(A journey through Verses from the Bible – with practical applications – to Love Jesus & Live Jesus!)

DAY 05: GOD HEARS OUR PRAYERS!

BIBLE VERSE
(Lk 1:25) “This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favourably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people.”

CONTEXT OF THE BIBLE VERSE
Elizabeth exclaims these words of gratitude, as she and Zechariah – who went through much humiliation and ignominy – are blessed with a child. Elizabeth exudes immense joy and reminds us…
… of the need to remain faithful to the God Who is always very near us – even though, sometimes we pass through moments of agonizing silence and abject isolation
… of the aspect of the being hopeful, knowing that God will strengthen us in every situation of apparent disgrace and disappointment

WHAT IS CHRIST SPEAKING TO ME, THROUGH THIS BIBLE VERSE?

Have faith that none of our prayers will go in vain before the Almighty Presence of God; the Lord in His Beautiful Time, will give us what’s most needed for our Salvation. Thus, every prayer ought to be “a prayer to allow His Eternal Plan to be fulfilled!”
We are never left alone in our moments of struggle; God’s Grace moulds us and shapes us, if we remain open to His Will.

HOW CAN I CELEBRATE CHRIST, THIS CHRISTMAS?

1. Think of at least one incident of the past wherein we experienced God’s Grace and Presence in tough moments; offer a prayer of Gratitude and renew our hope for the present moments of struggle.
2. Sing/Say with faith: “God will make a Way, where there seems to be no way!”

LET’S PRAY
Lord Jesus, increase my faith to know that you are with me in every prayer that I make, and that Your Presence is constantly moulding me in every situation of my life, Amen!

Let us celebrate Christ, the Word, this Christmas, and live like Him!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Being ready to ‘break through the roof’ of all adversities, to experience the God of blessings pouring down Graces!”

(Based on Isa 35:1-10 and Lk 5:17-26 – Monday of the 2nd Week in Advent)

An elderly person – a Christian – who had gone through many difficulties, but held on to faith…
… was addressing a group of youngsters:
“Never get discouraged in life!
Never lose hope in life!

And yes, always remember, God can pour down His Blessings, even by breaking open the roofs of your struggles!”

Are we ready to trust in the “God Who pours down His Blessings, even through broken roofs?”

The Gospel of the Day gives a similar scene of “The roof being torn open!”

Our Blessed Lord is engaged in His ministry of teaching (Lk 5: 17)

This is something that we can all learn from!

The Lord…
… though quite popular as a miracle worker
… though very admired for his mighty deeds of healing
Always gave a great priority to the “ministry of teaching”

He would always make it a point to “teach” people

Very often, in our lives (especially those engaged in various Church ministries)…
… we neglect the aspect of teaching

We tend to run after works and ministries that are more sensational, popular and “glamorous!”

This verse of the Gospel is a challenge for us to renew our commitment to the “ministry of teaching”…
… about the Kingdom of God
… about ways to lead a Holy Life by prioritizing God above all
… about understanding the true meaning of God’s commandments

As Jesus is engaged in this “ministry of teaching”…
… a great number of Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem (Lk 5:17)

The house was fully packed, with people cramming to hear the Lord..

The house was, brimming with persons seeking the healing of the Lord..,

It was then that a group of people brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed (Lk 5: 18)

They came with much expectation to see the paralysed man, whole and well again.

They sought with an eager and earnest desire for the Lord of power and healings.

But as they approached the house… their hopes would have gone down!

The thick crowd of people would have slimmed their hopes!

The massive gathering at the door would have thinned their anticipations!

But it is when the chips are down, that one is given a chance to find strength one never knew one had…
… and put it toward the greater good.

The people came seeking for blessings…

They came seeking for the God of blessings…

But it seemed, that the firmament was closed to shower down blessings!

But then they had a hope… “God can pour down His Blessings, even by breaking open the roofs of your struggles!”

And so they decided “to tear open the roof!”

“But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles into the middle in front of Jesus” (Lk 5: 19)

“Opened up the roof” has other translations…
… “dug a hole through the roof”
…“removed part of the roof”
… “uncovered the roof”

We would perhaps think the roof was some primitive, thatched roof.

But most likely, that was not the case…

As per the architecture then, this roof was more than likely a mud clay roof with tiles

To lower the paralyzed man through the roof, they literally had to do a major demolition of the roof.

Well… picture this…

You’re in this packed house – people crammed to the max…trying to listen to Jesus.

All of a sudden you start to hear some banging on the roof.

These people would have literally tore the tiles off the roof, made a hole & lowered the paralyzed man by a rope into the house.

Then the roof materials begins to fall in on you!

Well… imagine also the people’s responses…

They would have been astonished, amazed and some even angered!

They were there to listen to Jesus….they had come early…they had won their spot…

They were perhaps hearing their life-transforming sermon!

It’s at this point, that the “roof starts tearing down!”

But Jesus, the God of blessings, is immensely pleased and edified by their faith and trust!

Their “tearing of the roof” was blessed by “pouring down of blessings”.
Their “tearing of the roof” was rewarded with a “cleansing of sins”.

Many times, we too face similar barriers and blockages in our experience for the Lord.

Are we willing to “break through the roof”…
… of discouragements, disappointments and distresses?

Are we willing to “break through the roof”…
… of ‘end-of-the-road’ feelings and ‘hopeless situations’?

Are we willing to “break through the roof”…
… of problems which seem impossible and unsolvable?

Difficulties and barriers will always be many in life…

Hardships and challenges will often stare on our face…

But let us have the grit and the guts to trust in “God Who pours down His Blessings, even through broken roofs!”

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
CONTRITION

The contrition called “imperfect” (or “attrition”) is also a gift of God, a prompting of the Holy Spirit.
It is born of the consideration of sin’s ugliness or the fear of eternal damnation and the other penalties threatening the sinner (contrition of fear).
Such a stirring of conscience can initiate an interior process which, under the prompting of grace, will be brought to completion by sacramental absolution.

By itself however, imperfect contrition cannot obtain the forgiveness of grave sins, but it disposes one to obtain forgiveness in the sacrament of Penance. (CCC #1453)

(A journey through Verses from the Bible – with practical applications – to Love Jesus & Live Jesus!)

DAY 04: ‘GOD’S WILL’ WILL PROTECT YOU!

BIBLE VERSE
(Lk 1:13) “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard!”

CONTEXT OF THE BIBLE VERSE
Zechariah – whose wife Elizabeth is barren – and going through much rejection and humiliation, receives the Good News of the Presence of the Lord.

The Angel of the Lord assures…
… their prayers, though delayed, in accordance with God’s Beautiful Plans, will never be denied – they will always be blessed in abundance, when God’s Will is prioritised
… their tears, though many, will be transformed to “rivers of joy and blessings” – as beautifully described in Psalm 56:8 about the preciousness of our tears: “You have…put my tears in your bottle…”

WHAT IS CHRIST SPEAKING TO ME THROUGH THIS BIBLE VERSE?

Can I continue to hold on to the Lord, even though, some of my prayers seem totally unheard – trusting that God’s Will, when prioritized, will always give us the best?
Am I ready to invite the Lord to touch my heart, so that all my tears may be Graced, and I may in turn, become a ‘healed healer’ to others?

HOW CAN I CELEBRATE CHRIST, THE WORD THIS CHRISTMAS?

1. Ensuring that every prayer of mine, has the final declaration: “Lord, let Your Will be done in my life!”
2. Reaching out, today, to at least one person, who needs the assurance of God’s Love and Healing.

LET’S PRAY
Lord Jesus, may all my intentions be wrapped with a joyful acceptance of Your Will, and may I become an instrument of your Love and Healing to the world, Amen!

Let us celebrate Christ, the Word, this Christmas, and live like Him!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Preparing our hearts to receive His Word as He wishes, in our life, and seeking to live, in total accord with Him!”

(Based on Is 11:1-10, Rom 15:4-9 and Mt 3:1-12 – 2nd Sunday in Advent)

It was December in the year 1903.

After several attempts, the Wright brothers – achieved success in getting their “flying machine” off the land.

They were very much thrilled!

They telegraphed this message Katherine, their sister, informing her of the great invention:

“We have actually flown 120 feet! Will be home for Christmas”

The sister was also super-excited.

She rushed to the editor of the local newspaper, to share the great news and showed him the telegraph message.

The editor glanced at the message and said:
“How nice! So the boys will be home for Christmas!”

Oops…

The Editor had completely missed the big news, isn’t it?

The big news was that “man had flown for the first time in history!!”

But he totally “missed the point!”

How often is this our experience too in life -missing the important points and settling for lower ones!

We often fail to give attention to the most important things of life…
… instead, we get carried away by some other less priorities of life!

Isn’t it?

Something similar had happened to the people of Israel as well…

God had promised them of the coming of the Messiah…
… but they “missed the point”..
… and thus, failed to recognise the Saviour He came!

God had promised that Prophet Elijah of old would return…
… but they “missed the point”…
… and thus, failed to recognize the Prophet when he came!

This is what John the Baptist in today’s Gospel will point out…
… that people “missed the important points” in life!

And so he calls them “to repent” and come back to realise and recognize the priorities of life!

John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, had come, preaching the message of repentance and conversion of heart (Mt 3:1)

The Gospel of St Matthew says that John the Baptist…
… wore a clothing made of camel’s hair
… had a leather belt around his waist
… had food of locusts and wild honey (Mt 3: 4)

This appearance was very similar to that of Elijah, the Prophet (2 Kings 1:8)

But in their encounter with John the Baptist, the people failed to recognise him as the Elijah “who was to come”

They “missed the point!”

And thus John the Baptist came to be …
… rejected
… derided
… finally killed!

Jesus also will echo this aspect when He will tell later in His ministry:
“I tell you, Elijah has already come and they did not recognise him; but did to him, whatever they pleased” (Mt 17: 12)

John the Baptist realised that the people were “missing the point” with respect to…
… having a false hope in their patriarchal faith
… understanding the law and the prophets

That’s why, he tells the people – quoting the patriarch Abraham and the prophet Isaiah –
… “Do not presume to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father'” (Mt 3:9a)
… “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths” (Mt 3: 3b)

The people of Israel had perhaps taken for granted…
… that their great heritage – consisting of great patriarchs like Abraham and Isaac and Jacob – would be credited to them, for their salvation!
… that the oracles of the prophets – like Isaiah – did not apply to their life and they could go on living a life as they pleased!

But John the Baptist…

The fearless prophet
The unassuming forerunner
The uncompromising martyr
… would challenge them with the Kingdom ‘ringtone’: “Repent!” (Mt 3:2)

All his life would be an echo of this Kingdom Ringtone – “Repent”

… “Repent” – for you have “missed the point” of living as per the commandments of the Lord

… “Repent” – for you have “missed the point” in failing to recognise the Truth and Power of the Lord

… “Repent” – for you have “missed the point” by giving priority to your own whims and fancies of life

Many times in our life, we too “miss the point” in our encounter with the Lord…

He gives His Beautiful Word to us…
… but we fail to be encouraged by It and live by It

He makes many wonderful promises of assurance and guidance…
… but we fail to live a life of trust and confidence

He offers Himself wonderfully in the Sacraments, especially Confession and Holy Eucharist…
… but we fail to derive the necessary fruits from Them

Today, the Gospel invites us, to look at God’s Promises, God’s Word’s and God’s Will…
… and discover the true purpose of it in our lives.

This is more true as we prepare for Christmas…

CHRIST is the BIG POINT of Christmas

But perhaps…
… we “miss the point” by giving much priority to only external decorations and festivities
… we “miss the point” by forwarding Advent greetings, but failing to practise them ourselves
… we “miss the point” by commercialising this whole season, and failing to dare to grow spiritually

Yes, let us dare not “miss Him!”

May we prepare our hearts to receive His Word as He wishes, in our life…
… and seek to live, in total accord with Him!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
CONTRITION

When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else, contrition is called “perfect” (contrition of charity).

Such contrition remits venial sins; it also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it includes the firm resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon as possible. (CCC #1452)

(A journey through Verses from the Bible – with practical applications – to Love Jesus & Live Jesus!)

DAY 03: BEING FAITHFUL TO GOD

BIBLE VERSE
(Lk 1:26-27) “Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. But they had no children…”

CONTEXT OF THE BIBLE VERSE
Zechariah and Elizabeth – faithful and sincere in every aspect – are faced with the ‘societal humiliation” since they are barren. Yet…
… they remain faithful to the Lord, performing all their duties with utmost sincerity
… they waited in hope before the Lord, knowing that God has His beautiful plan and time!

WHAT IS CHRIST SPEAKING TO ME, THROUGH THIS BIBLE VERSE?

Am I faithful to my life of prayer, even though there are various setbacks that I face?
Can I trust in the plans of God, even in moments of darkness, doubts and disappointments?

HOW CAN I CELEBRATE CHRIST, THIS CHRISTMAS?

Spend ten minutes in the Presence of God, offering all the struggles to the Heart of the Lord
Renew your hope in the Lord, by saying, “Jesus, I trust in You!”

LET’S PRAY
Lord Jesus, help me to remain faithful to you, even in my moments of struggles, knowing that Your Divine Providence, will always help me encounter the ‘ray of joy, beyond the clouds of disappointments,’ Amen!

Let us celebrate Christ, this Christmas, and live like Him!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Being inspired by St Francis Xavier and experiencing ‘the Divine tug of the string’ for strength in life!”

(Based on Solemnity of St Francis Xavier – Patron Saint of Missions)

A story is told of a blind boy who was flying a kite.

He enjoyed this pastime along with others of his own age.

A passer-by, knowing him and wanting to mildly tease the blind-fellow, said:
“Hey, boy! Do you know where is your kite?

You don’t know whether it is on the ground or up in the sky, do you?”

“Oh yes,” said the blind lad, “I do know! It is now quite a fair height up in the air.”

“How do you know that?” asked the passer-by, “you surely can’t see it.”

The boy replied, “I can’t see it, it is true, but I can feel the tug of the string!”

The ‘tug’ of the string help the boy to realise the presence of the kite and to sense its height in the air!

The awareness of the presence of the Divine power in our lives, is such…

One may not be able to always see the presence of the Divine, but the believer can surely experience its power and strength!

This experience of “the Divine tug of the string” keeps the life of the believer moving forward and helps to depend on the Divine Presence for strength in life.

The Gospel of the Day is an invitation by Jesus to grow deeper in this “awareness and dependence” on Jesus in our life as a missionary of the Kingdom of God.

After having summoned and authorized the disciples, Jesus sends them ahead of Him, to the places of mission.

The act of preaching and proclamation of the Kingdom of God is to be reflected in our every action and movement…
… Whatever we do, we need to make it as an act of proclaiming God’s abundant blessings!
… Whatever work we take up, we need to make it a preaching of God’s amazing providence!

Such an act of Preaching and Proclamation makes it mandatory that one grows deeper in the “awareness and dependence” on Jesus in the life as a missionary of the Kingdom of God.

The act of proclamation needs the “awareness” that I am continuing the Great Mission work that has Jesus as the “Initiator”, the “Sustainer” and the “Finale!”

The act of preaching needs the “dependency” on the Lord to realise that the Lord alone can provide all the graces, strength and courage for the mission!

This is what was epitomized by St Francis Xavier, whose feast we celebrate today.

This Patron of the Missions was filled with a tremendous zeal for salvation of souls and contained in him a contagious enthusiasm of giving Christ to all.

One of his testimonial statement, while undertaking missionary activity in Japan, goes thus:
“Sometimes I have lost my voice and strength altogether with repeating again and again the Credo and the other forms.”

The following quotes of this Dynamic Missionary Saint is also an inspiration for all of us…

“It is not the actual physical exertion that counts towards a one’s progress, nor the nature of the task, but by the spirit of faith with which it is undertaken”

“It is impossible to find a saint who did not take the two P’s seriously: prayer and penance”
… and seek to grow deeper in our missionary commitment!

Yes, one needs to feel the “tug and the pull of the Divine Lord”…when one goes through
… hardships and difficulties in being a missionary of the Kingdom, in hostile situations
… problems and challenges as we seek to live a true Christian life in the modern world
… meaninglessness or emptiness as we go through the ‘deserts’ and ‘darkness’ in life

And it is this experience of “the Divine tug of the string” that keeps the life of the believer moving forward and to depend on the Divine Presence for strength in life!

Happy Feast of St Francis Xavier!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
CONTRITION

Among the penitent’s acts contrition occupies first place.

Contrition is “sorrow of the soul and detestation for the sin committed, together with the resolution not to sin again.” (CCC #1451)

(A journey through Verses from the Bible – with practical applications – to Love Jesus & Live Jesus!)

DAY 02: GOD IS PERSONALLY CARING FOR YOU!

BIBLE VERSE
(Lk 1:28) “Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you!”

CONTEXT OF THE BIBLE VERSE
This is the greeting of Angel Gabriel to Mary, reminding humanity…
… of the immense love of God for every individual person!
… of the continual Presence of God in every situation of life!
… of the Divine Invitation of the Lord, to a life of holiness and purity

WHAT IS CHRIST SPEAKING TO ME, THROUGH THIS BIBLE VERSE?

Am I growing in the conviction that God loves me just as I am and am I aware of His Faithful Presence with me?
Do I respond affirmatively to the invitation of the Lord to be Holy and Pure?

HOW CAN I CELEBRATE CHRIST, THIS CHRISTMAS?

1. Identify three incidents in life wherein I have experienced God’s Love and Presence, and thank the Lord
2. Be inspired by Mamma Mary, and ask for the gift of purity – in thoughts, words and deeds

LET’S PRAY
Lord Jesus, as I thank You for Your Personal Care for me and Your constant presence in all the situations of my life, help me to deepen my life of holiness and purity, Amen!

Let us celebrate Christ, this Christmas, and live like Him!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Hearkening to the Words of the Lord, in our journey of faith: ‘Just have Faith in Me and Obey My words!’”

(Based on Is 29:17-24 and Mt 9:27-31 – Friday of the 1st Week in Advent)

A little child, during a forest expedition, was asked by his father to get across a letter urgently to the village.

The father pointed over a trail, over which the boy had never gone.

“But Father” protested the child, “I have never been through this way.
I do not even see the path that will reach our village.

Will it be reasonable for me to travel along this path? “

“Do you see the trail” replied the father, “as far as that big tree down there?”

The boy replied, “Oh, yes, I do see that far”

“Well” continued the father, “when you get there by the tree, you will see the trail a little further ahead; and so on, until you get within sight of the houses of our village.

Just have faith in me and obey my words!”

This is the journey of our Christian life…
… where the element of faith has to take over the aspect of seeing!
… where the element of obedience has to take over the aspect of rationality!

The Gospel of the Day is a beautiful exposition into these insights, which are highly essential for our life as a Disciple of Christ and a Missionary of His Kingdom.

The Gospel passage under consideration is the healing of the two blind men in the Gospel of St Matthew (Mt 9: 27-31)

One of the strange aspects that we could notice in this incident is what happens after the healing has taken place.

St Matthew says that, after their eyes were opened, “Jesus sternly charged them, ‘See that no one knows it'” (Mt 9:30)

He forbids the two men from making his fame known to others.

The Greek word that is used here for “sternly charged” is very interesting and revealing.

St Mathew uses the word, “embrimaomai”.

“Embri-mao-mai” literally means to snort with anger/displeasure (like a horse)!

In other words, Jesus “roared with rage” when He ordered the men to not proclaim about Him.

Why did Jesus adopt such an “angry stance”?

The Jewish people were longing for a Messiah who would save them from the pagan Roman Rulers.

Their understanding of the Messiah was purely from a temporal perspective – a prince who would wage a war and destroy the Roman enemies

If it was known outside that the Messiah, the much-awaited King had arrived, many Jews would undoubtedly seek to enthrone Him.

They would make efforts to usher in a physical kingdom with a violent expulsion of the Roman rulers!

We see such a tendency on many occasions in the Gospels, but more explicitly after the multiplication of the loaves in the Gospel of St John

“Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry Him off to make Him King, He withdrew to the mountain alone” (Jn 6:15)

But, such a move would have jeopardized the Mission of the Lord!

He came not to be a king as any other king…
… rather He, the King of kings, came to reign over the hearts and lives of people!

He came not to be someone who would merely rescue from material oppression…
… rather, He came to be the Saviour who would free the world from sin and every bondage!

It is also to be seen that the two blind men addressed Jesus as “the Son of David” (Mt 9:27b)

This was the first time, in the Gospel of St Matthew, that Jesus was proclaimed by someone as “Son of David”

“Son of David” clearly pointed that Jesus was the Messiah.

The two blind men were confessing that Jesus is the Messiah!

Therefore, if the two men, excited and overjoyed as they were, with their miraculous healing, had gone around proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah…
… there was a grave danger, that the people would be instigated to a rebellion against the Romans

(Such an explanation is also supported by the fact that while healing or performing wonders among the Gentiles, Jesus did not forbid them.

The Gentiles, unlike the Jews, did not have any Messianic expectation as such.

For eg: After healing the Gerasene demoniac, Jesus tells him, “Go home to your family and announce to them, all that the Lord in His pity has done for you” – Mk 5:19)

There is also another point of consideration…

Jesus was the Perfect Physician.

He knew that the blind, when healed, cannot be exposed to the light, all on a sudden.

The exposure to the Light has to be gradual.

Jesus, the doctor-par-excellance and the Light of the World (Jn 9:5) knew, that there was great danger, if these spiritually blind would try to immediately go and spread about their experience with the Light

The Light would only end up harming them and also those to whom they preached!

And therefore, “Jesus sternly charged them, ‘See that no one knows it'” (Mt 9:30)

What do these things entail for us?

A very important principle as Missionary of Christ and His Kingdom is implied here:
“Go only when we are sent to and to whom we are sent to”

This is one of the important basics of any publicly ministry of the Kingdom!

We need to know and realize…

The Mission belongs not to me…
… the Mission belongs to the Lord
The works and ministry are not my initiatives…
… they are solely entrusted to me by the Lord

It is His Work…

It is His Ministry…
It is His Mission!

We are to be His active instruments!
We are to be His lively tools!
We are to be His dynamic channels!

This realization is highly essential for an effective and faithful Missionary life.

Such a realization, therefore, directly implies the necessity of Faith and Obedience!

Yes, our life as a missionary ought to be one..
… where the element of faith has to take over the aspect of seeing!
… where the element of obedience has to take over the aspect of rationality!

May our Blessed Lord touch and open our eyes, to “see the trail” that is on ahead of us, in our journey of faith…
… and may hearken to His Words, “Just have Faith in Me and Obey My words!”

On this First Friday of the last month of 2022, let us renew our consecration, obedience and love in the Sacred Heart of our Blessed Lord.

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
THE ACTS OF THE PENITENT

“Penance requires . . . the sinner to endure all things willingly, be contrite of heart, confess with the lips…

… and practice complete humility and fruitful satisfaction. (CCC #1450)

(A journey through Verses from the Bible – with practical applications – to Love Jesus & Live Jesus!)

DAY 01: GOD IS CALLING YOU!

BIBLE VERSE
(Lk 1:26) “In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth”

CONTEXT OF THE BIBLE VERSE
The Angel Gabriel comes to Mary – seeking Her consent – to allow Heaven to dwell in Her Womb, and to become the instrument of giving birth to the Salvation of the World!

WHAT IS CHRIST SPEAKING TO ME THROUGH THIS BIBLE VERSE?

Am I ready to say Yes to the call of Jesus and “give a place for Heaven to dwell” in me?
Am I ready to be an instrument of “giving birth to Christ” in the situations of my life?

HOW CAN I CELEBRATE CHRIST, THIS CHRISTMAS?

Listen to the voice of Jesus, calling you to live in holiness – and say Yes to Him!
Pick one virtue you need to grow in – and “give birth to this Virtue” in the real life situation

LET’S PRAY
Lord Jesus – like Mamma Mary – help me to listen to Your Voice and to respond to Your call with a firm and joyful Yes, Amen!

Let us celebrate Christ, this Christmas, and live like Him!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

INTRODUCTION

The month of December is here.

The last month of the year, with its good news of festivities and joys.

Today, we enter into a journey – of 25 days – 25 Days of preparation for Christmas!

This journey is an invitation…
… to experience God’s continual Presence in our life – despite the struggles we face
… to see the Hand of God at every stage of our life – including our apparent failures and setbacks
… to renew our commitment to the Lord and His Kingdom – to imitate Christ in our life!

I welcome all of you to this exciting journey titled, “CELEBRATING CHRIST, THE WORD!” – a journey through Verses from the Bible – with practical applications – to Love Jesus & Live Jesus!

Venerable Fulton Sheen beautifully reminds us: “There are two births of Christ…
… one unto the world in Bethlehem
… the other in the soul, when it is spiritually reborn.

People think of the former much more than the later, and celebrate it every year…
… but the spiritual Bethlehem is equally momentous!

THIS… SECOND BETHLEHEM… [IS]… THE PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP OF THE INDIVIDUAL HEART TO THE LORD CHRIST!”

Let us celebrate Christ, the Word, this Christmas, and live like Him!

God Bless! Live Jesus!