December 23

December 23
Christ as Emmanuel (God is With Us)
Isaiah 7:14

The night before Christmas…are we ready? This whole month has been spent in preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God the Father, the second person of the Blessed Trinity, the King of Kings, the Savior of the World. And He comes as a baby.

The time of waiting is a time of testing. There is nothing else to do but trust in the living God. There is nothing harder for an imperfect soul like ours to do, than to learn that we ourselves can do nothing and all things can be done by God.

The time before birth always seems longer than any other. I have thought God made it seem so long so that we would be forced to wonder about Him–the Father of ourselves and of our children.

You are with God, and you must look at Him with the eyes of faith in those long nights.
–Blessed is the Fruit, from an article “How to Have a Baby” which appeared in St Joseph Magazine by April Ousler Armstrong

All but two of my children have been planned inductions. I spend the week before in methodical preparation. I pack my hospital bag, prepare babysitting for my other children, and I always make it a priority to go to confession. I spend the night before in anxious anticipation. Eager for the birth, afraid for the changes it will bring.

Birth and death are sisters, the strange twins who bridge the verge between eternity and time. The hour of birth draws near and no woman in the world can be completely free of fear. It is not pain or danger that haunts you most. Though you may not have the words to capture it there is in you an awe at the fact that there will be one moment when life and death graze in passing.
–Blessed is the Fruit, from an article “How to Have a Baby” which appeared in St Joseph Magazine by April Ousler Armstrong

Are we ready for the moment in time when eternal life and death meet in the stable? Jesus came, born as baby in a manger to poor humble parents so we might have life…and have it more abundantly. This time of preparation, has been to prepare us for the new life we live found only in Christ.

God is with us! And that fact alone should produce abundant living.

He has overcome death so we could live full earthly lives and glorious eternal ones.

So are we? Living an abundant life?

An abundant life is filled with hope. Are we living full of hope?

A synonym for hope is faith.

“I hope my husband gets a raise and if he does not, I have faith everything will work out anyway…maybe even better.”

A synonym for hope is belief.

“I hope my situation turns out for the good, but I believe all things work together for the good for those who love God.”

A synonym for hope is endurance.

“I hope my marriage, my children, my job, etc, will turn around and be a source of comfort and joy. Until then, I will endure and love like Christ…because He loved me first.”