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| Commited Partners |  | | The fourth basic quality of a solid marriage is commitment. This attribute connects to the cardinal virtue of fortitude—a willingness to hold fast to the truth even to the point of death. We need fortitude in marriage, and it is previewed with the vow: "Till death do us part." | | |
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
 The Church has celebrated Mary's birth since at least the sixth century. A September birth was chosen because the Eastern Church begins its Church year with September. The September 8 date helped determine the date for the feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8 (nine months earlier). Scripture does not give an account of Mary's birth. However, the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James fills in the gap. This work has no historical value, but it does reflect the development of Christian piety. According to this account, Anna and Joachim are infertile but pray for a child. They receive the promise of a child that will advance God's plan of salvation for the world. Such a story (like many biblical counterparts) stresses the special presence of God in Mary's life from the beginning. St. Augustine connects Mary's birth with Jesus' saving work. He tells the earth to rejoice and shine forth in the light of her birth. "She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley. Through her birth the nature inherited from our first parents is changed." The opening prayer at Mass speaks of the birth of Mary's Son as the dawn of our salvation and asks for an increase of peace.
"Today the barren Anna claps her hands for joy, the earth radiates with light, kings sing their happiness, priests enjoy every blessing, the entire universe rejoices, for she who is queen and the Father's immaculate bride buds forth from the stem of Jesse" (adapted from Byzantine Daily Worship).
Daily Prayer - 2015-09-08 Presence I pause for a moment
and reflect on God's life-giving presence
in every part of my body, in everything around me,
in the whole of my life. Freedom "I am free."
When I look at these words in writing
They seem to create in me a feeling of awe.
Yes, a wonderful feeling of freedom.
Thank You, God. Consciousness Where do I sense hope, encouragement, and growth areas in my life?
By looking back over the last few months, I may be able to see which activities and occasions have produced rich fruit.
If I do notice such areas, I will determine to give those areas both time and space in the future. The Word of God Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary The LORD says:
You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah,
too small to be among the clans of Judah,
From you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel;
Whose origin is from of old,
from ancient times.
(Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time
when she who is to give birth has borne,
And the rest of his brethren shall return
to the children of Israel.)
He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock
by the strength of the LORD,
in the majestic name of the LORD, his God;
And they shall remain, for now his greatness
shall reach to the ends of the earth;
he shall be peace. Brothers and sisters:
We know that all things work for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.
For those he foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers.
And those he predestined he also called;
and those he called he also justified;
and those he justified he also glorified. R. (Isaiah 61:10) With delight I rejoice in the Lord.
Though I trusted in your mercy,
let my heart rejoice in your salvation.
R. With delight I rejoice in the Lord.
Let me sing of the LORD, "He has been good to me."
R. With delight I rejoice in the Lord. Alleluia R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, deserving of all praise;
from you rose the sun of justice, Christ our God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. 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.
Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
"Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins."
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,
which means "God is with us." This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
"Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins."
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,
which means "God is with us." Some thoughts on today's scripture - Emmanuel means 'God is with us.' This is the most consoling of statements. Often I can be lonely and wish for company; I can feel that there is no-one around for me. Especially as I get older I sense that I am on a lonely journey. But here is Good News - God is with me! This is my salvation, that God is never far away.
- This message is repeated over and over in scripture, so let me take it seriously, as Mary and the others did. Instead of running away from solitude when it comes, I can use it as an opportunity to be with my God. God is with me, so let me be with God! I thank God for Sacred Space which provides a daily time for God and myself to meet.
Conversation Remembering that I am still in God's presence,
I imagine Jesus himself standing or sitting beside me,
and say whatever is on my mind, whatever is in my heart,
speaking as one friend to another. 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.
The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Feast) The virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel. (Matthew 1:23) Today is Mary's birthday, so let's all celebrate. In fact, why not gather your family, bake a cake, and have a party! Why all the celebration, anyway? Well, when a close friend or a member of your family has a birthday, you get excited for that person, don't you? You want to celebrate with him or her. You want to make the day special because you love this person and because he or she is an important part of your life. Should it be any different for Mary, your mother? She's part of your family as well. From the beginning of time, when the Father planned to send his Son to us, he also planned that Mary would be his mother. Now, through Christ, we have been made children of God—brothers and sisters to Jesus. And that makes Mary our mother. So in a sense, today's Gospel reading, the genealogy of Jesus, is a listing of your own spiritual family tree. Starting with Abraham, your forefather in faith, it traces your ancestors all the way up to Joseph and Mary. Their story is your story. Their hopes and dreams are your hopes and dreams. In other words, you belong! As a member of God's family, you have an important role to play in God's plan, just as Mary did. As a parent, sister, brother, daughter, son, friend, co-worker, or neighbor, he wants you to bear Christ to the people around you, just as Mary did. That can sound like a tall order, and in one sense, it is. But never let this calling overwhelm you. Remember that you have the best mother in the world to help you. Remember too that you are not alone. You have a huge, wonderful family to support you. So go ahead, and have some cake today. Celebrate with your brothers and sisters what a great mother you have! "Father, thank you for giving me Mary as my mother. Help me to rejoice and embrace the role that I have in building your kingdom." Micah 5:1-4
Psalm 13:6
my2cents:
In a truly humble world, if you were to hear about this King of the world, and all you had in the meantime where His books, and His mother and friends, and if you were to one day be told you were going to meet the King, can you imagine how much greater the experience would be than to just say "you're going to meet the King"? It is the story of an invitation to make God greater in your life, and we are given a gift in the world...the mother of God, the mother of Jesus, the mother of our Lord the Holy Spirit. I was reading the spanish reflection 5minutos today, and a question came into my head that was answered by someone in Heaven, maybe an angel. It went like this: "so...if Mary is the mother of the light (Sun of Justice) from today's readings, then was Eve the mother of darkness?" and the answer spoke to the heart "Eve was the mother of the human race and Mary the mother of the spirit". WOW! Eve then, she is not the one that opened pandora's box, so to speak, but an earthly mother, our beginning, the eve means the beginning. Eve is what comes before the very event, like Christmas Eve or New Year's eve....And the day came when the eve of the light came...Mary. Mary born without sin, the immaculate conception, protected by God, loved by God and prepared by God, as we read today "For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son..." It was God's plan, and this predestination throws off many people thinking then there is no free will. Let me just say, do you really want your will to be done? Or His?
In the Magnificat, the Mother says:
"My soul magnifies the Lord
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid;
For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed;
Because He who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is His name;
And His mercy is from generation to generation
on those who fear Him.
He has shown might with His arm,
He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and has exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich He has sent away empty.
He has given help to Israel, his servant, mindful of His mercy
Even as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever."
She Magnifies the Lord, and I believe it, it is SO true. Her spirit rejoices in God her Savior, and does mine rejoice like that? I WISH. And so we pray for help from Heaven...from our Mother in Heaven. When I am most scared, (this is my secret), I run to my MOTHER, my Mother in Heaven. It's like an instict, a spiritual one, now being born again. And these humble words come from a humble creation...a miracle herself, born to parents who could not conceive...an immaculate conception. The proud will be scattered and the humble will be gathered, most often huddled up in a little chapel in daily Mass realizing the great gift of God that was born through Mary. And this day, we remember when she was born. In a few more days, my earthly mother's birthday is coming up, she was born in a little village in Mexico, and her name was Maria (Mary in English). I am her only son, and they say I almost died as a toddler, hospitalized born in Colorado. Someone interceded for me...it was Maria. I owe my life twice then for the giver of the fleshly life and that of my spritual life. The world is full of Marys. Three stood at the cross of our Lord the Christ the day He was dying for Love of us. Today, the Marys spread the word of God like no other. Mary over here, Mary over there, why? Because she wants to magnify the Lord with her presence....do you?
 adrian
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