Lamp of Faith

   This week’s Gospel, Luke 2:41-52, gives us a glimpse into Jesus’ early life as a 12-year-old in Jerusalem. His parents, Mary and Joseph, accidentally left Him behind after the Passover celebration, assuming He was traveling with their group. After a day of travel, they realized He wasn’t with them and returned to Jerusalem, searching anxiously. They found Him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening, and asking questions. Everyone was amazed at His wisdom and understanding. When Mary and Joseph asked why He hadn’t left with them, Jesus replied, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” While His parents didn’t fully understand His words they took Him home to Nazareth, where He grew in wisdom and grace. The faith to raise Jesus even with the uncertainty of how his life was going to unfold is what I find so remarkable. 

    Reflecting on this Gospel, I see how even Mary and Joseph had to trust the Lord’s plan, even when it didn’t make sense to them. They knew Jesus was the Messiah, but they likely wrestled with fears, doubts, and unanswered questions. How often do we face similar moments in our lives—times when we have all the information we need, yet we lack the wisdom to piece it together? Have you ever tried to rush a process, ignored warnings or red flags, and pushed ahead, only to face disappointment? Have you taken shortcuts, hoping for faster results, only to see things fall apart? These moments remind me that things happen in God’s time, not ours. When we try to force things instead of patiently trusting God, the outcome is often less than ideal.
Mary’s response in this Gospel is a powerful example for us. She didn’t completely understand what Jesus was doing in the temple, but she paid attention, kept her faith, and trusted the Lord.  When she left the temple she “treasured these things in her heart” She knew that gos had plan for Jesus. As parents, trusting God with our children can be incredibly difficult. How easy is it to let go and believe that God has a plan for them, especially when we want to control the outcome? Mary shows us what it means to surrender to God’s will, even when the path is unclear.

    Throughout my life, I’ve found that the backbone of my relationship with God is faith—the faith to accept that I won’t understand everything and that’s okay, the faith to get back up after stumbling, knowing my strength comes from Him. Without faith, it’s like walking through life blindfolded—tripping, bumping into obstacles, and feeling consumed by fear and anxiety. Faith in the Lord acts as a lamp, bringing clarity, confidence, and freedom from darkness. Like Mary and Joseph, we are called to trust in God’s timing and patiently wait for what He has planned, knowing He holds the map. Let us remember to keep our lamps of faith lit as we journey on His path.

-anonymous

Joy and Belief

The Gospel reading for today is Luke 1:39-45.  It is the story of Mary visiting Elizabeth when each were pregnant. Of course, Mary was pregnant with Jesus and Elizabeth with John the Baptist.  At Mary;s greeting to Elizabeth, the fetal John leapt with joy.

Joy.  It is not momentary happiness; rather, it is the enduring belief in God's promise of a better world.  In a way, joy and belief are synonymous.  If we can believe in God's promise, and can hold onto that belief, we find joy.  Easy to say, but very, very hard to do.  At least for me.

I pray a prayer each day that talks about being saturated with God's presence, love, joy, and peace.  I hope that I am so saturated with these gifts from God that they flow back out to everyone I meet.  

But please allow a brief minute for me to explain what I think each of these gifts are.  Presence: being there for someone - just being there.  Love: engaging in acts of service and caring.  Joy: belief in God's promise.  Peace: the state of relief and equanimity that comes when we have joy.

May God bless all of you, and all of His people.

- The Older Brother  

    

 

Luke 3: 10-18

Third Sunday of Advent

 

Good News for Many, but Not for All

O’ Lord, You are the fountain of salvation and King of Israel who will return to restore the earth with a baptism of fire.

Lord, You are the essence of Good News that will bring joy and reward to many, but not all.

Praise the Divine Appointment!

O’ Lord, help us to actively listen to the Good News and take it to the street, proclaiming charity and repentance to all.

Lord, teach us to grow in righteous humility that contradicts man’s arrogance and desire to build bigger barns.

Glory to the Defender of Truth!

O’ Lord, You are the awesome bearer of Good News that will transform the lives of many who have lived with indifference.

Lord, Your baptism of fire will be like the smelting of metal from its ore with many being purged of impurity.

Praise to the Embers of Love!

O’ Lord, ignite a fire in our hearts that will exemplify the Good News of salvation and transform the face of the earth.

Lord, You remain the eternal spring of liberation who is on the return to free us from a tyranny long endured.

Glory to The Bearer of Good News!

The Pilgrim

 

A voice of one crying out in the desert:

 

One of the most iconic passages in Scriptures:

“Prepare the way of the Lord,

make straight his paths.

Every valley shall be filled

and every mountain and hill shall be made low.

The winding roads shall be made straight,

and the rough ways made smooth,

and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

This passage, although it's written in the Gospel of Luke, is quoted from Isaiah. How Awesome is our God that He should let us know what He is doing centuries before, and then send us a witness at the appointed time to say "This is it. This is what Isaiah spoke about. He is here!"  

And how do we make straight his paths? I wish I knew the answers, but I suspect it has a lot to do with what paths we choose to walk in life. I think that when we walk along paths that are straight, when we do good and spread good will to others, THEN we are making paths straight for the Lord. Our Lord who chooses to  come to others through us and through our actions. He gives us a share in His mission as Priest, Prophet, and King to aid in the salvation of our fellow man.

This season of Advent, as never before, let us prepare the way of the Lord!

                           +Theophilus