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Baby Jesus Crib Biography
I highly encourage you to click over to the Vatican website today and read the Pope's homily from the Midnight Mass this last week for Christmas. Many newspapers covered his homily, but their summaries did not do justice to what is one of the most accessible and straightforward messages of his that I can remember.
He begins by pondering something which has also been pummeling me: the wonder of God as an infant, cradled and nurtured in the arms of His human mother Mary. As anyone who has fallen in love with their baby can attest, the mother's adoration is mixed with awe, and also demands/compels her to respond to the infant. Likewise, the infant gazes at the mother, clinging to her with trust and vulnerability that his love will not be lost on her or render Him abandoned. Just imagine that that is how God wants to be with us.
Again and again the beauty of this Gospel touches our hearts: a beauty that is the splendour of truth. Again and again it astonishes us that God makes himself a child so that we may love him, so that we may dare to love him, and as a child trustingly lets himself be taken into our arms. It is as if God were saying: I know that my glory frightens you, and that you are trying to assert yourself in the face of my grandeur. So now I am coming to you as a child, so that you can accept me and love me.
I mentioned this in a status update on Facebook yesterday also.
Our family spent Advent in the Byzantine tradition of the Phillip's Fast and I experienced in a new way the joys of surrendering to God and witnessing how He reveals Himself, especially in my work setting. Then, right at the very end of Advent--indeed, on Christmas Eve--I blew it, big time.
As ever, with these somewhat vague posts about confession, I won't be specific about what this sin entailed. (This is my blog, after all, not the confessional.) But I knew I needed to get to confession, and thankfully, our priest agreed to hear my confession even in the last hours prior to the late night Liturgy on Christmas Eve.
As soon as I confessed to him, he responded with: "Oh--It's been a long time since you've had to confess this."
To convey the unassuming beauty of that statement, I should tell you honestly that I had despair about this particular situation and didn't want to voice aloud to anyone, especially my beloved priest, the truth of my failings. I was feeling simultaneously proud and embarrassed, while knowing that these stupid emotions would not do one thing to change the situation. Deep down I trusted and believed that, once I had the chance to confess, the benefits to my soul would be real and my communion with God would be restored. My Lord's mercy is never-failing.
But getting over those stumbling blocks of my ego and pride required grace and love conquering fear--a fear which comes directly from Satan. Also, perhaps you can relate to that frantic search for any number of ways to get out of the confession. Then, I imagined Father refusing me absolution and then me getting killed in a car accident. (okay, this is slightly irrational but, as Scripture teaches, there are sins which lead to death, as stated in 1 John 5:16). Thankfully, He extended this grace as I swung through these many irrational thought processes.
When Father responded in that way: "It's been a long time--" I marveled in retrospect at the mercy of that sentiment. It simultaneously conveyed to me that 1) the Lord's grace has been effective in my life since the last time I dealt with this sin, and 2) I'm not telling him some new and terrible and shocking thing. Father knows me, just as my Lord knows me. He knows me better than anybody. And so I fell into the arms of his mercy, and His Mercy, and received the grace of the Mystery of Penance. Praise the Lord.
But backing up, how to overcome those stumbling blocks long enough to drive the car to Father and unload this embarrassing issue before him?
Come, Baby Jesus. During this Christmas seasonI couldn't help but ponder thimplications and reality of Goentering into the human experience as an infant.
Seriously, the human infant is among the most captivating yet vulnerable and non-threatening creatures in existence. In my heart, I crawled toward His crib and experienced firsthand the grace of God Who condescended in such a way that we can approach Him without fear. I imagined Him hearing my sins and loving me anyway. I imagined this all the way along the highway and through downtown, until safely pulling into the Church.
Welcome, Baby Jesus. We are so glad, so deeply glad, that You are here.
After listening to many Christmas songs, presentations and stories about the birth of Christ, I am convinced that the church has come up with a third account on the birth of Jesus Christ. The other two accounts are found in the gospels of St. Luke and Matthew. Other books in the New Testament just allude or mention the birth of Christ implicitly in their records.
As we celebrate Christmas, we must understand the Bible ourselves so as to grasp the true account of Christ’s birth. In order to understand the birth of Christ in a better way, one must start by reading the account according to St. Luke (Luke 2:1-40), and then merge it with the account as in Matthew.
The account by St. Luke does not mention the wise men; it talks of the shepherds only (Luke 2:8-20). Immediately Christ was born in Bethlehem, when Joseph and Mary went for census, the shepherds on the nearby fields were alerted by an angel on the good tidings about the birth of a king in the town of David. They were to find the baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger (2:12, NIV). They narrated to Mary and Joseph about the things they were told about the child by the angels and they left.
Immediately after this visit, Christ is circumcised in the eighth day and named Jesus; the name given to him before he was conceived. After the circumcision, time passed and it came a time when according to the Law of Moses, Jesus had to be presented as the first born for consecration. Joseph and Mary took the child to Jerusalem, from Bethlehem where Simeon presented the child to the temple.
The account of Matthew picks from there (Matthew 2:1-23) and starts as “after Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of king Herod, magi (wise men) from the east came to Jerusalem…” (2:1, NIV). The wise men were led by a star and enquired from King Herod about the newly born king. In turn, Heroenquired from chief priests about the birth of Christ and was advised that he was to be born in Bethlehem. King Herod releases the wise men and requests them to come back after finding where Jesus was, so that he could go and worship him.
When they left, they were led by a star and “on coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary and they bowed down and worshipped him… (2:11a, NIV) and presented him with gifts they had carried.
In this case, although Herod send them to Bethlehem, it is not clear whether the star that reappeared to them led them to Bethlehem or some other place within Jerusalem. With the Luke account in mind, it was most likely that Jesus was still in Jerusalem, where he was presented to the temple by his parents, on their way to back to Nazareth.
Immediately the wise men left, Joseph was shown in a dream to take the child to Egypt. Time passed and Herod would realize that he was duped by the wise men when they never returned. Out of fury, he ordered all the children in Bethlehem and its surrounding from 2 years and below to be killed “…in accordance with the time he had learnt from the wise men” (2:16b, NIV). This is an indication that Herod ordered the murder approximately two years from the birth of Christ.
One clear thing in these accounts is that the wise men did not visit Christ, immediately he was born; they visited him after he was circumcised, consecrated to the lord and probably outside Bethlehem.
This is different from what I was taught in Sunday school, and what I usually teach my Sunday school kids where the birth of Christ is presented consistently without regard to time factor. Even the pictures on the birth of Christ in a manger are accompanied by the wise men and shepherds, Mary and Joseph all looking at baby Jesus. Although this way the story appears consistent and easier to understand for children, the storyline is doctored to avoid inconsistencies. Whoever decided to doctor the story, whether the church or theologians has created a third account of the birth of Christ and has succeeded in making the world believe it.
As we celebrate Christmas, let us read the Bible and grasp the truth. However, remember what matters is not which account is true or accurate, what matters is the understanding that Christ’s birth, calls for our love for one another. Christmas is a time to care and share what we have, show compassion, forgiveness and ensure we are ambassadors of peace, love and thus we will be united in the body of Christ. I wish all my readers Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2013.
Baby Jesus Crib Biography
I highly encourage you to click over to the Vatican website today and read the Pope's homily from the Midnight Mass this last week for Christmas. Many newspapers covered his homily, but their summaries did not do justice to what is one of the most accessible and straightforward messages of his that I can remember.
He begins by pondering something which has also been pummeling me: the wonder of God as an infant, cradled and nurtured in the arms of His human mother Mary. As anyone who has fallen in love with their baby can attest, the mother's adoration is mixed with awe, and also demands/compels her to respond to the infant. Likewise, the infant gazes at the mother, clinging to her with trust and vulnerability that his love will not be lost on her or render Him abandoned. Just imagine that that is how God wants to be with us.
Again and again the beauty of this Gospel touches our hearts: a beauty that is the splendour of truth. Again and again it astonishes us that God makes himself a child so that we may love him, so that we may dare to love him, and as a child trustingly lets himself be taken into our arms. It is as if God were saying: I know that my glory frightens you, and that you are trying to assert yourself in the face of my grandeur. So now I am coming to you as a child, so that you can accept me and love me.
I mentioned this in a status update on Facebook yesterday also.
Our family spent Advent in the Byzantine tradition of the Phillip's Fast and I experienced in a new way the joys of surrendering to God and witnessing how He reveals Himself, especially in my work setting. Then, right at the very end of Advent--indeed, on Christmas Eve--I blew it, big time.
As ever, with these somewhat vague posts about confession, I won't be specific about what this sin entailed. (This is my blog, after all, not the confessional.) But I knew I needed to get to confession, and thankfully, our priest agreed to hear my confession even in the last hours prior to the late night Liturgy on Christmas Eve.
As soon as I confessed to him, he responded with: "Oh--It's been a long time since you've had to confess this."
To convey the unassuming beauty of that statement, I should tell you honestly that I had despair about this particular situation and didn't want to voice aloud to anyone, especially my beloved priest, the truth of my failings. I was feeling simultaneously proud and embarrassed, while knowing that these stupid emotions would not do one thing to change the situation. Deep down I trusted and believed that, once I had the chance to confess, the benefits to my soul would be real and my communion with God would be restored. My Lord's mercy is never-failing.
But getting over those stumbling blocks of my ego and pride required grace and love conquering fear--a fear which comes directly from Satan. Also, perhaps you can relate to that frantic search for any number of ways to get out of the confession. Then, I imagined Father refusing me absolution and then me getting killed in a car accident. (okay, this is slightly irrational but, as Scripture teaches, there are sins which lead to death, as stated in 1 John 5:16). Thankfully, He extended this grace as I swung through these many irrational thought processes.
When Father responded in that way: "It's been a long time--" I marveled in retrospect at the mercy of that sentiment. It simultaneously conveyed to me that 1) the Lord's grace has been effective in my life since the last time I dealt with this sin, and 2) I'm not telling him some new and terrible and shocking thing. Father knows me, just as my Lord knows me. He knows me better than anybody. And so I fell into the arms of his mercy, and His Mercy, and received the grace of the Mystery of Penance. Praise the Lord.
But backing up, how to overcome those stumbling blocks long enough to drive the car to Father and unload this embarrassing issue before him?
Come, Baby Jesus. During this Christmas seasonI couldn't help but ponder thimplications and reality of Goentering into the human experience as an infant.
Seriously, the human infant is among the most captivating yet vulnerable and non-threatening creatures in existence. In my heart, I crawled toward His crib and experienced firsthand the grace of God Who condescended in such a way that we can approach Him without fear. I imagined Him hearing my sins and loving me anyway. I imagined this all the way along the highway and through downtown, until safely pulling into the Church.
Welcome, Baby Jesus. We are so glad, so deeply glad, that You are here.
After listening to many Christmas songs, presentations and stories about the birth of Christ, I am convinced that the church has come up with a third account on the birth of Jesus Christ. The other two accounts are found in the gospels of St. Luke and Matthew. Other books in the New Testament just allude or mention the birth of Christ implicitly in their records.
As we celebrate Christmas, we must understand the Bible ourselves so as to grasp the true account of Christ’s birth. In order to understand the birth of Christ in a better way, one must start by reading the account according to St. Luke (Luke 2:1-40), and then merge it with the account as in Matthew.
The account by St. Luke does not mention the wise men; it talks of the shepherds only (Luke 2:8-20). Immediately Christ was born in Bethlehem, when Joseph and Mary went for census, the shepherds on the nearby fields were alerted by an angel on the good tidings about the birth of a king in the town of David. They were to find the baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger (2:12, NIV). They narrated to Mary and Joseph about the things they were told about the child by the angels and they left.
Immediately after this visit, Christ is circumcised in the eighth day and named Jesus; the name given to him before he was conceived. After the circumcision, time passed and it came a time when according to the Law of Moses, Jesus had to be presented as the first born for consecration. Joseph and Mary took the child to Jerusalem, from Bethlehem where Simeon presented the child to the temple.
The account of Matthew picks from there (Matthew 2:1-23) and starts as “after Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of king Herod, magi (wise men) from the east came to Jerusalem…” (2:1, NIV). The wise men were led by a star and enquired from King Herod about the newly born king. In turn, Heroenquired from chief priests about the birth of Christ and was advised that he was to be born in Bethlehem. King Herod releases the wise men and requests them to come back after finding where Jesus was, so that he could go and worship him.
When they left, they were led by a star and “on coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary and they bowed down and worshipped him… (2:11a, NIV) and presented him with gifts they had carried.
In this case, although Herod send them to Bethlehem, it is not clear whether the star that reappeared to them led them to Bethlehem or some other place within Jerusalem. With the Luke account in mind, it was most likely that Jesus was still in Jerusalem, where he was presented to the temple by his parents, on their way to back to Nazareth.
Immediately the wise men left, Joseph was shown in a dream to take the child to Egypt. Time passed and Herod would realize that he was duped by the wise men when they never returned. Out of fury, he ordered all the children in Bethlehem and its surrounding from 2 years and below to be killed “…in accordance with the time he had learnt from the wise men” (2:16b, NIV). This is an indication that Herod ordered the murder approximately two years from the birth of Christ.
One clear thing in these accounts is that the wise men did not visit Christ, immediately he was born; they visited him after he was circumcised, consecrated to the lord and probably outside Bethlehem.
This is different from what I was taught in Sunday school, and what I usually teach my Sunday school kids where the birth of Christ is presented consistently without regard to time factor. Even the pictures on the birth of Christ in a manger are accompanied by the wise men and shepherds, Mary and Joseph all looking at baby Jesus. Although this way the story appears consistent and easier to understand for children, the storyline is doctored to avoid inconsistencies. Whoever decided to doctor the story, whether the church or theologians has created a third account of the birth of Christ and has succeeded in making the world believe it.
As we celebrate Christmas, let us read the Bible and grasp the truth. However, remember what matters is not which account is true or accurate, what matters is the understanding that Christ’s birth, calls for our love for one another. Christmas is a time to care and share what we have, show compassion, forgiveness and ensure we are ambassadors of peace, love and thus we will be united in the body of Christ. I wish all my readers Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2013.
Baby Jesus Crib
Baby Jesus Crib
Baby Jesus Crib
Baby Jesus Crib
Baby Jesus Crib
Baby Jesus Crib
Baby Jesus Crib
Baby Jesus Crib
Baby Jesus Crib
Baby Jesus Crib
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