the feast of christmas
"You give them something to eat." —Mark 6:37
"Beloved, let us love one another because love is of God" (1 Jn 4:7). "The man without love has known nothing of God, for God is Love" (1 Jn 4:8). "Beloved, if God has loved us so, we must have the same love for one another" (1 Jn 4:11). Jesus said: "This is how all will know you for My disciples: your love for one another" (Jn 13:35). If we have not love, we are nothing (1 Cor 13:2).
Do you love Jesus? Then feed His sheep (Jn 21:17), physically and spiritually. Feed people with God's Word, for "not on bread alone is man to live but on every utterance that comes from the mouth of God" (Mt 4:4). "Teach them at great length" (Mk 6:34). Proclaim God's Word "in any and every way" (Phil 1:18), "whether convenient or inconvenient" (2 Tm 4:2). Do your best to feed people with the nourishment of God's Word. Even if your work seems inadequate, the Lord will multiply it to feed the masses (see Mk 6:41ff).
Christmas is a celebration, a feast. Feed the nourishment of God's Word to those who are spiritually starving. Give to others the Word of life, the Bread of Life (Jn 6:35), the Christ of Christmas.
Prayer: Father, may the Christmas cards, greetings, celebrations, and presents I give to others be spiritually nourishing.
Promise: "Love, then, consists in this: not that we have loved God but that He has loved us and has sent His Son as an Offering for our sins." —1 Jn 4:10
Praise: St. André, orphaned at the age of twelve, developed a lifelong devotion to St. Joseph, the foster-father of Jesus. He consistently attributed the many miracles and healings he worked to the intercession of St. Joseph.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our book, How to Teach the Bible in the Holy Spirit.)
Rescript: †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, June 30, 2014
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