purpose of this prophecy and therefore of all prophecy is to put before our minds and hearts the great promises of God that we may reach out to them in the joy of faith love and hope. So whether we live before the prophecy is fulfilled or after it, it still has this basic formative role in our growth in the spirit because no matter how a prophecy is fulfilled in time its full accomplishment can only be in eternity

On, this understanding then one of the marks of the genuineness of a

Divine Prophecy is, not its fulfilment but rather its lack of fulfilment in this world. Every genuine prophecy is eschatological by its nature. It is, in this life, a thing of promise and hope rather than of fulfilment.

In so far as there is a historical element in it, one that is fulfilled in time that is only the beginning of the message. Where; for instance, will

Israel learn that-the the prophecy of its promised land was not one of

a kingdom of this world. The Messiah's Kingdom is not of this world and he very explicitly says so.

The very coming of the Messiah in history is itself only a tiny portion of what his coming means. Not till we see him as he is and touch and handle the Word of Life in eternity will the great gift of the Incarnation be fulfilled for each of us and fully realized by each of us..

The prophecies call us ever onwards and upwards, further and higher into the mysteries they proclaim until we are fully immersed in them and taste their completeness in the Kingdom.

The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, but not till we are made spirit and dwell with him will that prophecy be completely fulfilled.

Eye has not seen nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man to consider what things God has prepard for those who love him.

Raymond

The Great 'O' Antiphons: O Rex Gentium - December 22nd - Independent Catholic News

   

      Mass Advent,
The Great 'O' Antiphons: O Rex Gentium - December 22nd - Independent Catholic News 

The Great 'O' Antiphons: O Rex Gentium - December 22nd

By: Fr Robin Gibbons

Posted: Monday, December 22, 2014 12:36 am

Comment  Email  Print

The Great 'O' Antiphons: O Rex Gentium - December 22nd O king of the nations, and their desire, the cornerstone making both one: Come and save the human race,which you have fashioned from clay.( Common Worship) There is something interesting about the type of King in this antiphon, three main points perhaps? The first takes us deep into the prophecies of the Hebrew Scriptures, those oracles of God uttered in His name deep in the ancestral history of faith. Isaiah pulls together nearly all of the images given us in the text, the unfold I several passages but we firstly remind ourselves that unlike many earthly potentates throughout the centuries; this King is definitively connected to God and reigns as God’s representative, ’For the people that walked in darkness now see a great light’(Is 9.2) and will know joy and rejoicing at the destruction of cruelty and evil. ‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called ,Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace ‘.(Is 9.6) Part of his role is to bring things together so that there is peace, but it is also to turn the worlds values upside down. Christ’s reign is the reconciliation of opposites where the innocent , unnoticed , unheard ones have the voice of God, where human and animal are at one with each other and all creation is somehow connected together in wonder and harmony. That is the handiwork of the divine potter who metaphorically gets his hands dirty in clay to fashion all life and see it as beautiful, this is a King who creates not destroys! Is this fanciful, will this ever happen? The first coming of Christ is a marker that it eventually will, for salvation is now our song! Jesus, the King of the nations points out the route we are called to, the people of light who prepare the way for the great day of his return! In the New Testament, there are wonderful theological analogies about the body of Christ; here we have the building metaphor, the cornerstone of our living building is Christ. It took me a while to recognize that the cornerstone is not only a marker, but in fact the reference point for the whole design! The writer of Ephesians 2.20 makes it clear that for us this building is faith, and it is only on Christ we build our lives ! He becomes our reference point for all we do! So let’s help beat swords into ploughshares, turn spears into pruning forks so that we may plant, grow and harvest Christ’s peace amongst the nations, not in the future, but now!

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Tags: December 22nd, FR Robin Gibbons, O Rex Gentium, The Great 'O' Antiphns

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Abbot Lehodey, Cistercian. Meditation (MAGNIFICAT 16/12/2014)

Meditation, Mass Advent, 

  Amazon.com:  5 reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

 Best book on the subject of abandonment 26 Nov 2011

By Theo - Published on Amazon.com

I'm not sure what the other reviewer of this book wanted, but I want to offer a different perspective, as I've owned and used this book for years. I own a whole shelf load of books on abandonment, including the great classic, Self-Abandonment to Divine Providence, by JP de Caussaude. This book, Holy Abandonment, exceeds them all.

The author, a Cistercian priest writing in the early 20th century, takes the entire Catholic tradition of suffering and abandonment, and develops and summarizes it in a very helpful and methodical way. It is also laced with countless practical examples from the lives of the greatest Catholic saints. I learned more on the subject from this one book than from all the other books on abandonment combined, not only on a theoretical, but a very practical level. Has helped me immeasurably through all the difficulties and contradictions of life I've encountered since, and in a way the helps me really grow in holiness and trust in the Lord, regardless of what is happening in life. I'm very appreciative of Tan Books for keeping this in print, and recommend it to everyone. It is a real classic and one of the best books on my shelf.

The book first lays a foundation for understanding the concept of abandonment and how to recognize the will of God in your life. It then, chapter by chapter, explains how to practice abandonment in virtually every sort of difficulty in life: prosperity and adversity, health and sickness, reputation, humiliations, works of zeal, prayer, interior trials, you name it, in really detailed and specific ways. It is exhaustive and practical, and based on sound theology and the experience of the saints.

This is not lightweight, watered-down spirituality, but real meaty stuff, solid food for those serious about growing in holiness and real closeness to the Lord. Truly an irreplaceable book.

 

  Holy Abandonment

Jul 1, 2004

    by Rt. Rev. Abbot Dom Vitalis Lehodey O.C.R. 

3^rd Advent Tuesday 16/12/2014

The holy Gospel according to Matthew      21:2R-32

JESUS SAID TO the chief priests and elders of the people, "What is your opinion? A man had two sons. ..."

MEDITATION         OF THE    DAY  

Courtesy of MAGNIFICAT.COM
_____________________________________________________________

By Abbot Lehodey, Cistercian

Sharing in the Docility of the First Son

The action of God has not always the same degree of intensity. He increases or diminishes it according to the designs of his love, and according to the strength and generosity of different souls. If he does not judge it well to treat them all with a constant holy severity, at least he makes them pass through alternate seasons of consolation and desolation, peace and combat, light and obscurity. By means of such continual vicissitudes, he renders them pliable and docile to all his motions. For, owing to repeated changes in her interior state, the soul finally loses her attachment to every condition and is ready to welcome all at the will of the Holy Spirit who breathes where he pleases and as it pleases him.

In short, by means of all these trials, says the Venerable Louis de Blois, "God purifies, humbles, instructs our souls, and renders them pliable to his will; everything defective, everything deformed, everything disagree­able to his sight, he removes from them, and at the same time embellishes them with all the ornaments which can make them pleasing in his eyes. And when he finds them faithful, full of patience and good-will; when the long endurance of tribulations has brought them, with the assistance of his grace, to such a degree of perfection that they suffer with tranquillity and joy all manner of temptation and afflictions: then he unites them not intimately to himself, confides to them his secrets and his mysteries and communicates himself to them without reserve.”

Dom Vitalis Lehodey, O.C.R.

Dom Vitalis Lehodey, O.C.R. (+1948) was abbot of Notre Dame de Grace, Bricquebec, France.

 

 The Ways of Mental Prayer

Jan 1, 2009

by Rt. Rev. Abbot Dom Vitalis Lehodey O.C.R.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ways of Mental Prayer, February 16, 2010

  By 

Eileen Rupel "Eileen Mary" (Huntington, WV United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAM

This review is from: The Ways of Mental Prayer (Paperback)

I enjoyed this particularly because of its "hands-on" approach to mental prayer. Various states of mind are described, and methods outlined to match each state of mind. So I have hope I will be able to acheive some quality of mental prayer. which enhances my overall prayer life. It's not easy, but definitely worthwhile, especially if any of us find ourselves asking "mental prayer"--what is that? You will find your way! Highly recommended.

Advent, 1st Sunday. 'that definitive moment of our own personal lives' Fr. Raymond Homily

Mass, Advent 1. 

   

          

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 13:33-37.

Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.
It is like a man travelling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.
Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cock-crow, or in the morning.
May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.
What I say to you, I say to all: 'Watch!'"

 Fr. Raymond ... 

"that definitive moment of our own personal lives" [emphasis. Edit]

For the Gospel of the very first Sunday of Advent we might expect the Church to choose a passage that turns our minds directly to the proximity of her annual celebration of the birth of Christ.
But we won't find anything of that in today's Gospel. Instead She chooses a Gospel that turns our minds to the consideration of the proximity of our personal death. The implication being made is surely that it is precisely, at the moment of our own personal death that we will first personally encounter the Christ face to face, and no matter how young we may be, that encounter is, for each of us, relatively proximate. "Stay awake!" says Jesus, "Stand ready! Because .... " No matter who we may be or what the times and seasons for anyone of us ... "The Son of Man is coming at an hour we do not expect".

Perhaps we could do well this Advent to make this theme the background to our preparation for Christmas. We could make it a preparation for; a looking forward to; that definitive moment of our own personal lives when we will come face to face with the living Christ; or rather, that definitive moment when He comes to us.

This will be the moment when we come face to face with Jesus: not as the sacramental Jesus of the Eucharist,
nor as the liturgically new-born Jesus of the Christmas season, nor as the Jesus whom we encounter in our prayer life;
but as the Risen and Living Christ of Glory. The Christ in all the splendour of his Godhead and of his glorified humanity.

This is surely the message of today's Gospel: that our death will not be a lonely journey into the next world. Jesus himself has described it for us very differently. He describes it, not as a going out of ourselves from this world to him in the next, but rather as an advent, a coming of Himself to us in this world to take us by the hand and lead us into the next. "I am going away to prepare a place for you" he says" .... and I will come back to take you to be with me where I am." And in case we should think of this final personal advent with fear, Jesus himself is careful to take away any sense of awe and fear we might have. This he does by portraying it for us in that homely post-resurrection scene where he stands on the shore of eternity, as it were, and invites the Apostles to "come and have breakfast".

Now is the time then to prepare ourselves to welcome this inevitable and utterly personal Advent of the Lord to us with a Faith and a Love that cry out "Come then, Lord Jesus, Come."

Cistercian ocso Missal.
First Sunday of Advent

Advent, Fourth Sunday. St. Paul, 'one of his masterpieces. Paul is writing to the Christians' Rom.1: 1-7

Sunday, 22 December 2013

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Christmas Crib - welcome, Guest House entry

Fr. Aelred's Homily

Today's second reading is taken from the beginning of St Paul's letter to the Romans - one of his masterpieces. Paul is writing to the Christians living in very small communities in the great city of Rome, a world where paganism reigns supreme in its institutions, its cultural heritage, and its morality. Against the grandeur of Rome the small Christian community appears insignificant, even contemptible. But even if a community is reduced to a handful of faithful to celebrate the holy mysteries, it has a timeless message to proclaim.

Today's passage from Romans is most appropriate as we approach Christmas, because it provides us with a profession of faith of the early church in the form of a hymn to Christ: in his double sonship it reads: "The Gospel of God that he promised long ago through the prophets, as scripture record....about his son. A descendant of David according to the flesh, but son of god in power according to the spirit of holiness, by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord". In a few verses the genius of Paul brings out the Trinitarian character of the confession of faith that names the Father (God), the son and the Spirit, and links them to mystery of the Incarnation.

On the 17^th December, when we are within a week of Christmas, the opening prayer for Mass reads: Father, you decreed, and your Word became man, born of the Virgin Mary. May we come to share the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share our human nature’. This prayer tells us that the Word becomes human so that humans might become divine. By grace even in this life, we become sharers in the divine nature. We don’t have to have to wait until after death before this can take place. An early saint put it like this: ‘The divine word, who once for all was born in the flesh, always in his compassion desires to be born in the spirit in those who desire him. He became an infant and molds himself in them through their practise of the virtues.

St Paul tells us in one of his letters that the mysteries of our faith are very deep. But we don’t have to be very clever in order to be good disciples and friend of Jesus. We can join with Mary and Joseph and the Shepherds in contemplating the infant in the crib. And if we are sincere in offering him our human love and service we will receive in return something far more precious: The beginning of a share in his divine nature.

2nd Advent "Of men born of women there has risen none greater than John the Baptist". Mt.11:11

Jubilation, Diamond celebration of Fr. Raymond,
family 3 generations

MASS

Second Sunday of Advent

Gospel: Matthew 3:1-12

Homily: Fr. Raymond

When we call St John the Baptist the Precursor of the Lord we immediately think of the way he prepared for the Lord's coming by the example of his ascetic life and by his fearless preaching - a fearless preaching that cost him his life in the end. But there is another way, a much more important way, in which he prepared the way of the Lord and that was not so much by what he did or by what he said as by who he was; by what he represented in God's great plan of the gradual preparation of his people for the One who was to come.

Jesus hints at this when he says of John that "Of men born of women there has risen none greater than John the Baptist". In these words Jesus proclaims to all the world that the Person of John was the climax of all that the Old Testament was meant to be. He was its perfect fulfilment. Sanctified in the womb, he stands in the Old Testament in something the same kind of way as Mary, sanctified at her conception does in the New. As Mary is the ultimate fulfilment of the New Testament children of God, so John is the ultimate fulfilment of the Old Testament children of God. God's plans are not frustrated: The Old Testament was not a failure, John the Baptist brought it to its perfect fulfilment.

-

So the greatness of John the Baptist is a relative greatness as Jesus explains when he goes on to say: " ... but even the least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he." Here he is speaking of us, of you and me who are no longer waiting for the Kingdom but who know that Jesus has established it on earth. It is obviously a greater destiny to be a part of the Kingdom that has arrived than to be even the greatest of the Prophets who could only look forward to it in the future.

This greatness of John then as the personification of the ultimate fulfilment of the Old Testament means then that the whole of the Old Testament is a preparation for the coming of Christ. All its wonderful stories, all its great characters, are meant to illustrate in one way or another the person-and mission of Christ. If we stick to the New Testament only then we cannot fathom the full depth of the mystery of Christ. We will miss so much of the meaning to be drawn from the beautiful and powerful imagery of the Old Testament as it gradually unfolds for us the heights and depths of the riches of Christ.

When St Jerome gave us his famous saying that "Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ" he was not referring only to the Gospels but also to the whole the Old Testament as well, from the wonderful stories of Genesis, through the Historical Books of Kings, the Wisdom Books and the Prophets right down to John the Baptist himself.

Advent: December 24th Christmas Eve

   http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2012-12-24 

Advent: December 24th

Christmas Eve

Old Calendar: Vigil of the Nativity of Our Lord

+Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen.

In the General Roman Calendar, this date is the last day of Advent, Christmas Eve, and also (beginning with the vigil Mass) is the first day of Christmas time. The liturgical texts express wholehearted confidence in the imminent coming of the Redeemer. There is much joyous expectation. Most families have their own observances, customs that should be preserved from generation to generation. Today is the last day of our Christmas Novena.

Christmas Eve at ChurchThe entire liturgy of Christmas Eve is consecrated to the anticipation of the certain and sure arrival of the Savior: "Today you shall know that the Lord shall come and tomorrow you shall see His glory" (Invitatory of Matins for the Vigil of the Nativity). Throughout Advent we have seen how the preparation for Jesus' coming became more and more precise. Isaiah, John the Baptist and the Virgin Mother appeared throughout the season announcing and foretelling the coming of the King. We learn today that Christ according to His human nature is born at Bethlehem of the House of David of the Virgin Mary, and that according to His divine nature He is conceived of the Spirit of holiness, the Son of God and the Second Person of the Trinity.

The certitude of His coming is made clear in two images. The first is that of the closed gate of paradise. Since our first parents were cast forth from the earthly paradise the gate has been closed and a cherubim stands guard with flaming sword. The Redeemer alone is able to open this door and enter in. On Christmas Eve we stand before the gate of paradise, and it is for this reason that Psalm 23 is the theme of the vigil:

Lift up your gates, O princes,
Open wide, eternal gates,
That the King of Glory may enter in. . . .

Christmas Eve at HomeIt must be so that the grown-ups may devote themselves with a quiet mind, unhindered by any commotion, to these great mysteries of the Holy Night, that in most Catholic countries the giving of gifts has been advanced to Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve is an appropriate time for the exchange of gifts, after the Christ-Child has been placed in the manger, and the special prayers before the crib — and a round of Christmas carols — are over. If the gifts are given out before the Midnight Mass, the children can concentrate more easily on the great mystery which is celebrated, when the Greatest Gift is given to all alike, even those who have received no material expression of Christmas love. And then, too, Christmas Day with its two additional Masses can be devoted more to the contemplation of the Christmas mystery and the demands of Christmas hospitality.

The opening of the eternal gates through which the King of Glory may enter is indicated by the wreath on the door of our homes at Christmastide. The Advent wreath, which accompanied the family throughout the season of preparation may be taken down. The violet ribbons are removed, and it is gloriously decorated with white and gold. It is then placed upon the door as a symbol of the welcome of Christ into our city, our home and our hearts. On Christmas Eve the whole house should be strewn with garlands and made ready for the Light of the World. The crib is set in a special place of honor, for tonight the central figure of the Nativity scene is to arrive.

Today is Day Nine of the Christmas Novena.

Prayer Saturday of the Second week of Advent

Saturday, 15 December 2012

At Community Mass this morning 
Intercessions prayed;

School Shooting in Connecticut: '27 Killed' CBS News

More In UK: UK Tributes, Queen & PM, To Sandy Hook... White House Vigil... Nurse...

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Fr. Z's Blog 21 Dec 2011

Fr. Z's Blog – What Does The Prayer Really Say?

Slavishly accurate liturgical translations & frank commentary on Catholic issues – by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf o{]:¬)

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21 December 2011

WDTPRS: Last Days of Advent: 21 December – “majesty which transforms us”

Posted on 21 December 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Here is the Collect for 21 December.  Remember, that in the Novus Ordo, the Last Days of Advent, from 17-24 December, shift in focus in the Collects to images of light and glory, moving the listener to attend to the great mystery about to be celebrated.  The prayers are in substance from the ancient Rotulus of Ravenna.
COLLECT:
Preces populi tui, quaesumus, Domine, clementer exaudi,
ut, qui de Unigeniti tui in nostra carne adventu laetantur,
cum venerit in sua maiestate,
aeternae vitae praemium consequantur.

This prayer is similar to a Post Communion in the ancient Gelasian Sacramentary during the “tenth month” (“Decem”-ber). Remember that laetor is deponent.
LITERAL VERSION:
Graciously hear the prayers of Your people, we beseech You, O Lord,
so that those who are rejoicing about the Coming of Your Only-Begotten in our flesh,
may attain the reward of eternal life
when He will have come in His majesty.
As we have seen many times, the prayers of Advent look in two directions, back to the historic moment of the Nativity of the Lord and also forward to the moment when He will come in glory to judge the living and the dead.
The prayer juxtaposes caro (“flesh”) and maiestas (“glory” or “majesty”). The maiestas here refers to the characteristic of God we see at times revealed in Scripture as, for example, when Moses encounters God in the cloud on the mountain or in the tent of the ark. The encounter with God’s majestic glory (Greek doxa, Hebrew kabod) transforms Moses flesh so that it is so bright that he must wear a veil over his face. The Lord, when He comes, will transform everything in His presence and our sight of Him in the bosom of the Trinity in the Beatific Vision will transform our human flesh forever.
The prayer is also careful to link joy with prayer, as if prayer would be a sine qua non for joy.
Rhetorical question alert:
Can someone who does not pray truly be happy?
ANOTHER POSSIBLE RENDERING:
Listen with clemency, we pray, O Lord,
to the prayers of your people,
that those who rejoice at the coming
of your Only-begotten Son in our flesh
may, when he comes in his glory,
receive the reward of eternal life.
NEW CORRECTED ICEL (2011):
Hear in kindness, O Lord,
the prayers of your people,
that those who rejoice
at the coming of your Only Begotten Son in our flesh
may, when at last he comes in glory,
gain the reward of eternal life.
                                                                         With thanks to Fr.Z.

Advent 4

Wednesday, 21 December 2011 The Great O Antiphons: "O Oriens" The Great O Antiphons December 21: "O Oriens" These Great "O Antiphons" at the Magnificat were first used by the Church in the 8th and 9th centuries. They are said in order, based on various titles for the Christ and are scripturally-based short prayers for the 17th to the 23rd of December. In these "O Antiphons" the Church expresses her deep longing for the coming of the Messiah. Christ, the Resurrection and the Life (See Luke 1:78, 79; Malachi 4:2) O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol   justitiae: veni, et   illumina sedentes   in tenebris, et umbra   mortis. O Dawn, splendor of eternal light, and sun of justice, come, and shine on those seated in darkness, and in the shadow of death.

 

Advent Gaudete Sunday Dec 11, 2011

By John Mallon

Catholic Online

  The Third Sunday of Advent is Gaudete Sunday, the 'pink candle' Sunday, the Sunday we light the pink candle on the Advent wreath. Gaudete is the imperative plural form of the Latin verb gaudere (to rejoice). It is a command ordering us to rejoice! In these days of penance and preparation leading up to the feast of our Savior's birth, it reminds us of the joy that is to come, and serves, amid this season of penance, as a kind of 'break' when we recall the hope we have because of the coming of Jesus.

In Advent, we not only celebrate the first coming of our Lord, but eagerly prepare for His Second Coming as well, when the restoration of all things takes place. Too often many of us shudder at the thought of our Lord's coming in glory, as if it were a frightening event—and certainly it will be for those who knowingly rejected Jesus. But for Christians who persevere it will be our great deliverance from the troubles and trials of this world. All the world will bend the knee—some in terror—but as for God's friends, they will bend the knee in joyful adoration as Jesus takes His place as King. The earliest Christians cried 'Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!' expecting Jesus to come at any moment. So should we—we should long for His return with our lamps trimmed and our souls ready. It is indeed something to celebrate—and prepare for. Advent turns our hearts and minds to this reality.

Should commercialism or the evils of the world get us down we need to look at the Advent wreath with its candles burning down patiently, a new one each week in the spiral they create, going down as we light the pink one this week which fills us with joy that we are getting closer and closer to the coming of the Lord. We can place ourselves on the hillsides with the shepherds in the silent chill with patient anticipation of they-knew-not-what until the angel told them. We can imagine the three wise men silhouetted in the brightness of the Christmas star. And then we can meditate on being in that stable with the smell of straw, animals, and a beautiful Newborn Who is our hope. We can let our burdens drop away at the foot of the manger when He smiles at us. We can receive Him into our arms and hearts as Mary holds Him out to us as the gentle Joseph looks on. This Child is our victory. 

REJOICE!

______________________

John Mallon is contributing editor for Inside the Vatican magazine. This article originally appeared in The Sooner Catholic on December 15, 1996.  John can be reached at realitycheck@catholic.org. 

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Pod Cast
http://lifeteen.com/sunday-mass-podcast-121111-3rd-advent-gaudete/