Jesus Christ is God's blessing to this
world and reassurance that we have not been forgotten. -The "Logic" of Happiness
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2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16
Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29 Luke 1:67-79 John’s father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and
spoke this prophecy:
‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel
for he has visited his people, he has come to their rescue
and he has raised up for us a power for salvation
in the House of his servant David,
even as he proclaimed,
by the mouth of his holy
prophets from ancient times,
that he would save us from our enemies
and from the hands of all who hate us.
Thus he shows mercy to our ancestors,
thus he remembers his holy covenant
the oath he swore
to our father Abraham
that he would grant us, free from fear,
to be delivered from the hands of our enemies,
to serve him in holiness and virtue
in his presence, all our days.
And you, little child,
you shall be called Prophet of the Most High,
for you will
go before the Lord
to prepare the way for him,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins;
this by the tender mercy of our God
who from on high will bring the rising Sun to visit us,
to give light to those who
live
in darkness and the shadow of death
and to guide our feet
into the way of peace.’
Reflection on the Scriptures
Today is the last day of Advent. A season of waiting, preparing for the coming of Christ; the birth of a child. John O’Donohue wrote a beautiful book of blessings called To Bless the Space Between Us. This book is a regular resource
when I need to share a prayer or find a way to articulate what my heart knows, but my brain can’t define. In the blessing “As a Child Enters the World”, it is spoken in the first person as the child is praying to God before their birth. In the last stanza: In everything, I do, think, Feel, and say, May I allow the light Of the world I am leaving To shine through and carry me home. As I read the blessing, I thought of Jesus coming into this world.
Jesus, a vulnerable, innocent human child, leaving the warmth of his mother’s womb and coming “home.” For the first time, it occurred to me that Jesus experienced this Earth as his home. His message of peace and love was focused on bringing the Kingdom of God to us here on Earth. He brought God’s love to Earth and became the light the world (John 8:12). -by Amy Turbes
The Imitation of Christ, Thomas A. Kempis https://amzn.to/40FrikB Paperback and Kindle versions available BOOK
ONE: Thoughts Helpful in the Life of a Soul
The Eleventh Chapter: Acquiring Peace and Zeal for Perfection
If we
did a little discipline to ourselves at the start, we should afterwards be able to do all things with ease and joy. It is hard to break old habits, but harder still to go against our will.
If you do not overcome small, trifling things, how will you overcome the more difficult? Resist temptations in
the beginning, and unlearn the evil habit lest perhaps, little by little, it lead to a more evil one. If you but consider what peace a good life will bring to yourself and what joy it will give to others, I think you will be more concerned about your spiritual
progress.
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