Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent
December 19, 2007
"An angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, 'Though you are barren and have no children, yet you will conceive and bear a son.'"
- Judges 13:3

The whole season of Advent is one of waiting and longing for the Coming of our Savior. Through the consent of the Blessed Virgin Mary, God became human in the baby Jesus. Thus our longing and waiting for the one to save us from sin comes to us in Jesus, God with us! In Jesus, we hopeless sinners find boundless hope! We get to see, converse with, and embrace God face to face. How could God our Savior more fully and personally be revealed then becoming one like us?

Well, you might say that is great, Fr. John, but that was 2,000 years ago. He is long dead and gone from the earth. How would I ever see him face to face now? The answer is that the incarnation must continue in you and me. Jesus needs to be born through our bodies.

Consider, pray over and be challenged to live Romans 10:14-15:

"But how shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe if they have not heard of him? And how can they hear unless there is someone to preach? And how can men preach unless they are sent? Scripture says, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who announce good news!' "

The Good News was born for us to be born through us so that every human heart could come face to face with our Savior. The incarnation continues by us bearing Jesus to the world. We give people the opportunity to see Jesus face to face by preaching with our lives and words that the Savior of all wants to save all. Or we do not preach, we do not continue our call to incarnate, and we deny others salvation. Woe!

It was through the consent of the Blessed Virgin Mary that Jesus was born into history for the first time. But Jesus needs to be born in our history, through our bodies. Obviously, so much of this hinges on our consent. Either we can keep bearing Jesus to the world by the way we live, speak and pray or we say "no" to his being born through us and deny sinners the hope of eternal life.

"How beautiful the feet of those who announce Good News!" Be beautiful and let the whole world shake because of this Good News! People can't hear unless you preach! You are sent to continue the incarnation of bearing Jesus through your body. Give our Savior full consent to save through you.

We are infinitely blessed!

+ Fr. John