Reconcile with God!
December 23, 2020
St. John of Kanty
Christmas Novena Day 9
Dear Family of Mary!
“…Reconcile with God, little children, and you will see miracles around you…” (11/25/20)
This is the last day of our Christmas Novena. Our final sentence in the November 25, 2020 message gives us a way to enter into Christmas!
The word “reconcile” is beautiful. It means “to restore to friendship or harmony” or “to settle differences.” In human relationships it can be a difficult project to complete. Once two people have had a falling about something, it can be very hard for them to forgive one another and return to being friends as before. And if one person has betrayed another, it is rare that the relationship can be mended. But there is much joy when the two who are estranged find their way back into trust and harmony.
Even more so, it is a beautiful thing when reconciliation occurs between God and one of His human children. Indeed, the stories of such reconciliations can be found throughout the Bible. Adam and Eve were estranged from God in the Garden, but in Genesis chapter 3, God promised a way back for them. David served the Lord, but in later life sinned gravely, yet David repented in humility and God accepted him back. Job questioned the Lord in his suffering, but God showed Job the truth, and their relationship was healed. And Peter denied the Lord on Good Friday, but after the Resurrection, Jesus brought Peter back into His friendship by the words, “Peter, do you love me?” It seems that God is always ready to reconcile with us. We are the ones who find it hard to bridge the gap when we have sinned.
The is why Our Lady calls us to reconcile with God right now, before Christmas. She knows that we have a really hard time being honest with ourselves and seeing exactly what we have done to become estranged from God. But all we have to do is take some time to talk to the Lord about it. He will show us. In what ways have I broken trust with the Lord? How have I forgotten Him? How have I lost my connection to the Lord? Am I praying and speaking to Him? Am I looking for Him in everyday life? Am I thinking of Him and including Him in my decisions? These questions may help. We know what issue has driven a wedge between us and God. That is where we should start in reconciling.
If we succeed in finding our way back to the Lord (Confession is the way to do it), we will enter into the Christmas season with such joy!! And I think we will see miracles all around us!! Because when we walk as one with the Lord, He can do miracles around us. Imagine walking with Jesus as the disciples did, and seeing the blind given their sight, the lame walking, the deaf hearing, the lepers cleansed, the dead raised!!! Just by walking with Jesus, you would see miracles all around you.
It is the same today. When we are reconciled with Jesus, we walk with Him, and we see all the miracles He is doing. We are just walking with Him, and He is doing miracles! Let’s run to be reconciled with our Lord!
Let us pray:
Dearest Baby Jesus. I love You. I can’t take our eyes off of You. I long for You. And I pray to You, please come and be born in my heart today. And I say to You: I give you permission to be born in my heart right now, today. I give you permission to use my poor stable of a heart as your birthplace. I open the doors of my stable/heart, and I say to You, come! Come with Your Mother, Mary, and with Your foster father, Joseph, and find in my heart, a place to rest and be born. I welcome You with wonder and awe. And I love You with all of my strength. Come and take over my stable of a heart. It is Yours forever. Amen.
In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2020
P.S. This is the last day the parish of Medjugorje will climb Apparition Hill for the Novena! Mary TV has streamed this event, live, each day, at 2:00 pm Medjugorje time. You can view the videos at https://marytv.tv/2020-christmas-novena/
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