† "you will go before the Lord to ..... "

† "God has done everything; he has done the impossible: he was made flesh. His all-powerful love has accomplished something which surpasses all human

Web Version   Subscribe   Forward   † "God has done everything; he has done the impossible: he was made flesh. His all-powerful love has accomplished something which surpasses all human understanding: the Infinite has become a child, has entered the human family. And yet, this same God cannot enter my heart unless I open the door to him." — Pope Benedict XVI Today's Meditation "What worthy return can we make for so great a condescension? The One Only-begotten God, ineffably born of God, entered the Virgin's womb and grew and took the frame of poor humanity. He who upholds the universe, within whom and through whom are all things, was brought forth by common childbirth. He at whose voice archangels and angels tremble, and heaven and earth and all the elements of this world are melted, was heard in childish wailing. The Invisible and Incomprehensible, whom sight and feeling and touch cannot measure, was wrapped in a cradle." —St. Hilary of Poitiers, p. 364 Daily Verse "For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being. For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death." — 1 Corinthians 15:21-26 Adam and Eve, the first man and woman created by God as recounted in the Old Testament book of Genesis, are the father and mother of all humanity. Through their willful disobedience to the command of God, sin came into the world. To redeem mankind which was thereby separated from the perfect communion with the Holy Trinity for which they were created, God became man, born of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and died on a Cross. Jesus is the New Adam, and Mary is the New Eve. Christian tradition recognizes that Adam and Eve were rescued by Christ in virtue of His death, burial, and resurrection, and are with God and the saints in heaven. Their feast day is celebrated together on December 24th. Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent Mass in the Morning Lectionary: 200 Reading I 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16 When King David was settled in his palace, and the LORD had given him rest from his enemies on every side, he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God dwells in a tent!" Nathan answered the king, "Go, do whatever you have in mind, for the LORD is with you." But that night the LORD spoke to Nathan and said: "Go, tell my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD: Should you build me a house to dwell in? "'It was I who took you from the pasture and from the care of the flock to be commander of my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you went, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you. And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth. I will fix a place for my people Israel; I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place without further disturbance. Neither shall the wicked continue to afflict them as they did of old, since the time I first appointed judges over my people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies. The LORD also reveals to you that he will establish a house for you. And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his Kingdom firm. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. Your house and your Kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.'" Responsorial Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29 R. (2) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord. The favors of the LORD I will sing forever; through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness. For you have said, "My kindness is established forever"; in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness. R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord. "I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: Forever will I confirm your posterity and establish your throne for all generations." R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord. "He shall say of me, 'You are my father, my God, the rock, my savior.' Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him, and my covenant with him stands firm." R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord. Alleluia R. Alleluia, alleluia. O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 1:67-79 Zechariah his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied, saying: "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; for he has come to his people and set them free. He has raised up for us a mighty Savior, born of the house of his servant David. Through his prophets he promised of old that he would save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us. He promised to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant. This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to set us free from the hand of our enemies, free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life. You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, to give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace." Daily Meditation: Luke 1:67-79 The dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness. (Luke 1:78-79) Ebenezer Scrooge, the main character of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, is an angry, bitter man who hates Christmas. But he has a change of heart on Christmas Eve when he is visited by three spirits who show him what will happen if he doesn't turn his life around. When Scrooge wakes up, he is a different man: "I am as light as a feather. I am as happy as an angel. . . . A merry Christmas to everybody!" In today's Gospel, Zechariah has also been changed. He speaks for the first time in months, after having been made speechless for doubting the angel's prophecy that he would have a son. Zechariah had always been a godly man, but he seems to have had little faith that God would intervene in his life. Now he is prophesying, praising God, and letting everyone know of the coming Messiah and of his son, John, who will pave the way. Both Zechariah and Scrooge experienced a "dawn from on high" breaking upon them and giving them a fresh start and a new beginning (Luke 1:78). What about you? Are you ready for Christmas? Do you believe that God is prepared to "break" into your life in a new way? You may be expecting just another holiday, but that's not the way God sees it. He wants to bless you. He wants to show you that he is your heavenly Father and that he cares for you. He wants to give you expectant faith. So turn to the Lord with a sense of hope and expectation. It's never too late for miracles to happen. Just ask Ebenezer Scrooge—or Zechariah! Let the magnitude of Jesus' birth make you bold and confident enough to ask the Lord for your own miracle. It may be for healing for you or someone you love. It may be for the grace to overcome some persistent problem. Don't be shy; ask for something you think is impossible. God won't mind. He loves seeing his children reach out to him in faith. The Messiah is coming, and nothing will ever be the same! "Jesus, thank you for coming to live among us. Your birth means that my life cannot and must not stay the same!" 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16 Psalm 89:2-5, 27, 29 Reflections with Brother Adrian: Click to hear Audio In the Holy Scripture we hear today: _"Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; for he has come to his people and set them free. He has raised up for us a mighty Savior, born of the house of his servant David. Through his prophets he promised of old that he would save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us. He promised to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant......"_ end Gospel quote, word of the Lord. From Bishop Barron: "Friends, today's Gospel contains the prayer of Zechariah at the birth of his son, John the Baptist. This prayer is especially precious to priests, religious, and all those who pray the Liturgy of the Hours on a daily basis. It's called the "Benedictus," from its first word in Latin, or the "Canticle of Zechariah." What's wonderful about this prayer (and why the Church asks its ministers to pray it every day) is that it sums up magnificently the whole history of salvation, putting Jesus and John in the context of the great story of Israel. I would like to explore two lines of that great prayer today. The God of Israel, Zechariah prays, "has come to his people and set them free." This is what God always wants to do. He hates the fact that we've become enslaved by sin and fear, and accordingly, he wants to liberate us. The central event of the Old Testament is an event of liberation from slavery. We are, as sinners, enslaved to our pride, our envy, our anger, our appetites, our greed, our lust—all of which wrap us up and keep us from being the people that we want to be. Zechariah continues: "He has raised up for us a mighty Savior, born of the house of his servant David." God will effect this liberation through the instrumentation of a mighty Savior. This should be read against the background of Israel's long history of military struggle against its enemies. A great warrior has come, and he is from the house of Israel's greatest soldier, David. God had promised that he would put a descendant of David on the throne of Israel for all eternity, and Zechariah is prophesying that this will take place........" End quote from Bishop Barron. From a Spanish reflection: "This salvation grants us that free from fear… we may serve him with holiness and justice. We must emphasize the "free from fear." We do not follow Jesus because we are afraid of condemnation or who knows what other reasons. We follow Jesus in freedom. A freedom and a life that is placed at the service of holiness and justice. Said with the words that will appear repeatedly later in the Gospels, it is a freedom placed at the service of love. With Jesus we overcome the law and enter the path of love. That is why his salvation has freed us: to love." end quote from Fernando Torres, cmf. I want to emphasize what we read today in the Holy Gospel: " He has raised up for us a mighty Savior, born of the house of his servant David." A mighty Savior, we say. But do you believe? And a savior forever? What a tremendous gift! What will He save us from? He will save us from what is important. Not little struggles that we must learn from and deal with, even though we wish we did not have to struggle even a little bit. But He will save us from what is most crucial, and with that, the little struggles will be made light, for His yoke is going to be easy, in Him, with Him, and through Him. What a gift is coming to us! What will He save you from? Two things: sin, and death. I wish I could travel back in time and not have ever sinned. I wish I could be saved from myself! And I wish I could travel in time to the future, and save myself from death! But all that has been accomplished already through our greatest gift that is coming, the Messiah! This is not only good news, but the greatest news! It should fill our souls with jubilee. It should fill our desires to love God with all our heart, mind, body, and souls. Yet it is possible. God is here. And this means Emmanuel. Jesus is coming, and His name means "He Saves". Can we live with our Savior hand in hand, saving souls from a wretched life and death? Yes! What a gift this would be to Him! We can give Him gifts! Gifts of self and love! To one another, in the name of Love. To see a child smile changes everything. And you, are His beautiful child! audio Random Bible Verse 1 Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com God Bless You! Peace Going4th For questions or comments contact Adrian@going4th.com. For more go to www.Going4th.com ©2024 Going4th | Andrews TX Preferences   Subscribe   Forward   Unsubscribe     Powered by GoDaddy Email Marketing ®