O Emmanuel

O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Savior of all people, come and set us free, Lord our God. The final "O" Antiphon sums up the others and clearly states the purpose of Jesus birth: to be with us (Emmanuel) and to set us free. God among us, God in us. Do we see him in our hearts and in the face of others? Do we recognize our gifts and those of others? Do we share ours and encourage others to share theirs? We send cards expressing our love, we give gifts symbolic of our love and the love God has poured out in the gift of Jesus to us; are we just going through the motions or are we aware of what powerful signs these are? A friend whom I will be visiting for his 60th birthday on New Year's Day said that just my being there would be my greatest gift to him. Until someone makes such a statement, we don't realize the impact of our presence in the lives of others. What more powerful impact, then, is the presence of God-with-us, Emmanuel! Let us coast toward Christmas Day in peace, freedom and confidence in the arms of the greatest Presence possible.
Bro. Rene