Luke 1:39-45
Mary set out in those days and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."
Dawg's thought:
Today's prayer intention is for those who have lost loved ones this past year.
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Through Thy most divine life, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
Through Thy poverty, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
Through Thy many sufferings, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
Through Thy labors and travels, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
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I apologize for not sending a reading out yesterday, but we had a pretty tight deadline that we needed to meet at work. I'm bummed because I missed the reading on Mary's Fiat.
On Friday night, my girlfriend's daughter was dancing to the music of a live band that was playing outdoors. There were some other kids that were dancing around, just letting loose and not worrying about what other people thought. As I watched my girlfriend's daughter dance around, I looked at her with awe because she was able to shed any of her fears and dance.
St. John the Baptist, before he could even walk, leapt in the womb of Elizabeth before he could even walk. He knew that he was in the presence of Our Lord and he could not contain his joy and excitement.
Unfortunately for us, we've all grown up. We've all learned what it means to be "grown up" and that excludes dancing for joy. In today's society, even our own "grown up" ways of displaying our faith has come into attack. We've grown up so much that we have become afraid of what other people think of us. We've become so self-centered that we forgot that it's okay to use our own bodies to proclaim the greatness of God. There are many who were not so self-centered and didn't care what other people think. These people used their bodies to proclaim the goodness of Our Lord. They are called martyrs, and the infant in today's reading that leaps for joy will one day give his life testifying to Our Lord.
Fear not, brothers and sisters. Don't be afraid to rejoice in Our Lord. Don't be afraid to love Our Lord. Don't be afraid to give your life for Our Lord. Take care and God Bless.
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