is it christmas yet?
"The kingdom of heaven is at hand." —Matthew 10:7
When the Messiah, the Christ, comes:
- "No more will you weep" (Is 30:19).
- Our prayers will be answered quickly (Is 30:19).
- The Lord will meet our needs (Is 30:20).
- The Lord, our Teacher, will give us practical direction for our lives (Is 30:20-21).
- We will prosper (see Is 30:23ff).
- We will live in a supernatural light (Is 30:26).
- The Lord will bind up our wounds and heal us (Is 30:26).
Partly because these messianic promises do not seem fulfilled, conservative Jews believe that the Messiah, the Christ, has not yet come and therefore the true Christmas has not yet come. Christians believe that these promises and many more have been fulfilled in the Incarnation, death, and resurrection of God Himself. We Christians admit that the new, abundant life given us by Jesus (Jn 10:10) has not been fully accepted because of our sins. However, this does not mean that the Lord has not fulfilled these messianic promises (see Jos 23:14).
This Christmas, let us repent of sin and receive His messianic promises. Thereby we show that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, and that Christmas is real.
Prayer: Father, by my total commitment to Christ, make my life a Christmas present to all I meet.
Promise: Jesus "said to His disciples, 'The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the Master of the harvest to send out laborers for His harvest.' " —Mt 9:37-38
Praise: St. Ambrose proclaimed: "The Church's foundation is unshakable and firm against the assaults of the raging sea."
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our tape on Jesus the Redeemer on audio AV 50-3 or video V-50.)
Nihil Obstat: Reverend David L. Zink, June 12, 2002
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, June 13, 2002