12/7-12/9

Missed a couple of days.

12/7/2010

Isaiah 40:1-11

Psalm 96:1-2,3 and 10ac, 11-12, 13

Matthew 18:12-14

Love the first reading. Includes the prelude to John the Baptist.

A voice cries out:
In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!
Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill shall be made low;
The rugged land shall be made a plain,
the rough country, a broad valley.
Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

If we really take seriously the call of John the Baptist (and Isaiah) to prepare the way of the Lord, then we should take it seriously. It doesn't say "fill in some of the valleys, a couple of mountains, maybe a hill you can level." God doesn't want us to leave any areas of sin in our lives. "Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low." Don't take lightly the call to prepare for the coming of the Lord. Yes, our God loves while we are sinners, but He loves us too much to leave us in our sinful present state.

The first reading goes on to say,

Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;
in his arms he gathers the lambs,
Carrying them in his bosom,
and leading the ewes with care.

God will not abandon us. What a tender shepherd He is. Feeds us, gathers us, and carries us. He does not abandon us to sin, but carries us out of out it. God will help you fill in the valleys of your life, with his assistance you can make mountains low. Amen!

12/8/2010 - Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Genesis 3:9-15, 20

Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4

Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12

Luke 1:26-38

12/9/2010

Isaiah 41:13-20

Psalm 145:1 and 9, 10-11, 12-13ab

Matthew 11:11-15

I want to write about these two readings together.

When I heard the first reading today it reminded me of the angel who appeared to Mary and her fiat.

And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.

And here is what struck me in the first reading from Isaiah.

I, the LORD, will answer them;

I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

I will open up rivers on the bare heights,

and fountains in the broad valleys;

I will turn the desert into a marshland,

and the dry ground into springs of water.

I will plant in the desert the cedar,

acacia, myrtle, and olive;

I will set in the wasteland the cypress,

together with the plane tree and the pine,

That all may see and know,

observe and understand,

That the hand of the LORD has done this,

the Holy One of Israel has created it.

"For nothing will be impossible for God." Such an amazing phrase. Mary was unsure of how she'd be the mother of Christ, as she was a virgin. The angel tells her that God has granted a child to Elizabeth, who was older and considered barren. This act of conception is nothing for a God who knows no limits. It's almost as if God is boasting of His glory. He gave life to an aged woman, and now will allow a virgin to give birth. And not just to any child, to the Savior of the world.

All glory to God, in the highest.

Then, look again at the reading from Isaiah. God promises not to forsake Israel and then lists all the things he is capable of. God will: create water where there is none, turn deserts into marshlands, dry ground into springs, plant mighty trees in the desert. God can do all the things that we deem impossible.

What impossible acts do you desire of God in your life? Trust. Know that He can and will accomplish things that you think will never happen. God believes in us far more than we usually believe in ourselves. Moreover, God can accomplish unimaginable works in our lives, things that we think we do not deserve or things that we believe to be truly impossible. We have to believe that our God is greater than all else, and capable of anything.

Once God works miracles in your life, be sure of your response. Give glory to the power and great love of the Father.

Like Psalm 145,

I will extol you, O my God and King,
and I will bless your name forever and ever.

Amen. Praise God.