Our Advent journey ends in adoration

What a blessed time of year this is!
In many parts of the world it is cold and dark...
In other parts it is sunny and bright...

At a time when many feel stress and anxiety over the material things...
we receive the greatest gift ever to be given, anywhere:
the gift of God's only Son, Jesus.
This is the gift of God Himself, in the flesh...
Coming to a people He loved into creation,
to redeem and save and unite back to Him...

Our advent (waiting) is over - in part
because we receive Christ as a child into our yearning hearts.
Our waiting is not over because we await the coming
of Christ triumphant and dressed in Glory...
on the final day.

For now, and in our little lifetime,
we are grateful and remain in adoration.
In adoration of the King of kings, and Lord of lords:
our Messiah...our Savior...our Brother and Friend...

May we continue to glorify God in the face of Jesus
and in every adoring moment we witness new life in the Child!

Our Lady of Guadalupe

The Patroness of the Americas:

Do you know how the Virgin Mary came to be known as Our Lady of Guadalupe?

It was the month of December in 1531; only 10 years after the Spanish Conquistadores conquered Tenochtitlan when the Virgin Mary appeared before the (Aztec) indian Juan Diego (St. Juan Diego).

When the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego on a hill in Tepeyac, Mexico (present day Mexico City) she declared in his native (nahuatl) language: "I am your merciful Mother...I want to show my loving clemency and compassion to those who call upon me in their sorrows."

The miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe that appeared on St. Juan Diego's tilma is venerated to this day. Our Lady of Guadalupe is venerated as the Patroness of America and the Protectress of the unborn.

As a child, living in Mexico city (many years ago...) I can remember when my parents would take us to visit our Blessed Mother at the original Basilica. We would walk up to her and touch her (image). She was as real to me then as she continues to be in my life to this day. Today, the image is encased in a large protected frame high above the main altar. Our Lady of Guadalupe continues to intercede for our most vulnerable and disappeared lives (the unborn lost via abortion)...Are we listening to their cry, and invokking the aid of our beloved Mother?

Blessed are the peacemakers

...for they will be called children of God (Mt 5:9)
It has been said that true peace
is both: a gift and a task
(Pope Benedict XVI)

God Himself is the true and supreme peacemaker.
Because of this, those who work for peace
are the sons and daughters of God.
God also created an orderly and harmonious universe.
This is the gift of God's peace to humanity.

As a peacemaker,
Christ shed His precious blood on the Cross
in order to bring redemption
and restore unity in God.
True Christian peacemaking is painful...

because in the service of peace one must overcome many barriers
created by hatred, envy and selfishness.
Am I willing to take on this pain?
Am I desirous to change my heart,
and make it a place of peace?

Am I actively transmitting this peace from God
to others around me,
in a world disordered by sin and strife?

As I remain in peace...
I am able to be an instrument of peace to the world (St. Francis).
There can only be peace in the world
when we make peace with God...
God grant us this one little favor. Amen.

Acting in the presence of Christ

When we recognize the presence of another,
we begin the ascent on the hill to calvary...
a formation of the heart and soul through sacrifices.

To be truly aware and thankful of another's presence
is the beginning of a lifetime of sacrifices - always.
From the moment I married my husband,
and said 'yes' three times at the altar of my Lord,
a lifetime of sacrifices began for my spouse and me - a couple.
From the moment I began to nurture my babies in the womb,
a lifetime of sacrifices began for me - a mother.
We know that we are all created in the image of God
- every single one.The Bible (God's revelation to man) is telling me so.
Do I believe this holy Presence is real?
Do I know that God became man
(Christ - one of us and like us in all things except sin)?
If God became man to be present to you and me,
it is this Presence that determines and defines
how my life will unfold for me
with all its personal encounters and relationships.
Do I recognize this Christ-like presence in my fellow brother or sister - always?
The greatest sacrifice is to recognize a Presence;
The Presence of Christ in another.
When this becomes grafted unto my being,
then I will be acting in the presence of Christ - always.

Your deliverance is drawing near

(A reflection on Luke 21:28)

What do we mean by "deliverance"? The word means Redemption - the joyful message of Advent!

What must I do to prepare my heart during this special season?
I must go to my Redeemer with a pure heart and with a love ready for sacrifice.
Is this possible? Can I really offer my heart in a sincere act of sacrifice?

Alone, I cannot do this. By myself, I am not able to offer my heart as pure.
With the aid of my Savior and Lover of souls, I can.
He alone can prepare my heart
so that it will be ready to receive His Majesty:
in splendor and in truth on Christmas Eve.

Am I ready to surrender it all
for love of the One who is to come?

Prayer: My Savior, grant me Your spirit and Your way of thinking. Let me be ready for Christmas, for YourDivine birth in my soul. Amen.