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Home Sections The Daily B.R.E.A.D. Dec 20, 2009 - Sunday Meditation (No Person is Too Small for God's LOVE!)
Dec 20, 2009 - Sunday Meditation (No Person is Too Small for God's LOVE!) PDF Print E-mail
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Sections - The Daily B.R.E.A.D.
Written by Bobot Apit   
Friday, 18 December 2009 15:01

 

B ethlehem, Israel, Mary, stable, manger, shepherds, you, me, us --- all too small and yet all hold and behold the secret’s now being announced.  God has come to us according to what makes sense to our minds. Through our senses God has come to visit and stay. It does remain more than we can handle and yet God continues to give the Gift into our little hands, our little stables, our little mangers to hold and begin distributing. He came that we might have life and be freed to give it, and Him away in the life-long, life-giving visits we make in the lives of others. Christmas is for children, yes, but for those of us who seek intimacy in life, Christmas grows us up.


Fourth Sunday in Advent

 

Micah 5:1-4a

 

Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19

 

Hebrews 10:5-10

 

L uke 1:39-45 (alternate reading: Luke 1:26-38)

 

(39) In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah , (40) and she entered the house of Zechari'ah and greeted Elizabeth . (41) And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit (42) and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! (43) And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? (44) For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. (45) And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."

 

Meditation by Larry Gillick, S.J.

 

PRE-PRAYERING

 

I gently suspect that for those who have not had any Advent so far, they are probably tired of Christmasing. We do tend to cram into the emptiness and longing of Advent, Christmas parties and staff, faculty, office dinners which can make the celebration of His birth, and ours, not very uplifting.

 

We have time! There is still stillness to give us a sense of waiting, wanting, watching.

 

Advent Hint: We could ponder from whom would we love to have a visit by phone, email, Christmas card, or actually right at the door of our home? For whom do we wait? We might ponder also whom we might think would love hearing from, or having a visit from, ourselves. The personal gift of you might just be the best gift somebody would receive.

 

REFLECTION

 

The prophet Micah has been encouraging the people of Israel about their future. The temple will be raised high on a mountain and all nations will see her as a holy nation. What we hear in our First Reading answers part of the question concerning how this is all going to take place.

 

Israel is a small area and other clans and nations are stronger. Micah announces that from the little town of Bethlehem , the place of David, the great king of Israel , will come a special person to be the awaited-for great leader. This person will be of the line of David and as with David, this “one” will bring back all of Israel into the kingdom of Israel .

 

From the smallest shall come forth the revelation of God’s greatness. This “one” shall bring unity of the flock and peace within and among all nations.

 

The Gospel is an intimate encounter between two women of faith. Both have trusted in the secrecy of pregnancy. They both are moved to share their secrets. It is said that a person is as sick as their secrets. It seems that healthy secrets are those which will result in life, growth and joyfulness. 

 

Mary has been greeted by an angel and trusts what she hears in her soul. Elizabeth hears Mary’s greeting and trusts what she hears and feels within her body. Elizabeth greets Mary with a tender benediction: “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

 

Mary is pictured as having received well a tremendous gift and promise. The first thing she is moved to do is to check it out with her cousin whom she has heard is pregnant too. Reception implies grateful distribution. So much preparation for the great Gift of God’s impregnating the womb of this world. All is set now, only the waiting and watching and wanting.

 

Little children wonder at the process of birth. My very own nephew and wife had a baby this very morning and their three-year-old daughter has been told as much as she can hold, all about it. It is just too much of a kind of miracle for her and I am sure for her parents as well. Christmas is like that. It is too much for us to handle and take in and be tumbled over by.

 

Christmas is for children then?  Santas are so great, and elves, and reindeers, and Nutcrackers. All are so important for trying to take it all in. It can be too impregnating, too intimate.

 

Bethlehem, Israel, Mary, stable, manger, shepherds, you, me, us --- all too small and yet all hold and behold the secret’s now being announced.

 

God has come to us according to what makes sense to our minds. Through our senses God has come to visit and stay. It does remain more than we can handle and yet God continues to give the Gift into our little hands, our little stables, our little mangers to hold and begin distributing. He came that we might have life and be freed to give it, and Him away in the life-long, life-giving visits we make in the lives of others. Christmas is for children, yes, but for those of us who seek intimacy in life, Christmas grows us up.

 

“The Virgin is with child and shall bear a son, and she will call him Emmanuel.” Is. 7, 14

 

Supplementary Reading

 

The certainty of God's love by Robert H. Schuller

 

. . . God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. – Romans 5:5

 

A cynic would say, "If there is one thing that is sure and certain, it is that nothing is sure and certain."

 

But there is something that does not change! And that something is man. Every human being born needs to eat, breathe, and drink water or he will die. The body does not change its demands. Nor do the needs of the heart of man change. Every heart needs the food of human love.

 

What is that deep yearning in your heart? Are there times when your heart almost seems moist in its crying out for nourishment. What is it that you need deep in your soul? We use the words heart hunger to describe the feeling. Your heart needs love and God is able to give it to you—all you will ever need.

 

Remember: No problem is too big for God's power; no person is too small for God's love.

 

When did you first discover, and how did you come to understand, that God's love is the only thing that would truly satisfy your heart? # # #

  

For meditation/readings of the previous days/months , please click any of the following links:
http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com/
http://www.mabuhayradio.com/sections/the-daily-bread.html
http://butuanglobalforum.org/cgi-bin/dboard/YaBB.pl?num=1229339492/220


 
Daily Mass and Gospel Meditation Broadcast (Tagalog) thru DWXI (5am Phil Time), pls click this link:  http://www.eradioportal.com/index.php?p=2&aid=1&sid=62#STS=g1jais7y.zk6

GOD BLESS US ALL!
O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.
 


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Last Updated on Saturday, 19 December 2009 08:01
 

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