Posted on 12/02/2013 4:24:36 AM PST by markomalley
Christmas "is not only a temporal recurrence or a beautiful memory", but a "journey" to "meet the Lord" and what's more to "letting Him meet us" in which "he makes us new again". Our preparation for Christmas was the topic of Pope Francis' homily at Mass in Casa Santa Marta in this first Monday of Advent, as Vatican Radio reports.
Commenting on the passage from the Gospel of the day, where the Roman centurion with great faith asks Jesus to heal his servant, the Pope recalled that in these days, "we begin a new journey " , a "journey of the Church ... towards Christmas ." We go to meet the Lord , " because Christmas - he explained - is not only a temporal recurrence or a memory of something beautiful".
"Christmas is more: we travel this road to meet the Lord . Christmas is an encounter! And we walk to meet him: with our heart, with life ; to meet him alive, as He is ; meet Him with faith . It is not easy to live with faith. In the words we have just heard, the Lord was amazed at this centurion: he marveled at the faith that he had . He had made a journey to meet the Lord, but he did so with faith. For this reason, he not only met the Lord, but felt the joy of being met by the Lord. And this is precisely the encounter that we want: the encounter of faith".
But what is important is allowing ourselves to be open to an encounter with the Lord. "When we go to meet the Lord, we are - let's face it - the masters of this meeting , but when we let Him encounter us, it is He who enters us, it is He who makes us new again, because this is the coming, this is what the coming of Christ means: making all things new again, the heart, soul, hope and journey. We are on a journey with faith, the faith of this centurion, to meet the Lord and most importantly leaving ourselves open to an encounter with Him".
But to do this we need an open heart. "An open heart, so that He will encounter me! And tell me what He wants to tell me, which is not always what I want Him to tell me ! He is the Lord and He will tell me what he has in store for me , because the Lord does not look at us all together, like one big mass of people. No, no ! He looks everyone in the face, into their eyes, because His love is not an abstract love: it is real love ! From person to person: the person of the Lord looks at me, a person. We must let ourselves be loved by the Lord".
The Pope concluded, "some attitudes can help us on this journey towards Christmas: perseverance in prayer, praying more , the labor of fraternal charity, being a little closer to those in need , and joy in praise of the Lord". Thus "prayer , charity and praise " , with an open heart "so the Lord can encounter us."
And presents... Of course it’s important to keep Christ in Christmas, but should we also lose sight that Christmas was originally a pagan festival, only re-dressed as a semi-secular tradition? And do we only celebrate Christ one day per year? To me, besides the fond memories, emphasizing Christ on Christmas is an opportunity to frustrate liberals and everyone who wants to purge Christian beliefs from society.
Nice to see this Marxist still celebrates Christmas. I guess he decides who gets to keep their presents and who doesn’t.
Pray America is Waking
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I had someone say to me last week that Christmas is bogus because Christ wasn’t born then...
to which I asked - you got a better date to celebrate the birth of our Lord?
Nothing quite says “here I am Lord” like elbowing somebody in the guts over a $9 toaster oven at dawn on Black Friday.
And I saw the dead, great and small, stand before God; and the books were opened...and the dead we’re judged out of those things that were written in the books....and whosoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11—15)
Everyone gets to “encounter” God, most at the throne of judgement (condemnation).
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)
Believe is the way to eternal life. Everlasting life starts the instance of faith in the Savior. And there will be no future condemnation (encounter at the great white throne of judgement). And it’s eternal life, not temporary life, which can be lost. Eternal life is gift we don’t earn to receive, not a work we must earn in order to keep. God has given the saved to the Son who will keep them and never reject them.
He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself. He that believeth not God hath made him a liar. Because he believeth not the record God gave of his Son. And this is the record: that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. (1 John 5:10,11)
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Christ commended the centurion and his faith. May we all strive to develop such faith within ourselves.
"Lord I am not worthy that thou should come under my roof, but only say the word, and my soul shall be healed." Those are words that we now say as we begin our journey to receive Christ in the Holy Eucharist.
Yes. Every other day ...... the world stops on Dec 25th... best to do some business and buy and sell on that day because this world is the opposite of our Sovereign.. unless that day turns out to be a Sabbath.. and it isn’t this year...
My pastor gave a stemwinder sermon (for him - he’s a very understated guy) about Advent at the Spanish Mass yesterday. His conclusion was that Advent observance should be “simple, spiritual, and holy,” and he emphasized that preparing for Christ’s coming involves clearing out everything that is bad, both from our homes and from our hearts and souls.
Too bad most of my family missed it. One of the deacons preached at the earlier Mass, and apparently he didn’t say anything particularly memorable.
Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
2Co 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
No one is going to meet the Lord at Christmas as your pope suggests...Christians have Jesus Christ within them...There is no place and no correct time to meet him...He's already here...
And if Jesus Christ is not in any of you right now, you need to ask Jesus to become your Savior...Ask him to save you...And he will...
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