A. Back ground: Christmas we remember historical birth of Christ, in Advent we reflected how the 2nd coming of christ to our life to be planted.
You need to know about the basic 4 pillars of Catholicism
(a)BELIEF- creed
(2)WORSHIP- 7 sacraments
(3)SPIRITUALITY-how we establish connection with God-Lords prayer+mary+saints (4)BEHEVIOR-10 commandments+pardoning leading to have a peaceful+ worry less+happy mind.
In christmas season we focused on physical characteristics of how Jesus came to this world. What are the essential changes that has been taken place with Mary, Joseph in bringing Savior into this world!.
Christmas season starts from christmas day (Dec 25th) until Jan 8th will have around 2 sundays to reflect alone with
(1) Jesus virginal birth
(2) characteristics of Holy Family
(3) Jesus human + divine character.
In advent season we planted in our life the birth of Jesus. In Christmas season,we focused why Judaism does not believe Savior our Lord has come. They did not expect the savior to come thru' human person, though in the old testament it was clearly mentioned,a virginal birth.
Next point is Immaculate conception of Mary to support the Jesus-Our Saviors birth. It is by her own effort she exert herself to be fit to occupy that position.
The last point is the virginal marriege of Joseph and Mary and how they live together in upbringing Jesus thru His unpublished life.
When we are earth bound, it is difficult to think how Mary and Joseph kept their virtues up to the mark!. But when we analyze the value of spirituality, the earth bound desires are of secondary and Not at all basic matter for living.
The real love is not earth bound, it is going against the gravitational pull, to realize Happiness, Joseph and Mary has set an example, with overcoming fear and sorrow by following God's will.
B. Preamble for today's reading:
B.1 SIGHT- Seeing and it's relationship to our life!
Sight is arguably one of the most human senses. The journey begins with electromagnetic radiation(light), where visible light occupies wave lengths between 400 to 750 nano meters. Wave length is important to the people, as how to sense light. Colors are having different wavelength.
Similarly, as human, you can master a subject by focusing more on that subject. You can see more clearly if you devote more time, with continuous analysis, you will be seeing more wave lengths-more colors. Religion is common subject for many human beings. There are more than 1 billion catholics in the world. They are supposed to focus more on Jesus teachings. They will start focusing on christianity to see different wave lenths to be applicable to their own life to reach happiness in this life.
Mystery of any subject is no longer going to be a mystery, if you focus more on that subject. This knowledge that you can acquire from the learning process. Catholicism has allowed any adult to convert, the root less faith they develop at school, to a full pledge faith, by attending sunday mass, specially following and reflecting on the sunday gospel reading alone with other 2 readings. Sunday Mass is the weekly banquet of God, where your reflection is equivalent to the proper cloth that you should wear for that banquet.
B.2 CHRISTMAS SEASON IN A NUTSHELL !
In christmas,we saw heaven on earth,earth in heaven,man in God,God in man. one whom,whole universe cannot contain now enclosed in a tiny body. 1st sunday of Christmas season we analyse the characteristics of Holy Mary. How mary and Joseph supported to bring Messiah to this world, according to the God's plan. In jan 1st we saw,Mary is Mother of God, how she is looking after our happiness!. InJan 6,we are reminded about Jesus divine qualities. They are
(1)journey of 3wise men,to worship Baby Jesus
(2)At time of His baptism in river Jordan
(3)Wedding feast in Cana-His 1st miracle.
At the end of christmas season, we got to know about physical characteristics of holy family, as against characteristics of earthly family!. Without Jesus planted in your heart, during advent season, it will be hard for you to understand the intended knowledge of Christmas season!
B.3 ROLE OF JOSEPH!
Also an important factor to remember is role of Joseph,as a family bread winner"How many times arms of Joseph served as a cradle for Jesus.what tender kisses he lavished upon Him,& how often he fed him,dressed him,taught Him how to speak & to walk" Same divine hand which fashioned each man's heart gave a father's heart to Joseph,Son's heart to Jesus,so that Jesus obeyed Joseph and Joseph didn't fear to command Jesus. Joseph was perfectly conformed to Divine Will.Ideal LOVE seen between Mary& Joseph!.
B.4- DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHRISTIANITY AND OTHER GOD BELIVING RELIGIONS!
'Messiah',appears about 40 times(old testament)refer to the saviour whose advent to introduce the kingdom of God the Jews has long being awaiting. The Jews came to think that only a super natural act, involving the destruction of the whole natural order, could liberate them from the empires oppressing them.
ex he would descend from the skies, annihilate the world and judge mankind, as opposed christianity, where we believe the Savior Jesus has come,thru' his life both divine and human qualities were observed. This feast show us the evidence of God's public revelation of the Divine Quality of Jesus,(the new testament). Christmas season linked the old to new testaments of christian belief and shows the clear demarcation of both. Earlier 1 God, after Jesus 3 persons in one God. This is the difference between christianity with other God believing religions!.
C. Today's reading:
Mt2:1-12 says"..Jesus born.. Wise men came..King Herod..when U have found Him let me know..they saw child..offered Him gifts..But they were warned..not to go back to Herod. Reminds happy mind(wise men)will receive God's will and it may not normal (didn't go back to Herod). God's thinking is different to earthly thinking!
Prop: Isaiah says(Is 60:1-6)"lift up your eyes & look around".
Paul says(Eph3:2-3,5-6)"knowledge is Mystery"reminds that for you to learn any subject you should devote time to learn on that with a happy mind,otherwise it is going to be Mystery. If you don't reflectsunday readings/recite daily Rosary,without developing(peaceful+worry less and happy)mind,you will not be aware about
(1)DIVINE &HUMAN NATURE OF JESUS
(2)IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF MARY
(3)JOSEPH&MARY'S VIRGINAL MARRIEGE
(4)IMPORTANCE OF HANDING OVER WORRIES TO MARY &SAINTS,for God's will
(5)GOD'S WILL MAY NOT SAME AS YOUR WILL.
Socratise says "unaware life is not worth for living." They sleep walk until they die!.
Conclusions:
The last sunday of Christmas season, take us to understand more on Catholicism comparing with Judaism. How God in his own wisdom send His beloved son to this world,to show us a path to reach Happiness. The tree of life in the garden of eden, which has being closed to human, has being opened with Jesus(idea of christmas tree in christmas). For that we have to be very clear as to the difference of going against gravitational pull, to experience HAPPINESS. The logical way of thinking of human, with respect to families and extending to generations and idea of Virginal birth! And virginal marriege!. This further extend, the practical evidence supported by Holy mary with respect to immaculate conception revealed through Miraculous medal and apparition at Lourdes. May be God on His own wisdom, given us these evidences, when the society needs such evidence! Earlier people believed without those evidences(before 1830), present evidence is the un corrupt bodies now you in france (1) Body of St catherine(2) Body of St Bernedeth. We should not break our head how our fore fathers believed that!. It is similar that Catholicism, it does not start with Gospel but traditions start the church, then Gospel came. God is not dead but HE is a living God!. He changes the paradigm of the people to enforce changes in living with generations, otherwise the life of human will be stagnate, and there is no enthusiasm for new generation to enjoy.
GBU
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