From Christmas to the Cross

Today we celebrated The Epiphany, when the Magi encountered God incarnate and they prostrated themselves before Him. And when they left, they went by a different way. Their lives had been changed (and they didn’t want King Herod to kill them for not giving up any intel : )

They brought Jesus gifts, but received The Perfect Gift!

This weekend I went to Church at a neighboring Catholic Church to help volunteer with fellowship after Mass.

They have a large Nativity, big enough to surround the altar table! Behind the Altar is the Crucifix (Jesus depicted on the Cross). My mind reflected upon the title of this devotional that I’ve been doing with a Protestant co-worker titled, “Christmas and the Cross.”

There, was Jesus swaddled in a wooden manger. Later, Jesus would give of His life on the wood of the Cross.

I’m also reminded of the wood that Isaac carried to the mountain where Abraham was to Sacrifice his only son. But, when the Angel of the Lord stopped him, God provided him a lamb stuck in the thicket, a foreshadowing of Christ our Lamb, with thorns pressed upon His head. And like Isaac, obedient and trusting of his father, Jesus would carry the wood to Calvary where He becomes the Sacrifice that “God will provide” (Genesis 22:7-8) and indeed He has! And humbled are we, this “once and for many” Sacrifice is made present to us in the Sacrifice of the Mass (which we call Eucharist, meaning “thanksgiving”).

Last Sunday my Family and I attended the morning Liturgy at St. Joseph Catholic Church (our sister Parish). I like the evening Mass at St. Ann, but one of the things I love about attending St. Joseph at 10:30 AM is the stained glass windows behind the altar. The first scene is the Angel Gabriel appearing to Mary. The next large window is of the Nativity. And the third window is a beautiful depiction of Christ on the Cross.

What is amazing is how the sun naturally illuminates the Nativity glass at the start of the Mass and as the sacred Liturgy climaxes to Christ’s sacrifice, the sunlight is perfectly shining through the panes depicting the very moment in Salvation history that we are celebrating right then. It is really neat!

We usually don’t put baby Jesus in the manger in our home until Christmas morning. So he is always “missing” during the season of Advent, where we prepare our hearts for His arrival, but that does not mean Jesus was not present in my life during Advent, He absolutely was! I love Advent. My relationship with our Lord grows stronger as I re-realize how blessed I am and how much I need The Savior.

Heavenly Father, thank You so much for Your Son in our lives. Without Him, I don’t know where I would be. I don’t know what my Family situation would look like. I don’t know what I might be addicted to. What types of Friends I would have. I wonder so many things had You not entered into this world, humble, yet mighty.

We admit in the Sacred Liturgy that we are indeed in need of The Savior:

I confess to almighty God

and to you, my brothers and sisters,

that I have greatly sinned,

in my thoughts and in my words,

in what I have done

and in what I have failed to do,

through my fault, through my fault,

through my most grievous fault…

I would say that my biggest sin is the sin of pride. I have a high self-perception of myself. I like myself. But, I am not above God. I know that I need Him and that I am a sinner.

Jesus makes us better persons; “through Him, with Him, and in Him” (words from The Great Doxology) and “all glory and honor” are His!

Fun Fact: The word “doxology” comes from the Greek words “doxa,” which means praise and “logos,” which means words.

As this Christmas Season comes to a close and the Season of Lent will soon be upon us, let us reflect on how much God loves us, that He would give of His only begotten Son, Jesus, a Sacrifice and atonement for our sins, so that in Him, we might live and be granted eternal life; where no greater love is found. Amen ♱

1 Like

Peace to all,

Beautiful, I enjoyed reading, thanks again and to me Jesus existed before creation was ever created was even created proving Jesus is God logically but who needs proof, for through faith we believe. God from heaven became to mankind on earth through Jesus. Perhaps in 0 AD (Anno Domini, Latin for the beginning of church time) is when the mind of fulfilled creation came to earth in the Body of the First Christ on earth. The Ark of the New Covenant is united to earth to me, by the Immacuklate Conception and The First Person becoming the mind of Creation and in the Will of the Father through Mary, Woman on Earth becomes from God in Heaven in the New Eve, sanctified becoming immortality and incorrupotibility, the First Christ on earth, in 0AD when the Queen of Heaven said, “Let not my will but Your Will be done.”

To me this fulfills the Co-Redemptive of Mary, God of Mercy and Jesus, God of Justice through the powers of the universe from the spirit through the soul for the flesh, the Body of Christ in all to become again as one in being.

Romans 11:36
36 For from him and through him and for Mary are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

The Epiphany of the Immaculate Conception, 0 AD

Peace always,
Stephen

Thank you for clarifying this. Yes, we believe that Jesus has existed since the beginning of time or even before time existed rather. You bring up other things to ponder that I’m not sure that I agree with or that I quite understand what you mean.

Peace to all,

Thanks for your great information you share with all, Cade_One

To me the infallible certainty in the “RI” real intelligence in the universe is the fulfilled inteligence logic that never fails and fulfilled creation will have not the choice to love or not but only the choice to love only with only the most love.

True and to me, Jesus pre-existed in intelligence logic as the Eternal priestly authority of Spirit and life in the Word as The Son of Man in Heaven and The Christ on Earth and God of Justice from the mind of Creation and the Will of Father through the flesh of Jesus, for all, and to me, Mary pre-existed before creation as Queen of Heaven. God of Mercy, God of Transformation through the Immaculate Conception for all becoming again, glorified and transfigured.

Trust, but verify what we hear and or see, I always say,

Peace always,
Stephen

Very humbling to say your sin is pride. Very hard to admit as a christian! And i think veryhard to realize in yourself.