The Lord's Servant

 

Lk 1:26-38

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

 As we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, we get a taste of the great love for simplicity and beauty embodied in the story. Juan Diego, the visionary, was just a very ordinary peasant, recently converted to the Faith, and on his way to daily Mass. He was chosen by Mary to bring her desire for a chapel to be build on Tepeyac hill, and to prove the authenticity of her request, left a painting of herself on his tilma, or garment. The Bishop was convinced and built a chapel; Juan became its custodian until his death.  People came to the sie in droves and in less that ten years, nine million became Catholic. A magnificent basilica replaced the chapel, and now a new basilica that seats 5,000 people receives the millions who come to view the still intact image of Mary on the original tilma that should have deteriorated 20-30 years after the image appeared on it. Truly Mary has gifted us with this image and has healed thousands of people. We come to her with our needs and attempt as her servants to show our love and devotion to her.

Bro. Rene

Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us.

Finding Rest

 Note: Apologies for yesterdays absence. I had a sleep study and a doctor's appointment when that was finished.  

Jesus is there for us

Mt 11:28-30

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

There are days when we can cry out with so many others, "How much longer, lord?" Aches pains, spinning our wheels on ice, weariness from spiritual dryness, fatigue from the demands of family or the workplace, we think we can't bear much more. Then these three short verses appear  to remind us that there is help, there is hope,  there is Jesus. Let us accept his invitation to spend some quiet time with him, blocking out our concerns and allowing him to give his loving healing simple by his presence. It's as simple as that.

Bro. Rene

Dear Jesus, when I come to you with my worries and distress, you resolve them and give me rest and peace.  Thank you. Amen 

The Angel of the Lord Declared Unto Mary

 

Lk 1:26-38

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

We celebrate this wonderful Solemnity honoring the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the Mother of God, and our "Good Mother", as Saint Marcellin loved to call her. Her humble, yet world-changing life continues to influence us and draw us to her Son. In the Ages of Faith the people of France built a magnificent cathedral in her honor, whose restoration and reopening after a devastating fire brought hundreds of world leaders to its altar and captivated the attention of the world via the media. As Pope Francis noted, this event could be the spark for a reawakening of the Faith in France.  We are not in Paris, but we can in this Advent time of prayerful preparation for the Birth of Jesus, renew our Faith, prayer life and love of neighbor through simple and quiet acts of kindness. Mary loves us all with her tender "Mother's love", let us return that love by loving all who come into our lives.

Bro. Rene

Dear God, thank you for Mary, our Good Mother, and help us grow ever more faithful to her beloved Son. Amen. 

 

Lk 3:1-6

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

3 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— 2 during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.
5 Every valley shall be filled in,
    every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
    the rough ways smooth.
6 And all people will see God’s salvation.’”

Already the Second Sunday of Advent;  we need to hear John's call to prepare the way for the  Lord. We might have begun a plan of prayer and sacrifice to make Advent truly s time of preparation for Christmas, but already we might have slipped away from it. John calls us back to it.  We have a week and a half before Christmas, and yes, Christmas shopping will be a big part of it but we might carve out some time to spend with the daily Mass readings, or browse the internet to find prayers and readings that will enhance this season.  Sitting quietly in expectation, in reflection on the huge step God has taken through the coming of Jesus to give us the way to achieve union with him and a closer relationship with our neighbor...so much to provoke gratitude and a desire to follow God's plan even more fervently.  There is plenty of food for Advent prayer. Let's "dig in"!

Bro. Rene

Dear God, inspire me to take full advantage of the beautiful readings and themes to benefit fully from this Advent Season. Amen.

A Major Mission

 Note: I returned home last evening after a week in Brigham and Women's in Boston where extensive testing was not able to come to the bottom of my shortness of breath and weakness.  This is God's testing time for me. I just have to do the best I can to get stronger.  Prayers and Faith are the best medicine.

Mt 9:35; Mt 10:1, 5a, 6-8

The Workers Are Few

35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

10 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

Matthew 10:5-8  5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

Jesus gave his Twelve a major task, and it continues today through us. We are to proclaim the "Good News", heal, and drive out evil spirits, their false ideas and teachings.  Our world is as much in need of the Gospel as it was in the time of Jesus. Observe with shock and horror the major hoopla and thrust of this pre-'Christmas season: gift shopping, parties, 'good cheer" but little connection to the birth of the Son of God, our Savior!  Years ago the slogan, 'Put Christ back into Christmas" stirred a few waves,  but now the question would be, Who's Christ? Is it any wonder why there is such corruption and turmoil in Washington, of why the world is so divided and on the brink of major conflict?  We've lost our focus, our direction, our acceptance and reverence for God. We need to be evangelized before we can evangelize others,.  Let us use our Advent to clean up and straighten up our souls, mindsets and hearts to be ready to receive our 'Savior, Christ the Lord.

Bro. Rene

Dear God with your grace, help me to cleanse and prepare my heart  for the arrival of your Son, not only at Christmas but daily! Amen.

PS. Let us not forget this day that "will live in infamy" as we  pray for those who suffered and died in WW II and for the ever-elusive peace in our world and in our hearts that will come only when we give Jesus full sovereignty.