Son of David

Minute Meditations Find Your Place It is for you to find your place in the history of humanity. Nobody can do it for you. It is a work that will be left undone unless you do it yourself. — from Rediscover Advent St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) Abbess, artist, author, composer, mystic, pharmacist, poet, preacher, theologian--where to begin describing this remarkable woman? Born into a noble family, she was instructed for ten years by the holy woman Blessed Jutta. When Hildegard was 18, she became a Benedictine nun at the Monastery of St. Disibodenberg. Ordered by her confessor to write down the visions that she'd received since the age of three, Hildegard took ten years to write her Scivias (Know the Ways). Pope Eugene III read it and in 1147 encouraged her to continue writing. Her Book of the Merits of Life and Book of Divine Works followed. She wrote over 300 letters to people who sought her advice; she also composed short works on medicine and physiology, and sought advice from contemporaries such as St. Bernard of Clairvaux. Hildegard's visions caused her to see humans as "living sparks" of God's love, coming from God as daylight comes from the sun. Sin destroyed the original harmony of creation; Christ's redeeming death and resurrection opened up new possibilities. Virtuous living reduces the estrangement from God and others that sin causes. Like all mystics, she saw the harmony of God's creation and the place of women and men in that. This unity was not apparent to many of her contemporaries. Hildegard was no stranger to controversy. The monks near her original foundation protested vigorously when she moved her monastery to Bingen, overlooking the Rhine River. She confronted Emperor Frederick Barbarossa for supporting at least three antipopes. Hildegard challenged the Cathars, who rejected the Catholic Church claiming to follow a more pure Christianity. Between 1152 and 1162, Hildegard often preached in the Rhineland. Her monastery was placed under interdict because she had permitted the burial of a young man who had been excommunicated. She insisted that he had been reconciled with the Church and had received its sacraments before dying. Hildegard protested bitterly when the local bishop forbade the celebration of or reception of the Eucharist at the Bingen monastery, a sanction that was lifted only a few months before her death. In 2012, Hildegard was canonized and named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XVI. Comment: Pope Benedict spoke about Hildegard of Bingen during two of his general audiences in September 2010. He praised the humility with which she received God's gifts and the obedience she gave Church authorities. He praised the "rich theological content" of her mystical visions that sum up the history of salvation from creation to the end of time. Pope Benedict said, "Let us always invoke the Holy Spirit, so that he may inspire in the Church holy and courageous women like St. Hildegard of Bingen, who, developing the gifts they have received from God, make their own special and valuable contribution to the spiritual development of our communities and of the Church in our time." Quote: Hildegard once wrote, "In the year 1141...a fiery light, flashing intensely, came from the open vault of heaven and poured through my whole brain. Like a flame that is hot without burning, it kindled all my heart and all my breast, just as the sun warms anything on which its rays fall. And suddenly I could understand what such books as the Psalter, the Gospels and the other Catholic volumes both of the Old and New Testament actually set forth." Saint of the Day Lives, Lessons and Feast By Leonard Foley, O.F.M.; revised by Pat McCloskey, O.F.M.    Presence Dear Jesus, I come to you today longing for your presence. I desire to love you as You love me. May nothing ever separate me from You. Freedom Many countries are at this moment suffering the agonies of war. I bow my head in thanksgiving for my freedom. I pray for all prisoners and captives. Consciousness I ask how I am within myself today? Am I particularly tired, stressed, or off-form? If any of these characteristics apply, can I try to let go of the concerns that disturb me? The Word of God   Reading 1 gn 49:2, 8-10 Jacob called his sons and said to them: "Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob, listen to Israel, your father. "You, Judah, shall your brothers praise --your hand on the neck of your enemies; the sons of your father shall bow down to you. Judah, like a lion's whelp, you have grown up on prey, my son. He crouches like a lion recumbent, the king of beasts--who would dare rouse him? The scepter shall never depart from Judah, or the mace from between his legs, While tribute is brought to him, and he receives the people's homage." Responsorial Psalm ps 72:1-2, 3-4ab, 7-8, 17 R. (see 7) Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever. O God, with your judgment endow the king, and with your justice, the king's son; He shall govern your people with justice and your afflicted ones with judgment. R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever. The mountains shall yield peace for the people, and the hills justice. He shall defend the afflicted among the people, save the children of the poor. R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever. Justice shall flower in his days, and profound peace, till the moon be no more. May he rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever. May his name be blessed forever; as long as the sun his name shall remain. In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed; all the nations shall proclaim his happiness. R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever. Alleluia R. Alleluia, alleluia. O Wisdom of our God Most High, guiding creation with power and love; come to teach us the path of knowledge! R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel mt 1:1-17 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham became the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse, Jesse the father of David the king. David became the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon became the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asaph. Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah. Uzziah became the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amos, Amos the father of Josiah. Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the Babylonian exile. After the Babylonian exile, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok. Zadok became the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, Eliud the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ. Thus the total number of generations from Abraham to David is fourteen generations; from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations; from the Babylonian exile to the Christ, fourteen generations.     Listen to audio of this reading     Watch a video reflection Conversation What feelings are rising in me as I pray and reflect on God's Word? I imagine Jesus himself sitting or standing near me and open my heart to him. Conclusion I thank God for these few moments we have spent alone together and for any insights I may have been given concerning the text. Meditation: Matthew 1:1-17 View NAB Reading at USCCB.org Subscriber? Login to view archives. 3rd Week of Advent The genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. (Matthew 1:1) A family of liars, adulterers, murderers, fornicators, connivers, and blasphemers. What a miserable lot! And yet the most famous member of this family tree isn't known for some heinous crime. Quite the opposite, in fact. He is God become man. Why do you think God chose such a rogues' gallery of ancestors for his Son? Is this the best he could come up with? In a sense, yes! No matter how good any family may look on paper, they are still fallen, imperfect human beings. Centuries of biblical history have shown us that God doesn't usually choose the bravest or the strongest or even the holiest people to fulfill his plan. He chooses ordinary, sinful people. And so Jesus was born into an imperfect line—but a line that was made holy by God's grace. God can work with anything. In fact, it delights him to fill us, cracked and leaky vessels though we are, with his overflowing love. Do you feel unworthy of being part of God's plan? You're right: you are! We all are. However spotty our personal history or family tree, it doesn't keep the Lord from offering us a new identity as his sons and daughters. Everyone who is baptized into Christ is grafted into a spotless lineage. God redeemed a line of misfits and miscreants with his power. And he used this family as an important part of his plan. Even so, he is ready to do the same for you. You are more than able to bring Christ into the world, just as David, Solomon, Moses, and all the others did. So come to the Lord and ask him to show you his plans for your life. Does he want you to bring Christ to someone in your life? Will you let him renew your zeal for sharing the good news? You are part of a royal line, and nothing is impossible for God! "Thank you, Father, for making me part of your family. Help me to take up my role in your great plan. Unworthy though I am, let me be your light to the world!"   Genesis 49:2, 8-10 Psalm 72:1-4, 7-8, 17 my2cents: There is a lot of blockage on the path to light from darkness.  As we drove to the first night of the Posadas last night, we saw some houses with Christmas lights put up.  As pretty as they were, I was irked.  I have not had time to put them up at my own house, and I'm thinking  the light of the others was bothering me.  And so it should be the story of a person without the light of God in their life.  They are bothered by the light of God in others.  Question is then, how to get rid of the irksome feeling?  Turn on the lights!  We went to the first house, got rejected in asking for acceptance of the Virgin Mary and Joseph who was pulling the donkey.  The second house rejected, and it was a long journey to the 3rd house (the kids had me almost lose my breath as I was trying to sing and walk or trot to keep up from behind!) Lol.  The third house after many versus of singing and pleading finally let us in, but the donkey would not get close the whole time, perhaps he is too humble as much as we pulled and pushed and poked, he kept his distance and Mary got off to go in the house.  Then...the lights came on; we opened the bible and read scriptures.  Today we read in Genesis about Judah, and the lion, the King of Judah was basically announced, a scepter of a King that would always be, and the prophecies all point to Jesus...and so should our lives.  The Psalm prays on "Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever."  For EVER, justice flourishes and peace...for the child of the light, the poor He shall defend.  And what is our defense?  Our desire.  What transpires then is not what an earthly human heart feels but what a spiritual heart lives off of, because my heart burns and my eyes begin to burn when touched by the love of God, and to extinguish, water comes, tears of sheer joy.  Last night after Posadas, I went to a Knights of Columbus meeting.  The Grand Knight had ordered a plaque to honor "Family of the Year" among our council members, along with a belt buckle and pin saying the same, also "Knight of the Year".  As he asked for a vote, another Knight asked him to step outside while we discussed.  We decided ultimately that the Grand Knight deserved the honor, as he is recovering from a serious accident, barely walking, just getting off a wheelchair, but never missed a meeting he couldn't try to make with all his might and his family was still constantly serving.  When he came back in, they passed the awards around "who will get it?" and it wound up in the hands of Brother Al.  To which his face fell in to his hands, almost in tears.  You see, we bless, (he got award to give) but he was blessed in return.  It is in giving that we will receive, and that is why God is asking us to pour ourselves out in His name, and God is love.  Turn on the lights, and you will see your way out of darkness. adrian Who receives them, receives Me Mathew 10:40

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