JOY TO THE WORLD!
"Yes, God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life" (John 3:16). These inspired words of Saint John give us the reason that there is "joy to the world." God loves you! God loves you in a personal and unique way. It is as though you and you alone are in His Heart. The reason is just that simple.
God "gave" the world His Son, Saint John says. There is a twofold meaning to this word "gave" in the mind of the Beloved Disciple. The first meaning is the Incarnation. Think of it! For love of you, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity took on human flesh and was born of the Virgin Mary! God "gave" His Son for you! Christmas is for you!
Moreover, Our Blessed Lord did not come to us bursting through the clouds in might and glory. That would have terrified us. Rather, He came to us in a way with which we can all identify, the same way that you and I came into the world. Jesus Christ was born a humble Babe in the arms of His mother.
The second meaning of the word "gave" is the Redemption. The reason that God became man, the reason that Jesus was born was so that "whoever believes in Him may not perish." Jesus Christ was born to die! Calvary! The Cross! The Redemption! Those are the key words we must use to unlock this unfatimable mystery of divine love. Jesus was born, suffered and died to make atonement to the Heavenly Father for the sins of the world, your sins and mine and the sins of every person that ever walked the face of the earth. The cause of our joy is that God became Man and died on the Cross so that we might have eternal life.
May the joy of Christ glow in our hearts this Christmas. Joy to the world! Yes! Let us repeat the Christmas motto over and over again to an increasingly joyless world! As members of the Mystical Body of Christ, may our joy radiate out to the whole world.
May each and everyone know the peace of Christ this Christmas and always. May the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph bless your families and make them holy. May Our Blessed Mother, bless you and lead you to her divine Son. May St. Joseph, the Protector of the Holy Family, protect your families. You will be in my prayers at every Mass. Amen!
Father Richard J. Rego, Christmas, 2006
God "gave" the world His Son, Saint John says. There is a twofold meaning to this word "gave" in the mind of the Beloved Disciple. The first meaning is the Incarnation. Think of it! For love of you, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity took on human flesh and was born of the Virgin Mary! God "gave" His Son for you! Christmas is for you!
Moreover, Our Blessed Lord did not come to us bursting through the clouds in might and glory. That would have terrified us. Rather, He came to us in a way with which we can all identify, the same way that you and I came into the world. Jesus Christ was born a humble Babe in the arms of His mother.
The second meaning of the word "gave" is the Redemption. The reason that God became man, the reason that Jesus was born was so that "whoever believes in Him may not perish." Jesus Christ was born to die! Calvary! The Cross! The Redemption! Those are the key words we must use to unlock this unfatimable mystery of divine love. Jesus was born, suffered and died to make atonement to the Heavenly Father for the sins of the world, your sins and mine and the sins of every person that ever walked the face of the earth. The cause of our joy is that God became Man and died on the Cross so that we might have eternal life.
May the joy of Christ glow in our hearts this Christmas. Joy to the world! Yes! Let us repeat the Christmas motto over and over again to an increasingly joyless world! As members of the Mystical Body of Christ, may our joy radiate out to the whole world.
May each and everyone know the peace of Christ this Christmas and always. May the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph bless your families and make them holy. May Our Blessed Mother, bless you and lead you to her divine Son. May St. Joseph, the Protector of the Holy Family, protect your families. You will be in my prayers at every Mass. Amen!
Father Richard J. Rego, Christmas, 2006
posted by Fr. Richard J. Rego at 9:47 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home