JESUS IS BORN TO REDEEM US ON THE CROSS

THE PROMISED REDEEMER IS BORN PRIEST AND VICTIM

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL MY STUDENTS AND FRIENDS  AND VISITORS IN THE CATECHISM CLASSES.  MAY JESUS IN HIS MANGER FILL US ALL WITH THE FULLNESS OF HIS PRIESTHOOD.

 1)-CHRISTMAS CELEBRATES GOD WHO RECONCILES HIMSELF WITH THE LOST HUMANITY.  GREAT HAPPINESS BECAUSE OUR REDEEMER HAS ARRIVED, HE IS WITH US.

WE CELEBRATE OUR LIBERATION FROM THE YOKE OF SANTAN TO LIVE IN THE FREEDOM OF GOD THE FATHER’S CHILDREN.  GOD THE FATHER PROMISED US OUR REDEEMER.

2)-OUR REDEEMER IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY TO REPAIR THE OFFENSE OUR FIRST PARENTS CAUSED TO THE HEART OF GOD WHEN THE REFUSED TO WORSHIP GOD.

JOHN PAUL II CLARIFIES FOR US THE ABSOLUTE NECESITY IN HIS ENCYCLICAL “THE REDEEMER OF MAN” #9.  May we read the Holy Father:         

“As we reflect again on this stupendous text from the Council's teaching, we do not forget even for a moment that Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, become our reconciliation with the Father. He it was, and he alone, who satisfied the Father's eternal love, that fatherhood that from the beginning found expression in creating the world, giving man all the riches of creation, and making him "little less than God," in that he was created "in the image and after the likeness of God". He and he alone also satisfied that fatherhood of God and that love which man in a way rejected by breaking the first Covenant.”

3)-CHRISTMAS CELEBRATES JESUS WHO BECOMES OUR JUSTICE BEFORE GOD THE FATHER; WE CELEBRATE THE REDEMPTION OF THE WORLD IN THE MYSTERY OF INCARNATION.  THE HOLY FATHER TEACHES US THIS DOCTRINE IN HIS #9:

“The redemption of the world-this tremendous mystery of love in which creation is renewed - is, at its deepest root, the fullness of justice in a human Heart - the Heart of the First-born Son - in order that it may become justice in the hearts of many human beings, predestined from eternity in the Firstborn Son to be children of God and called to grace, called to love.”

4)-CHRISTMAS CELEBRATES ALSO THE FATHERHOOD OF GOD THE FATHER IN HIS SON JESUS WHO WAS BORN TO SUFFER CRUCIFIXION TO PAY OFF OUR DEBT.  May we read John Paul II in his  #9:

“The Cross on Calvary, through which Jesus Christ-a Man, the Son of the Virgin Mary, thought to be the son of Joseph of Nazareth-"leaves" this world, is also a fresh manifestation of the eternal fatherhood of God, who in him draws near again to humanity, to each human being, giving him the thrice holy "Spirit of truth.”

5)-CHRISTMAS CELEBRATES THE BIRTH OF OUR REDEEMER BECAUSE GOD IS FAITHFUL TO HIS WORD, FAITHFUL TO MAN, THUS TEACHES THE POPE.  Let us read  the Holy Father in #9:

 “This revelation of the Father and outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which stamp an indelible seal on the mystery of the Redemption, explain the meaning of the Cross and death of Christ. The God of creation is revealed as the God of redemption, as the God who is "faithful to himself," and faithful to his love for man and the world, which he revealed on the day of creation. His is a love that does not draw back before anything that justice requires in him.”

6)-WE CAN CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS THE BIRTH OF CHRIST IN A WORLD WHICH REJECTS GOD.  BENEDICT XVI TEACHES US NEVER TO HESITATE AND NEVER TO GIVE UP BEFORE THE ENEMIES OF THE FAITH.  May we read the Holy Father from his audience 28 november 2012:

“In our continuing catechesis for the Year of Faith, we now consider the question of how we are to speak about God to our contemporaries, communicating the Christian faith as a response to the deepest longings of the human heart. This means bringing the God of Jesus Christ to the men and women of our time. It means bearing quiet and humble witness each day to the core of the Gospel message. This is the Good News of the God who is Love, who has drawn near to us in Jesus Christ even to the Cross, and who in the Resurrection brings us the hope and promise of eternal life. Jesus gave us an example: by his loving concern for people’s questions, struggles and needs, he led them to the Father. In the task of bringing God to our contemporaries, families play a privileged role, for in them the life of faith is lived daily in joy, dialogue, forgiveness and love. The God of Jesus Christ has revealed our grandeur as persons redeemed by love and called, in the Church, to renew the city of man, so that it can become the city of God.”

7)-DURING THIS YEAR OF FAITH, WE CELEBRATE A VERY SPECIAL BIRTHDAY FOR JESUS.  BENEDICT XVI HELPS US TO GO DEEPER INTO THIS SPECIAL BIRTHDAY OF JESUS.

Let us read the Holy Father from his audience 21 November 2012:

“Let us proceed in this Year of Faith bearing in our hearts the hope of finding all the joy there is in believing and of rediscovering the enthusiasm of communicating the truths of the faith to all. These truths are not a simple message about God, a particular piece of information on him. On the contrary they express the event of God’s encounter with human beings, a salvific and liberating encounter which fulfils the deepest aspirations of the human heart, the yearning for peace, brotherhood and love. Faith leads to the discovery that the meeting with God enhances, perfects and exalts all that is true, good and beautiful that exists in man. So it happens that while God reveals himself and lets himself be known, man comes to realize who God is and in knowing him, discovers himself, his true origin, his destiny, the greatness and dignity of human life.”

8)-CHRISTMAS THE BIRTHDAY OF JESUS IS A UNIQUE EVENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD.   WE CELEBRATE GOD THE FATHER WHO VENTURES TO GIVE  HIS ONLY SON TO A DESPARATE MANKIND.  

 May we read the Holy Father from his audience:

“Faith makes possible authentic knowledge about God which involves the whole human person: it is a “sapere”, that is, a knowledge which gives life a savour, a new taste, a joyful way of being in the world. Faith is expressed in the gift of self for others, in brotherhood which creates solidarity, the ability to love, overcoming the loneliness that brings sadness. Thus this knowledge of God through faith is not only intellectual but also vital. It is the knowledge of God-Love, thanks to his own love. The love of God, moreover, makes us see, opens our eyes, enables us to know the whole of reality, in addition to the narrow views of individualism and subjectivism that confuse consciences. Knowledge of God is therefore an experience of faith and at the same time entails an intellectual and moral development; moved in our depths by the Spirit of Jesus within us, we go beyond the horizons of our own selfishness and open ourselves to the true values of existence.”

May God the Father bless us on this Christmas Day with the gift of the Birthday of Jesus in our hearts to Foster THE YEAR OF FAITH in our homes, parishes, in our world so at enmity with God.  The professor.