Just as the first Christmas was marred by Herod's massacre of the Holy Innocents, so the world this Christmas is traumatized by violence, abortion, terrorism, and injustice. However, the Lord promises a time with no harm or ruin on His holy mountain – no aborted babies in garbage bags, no soldiers coming home in caskets, no traffic fatalities by drunk drivers, etc.
One day when we sing "Silent night, holy night...sleep in heavenly peace," it will really be true. The angels' chorus, "Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth" (see Lk 2:14), will be more than a heavenly echo; it will also be an earthly reality.
This peace will not be primarily due to diplomacy, security, "star wars" defense systems, armies, or police. It will happen because people of all nations will know the Lord as their personal Savior. When this knowledge of the Lord covers the earth as water covers the sea (Is 11:9), "the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them" (Is 11:6).
| PRAYER: | Spirit of the Lord, rest on me. Teach me to grasp and experience the length, breadth, height, and depth of Christ's love (Eph 3:18). |
| PROMISE: | "Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said: 'I offer You praise, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because what You have hidden from the learned and the clever You have revealed to the merest children." –Lk 10:21 |
| PRAISE: | Because of her strong faith, Elizabeth falls asleep each night with a heart filled with joy. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College