 |
"Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son,
and shall name him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14).
|
The evangelist announced the
good news that this prophecy has been fulfilled by the
coming of the Eternal Son of God into our world (cf. Matthew 1:22-23). Whatever God has promised to humanity, He is able to provide to us.
Our Lord Jesus Christ
shares in our human life so that we can have a
share in divine life. This was the intent of our
God when He created us in the divine image. However,
by the free choice of human beings to lose faith in
God, sin and death entered our world. The good news
is that God promises that these destructive powers
will not have the last word in our lives. God speaks
the Word of salvation, providing a saving remedy
through the gift of His Son.
In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. . . .
And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling
among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of
the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth.
(John 1:1-2.14)
Whatever God has promised
to humanity, He is able to provide for us. This is the
message of the Advent season. During the celebration of
the Eucharist, we will hear the prophetic message to
the People of the First Covenant to prepare for the
coming of the messiah. The figure of John the Baptist
will call us once again to allow the promises of God
in Christ Jesus to be fulfilled within us by means
of repentance.
These biblical witnesses
remind us to clear away any obstacles that prevent the
love of God from ruling over our thinking, speaking,
and acting. Repentance involves a change of mind. It
leads to making a decisive turning away from sin because
we are living in the loving presence of God. Sin cannot
perform what it promises when we were enticed to embrace
its ways. What seemed to be delightful was found out to
be destructive. The true source of contentment for our
lives is to be conformed to the commandments of God.
This is how we express our love and trust in God. Our
forbearers encouraged each other to mature in Christian
discipleship by singing, "I woke up this morning with my
mind stayed on Jesus!"
|
[ 1 ] |
[ 2 ] |
[ 3 ] |
[ 4 ]
|
Next page
|
|
