Archive for December 19, 2019

Reflection

Posted: December 19, 2019 by CatholicJules in Life's Journeys, Personal Thoughts & Reflections
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The countdown has begun where we will celebrate the Incarnation of the Word made flesh. The birthday of the Savior of the World our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.

As we draw close to the 4th and final week of Advent, I am elated and my heart is filled with joy as I look back from the start of Advent 2018. I’ve aged indeed and my body never fails to remind me but I still possess a youthful heart and outlook. Though at times I feel I’m rather immature rather then childlike. Still my Lord has allowed me to grow through my mistakes. My prayer life is good, though I know it can be better and I am very much comfortable in sharing my faith and the reason behind it. In any case there is always more to learn and grow.

So while the year was not always easy, with great challenges both physically and spiritually I am very thankful and most grateful to the Lord for the following…

A very loving and generous family who has always been very supportive.

For the various communities I am a part of who inspire to be better, more importantly Holier by their very own desire and drive to grow in Holiness. Ephraim SCC and CG lol in particular have both taken their growth as a community to the next level. St Louise group is shaping up nicely. The fraternal bonds have grown so much that anyone joining in for the first time can feel the love between the members and want to be part of the loving community; but most importantly they feel most profoundly our Lord’s presence and know in their hearts that God is truly with us.

I am also very thankful to the Lord that Focolare and Servants of the Lord have some how or rather for lack of a better word ‘adopted’ our family, they not open their doors to us but their hearts as well. A sure sign of God’s love that prevails in their communities.

All Glory and Praise be to our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen

On Today’s Gospel

Posted: December 19, 2019 by CatholicJules in Personal Thoughts & Reflections
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Yesterday we reflected a little on how the faithfulness and obedience of both our Blessed Mother and St Joseph to God our Father, brought forth Emmanuel, ‘God-is-with-us’.

Today we learn that in spite of nature, through our faithfulness and obedience to His Will; God our Father’s can bring forth fruit. Fruit which we bring forth and consecrate to the Lord our God. And we know that both Samson and St John the Baptist were chosen to liberate the Israelites, the first from the philistines and the latter from their sins by pointing the way back to God and preparing the way of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ through whom all are saved.

Lord Jesus I come to do Your Will. Amen

First reading

Judges 13:2-7,24-25 ·
‘You will conceive and bear a son’

There was a man of Zorah of the tribe of Dan, called Manoah. His wife was barren, she had borne no children. The angel of the Lord appeared to this woman and said to her, ‘You are barren and have had no child. But from now on take great care. Take no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean. For you will conceive and bear a son. No razor is to touch his head, for the boy shall be God’s nazirite from his mother’s womb. It is he who will begin to rescue Israel from the power of the Philistines.’ Then the woman went and told her husband, ‘A man of God has just come to me; his presence was like the presence of the angel of God, he was so majestic. I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not reveal his name to me. But he said to me, “You will conceive and bear a son. From now on, take no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean. For the boy shall be God’s nazirite from his mother’s womb to his dying day.”’
The woman gave birth to a son and called him Samson. The child grew, and the Lord blessed him; and the spirit of the Lord began to move him.

Gospel

Luke 1:5-25
‘Your wife Elizabeth will bear a son’

In the days of King Herod of Judaea there lived a priest called Zechariah who belonged to the Abijah section of the priesthood, and he had a wife, Elizabeth by name, who was a descendant of Aaron. Both were worthy in the sight of God, and scrupulously observed all the commandments and observances of the Lord. But they were childless: Elizabeth was barren and they were both getting on in years.
Now it was the turn of Zechariah’s section to serve, and he was exercising his priestly office before God when it fell to him by lot, as the ritual custom was, to enter the Lord’s sanctuary and burn incense there. And at the hour of incense the whole congregation was outside, praying.
Then there appeared to him the angel of the Lord, standing on the right of the altar of incense. The sight disturbed Zechariah and he was overcome with fear. But the angel said to him, ‘Zechariah, do not be afraid, your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth is to bear you a son and you must name him John. He will be your joy and delight and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord; he must drink no wine, no strong drink. Even from his mother’s womb he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, and he will bring back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah, he will go before him to turn the hearts of fathers towards their children and the disobedient back to the wisdom that the virtuous have, preparing for the Lord a people fit for him.’
Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is getting on in years.’ The angel replied, ‘I am Gabriel who stand in God’s presence, and I have been sent to speak to you and bring you this good news. Listen! Since you have not believed my words, which will come true at their appointed time, you will be silenced and have no power of speech until this has happened.’ Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah and were surprised that he stayed in the sanctuary so long. When he came out he could not speak to them, and they realised that he had received a vision in the sanctuary. But he could only make signs to them, and remained dumb.
When his time of service came to an end he returned home. Some time later his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept to herself. ‘The Lord has done this for me’ she said ‘now that it has pleased him to take away the humiliation I suffered among men.’