Lk 1:57-66 The Hand of The Lord
In the final days leading up to the birth of Christ, let us ask the Lord Jesus to be close to him through Mary’s heart. O Come Divine Messiah!
There was great jubilation over the birth of John. I wonder how much of it was concentrated on the fact that Elizabeth could not conceive a child. The miracle that was truly taking place was the birth of the forerunner of the Messiah. John would point the way to the Lord. There must always be someone who points the way and to The Way. Have we not all learned our faith from another? Did they not learn their faith from one before them? Not too long ago I was speaking to a southern Baptist who told me that the Catholic Church is the rock of all Christian Communities. He said, “If the Catholics fall we all fall!” The Catholic Church is the Rock, and for this reason it is attacked from every single possible or conceivable angle! The Catholic faith if the Mother Faith, and for this reason it is and will be attacked from head to toe, limb to limb.
What will this child be? He will be stronger than ever! He will not allow weakness or nuisance to damper or tamper his sole purpose for living. The Lord sends each and every one of us for the same purpose – to proclaim, to all who will listen, the coming of the Lord.
We are the Lord’s prophets. We are the Lord’s messengers. We are the Lord’s Apostles! We are the Lord’s disciples! We have received far more than any of our ancestors received. We have received grace upon grace, mercy beyond all imagining, love beyond all comprehension, and understanding beyond all human reasoning. We know more than John the Baptist did. We know more than maybe even the Apostles fully comprehended. With all that we have received, we are now asked to give it back, to share it with others and to be fruitful and multiply. It started with one, it must end for all!
John is his name. Not a very common name back then. Today, it is very common name thanks to people like St. John the Baptist, St. John of the Cross, St. John the Evangelist! His name means so much more today than what it did back then. How many Saints have taken this name? How many men and women have lived by this name? Not only John but Peter, Paul, Matthew, Mark, Luke, etc… Let us never forget the strong tradition we have in naming our children after Saints – those who were after His heart.
What, then will this child be? Only the best, for “the hand of the Lord was with him.” John proved to be a true superhero because he was after only one thing: The Lord’s heart.
Take me by the hand O Lord; lead me along your path.
May I always find warmth and peace as you hold me by my hand.
I wish never to look back, or regret a single step.
Take me by the hand O Lord; lead me home at last.
I have been praying for years that my sister who left the Church 30 years ago would return along with her adult daughters that she failed to catechize.
ReplyDeleteI have been sharing and trying to live as an example to them in hopes that they might ask questions.
My nieces' father became a anti Catholic Fundamentalist Protestant, so that made it harder because he 'fed' them his version of the Catholic Church whenever he had the opportunity.
I have been ineffective at sharing the faith, as far as I could tell, but I kept praying.
Last weekend at my family Christmas celebration, my great niece who's 18, brought her new boyfriend who is Catholic. I have to say that didn't mean much to me, well..because most of the Catholics I encounter outside, in the 'world' are not really Catholic. You know what I mean.
But I was pleasantly surprised. He was a real, authentic, orthodox, faithful, practicing Roman Catholic, who knows the faith! What are the odds?
Anyway, I went to lunch with her and her mom today and they were both asking questions, something I've been praying about for years.
My niece was skeptical and her daughter was genuinely excited to understand and talking about RCIA!
It gets even better, my daughter who is the age of my great niece spent much time in high school trying to 'convert' her cousin to the faith. My daughter was very faithful and completely catechized, but after high school, she went her own way. Now my niece is so excited about the faith that she is talking about it to my daughter trying to get her back!
How ironic! God is so Good and so creative! I never would have thought He'd work backwards like this, from the bottom of the family tree up and from the pagan to the fallen away Catholic.
Those prayers are priceless!! God has been answering my prayers like crazy. Seeds planted and forgotten long ago are sprouting!
And a boyfriend that's Catholic is such an effective tool for Him to use!
Whatever it takes!!