News - December 2016

“How much You have done, Lord, my God - Your wonders, Your plans for us - You have no equal. I will proclaim and speak of them; they are beyond number.” Psalm 40:5

Today we stand before the Lord to give Him thanks for all the blessings He has granted us throughout the past year. If we carefully examine our life, we too can exclaim with the Psalmist, “Lord your mercies to me are beyond number.” With grateful hearts, treasuring the many tokens of His love for us - let us bid farewell to the past year, and with the Lord, enter into the New Year.

It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the refusal to allow yourselves to be ground down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves.

“So they hurried away and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger.” Luke 2:16

When God sent His Son into the world, He willed that His Son should be born and be brought up in a family. The Holy Family of the Christ, His Virgin Mother and her pure spouse Joseph was Heaven on earth, an earthly paradise. Within this family the Divinity was pleased to dwell in all Its fulness. God deigned to manifest the glory of this family only to a select few while they lived here on the earth; it was to certain poor shepherds that this great grace was first granted from Heaven.

Whoever does not seek the cross of Christ doesn't seek the glory of Christ.

“For a son has been born for us, a son has been given to us, and dominion has been laid on his shoulders; and this is the name he has been given, 'Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God, Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace' ” Isaiah 9:5

The Divinity of Jesus is one of the mysteries people in the world have trouble accepting. Many are ready to accept Jesus as a good man, others accept Him as a religious leader, still others a prophet. But Jesus was none of those. He was the Son of God, and He was God Himself. Isaiah prophesied about the Divinity of Jesus centuries before He came into the world. All His miracles leading up to the last and the greatest, His death and resurrection, testify to this fact.

I am a daughter of suffering. It is with stones of suffering and sacrifice that we build mansions for ourselves in heaven.

“The Lord says this: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamenting and weeping bitterly: it is Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.” Jeremiah 31:15

Today we remember the Holy Innocents, the infants who gave their lives in place of the Christ. The blood of the innocents have always preceded the saving work of God. Before the Lord brought the Israelites from Egypt, many Hebrew children were slaughtered. Moses, however was miraculously spared. In the New Testament, Jesus was spared while a number of innocents had to die. Let us remember the silent sacrifice of many innocents who are killed in our own time - they are the ones who prepare the way for the Lord's work in our day.

When you look at the crucifix, you understand how much Jesus loved you then. When you look at the Sacred Host, you understand how much Jesus loves you now.

“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; on the inhabitants of a country in shadow dark as death light has blazed forth.” Isaiah 9:1 “This disciple is the one who vouches for these things and has written them down, and we know that his testimony is true.” John 21:24

Of the Twelve, one Apostle was unique in his confession of being 'the disciple Jesus whom loved.' For him, neither his name nor his ancestry mattered, only one thing mattered - his experience of being loved in a special way by Jesus. The beloved John received the Word into his heart, and so merited to rest his head on the Heart of Jesus, a privilege granted to no other disciple. From this Sacred Heart, he drew forth the most sublime mysteries ever to have flowed through the pen of man.

Our pilgrim life here on earth cannot be without temptation for it is through temptation that we make progress and it is only by being tempted that we come to know ourselves.

“Stephen was filled with grace and power and began to work miracles and great signs among the people.” Acts 6:8

Stephen was the first martyr to bear witness to Christ with his blood after the Resurrection. Stephen was filled with grace and power. If we too need to bear witness to Jesus, we need grace and power. Grace comes through humility, power comes through suffering in the Name of Jesus. Therefore let us not be ashamed to humble ourselves nor to suffer for His sake.

Christ offers you his friendship. He gave His life so that those who wish to answer his call can indeed become his friends. His is a friendship which is deep, genuine, loyal and total, as all true friendship should be.

“Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11

O happy day, the most blessed of all days, which saw your Creator! Today the invisible God was made visible to human beings. Today the God who dwelt in inaccessible light has come close to humanity. Today the God of infinite power and majesty became a helpless babe, the Son of Man so that no human being should fear to approach God. Today God gave Himself to us so that we might give ourselves to Him. Today God takes all our weaknesses on Himself so that we might be clothed with strength.

Jesus is happy to come with us, as truth is happy to be spoken, as life to be lived, as light to be lit, as love is to be loved, as joy to be given, as peace to be spread.

“The one who did not know, but has acted in such a way that he deserves a beating, will be given fewer strokes. When someone is given a great deal, a great deal will be demanded of that person; when someone is entrusted with a great deal, of that person even more will be expected.” Luke 12:48

To those of us to whom much is entrusted, more will be asked. As disciples of the True Master, we have been handed down the fullness of Revealed Truth. How serious then will our judgement be, if through wilful neglect or presumption we despise His teachings and commandments! Casting out any double-mindedness, let us be determined to keep His commandments with holy zeal till the end.

Mary, say 'YES'. All of creation awaits your answer. Abraham asks this of you;Adam asks this of you; David asks this of you, why do you delay. Say 'YES' Mary, say 'YES'.

“The Lord will give you a sign in any case: It is this: the young woman is with child and will give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14

God could have come into the earth in a variety of ways, but He came to be born of a virgin. The birth of Jesus Christ from a virgin is the greatest of mysteries and came to be in fulfilment of the above prophecy of Isaiah. Not even a single prophecy of the Scripture will fail to be fulfilled.

We are born to love, we live to love, and we will die to love still more.

“I shall put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; it will bruise your head and you will strike its heel.” Genesis 3:15

Since Satan exploited the weakness of the woman, God determined to create a Woman who would be his arch-enemy - from her would proceed One who would bruise his head and deal him a fatal blow. This signifies that all the cunning and deceit of the Devil would once and for all be defeated by the humility of Jesus Christ.

The Apostles ‘spoke as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech.’ Happy the man whose words issue from the Holy Spirit and not from himself!