The Lord is near!

adapted from the book Verbum Caro by St George Preca   The Old Testament contains numerous prophecies about Jesus Christ, detailing His birth, life, death, and resurrection. Here are some prophecies concerning His birth: Genesis 3:15 mentions His descent from human lineage: I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; They will strike at your head, while you strike at their heel. Genesis 28:14 foretells he would be born from the Jewish people, descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth… In you and your descendants all the families of the earth will find blessing. Genesis 49:8 prophesies his descent from the tribe of Judah: You, Judah, shall your brothers praise, your hand on the neck of your enemies; the sons of your father shall bow down to you. Jeremiah 23:5 predicts His descent from the family of David: See, days are coming, oracle of the Lord, when I will raise up a righteous branch for David; As king he shall reign and govern wisely, he shall do what is just and right in the land. The Book of Daniel 9:24 indicates the timing of His coming: Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and for your holy city: Then transgression will stop and sin will end, guilt will be expiated. Everlasting justice will be introduced, vision and prophecy ratified, and a holy of holies will be anointed. Micah 5:1 prophesies His birth in Bethlehem: But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathah, least among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is from of old, from ancient times. Isaiah 7:14 foretells His birth from a virgin mother: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign; the young woman, pregnant and about to bear a son, shall name him Emmanuel. The fulfillment of these prophecies is clearly documented in the four Gospels. Indeed, Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, descended from heaven to lead us to the love of God the Father.

from The School of Bethlehem by St George Preca   Dearly beloved, let us learn from our divine Master about The Fidelity of God Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah, whom the Patriarchs, Prophets and many kings wished to see, by His coming amongst all people, showed that God faithfully fulfilled what he had promised, that is, the saving from eternal perdition, all humanity, by means of the Redeemer, God’s Divine Son made Man. “And you, Bethlehem, in the Land of Judah, are by no means the least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel”. [Matthew 2:6]. Thus, was foretold by the Prophet Micah and his prophecy was fulfilled.   Relative sentences taken from Our Lord Jesus Christ and St Paul: I have much to say about you and much to condemn; but the one who sent me is true and I declare to the world what I have heard from him. [John 8:26] If we are faithless, he remains faithful – for he cannot deny himself. [2 Timothy 2:13] No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength. [2 Cor. 10:13]   Resolution: We resolve, that if we want to be God’s friends, we must be faithful to God, who can never deceive nor be deceived.

"My hope does not deceive me!" (Romans 5:5) God will certainly not disappoint me... The future is promising. In my heart, I feel that everything will be fine. Good things are waiting for me. But when I look around… what do I see? Wars, fights, conflicts, disease, disagreements, climate change, rampant abuse of natural and human resources.... This darkness is intense I look and see nothing but darkness. In me I feel the tension... between confidence and heartbreak... peace in my heart and in my mind and anxiety... joy and fear... life and death. Is this hope within me…futile? Does it make sense? In the dead of night, I started to hear something... It was like sweet music. A song full of Christmas joy... peace and the wonder of childhood. My thoughts led me to the joy I felt in my childhood when I was fascinated by the birth of baby Jesus. A scene that re-instilled in me peace and calmness. How true it is what I once heard, that "He who has hope lives differently, because he has the gift of a new life!" (Spe Salvi 2) My hope is a gift given to me by God. My hope is Jesus himself. Jesus is the gift given to humanity… he is our anchor, which makes our lives meaningful and worth living. I fix my gaze on you, Baby Jesus, and I remember that you are the sign and the reason for my hope. In you, I find comfort, mercy and love. You are the true meaning of my life. Fill me with patience so that I can stop and look at you, to allow myself to be filled with awe! Grant me the patience, so that as I admire you as a baby in the manger, I can see in you peace, love, unity, and mercy. Fill me with your peace! Fill me with enthusiasm for life! Make of me, Baby Jesus, a sign of hope for all those I come into contact with. Let me be ‘a drop of life’ so that others can see in me the beauty of being alive and experience the love that you have instilled in my heart! Increase in me the ability of attending to the needs of others so that I will respond quickly to their demands. Make of me the balm that heals the wounds that prevent my neighbour from encountering you! Baby Jesus, you are my only hope. You are essentially good. It is your pleasure, that we, your children, trust in you and turn to you in all our needs. Lord Jesus, who never fails those who trust in you, fill my heart with your peace... because you are my only hope.   In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33  Be renewed in hope! God’s word helps us find reasons for that hope. Pope Francis One who has hope in God relates to God with full confidence, like a child trusts a good parent. St George Preca

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice… The Lord is near.” (Phil 4:4-5) “Rejoice!” Despite wretched circumstances, Paul’s joy was irrepressible! Writing from a place of dark imprisonment, he sounded a second clarion call to the Philippians: “Again, I say, rejoice! Indeed, the Lord is near.” Though confined in a dungeon, nothing can prevent the light of Jesus, the Blessed Christ, whose coming disperses the darkness of heart and mind. St Paul’s message continues across the ages to join our generation in the Te Deum concerning a recent event: la réouverture de Notre-Dame de Paris on the Eve of the Immaculate Conception. By the wonder of the Internet, in real time, the whole world witnessed the night-bound city of Paris with violent wind whipping around the Archbishop of Paris as he raised his crosier (made from wood salvaged from the fire) and knocked three times upon the mighty doors of the restored Cathedral of Notre Dame. From inside, packed with dignitaries from many countries, the mighty organ awakened, and the young blue-clad choristers sang in welcome. The great doors opened, and the whole world seemed to exult  and even weep with joy, for it seemed that the tragedy of destruction, by fire and by sin, had been visibly restored in Notre Dame’s beauty of holiness. The rector of the cathedral affirmed the blessed unity of all people in this momentous event: "The cathedral carries the enveloping presence of the Virgin Mary, a maternal and embracing presence.’' In the opening of the Cathedral of Notre Dame (and symbolically with hope for the renewal of faith in France), we seem to hear St George Preca’s cri de coeur, “Divine Master, May the whole World know the Gospel!”  The Joy of the whole world, of every soul that ever was or ever will be created, is Jesus who comes to us through the one who is the Cause of our Joy: our Lady Mary, Mother of God. Rejoice! Again, rejoice! Ruth D. Lasserter Friend of the SDC Indiana, US

Once, a young man was walking in the desert with Jesus. He couldn't see Jesus, but he knew Jesus was there because he could see two sets of footprints in the sand: his own and Jesus'. One day, after walking for a long time in the heat, the young man felt like giving up. He stopped and noticed that Jesus' footprints were gone. Angrily, the young man said, "Why did you leave me, Jesus, when I needed you the most?" But Jesus hadn't left him. During this tough moment, Jesus was actually carrying him. It would be beneficial to repeat the sentence: The Lord Jesus Christ is with us! This reminds us that God is and remains with us until the end of time. Being consistently mindful of God's presence can be challenging and takes practice throughout our spiritual journey. Here is an exercise that might help you notice God's presence more clearly. Ask yourself daily: Where did I meet Jesus today? Where did I miss his presence? By asking these questions, you'll start to notice God's presence more often. You can also write these moments in your spiritual journal. When you feel like giving up, you can read these notes to remember when you felt close to God. May these days of Advent help us grow closer to God and see Him working in our lives! Hayden Diacono SDC Candidate

If you knew a thief was coming to break into your house, wouldn’t you do everything to prevent him from entering into your home? (Mt. 24:42) Absolutely! St George Preca often reiterated that sin is humanity's greatest enemy, especially because it separates us from our greatest benefactor, who is God. The magnitude and the harm of sin are profoundly evident in the fact that the Son of God became human and endured a passion and cruel death to save us from the dominion of sin. It is wise to contemplate the consequences of sin to better understand the necessity of avoiding it and to remember the immense goodness that comes from God's grace. Let us look at the Virgin Mother and recall her immaculate conception. We ask her to help us keep ourselves away from sin, our greatest enemy, and following her example, we ask God to fill us with his grace. Blessed be the Virgin Mary. Blessed be her Immaculate Conception. Blessed be her Motherhood. Blessed be her Assumption into heaven. Blessed be her Virginity. Blessed be her humility. Blessed be the charity of her heart.

Honour to the Blessed Virgin Mary We greet you, Holy Mary; You are full of grace; You are Virgin-Mother; We ask you to pray Christ for us. Every creature, O Mary, bows before you  for the Almighty has done great things for you indeed. God the Father gave you heaven and earth God the Son was subject to you in obedience. God the Holy Spirit gave you the highest exaltation that God could ever give to a creature.   Thanksgiving for the Blessed Virgin God the Father, I offer you the divine wounds of Christ, your Son, to thank you as you deserve for all you have done for the Blessed Virgin Mary, especially in her Immaculate Conception and in the exaltation which, in your omnipotence and goodness, you have bestowed on her for your honour. Amen.