Happy Birthday Jesus. We adore You and worship You our King.

"Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."  (John 1: 17 NABRE)

Law and order came through Moses.  And then more laws from the Pharisees.  Nobody could observe the laws.  They remained all the same.   Then Jesus Christ was born and He created a new path for our salvation.  This new path is grace and mercy.  The formula to obtain this grace and mercy is wonderfully very simple:

#1.  Ask for Mercy
#2.  Be Merciful
#3.  Completely trust Jesus for Mercy

We celebrate today the birth of Mercy.  Happy Birthday Jesus, Face of Mercy.  We love You Jesus.  We trust in You.  Have mercy on us and the whole world.

Happy Christmas to everyone.  Trust in His Mercy.

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Come O Son of David. Come and have mercy on us.

"Go and tell David my servant, Thus says the Lord:"  (2 Samuel 7: 5 NABRE)

Today is the last day of Advent and Christmas eve.  We hear so much of David in the Scriptures read in the Church this day.  Why is David such a pivotal figure in the history of salvation?  Consider the following verses from these Scriptures for today: (2 Samuel 7: 1-5, 8-12, 14, 16 and Psalm 89 and Luke 1: 67 -  79)

#1.  "I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to become ruler over my people Israel."  (2 Samuel 7: 8)
#2.  "I was with you wherever you went, and I cut down all your enemies before you."
#3.  "I will give you rest from all your enemies."  (2 Samuel 7: 11)
#4.  "Your house and your kingdom are firm forever before me; your throne shall be firmly established forever."  (2 Samuel 7: 16)

#5.  "I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: I will make your dynasty stand forever and establish your throne through all ages.” (Psalm 89: 4-5)
#6.  He shall cry to me, ‘You are my father, my God, the Rock of my salvation!"  (Psalm 89: 27)

#7.  "He has raised up a horn for our salvation within the house of David his servant."  (Luke 1: 69)

Come O Son of David.  Come and have mercy on us.

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O Come O Come Emmanuel, King of Kings.

"Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John." (Luke 1:  13 NABRE)

"She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”  (Matthew 1 : 21)

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel.”  (Matthew 1: 23)

What is in a name?  In the Scriptures, name and mission are always linked.  A special name is often a pointer to one's destiny.

John the Baptist and Jesus are among the seven people named before their birth in the Bible.  Each proved to be a person of destiny.

If you do not have the sense that the name given to you by your parents at birth was inspired by God, ask the Holy Spirit.  If you still don't feel sure, how about your Confirmation name?  You chose the name yourself.  Why did you choose that particular name?

Come O King of all nations and keystone of the Church.

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God's Name is holy.

"And holy is His Name."  (Luke 1: 49)

Mary in her Magnificat, proclaims God's Name as holy.  What is holy is sacred, consecrated and therefore set apart intentionally for sacred functions.  The Altar is sacred and cannot be used for ping-pong.  The Chalice is consecrated for sacred duty and therefore cannot be used to drink beer.

Consider the following Scriptures on the Name of God:

#1.   "Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name."  (Matthew 6: 9)
#2.  "You shall not invoke the name of the Lord, your God,  in  vain.   For the Lord will not leave unpunished anyone who invokes his name in vain."  (Exodus 20: 7)
#3.  "You have exalted above all things Your Name and Your Word."  (Psalm 138: 2)

We learn from the above Scriptures, that God's Name is indeed holy, sacred and must be revered at all times.

Come O King of all nations and keystone of the Church.

Seekfirst.blogspot.com

When you pray well, you live well.

"Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”  (Luke 1: 45 NABRE)

Mary was richly blessed because she believed in the promise of God to her.  God has also made several promises to us.  How do we tap into the power of faith in order to appropriate what God has promised to us?

#1.  Prayer opens our heart and mind to God.  When we pray, we talk to God.
#2.  When we read the word of God or good spiritual books, God speaks to us.
#3.  As you repeat steps #1 and #2 every day,  you come to sense if the promise is truly yours or not.
#4. If God is asking you to wait for your answer, you add praying for patience to your daily prayer.

It took a long time before God answered Sarah and Elizabeth.  Nobody knows how long it will take for God to answer your prayers.

Come O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law.

Seekfirst.blogspot.com

All things are possible for God.

"No word from God will ever fail.”  (Luke 1: 37 NIV)

Nothing will be impossible for God.  God Never Fails!  This truth is so rich that we can hang our life and hope on it.   The Incarnation is possible.  All things are created twice.  The first creation is from below, earthly.  The second creation is from above, the Holy Spirit.  How is this possible?  All things are possible for God.   Who can be saved?  How can we be saved?  Nothing will be impossible for God.

Think of all the prophecies.  The child will play with the cobra.  The wolf will entertain the lamb.  There will be universal peace and well-being.  All things are possible for God.

And your dreams and desires?  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding of things.  Know and believe that all things are possible for God.

Seekfirst.blogspot.com

The Lord removes the curse of barrenness

"They had no child, because Elizabeth was barren."  (Luke 1: NABRE)

Barrenness is the theme the Holy Spirit gives the Church today to chew and digest in the final Week in Advent.  The scriptures come from Judges 13: 2-7, 24-25 and Luke 1: 5-25.  

When I read these scriptures exactly one year ago, I was downcast.  The word of God was describing my situation.  I cannot be barren in the sense of the wife of Manoah in Judges 13 or Elizabeth in Luke 1.  It seemed to me that I sensed the Lord asking me: "What fruits have you produced for my Kingdom?"  I looked miserable.

Are you also barren in an area that matters most in life?  What God did for Zechariah and Elizabeth and Manoah and his wife, God can do for you and for me.  Let us pray to God to open our hearts in faith.

Abba Father, in Your mercy, take away all barrenness and bitterness in our lives.

Come O Son of God and Son of Mary.

Seekfirst.blogspot.com

The cure for barrenness

"They had no child, because Elizabeth was barren."  (Luke 1: NABRE)

Barrenness is the theme the Holy Spirit gives the Church today to chew and digest in the final Week in Advent.  The scriptures come from Judges 13: 2-7, 24-25 and Luke 1: 5-25.  

When I read these scriptures exactly one year ago, I was downcast.  The word of God was describing my situation.  I cannot be barren in the sense of the wife of Manoah in Judges 13 or Elizabeth in Luke 1.  It seemed to me that I sensed the Lord asking me: "What fruits have you produced for my Kingdom?"  I looked miserable.

Are you also barren in an area that matters most in life?  What God did for Zechariah and Elizabeth and Manoah and his wife, God can do for you and for me.  Let us pray to God to open our hearts in faith.

Abba Father, in Your mercy, take away all barrenness and bitterness in our lives.

Come O Son of God and Son of Mary.

Seekfirst.blogspot.com