what child is this?
"Hark! Your watchmen raise a cry, together they shout for joy, for they see directly, before their eyes, the Lord restoring Zion." —Isaiah 52:8
"Mary" Christmas! Alleluia! Christ our Savior is born. On this Christmas morn many throughout the world have almost nothing and live in abject poverty. They live in conditions similar to the first Christmas. There is no room for them in the inn (Lk 2:7). Yet there is room for all of us in the kingdom of the Christ-Child. We may be rejected by man and despised by the world, but no one who comes to Jesus will He ever reject (Jn 6:37).
"O come all ye faithful...O come let us adore Him." "The grace of God has appeared, offering salvation to all" (Ti 2:11). "When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us; not because of any righteous deeds we had done, but because of His mercy" (Ti 3:4-5).
Come to Jesus. Receive salvation. "You who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come" (Is 55:1). Come to Jesus, "all you who are weary and find life burdensome" (Mt 11:28), and He will refresh you. Come "to Bethlehem and see this event" (Lk 2:15). "This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing. Praise, praise, and give Him laud, the Babe, the Son of Mary."
Prayer: Jesus, on this Christmas Day, I come to You. I repent of my sins and give You the Christmas present of my life. I accept You as my Lord and Savior.
Promise: "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us, and we have seen His glory: the glory of an only Son coming from the Father, filled with enduring love." —Jn 1:14
Praise: Praise You, Jesus, Son of God, for becoming a human being like us in everything but sin. Thank You, Jesus! Alleluia!
Rescript: †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, June 17, 2013
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