Category: Advent

Feeling Unworthy to Be Part of God’s Plan? – You’re Right, You Are!

I have always enjoyed reading the Scriptures during the Advent season as they are so uplifting and a delight to the soul. Last week in one of the daily readings was the genealogy of Jesus in Mt 1: 1-17. It is one of those readings which is a bit long and has a lot of information but seems pretty boring. Boring if you don’t know the back story behind it all. Once you find that out, a whole new perspective comes into view! Which is why it is so important read the Scriptures and other religious writings outside of what you see and hear at Sunday Mass once a week. There are a wealth of resources in our Church of 2,000 years including the Word Among Us publication, the National Catholic Register newspaper and the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) just to name a few.

Getting back to the genealogy of Jesus, one discovers a big mix of bad apples in the family tree! For example, Jacob, a deceiver and thief; Rahab, a prostitute; King David, a murderer and adulterer; King Manasseh, an idolater and King Ahaz who did everything God had told him not to do!

So, what does this have to do with the title of this blog post (which is a bit edgy)? The inspiration comes from the meditation in Word Among Us for December 17th which is included below.

DAILY MEDITATION: MATTHEW 1:1-17

The genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. (Matthew 1:1)

A family of liars, adulterers, murderers, fornicators, connivers, and blasphemers. What a miserable lot! And yet the most famous member of this family tree isn’t known for some gross sin or heinous crime. Quite the opposite, in fact. He is God become man, Jesus Christ, our Savior.

Why do you think God chose such a rogues’ gallery of ancestors for his Son? Is this the best he could come up with? Well, in a sense, yes! No matter how good any family may look on paper, they are still fallen, imperfect human beings. 

Centuries of biblical history have shown us that God doesn’t usually choose the bravest or the strongest or even the holiest people to fulfill his plan. He chooses ordinary, sinful people. And so Jesus was born into an imperfect line—but a line that was made holy by God’s grace. That wasn’t a problem for God though. He can work with anything. In fact, it delights him to fill us, cracked and leaky vessels though we are, with his love.

Do you feel unworthy of being part of God’s plan? You’re right, you are! We all are. But however spotty our personal history or family tree may be, it doesn’t keep the Lord from offering us a new identity as his sons and daughters. All who are baptized into Christ are grafted into a spotless lineage and given the grace to grow into their new inheritance.

God redeemed a line of misfits and miscreants with his power. And he used this family as an important part of his plan. He is ready to do the same for you. You are more than able to bring Christ into the world, just as David, Solomon, Moses, and all the others did.

So come to the Lord and ask him to show you his plans for you. Does he want you to bring Christ to someone in your life? Will you let him renew your zeal for sharing the good news? Always remember that you are part of a royal line, and nothing is impossible for God!

“Father, help me to take up my role in your plan. Unworthy though I am, let me be your light to the world!”

Genesis 49:2, 8-10
Psalm 72:1-4, 7-8, 17

@StPeterdanb #StPeterdanb #Christmas #Advent

See What Awaits You.

The new liturgical year begins with the first Sunday of Advent which was November 29th this year. Advent is always one of my favorite times of the year as it is the time to prepare for the birth of the Christ Child at Christmas which begins the Christmas season. The joy and anticipation is readily apparent in the daily Mass readings and the passages from Isaiah and others are especially beautiful. Now is a perfect time to begin a new season for your heart and soul after a very stressful and difficult year.

If you have been away from Mass and Reconciliation, you can return now. Or spend some time in Adoration. Many churches are still having Lessons & Carols in-person (with the usual health precautions) and online. Perhaps creating a new daily prayer habit. Start slow with 15 minutes a day with our Lord, or reading scripture. If something strikes your interest, follow that lead.

The Word Among Us (WAU) is an excellent publication of the daily Mass readings, meditations and spiritual resources. The beautiful meditation today tied the three readings together and follows below:

DAILY MEDITATION: PSALM 23:1-6

I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. (Psalm Response)

“I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” This popular song shows just how much we associate the holidays with the comforts of home. Even if we can’t be home this Christmas, we probably recall times of anticipation from the past—of stringing lights, wrapping presents, decorating the tree, and gathering around the table. But have you ever thought about how Advent is also a time to anticipate how wonderful it will be to gather in God’s eternal home?

Many of the readings we hear during the Advent season focus on just this theme. Why? Because just as we look forward to Jesus’ coming at Christmas, so the Church invites us to reflect on the day when the Lord will come again in glory and welcome us into heaven. Let’s see how today’s first reading stirs this longing. 

Like any good host, Jesus is eager to welcome his guests and feed them. Isaiah envisions a great feast “for all peoples” (25:6). Everything we could possibly desire—Isaiah uses the image of “rich food and choice wines” (25:6)—will be ours because we will be face-to-face with what we have always desired the most, God himself.

On that day, all the guests will gather as one family around this table because God will have removed the “web that is woven over all nations” (Isaiah 25:7). Just imagine—all the strife, conflict, and arguments that we witness today, even in our own families, will no longer exist. 

There will be great rejoicing in heaven. God will “wipe away the tears from all faces” and “destroy death forever” (Isaiah 25:8). The disappointments, losses, and pain we have experienced during our lives on earth—all will be healed. Reunited with our loved ones, we will never have to fear being separated from them again.

Who wouldn’t want to be welcomed into this kind of home? This is what awaits you as you prepare to live in the house of Christ, your Lord. So rejoice! This Advent, as you prepare your home for Christmas, remember that Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is preparing a place in his home for you. 

“Heavenly Father, thank you for inviting me into your home.” 

Isaiah 25:6-10
Matthew 15:29-37

@Advent

@Stpeterdanb1