+ As we draw close to Christmas, the church gives us twostories of births to barren women.
From sterility comes abundant blessing. In both cases there is an angelic visitation and announcement. In both cases the recipient of the message from the angel expresses fear.
This one will involve a cross, a passion and a rejection, and in that will be found the grace of forgiveness and love — a cross of love!
The deliverance ultimately is a redemption and it is, to this very day, the outcome of the divine and human expression of God’s eternal love in the person of Jesus Christ the anointed one.
+ This, the first of the two greatest feasts of the year (incarnation — birth; and redemption — death and resurrection), is ushered in through a series of angelic events that clearly say something extraordinary is happening.
A birth beyond all births that have ever been is about to be realized in the great birth of Jesus the Christ.
Wonderfully rich scriptures pave the final days before this great feast of Christmas. With the words of Advent to prepare us, we are invited to stay alert, pay attention, open up, listen, watch, pray, and discover.
This is more than an angelic moment that comes upon us. This is a “God moment,” the moment from which has come salvation.
Father Perry D. Leiker is the 14th pastor of St. Bernard Catholic Church. Reach him at (323) 255-6142. Email Father Perry at pleiker@stbernard-church.com. Follow Father Perry on Twitter: @MrDeano76.
