LETTING GOD ENTER THROUGH PRAYER - 12/20/22 (Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent)

Luke 1:26–29

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122022.cfm

Blessed Tuesday! 5 days to go, and it's already Christmas. How is our preparation? For some of us, we may have already bought the food and gifts for the whole family. Meanwhile, some already decided the place where they would go for vacation. At the same time, God is reminding us that although these things are not wrong, the most important factor in our preparation for Christmas should be our prayer life. How is our prayer life for this Advent season? God entered into His creation through the sign of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It's through her that Jesus was conceived and that our Lord was born. As we prepare for Christmas, God is inviting us to allow Him to enter into our hearts and form a deeper union with Him. In our gospel reading, the Blessed Virgin Mary is our model for prayer. She's just a young woman, but what stood out to her was her strong prayer life. Of all God's creation and people, she had the deepest interior life because she's "full of grace." She was so aware of God's presence, due to her prayer life, that she immediately recognized the inspiration from God through St. Gabriel. The Blessed Virgin Mary pondered the greetings of the angel. This act of pondering is something we should imitate. For us to be more aware of God's plan for us, we should always reflect on the events in our lives and the message of our Lord for us. 

St. Zechariah, who was righteous before God, doubted a little bit of the message of the angel. This is directly in contrast with the Blessed Virgin Mary who asked a question to St. Gabriel, not because of her doubts, but because of her desire to meditate on the truths about God and the mystery of Incarnation. Some people think that they should not question things. Though it's true that we should not question the things around us in terms of having doubts, it's important and pleasing to God for us to ask questions with the intention of knowing God's will. For example, even if we sin, it's essential that we choose to turn back to God and ask Him the reasons why we committed our sins. By knowing the root reasons behind them, we can be able to reject the occasions of sins and future temptations by God's grace. When we experience sufferings in our lives, we can reflect on the sufferings and Christ and ponder on how God can transform our sufferings for us to be more like Christ and be able to love God and our neighbors with pure intentions. At the last section of the gospel reading, we see the Blessed Virgin Mary abandoning herself completely to God's will. No matter what happens in our life, even if we are no longer certain of the future ahead of us, let's have the confidence that God is in control of everything. As we prepare for Christmas, let's remember that we can only allow God to fully enter into our hearts and change us if we always say "yes" to God's will. Through prayer, God will free us from the darkness of our sins, and we will be filled by His graces and mercy. 

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic

Examination of Conscience and Guide to Sacrament of Confession:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

Ultimate Catholic Parents Guide:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ls6IcexZAls

Summary and Defense of Catholic Teachings:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth