“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit finds joy in God my savior.” ~ Luke 1:46 (full readings)
Bishop Paprocki's Reflections: We are now just a few days away from celebrating Christmas. In the week leading up to the 25th of December, the Gospel readings for daily Mass set the stage for the Nativity of Our Lord. The Gospel passage for December 19th tells of the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to Zechariah to deliver the Good News that his formerly barren wife Elizabeth would give birth to a boy who would come to be known as John the Baptist. On December 20th the angel Gabriel again makes an appearance in the Gospel of St. Luke, now appearing to Mary to tell her that she would conceive a Son by the power of the Holy Spirit and give Him the name Jesus. The Gospel reading for December 21 tells of Mary’s visitation to her cousin Elizabeth and the joy they share in the expectation of the birth of their sons. Mary’s prayerful response recounted on December 22nd is her canticle that we call the “Magnificat,” her joyful praise of God for the unborn babies in their wombs.
* Bishop Thomas John Paprocki serves the Diocese of Springfield IL (biography). He has run 18 marathons, including the 2011 Kansas City Marathon with the LIFE Runners. Bishop Paprocki is the National LIFE Runners Chaplain and on the LIFE Group Advisory Committee. He is collaborating with his brother Joe for writing a book on sports and faith.
Faith Challenge: On Christmas Day we will celebrate the greatest gift that God could ever give us. He has given us His incarnate Son. We shouldn’t be quiet about that. We should make known to all world that Jesus is the Messiah, our Redeemer, our Savior. Like Mary, our whole lives should be a constant song of praise, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord!”
Saint of the Day: St. Chaeremon, St. Ischyrion, other martyrs.
Faith Quote: “The Lord has exalted me by a gift so great, so unheard of, that language is useless to describe it, and the depths of love in my heart can scarcely grasp it. I offer then all the powers of my soul in praise and thanksgiving.” ~ from a commentary on Luke by Venerable Bede, priest.
Through Christ Our Lord,
Bishop Paprocki
* Pray/Fast: Prayer connects us with God’s will & His miracles, changing us & helping others. Fast from things that take your eyes off Jesus. Those who pray together stay together, and close to God!
* Save Unborn (& family): Abortion reality…#1 death cause (22% pregnancies). Prov 24:11 & Jer 1:5. “A great poverty that a child must die that you might live as you wish.” Mother Teresa.
* Evangelize: Make room for unbelievers & re-evangelization of self, by way of prayer (relationship) and following Christ’s example of love (service/sacrifice/mercy). Mt 28:19.
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