December 14, 2014

Through faith, O Christ, You justified the Patriarchs,
for through them You made a commitment to a church with gentiles.
These Saints are glorified because from them descends the Virgin who gave You birth.
Through their prayers, O Christ our God, have mercy on us.

 forfathersAs we get ever closer to the Feast of the Nativity of our God and Savior Jesus Christ, the Church reminds us of all those who kept alive the hope and promise of a Messiah, namely the Holy Forefathers of Jesus. This not only reminds us that God became incarnate as a man in history but also that it is extremely important that we attempt to maintain our hope in the promise of God to us through Jesus that He will be with us until the end of our days. Our Gospel reading for this weekend is a parable about a king giving a dinner party. He invites many, but none come to the party. He then has his servants go out into the countryside and invite any and all to come to his party. Those who were invited did not taste of the dinner that the king prepared for them.

We have been invited to partake in a celebration of God’s incarnation as a human. He has prepared a banquet for us during which we will receive, in exchange for our thanksgiving, an enriched life. Will we refuse the invitation because we think we have something better to do?

We have an opportunity to put real meaning into this coming holiday, which is really a holy day. Our modern society has distorted the meaning of this feast for the sake of making money. It was never meant to be a holiday! It is a holy day since it shares with us a truth which can only be know if we believe that God actually became a human in order to show us His love for us and to help us understanding the meaning and purpose of this earthly life.

How will you celebrate this holy day? Will it be a holiday or a truly holy day when you will discover the love God has for you? You will not discover God’s love in presents, a special dinner or special television programs that highlight the tradition of Santa Claus. You will only know the true meaning of Christmas if you worship God and thank Him for the gift of life.

I would exhort and encourage you to make this Christmas truly a holy day and not allow our society to influence the way that you spend the day. Gift-giving is nice but it is no substitute for thanking God for the gift of human life.

Jesus is the only gift worth receiving and giving!

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