Together

 Feast of the Holy family, New Year's Eve

Together.

Gospel LK 2:22-40

The Lord made it possible for Zecchariah to see the infant Jesus and recognize Him. Blessed are we who may obtain such a boon from the Lord and  to recognize Him in His infancy.

The Lord makes promises to those He loves, and since He loves everyone, the covenant is with everyone, and the benefits of His love flow freely to all who love in return.

No matter what we have set our hopes on, it cannot be more important to us than the Lord is to all men. To learn holy desire, we are tried in our hopes and the affections of our hearts until we learn to discern what is good from what is evil, from that which brings health and that which is most foully diseased and pernicious.

It was sin that robbed us of our ability to see and hear the Lord; it was death that robbed us of our life, for our life was different before we sinned.

Just as He was tried in the garden of Gethsemane, so too we will be tried; rest will not descend on us and there will be no delight such as we may seek, so long as there remains any particle of us that is not given over to Him in our hearts.

He came to the garden to pray, to be lifted up and seek the words of His Father and His pleasure. He was prevented from resting and His hopes were dashed, because it was more important that we obtain redemption and are saved than that He should escape the horrors of the death decreed for Him

In the violation of His Body lay the Will which desired only His Will.

This world is destined to be changed and replaced by something wonderful and something blessed. Thus, our hearts need to be set on God who alone can institute what is new and right; something great and perfect which is fitting for the just and righteous.

He has pointed out the just and the righteous , not so they may be seen as excellent to lord over us, but to be rightly disposed in their hearts as example for us, so that the world might be fitting for the Lord and His presence can be our eternal consolation.

It is indeed a gift to be wounded, to be pierced through, and it is adaptable to the needs of the Lord for our brothers and sisters. He needs them to be happy, serving Him, praising His Name, and giving our lives over to Him.

We need everything because our sin has stripped us of our heritage.

The heritage He holds for us will be perfect and complete. Thus the inheritance is divine, the joy to come.

Will our sacrifice be any less? To be perfect it must be total and not held back or reserved by us in any way, regarding Him. Thus, a nail driven in a hand or foot is total, and the act of imparting them is total. The pain is perfect pain, for it washes sins away, the sins of brothers and sisters. And now that you know what He is asking, establish peace in your hearts. In His peace rest undisturbed, and your joy will be complete. He will give what you need to give all for Him and be at peace, resting in His Will. When they came for Him in the garden, He surrendered Himself to them and made Himself known so they would not take the wrong man, for He alone could be available for the cross and the nails were His alone, and so He had to ensure that He received what was His. He received for us what He would not impose on us, even if He had the right and the power, which He did.

Thus the world is subject to the Lord, and all will be disposed according to His pleasure, because He did not insist on His own rest and pleasure, but desired what was held in store for Him which would redeem us.

would He give us so much and not enable us to receive it and accept it without reservation? He enables us to do His Will, and has already made allowance for our weaknesses, so that His Will might be accomplished anyway.

A day is coming when the whole world will see Him, His glory and His  peace which accompanies Him everywhere. The world will be glad to see the establishment of what He held in hiddenness for us.

If we could see the invisible, it would be impossible to understand without our union with the Lord. So let us not fret about signs and wonders, but realize that peace and light accompany Him and the day of revelation gladden our hearts. Peace be yours in all things.