And so this is Christmas...

John Lennon may have thought he had summed up the mystery of Christmas in his hit single going by the same title as this blog post but I would suggest the soon to be canonized Mother Teresa had a deeper insight into it all.

Love came to us that we might come to love. To love others. To love God. To love with the strength of God's own Heart pounding within us.  Love goes out and then it brings in. It seeks the unloved and makes them loved. It welcomes the unloved by loving them. The Son of God (Love in the Flesh) seeks us, finds us, then invites us to become love.

Living love... How will you change this Christmas? The Lord is offering you His Heart. Will you take it? Or will you keep yours, unwilling to give it away in love?

Give yourself away to Love this Christmas and you will find yourself this Christmas.

"For it is only in the sincere gift of self that man truly finds himself." - Second Vatican Council

Let love win this Christmas. Let God (Who is Love) win your heart and you will begin to win hearts for Love. Live Christmas today... and ever day.

Merry Christmas!

Final Moments - Love Mercy

What would you have done better this Advent? Take that and bring it into the Christmas season.

"Ok, Lord.. please bring a greater good out of my negligence and weakness."

His mercy is glorified when it is called upon and that is why Divine Mercy took flesh; to be called upon.

"Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved" as the Scripture says.

As we are beginning the journey of this Year of Mercy we ought to call upon Mercy.  Ask Mercy Himself to do everything for you which you yourself cannot do.  Realize, too, that what we cannot do is... everything.

"Apart from Me you can do nothing" Jesus says in John's Gospel.

Are you trying to do something apart from the Lord? Know that, if this is the case, it won't bear fruit. At least, not any kind of healthy, spiritually nutritious fruit for you or anyone else. However, if you bring all you do to the Lord then Mercy will make you a true disciple who bears much fruit.

The Tree of Life is beginning to blossom the fruit of the Savior; the Savior Himself.  The Tree of Life  is the source of Mercy for us.  Bloom where you are planted. Root yourself in Mercy this Christmas.

"For we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)

Love Him.  Love Mercy. All will be well because all will be His when we give all to Him.  Become a gift of self to Mercy this Christmas.  Give yourself over.  Love Mercy.

"Seek justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8)

Merry Christmas!

Stop and Check Yourself

With only a few days left until Christmas it is good to stop and check yourself.  Where is your heart at? Where does Christ want your heart to be?  It can be as simple as that.  

We can check ourselves anytime.  Where am I at?  Where does the Lord want me to be? What is He trying to say/communicate to me? Does He have a grace which I am resisting? Why am I resisting?

So in these final days before Christmas let's make the final preparations in our hearts.  

Where are you at? Where do you need to be to receive what He is offering?

How's the Final Prep Going?

There is still time this Advent to surprise the Lord with a gift.

You can still make some special preparation for Christmas in your life.  You can still make room for Christ in your heart.  You can increase the space within your spirit.  There is still time.

There is, too, still time for the Lord to surprise you.  Are you open to His gift?  What will He give you? What does He desire to give you?  

The Lord desires always to give us His grace.  What grace is He laboring to offer to you in these final days of Advent?

In anticipating the gift of Christmas itself we must first pave the way by receiving His Advent gift.  If you have been slow of heart to receive His Advent gift then take heart! There is still time to receive.  

Come before the Lord in these final moments of preparation and ask Him what He desires you to receive from His loving, merciful heart.

What grace has He prepared for you at the outset of this Year of Mercy?  Will you say yes?

He certainly desires you to. Do say yes.  He has exactly what you want.  It is what you need.