Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. 1 John 4:4b
Week 5 - The Kingdom of Christ, The Word became flesh Day 5
MORNING FACE TO FACE WITH GOD:
Begin with Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Prayer on Luke 2: 6-7: The Birth of Jesus:
"While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."
Read the Reflection; then pray using Luke 2: 6-7; ask for an intimate knowledge of our Lord, who has become man for me, that I may love Him more and follow Him more closely (#104)
1. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son: Joseph and Mary have arrived in Bethlehem. Mary gives birth to Jesus, God's Son and her son, and he is described as her firstborn son (prototokos), a phrase that allows, but does not suggest that Mary had other children. The Church, from her very beginning, has maintained that Jesus was Mary's firstborn and only son! Jesus is the firstborn of His heavenly Father, and the firstborn of all creation (Colossians 1: 15-17). Jesus is the firstborn from the dead, meaning that we share in the fruits of His resurrection (Colossians 1: 18). The firstborn of every family was offered to God as an essential expression of God's covenant relationship with His people (Exodus 13: 2). Jesus was a reparation-offering on our behalf. Through Jesus, we have been established in a new and everlasting covenant with God!
2. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn: Shepherds set aside for sale as a sacrificial victim, any new born lamb that was a perfect specimen (no twisted limbs or broken bones). They did so by wrapping them in a swaddling cloth. Mary wrapped her son in swaddling clothes. That might have been the tradition. Even so, it highlights the reality that Jesus became flesh in order to die for us on the cross. Swaddling cloth was also a burial cloth that Jews carried with them on their travels in the event of death.
MORNING FACE TO FACE WITH GOD:
Begin with Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Prayer on Luke 2: 6-7: The Birth of Jesus:
"While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."
Read the Reflection; then pray using Luke 2: 6-7; ask for an intimate knowledge of our Lord, who has become man for me, that I may love Him more and follow Him more closely (#104)
1. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son: Joseph and Mary have arrived in Bethlehem. Mary gives birth to Jesus, God's Son and her son, and he is described as her firstborn son (prototokos), a phrase that allows, but does not suggest that Mary had other children. The Church, from her very beginning, has maintained that Jesus was Mary's firstborn and only son! Jesus is the firstborn of His heavenly Father, and the firstborn of all creation (Colossians 1: 15-17). Jesus is the firstborn from the dead, meaning that we share in the fruits of His resurrection (Colossians 1: 18). The firstborn of every family was offered to God as an essential expression of God's covenant relationship with His people (Exodus 13: 2). Jesus was a reparation-offering on our behalf. Through Jesus, we have been established in a new and everlasting covenant with God!
2. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn: Shepherds set aside for sale as a sacrificial victim, any new born lamb that was a perfect specimen (no twisted limbs or broken bones). They did so by wrapping them in a swaddling cloth. Mary wrapped her son in swaddling clothes. That might have been the tradition. Even so, it highlights the reality that Jesus became flesh in order to die for us on the cross. Swaddling cloth was also a burial cloth that Jews carried with them on their travels in the event of death.
I had a hard time focusing this morning, I found myself wanting to defend the Church. How many of us have heard that Jesus was the firstborn of Mary's children, some believe wrongly that Mary gave birth to more children. While this seems logical it isn't possible for Mary, like her son Jesus, she was consecrated to God. Making room for the Holy family, making room for the teachings of the Church and understanding that the evil one will twist the truth to deceive us is part of our journey home.
What is God saying to you? Teach with compassion not everyone was brought up with the teachings of the Church. The important lesson is love: "And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'"
What is God saying to you? Teach with compassion not everyone was brought up with the teachings of the Church. The important lesson is love: "And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'"
Matthew 25:40. To whom much is given, much is expected
Mary, Mother of Love, Pray for us.
St Joesph, Terror of Demons, Pray for us.
Viva Cristo Rey
Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. 1 John 4:4b
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