B
BarbaraTherese
Guest
The meditation today tells me how I could prepare as a family in Advent (if I had a family here). It also tells me how as an individual I can do something special to be a part of my preparation.
All the readings today speak about an “us”…we are forever in community in some way and we may belong to a few communities and it is in community in some way that I realize my identity - of who I really am … and communities exist because of a gathering with some common bond with other I’s or other individualities and individuals. My true identity or individuality will always be a contribution to community and its wellbeing rather than detracting from it. Anything else is simply an ego trip which is always destructive on some level or other.
The Blessed Trinity and the most holiest of our doctrines is a community. Three Persons in One God…and as it were, The Father loves The Son and the Love between them is The Holy Spirit. From our very beginnings there was “we” - “let us create man in our own image and likeness”. “If you keep my commandments (to love) we will come to you and make our abode with you”.
So today I in the meditation it seems to me, I am invited to do at least one thing this week that is special and some sort of Work of Mercy…or to make some special family effort to do something special as a family.
Quoting the meditation:
“Jesus, my family and I are eager to greet you this Christmas. Open our eyes to see you, and open our hearts to love you. May our small efforts at preparing our own hearts and reaching out to others result in great blessings in our lives and the lives of those we serve.”
Reading 1
Responsorial Psalm
Gospel
wau.org/meditations/meditations.asp?month=12&day=15&year=2007&x=9&y=7
Meditation
All of today’s readings have one common theme: turning our hearts toward the Lord so that we can prepare for his coming. So let’s do just that today. Let’s take some time to get ourselves—and our family—ready for the coming of Jesus that we will celebrate in ten days.
Our preparations should have both an internal and an external focus. Some activities are more focused on what we do in our own homes, and others involve reaching out to the people around us. For the internal dimension, consider gathering your family and reading the first few chapters of Matthew and Luke—the stories about Jesus’ birth. You may want to have your children pretend to be Zechariah or Mary or Joseph, and tell how they would have reacted to Gabriel’s news. Maybe you can all go to Confession together, and then celebrate your forgiveness with an ice cream party or a night of fun and games. Or perhaps you can pray the rosary together, focusing on the Joyful and Luminous Mysteries.
As for the external focus, there is much you can do here as well.
Showing kindness to neighbors and performing works of charity are important ways to get ready for Jesus’ coming. Think about visiting a local nursing home this week. Maybe you can lead the residents in singing Christmas carols or play board games. Or you may want to contact a local soup kitchen to see if your family can help prepare and serve a meal for the homeless.
You can also take your children to purchase a toy that they can donate to a group that serves underprivileged children. By making room in our hearts for the elderly, the sick, and the poor, we are actually making room for Jesus. It is Jesus we see in the face of the child who lights up at his new toy truck, or the elderly gentleman who beats us in checkers, or the homeless girl who becomes friends with our daughter at the soup kitchen. Who knows? When Christmas comes around, you may already have welcomed Jesus! “Jesus, my family and I are eager to greet you this Christmas. Open our eyes to see you, and open our hearts to love you. May our small efforts at preparing our own hearts and reaching out to others result in great blessings in our lives and the lives of those we serve.”
All the readings today speak about an “us”…we are forever in community in some way and we may belong to a few communities and it is in community in some way that I realize my identity - of who I really am … and communities exist because of a gathering with some common bond with other I’s or other individualities and individuals. My true identity or individuality will always be a contribution to community and its wellbeing rather than detracting from it. Anything else is simply an ego trip which is always destructive on some level or other.
The Blessed Trinity and the most holiest of our doctrines is a community. Three Persons in One God…and as it were, The Father loves The Son and the Love between them is The Holy Spirit. From our very beginnings there was “we” - “let us create man in our own image and likeness”. “If you keep my commandments (to love) we will come to you and make our abode with you”.
So today I in the meditation it seems to me, I am invited to do at least one thing this week that is special and some sort of Work of Mercy…or to make some special family effort to do something special as a family.
Quoting the meditation:
“Jesus, my family and I are eager to greet you this Christmas. Open our eyes to see you, and open our hearts to love you. May our small efforts at preparing our own hearts and reaching out to others result in great blessings in our lives and the lives of those we serve.”
Reading 1
Responsorial Psalm
Gospel
wau.org/meditations/meditations.asp?month=12&day=15&year=2007&x=9&y=7
Meditation
All of today’s readings have one common theme: turning our hearts toward the Lord so that we can prepare for his coming. So let’s do just that today. Let’s take some time to get ourselves—and our family—ready for the coming of Jesus that we will celebrate in ten days.
Our preparations should have both an internal and an external focus. Some activities are more focused on what we do in our own homes, and others involve reaching out to the people around us. For the internal dimension, consider gathering your family and reading the first few chapters of Matthew and Luke—the stories about Jesus’ birth. You may want to have your children pretend to be Zechariah or Mary or Joseph, and tell how they would have reacted to Gabriel’s news. Maybe you can all go to Confession together, and then celebrate your forgiveness with an ice cream party or a night of fun and games. Or perhaps you can pray the rosary together, focusing on the Joyful and Luminous Mysteries.
As for the external focus, there is much you can do here as well.
Showing kindness to neighbors and performing works of charity are important ways to get ready for Jesus’ coming. Think about visiting a local nursing home this week. Maybe you can lead the residents in singing Christmas carols or play board games. Or you may want to contact a local soup kitchen to see if your family can help prepare and serve a meal for the homeless.
You can also take your children to purchase a toy that they can donate to a group that serves underprivileged children. By making room in our hearts for the elderly, the sick, and the poor, we are actually making room for Jesus. It is Jesus we see in the face of the child who lights up at his new toy truck, or the elderly gentleman who beats us in checkers, or the homeless girl who becomes friends with our daughter at the soup kitchen. Who knows? When Christmas comes around, you may already have welcomed Jesus! “Jesus, my family and I are eager to greet you this Christmas. Open our eyes to see you, and open our hearts to love you. May our small efforts at preparing our own hearts and reaching out to others result in great blessings in our lives and the lives of those we serve.”