The “O” Antiphon for today: “O Emmanuel, God with us, our King and Lawgiver, the expected of the nations and their Savior: Come to save us, O Lord our God. Isaiah 7:14, 33:22.
Scripture for meditation: Isaiah 9:1, 5
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; upon his shoulder dominion rests.
Christ tells us: Luke 11: 2-4
He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins for we too forgive all who do us wrong; and subject us not to the trial.”
We learn in the Christopher News Notes for Dec. 5, 2011: Is there a “right time” to forgive someone? Well, there is no time like the present. Forgiveness is always in season. But right now, with Christmas just around the corner, righting old wrongs seems to be especially appropriate. Jesus came to us with a message, and at its heart was a simple instruction: forgive those who trespass against us. Of course, it’s easier said than done. And the difficulty seems to climb with the severity of the original offense. Still, the Lord made no exceptions. A trespasser is a trespasser, no matter the crime, and under all circumstances He calls for forgiveness. That concept was among the topics addressed at a recent southern California conference on the criminal justice system, a major subtext of which involved the forgiveness of offenders. Doris Benavides of The Tidings, the Los Angeles archdiocesan newspaper, effectively captured its mood in her report on the proceedings, which featured interviews with parents of…murdered sons. Helene Davis has forgiven her son Darrell Davis’ murderer, but still chokes up when describing how he was killed following a verbal confrontation with the offender. Dick Harris has also forgiven the gang members who killed his son Bryan and his girlfriend back in 1985, but becomes tearful when talking about it….And all can benefit from the story of Maria Boffa of New York, whose experience was chronicled earlier this year in the Daily News. Reporter Oren Yaniv told of the “heart-stirring moment of mercy” in a Brooklyn courtroom when the 78 year old woman told her son’s sobbing killer, “I forgive you.”…. “It just came out of me,” Boffa said of her remarkable act. “I did it for my son’s sake.” Some people can never forgive. Some are working at it. And some – like Maria Boffa – find that the words “just come out.” That’s clearly an ideal to strive for. The offense can be far less serious, of course, than the loss of life: an argument, an angry word, a slight. All call for forgiveness, and moving on. Any time, remember, can be the right time. But just about now seems perfect. http://www.christophers.org/.
My thoughts: We have finally arrived at the end of our Advent preparation. We have sought to learn God’s word, immersed ourselves in prayer, found God’s forgiveness in the confessional, and admitted our hindrances to a full and loving relationshipwith God. One last present remains for us to give to the newborn King, and that is the gift of forgiveness towards others. There is an old Chinese proverb which states, “It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” Isaiah reminds us that Christ came into the world to be its light, to show the way to the Father.Christ tells us that we must forgive others if we want to be forgiven ourselves, and we all know by now that our eternal salvation rests on our being forgiven of our sins. Today is the day to light the candle in our hearts, to dispel the darkness and create a warm and loving home for Christ. If the people in the above story could do it, so can we. First we must ask for Mary’s help, for as our Mother, she wants desperately to see all her children at peace. Secondly, we come before God and ask His forgiveness for our hard hearts which have kept us in anger and hurt for so long, and lastly, let us reach out to our offender, or the one we have offended, and offer a candle of mercy for their offense, or a candle of sorrow for our actions. Even if we are rejected in our efforts, we can rest assured that our hearts are now open for God to begin His saving work. This last gift, the gift of light to the world through us, is the one perfect gift we can give. May we all be blessed this Christmas season with loving and forgiving hearts, and may we all say, as Maria Boffa so magnificently taught us, “I did it for Your Son’s sake.” May all of you find peace and joy in the coming of our Savior.
Our prayer to God: The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, let me sow pardon. Where there is friction, let me sow union. Where there is error, let me sow truth. Where there is doubt, let me sow faith. Where there is despair, let me sow hope. Where there is darkness, let me sow light. Where there is sadness, let me sow joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned. It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Don't forget to say your Christmas Novena 15 times today for your special intention!
Christmas Novena
Hail, and blessed be the hour and moment
At which the Son of God was born
Of a most pure Virgin
At a stable at midnight in Bethlehem
In the piercing cold
At that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee,
To hear my prayers and grant my desires(mention request here).
Through Jesus Christ and His most Blessed Mother.
Hail, and blessed be the hour and moment
At which the Son of God was born
Of a most pure Virgin
At a stable at midnight in Bethlehem
In the piercing cold
At that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee,
To hear my prayers and grant my desires(mention request here).
Through Jesus Christ and His most Blessed Mother.
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