Come, Let Us Adore Him

~~~Midnight Mass Christmas Day~~~

~~Isaiah 9:1-6~~Psalm 96~~Titus 2:11-14~~Luke 2:1-14~~

For unto us a child has been born. Let us rejoice and be glad.

Sing Gloria in Excelsis Deo...Glory to God in the Highest!

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom
a light has shone.
You have brought them abundant joy
and great rejoicing...

Let us rejoice and b glad for God has done great things for us.

He has given us his only son to be the Light of the World.

For a child is born to us, a son is given us;
upon his shoulder dominion rests.
They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero,
Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.

How can we keep from singing?

Let all of creation give him praise and sing with joy.

The grace of God has appeared and chose to live among us...

as one of us...giving us unconditional love.

Shepherds and angels tell of the glory of God.

Sing, dance, be giddy for we have been given the

greatest gift of all...Jesus Christ.

May this day especially be filled with all the joy and the 

blessings you desire in the depths of your heart.

Come, let us adore him.

Merry Christmas!

Remain in the Light

~~~ 1 John 2:3-11 ~~~ Psalm 96 ~~~ Luke 2: 22-35 ~~~

 

...The Fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me

five golden rings....

 

The prophecy of Simeon in the temple was hardly a golden ring.

Simeon was aging; he felt the presence of the Lord

when the Child Jesus was brought

into the sacred space.

 

Simeon was open to the promises of the spirit of the Lord

 just as Mary was when the annunciation was made to her.

 

Mary and Joseph had no premonition of what they

would hear that day in the temple.

They were following the prescribed rituals

 for presenting their son to God.

 

'...Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord...'

 

Just yesterday we read of the slaughter of the male infants

today we see Jesus being presented publicly in the temple.

One might think the temple represented a place of safety

since it was the house of God.

Would that be true today?

I cannot say 'yes' for sure.

 

Mary and Joseph enter the temple in joy and leave the temple

with heavy hearts. Simeon had revealed troubling news to them...

 

"Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
(and you yourself a sword will pierce)
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."

 

Mary had to muster her courage carry her child out of the temple

and live a life of love.

She could not live in constant fear and apprehension

as to how Simeon's words would come to be.

 

We cannot live in an environment of apprehension.

It is not how we live a life of trusting in the Lord's

Divine providence.

 

'...Whoever loves his brother remains in the light,
and there is nothing in him to cause a fall...'

 

 

 

The light has been given to us.

If we believe then we must embrace the light.

We must walk in the light...

Face the light so as not

to be in your own shadow.

 

The LORD made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty go before him;
praise and grandeur are in his sanctuary.

What is For Your Good

~~~ Isaiah 48: 17-19 ~~~ Psalm 1 ~~~ Matthew 11:16-19 ~~~

I remember hearing my grandmother use the phrase, 'it's good for you'

usually when I had to eat something I did not like.

And guess what, I would find myself telling my own

children the same thing.

Is it only those things that we do not like

or do not want to do that are good for us?

Today God is saying something similar...
 

"I, the LORD, your God,
teach you what is for your good,
and lead you on the way you should go."

He continues speaking about the commandments.

Sometimes we cannot convince ourselves that keeping

the commandments is actually good for us.

We try so hard to ignore what is 'good for us' and instead

do what feels good.

We think keeping the commandments is pretty easy,

when in reality they are a real challenge.

God never told Moses that the people would feel good

if they kept the commandments.

But so often when we are caught up in sin

that is a huge factor.

Let's call it the feel good factor...FGF.

Children are often motivated by instant gratification,
but for some it continues into their adult life.

Those who keep the commandments and follow the Lord
will have 'the light of life'.
The light of life is certainly 'good for us'.
Not only will it be good for us to have the light of life,
but we can use this light to help others.
We can be a light in this world of doom and gloom.
We can be the light of hope.
We can be the light of faith.
We can be the light of love...forgiveness...compassion...
you decide what kind of light is good for you.

When you find yourself staring at the beautiful colored Christmas lights
today think of the light that you are for others.
Lights are either on or off,
but when you have the Light of the Lord
it can burn brightly day and night. It can be seen from near and far.
The Light of the Lord never burns out...
The Light of the Lord never grows dim.
The Light of the Lord is good for you...

When you have the Light of the Lord you can see clearly...
you can see that it matters not what you eat and drink 
as long as you are carrying him with you.

Jesus came for all people,
not just those who ate the proper foods, lived in a certain place,
or dressed in royal robes.
His Light does not discriminate.