GOSPEL

Birth of John the Baptist

From the Gospel according to Luke 1:57-66

When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. Her neighbours and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be called John.” But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. Then fear came upon all their neighbours, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be? For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

 

Unexpected Turns of the Spirit.

We insist on programming our lives according to our criteria, but God’s plans often take a different path, and I have to be open to it because, as someone once wisely told me, it’s through the unforeseen that the Holy Spirit ‘slips in.’ It is not that, things go well when they go as I had planned, but rather they go well when they happen as God wants. In other words, always.

 

Applied to Married Life:

Christina: I think my marriage is null. I had imagined something else. I got married thinking he was a knight in shining armour, and I find myself with the ghost of lost causes.

Charles: Well, let’s say you created expectations different from what the reality is. But, do you love your husband?

Christina: I do. However, he doesn’t love me.

Charles: Then accept him as he is and give yourself wholeheartedly, and you will see the work of God in your marriage. Do you want to miss out on that?

Christina: No! Not the work of God.

Charles: Do you think Isabel and Zechariah expected to have the precursor of Christ as their son? No, right? So start doing what you need to do in your marriage and trust. You’ll see how things are much more beautiful than they appear.

 

Mother,

God’s plans are always more beautiful than ours. We love being in His hands. Praise the Lord.

GOSPEL

The Almighty has done great things for me.

From the Gospel according to Luke 1:46-56

Mary said:

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
for he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.”

Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months
and then returned to her home.

The Gospel of the Lord

 

Window to Heaven.

I love the Magnificat because it reveals the inside of Mary’s heart, wide open.

It immerses me in the purity of Love. What an incomparable place. It is the beauty of grace and humility. It is the beauty of the presence of God. Perhaps I could say that Mary’s heart is a window to heaven.

Applied to Married Life:

Becky: Joshua, would you like to join me in glimpsing into heaven?

Joshua: How do we do that?

Becky: By entering into the Heart of Mary. Let’s contemplate the Magnificat together. Mary is full of Grace, the Lord is perfectly in her. Doesn’t that seem like heaven to you?

(Becky and Joshua spent that afternoon contemplating humility, grace, the power of God, His faithfulness, His mercy… Becky and Joshua enjoyed a little bit of heaven that evening.)

 

Mother,

We want to live with you in heaven already. Let us always be in your heart. Thank you, blessed Mother.