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| Lyuba Yatskiv |
We sing the
song 12 DAYS of CHRISTMAS all during Advent (well nuns don’t) and when the Birth is upon us, we say, “thank God it is all over”. Do most people even have a clue what these days are? For true
Christians it is only the beginning of the celebration. As the crazy,
materialistic world packs up presents, throws out wreaths and trees, and prepares for the next commercial
holiday (New Year’s Day) and pretends the
day after Christmas is just like any other day, we are celebrating new Life in
our hearts.
For the whole
week after the birth of our Savior, the Church’s celebration continues,
reminding us that Jesus Christ is alive still. He is here among us in His Body
and Blood, and He will go from this place with us to whatever beginnings we
face tomorrow and in the weeks and months to come.
"The mystery
of Christmas, which is light and joy, questions and unsettles us, because it is
at once both a mystery of hope and of sadness. It bears within itself the taste
of sadness, inasmuch as love is not received, and life discarded. This happened
to Joseph and Mary, who found the doors closed, and placed Jesus in a manger,
"because there was no place for them in the inn" Jesus was born rejected by some and regarded
by many others with indifference. Today also the same indifference can exist,
when Christmas becomes a feast where the protagonists are ourselves, rather
than Jesus; when the lights of commerce cast the light of God into the shadows;
when we are concerned for gifts but cold towards those who are marginalized.
The
shepherds grasped this in that night. They were among the marginalized of those
times. But no one is marginalized in the sight of God and it was precisely they
who were invited to the Nativity. Those who felt sure of themselves,
self-sufficient, were at home with their possessions; the shepherds instead
"went with haste"
( Lk 2:16). Let us allow ourselves also to be
challenged and convened tonight by Jesus. Let us go to him with trust, from
that area in us we feel to be marginalized, from our own limitations. Let us
touch the tenderness which saves. Let us draw close to God who draws close to
us, let us pause to look upon the crib, and imagine the birth of Jesus: light,
peace, utmost poverty and rejection. Let us enter into the real Nativity with the
shepherds, taking to Jesus all that we are, our alienation, our unhealed
wounds. Then, in Jesus we will enjoy the flavor of the true spirit of
Christmas: the beauty of being loved by God. With Mary and Joseph we pause
before the manger, before Jesus who is born as bread for my life. Contemplating
his humble and infinite love, let us say to him: thank you, thank you because
you have done all this for me."
(Pope Francis, Christmas Homily 2016)
You are part of a search and rescue for lost Catholics.
ReplyDeleteRegular updates to the countdown to the Day of the Lord by the sign of the Son of Man in Heaven at :
http://risen-from-the-dead.forumotion.com/
What to expect in the final days :
https://www.tldm.org/news/darkness-11-13-98.htm
http://miraculousrosary.blogspot.com/p/three-days-of-darkness.html
I was guided to think, for a while, using the "1335 = 2300" methodology, explained here :
http://risen-from-the-dead.forumotion.com/t369-1335-2300-methodology
We are less than 2 days away from prophetic history : the completion of the 2300 day cleansing period of Daniel 8:14. When Jesus said to me, "Give in now, John, until it comes time to fulfill all justice", He referenced that point in time between "this age" and "the age to come", that point in time between December 29th and 30th, 2018 A.D. There is no changing this by human means.
Knowing for certainty of the exact dates of both the 1,335th day of Daniel 12:12, and the 2,300th day of Daniel 8:14, provides the basis for the most crucial examination of events this week.
This is not just another Christmas Season.