We all occasionally desire a new beginning. Call it nostalgia for some good old times or the result of the "had I known" surge of regret for some bad decision or action! Is the patronage of the beauty and cosmetic industries not somehow driven by a longing for youthfulness, some sort of self-perpetuation? It is yes, in the nature of human beings to long for the dawn, for a fresh day after the night's. From the act of getting up from sleep, to the choice of having a shower, taking a retreat or doing a refresher course, man betrays the hope and craving for something new, fresh and different from what used to be.
All human efforts at renewal and rejuvenation can only touch a tiny part of creation. No one, no group, no force, not even the combined effort of all creatures can match God's own enormous power of regeneration which he signaled several times in Scripture. "But do not dwell on the past, or remember the things of old. Look I am doing anew thing: now it springs forth. Do you not see? I am opening up a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert" (Isaiah 43: 18-19). Who else but the Almighty could achieve that? After all, he created the entire world by His mere word. (Gen. 1 : 1-30, John 1:1-5) That word with the Holy Spirit caused the Incarnation. When the son of God became man, in spite of all the pain and sorrow, a whole new world was generated, and all history redesigned "before Christ" or "after Christ". The sheer poetry of the first chapter of John's gospel captures the mystery and magic of that new beginning.
Christmas (the birth of Emmanuel) must thus bring a real newness a transformation to the life of every Christian. Our association with Christ must achieve that purpose if we must be authentic. St. Paul proclaims this truth most eloquently: "For that same reason, the one who is in Christ is a new creature. For him the old things have passed away, a new world has come. All this is the work of God who in Christ reconciled us to himself, and who entrusted to us the ministry of reconciliation. Because in Christ God reconciled the world to himself, no longer taking into account their trespasses and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation" (2 Cor. 5 17- 19). This is the real transformation agenda. This is the indicator of our story with Christ the son of reconciliation. St. Paul urges us all: "Let God reconcile you; this we ask you in the name of Christ" (2 Cor. 5:20). That is what our world needs so much today. We can achieve it only if we descend to a new level of humility as God did in Jesus' incarnation.
Then a new man will indeed emerge and through us God will make all things new. Meanwhile, merry, merry Christmas to all.
I have been thinking a great deal about my experience at Reconciliation this past Saturday. I felt an intense and unexplainable urge to go and confess my sins when I woke up that morning. I try to go every six weeks or so, but this was no routine visit to the priest for me. I needed to unburden myself of the numerous venial sins I had committed since I last participated in this Sacrament.
Purest Gold: God's Refining Fire in our Lives »
After salvation, many young Christians wonder if there's anything more to their newfound faith than just the security blanket of "being a Christian." Time and time again, God shows himself as a "refiner," and our lives are as gold. God started leading me in this study to understand what He was doing in my life, as well as in the lives of others.
Picking up my pen to write this column, I couldn’t imagine how time flies. Since the last publication of this column I have gone through a lot, especially the loss of my dear mother to whom I dedicate this article. Not only her, but seems I lost a whole generation of my close family.
How to Achieve Business Excellence »
“Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before Kings; He will not stand before unknown men.” Proverbs 22:29
Spiritual Development for our Youth »
Most of us youth in today's fast moving world are easily thrown off by difficulties and worries.
The theme of conversion is a thread that runs all through Lent, but conversion takes on different aspects throughout the phases of Lent. The first two and a half weeks focused on the interior turning of hearts; the liturgy urges the faithful to reflect and examine consciences thoroughly.
Saint Josephine Bakhita »
Feast Day: February 8
Patron Saint Of: Sudan
Saint Josephine Margaret Bakhita was born around 1869 in the village of Olgossa in the Darfur region of Sudan. She was a member of the Daju people and her uncle was a tribal chief. Due to her family lineage, she grew up happy and relatively prosperous, saying that as a child, she did not know suffering.
Catholics Must Fast More Intensely This Lent»
The Norbertine Canons of St. Michael's Abbey have created this digital Lenten retreat so that you can journey through this holy season alongside them. If you want to have one of your best Lenten seasons yet, join us in our Lenten Program "The Great Fast" - https://theabbotscircle.com/the-great-fast-join
When Your Faith Is Put to the Test - Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon»
Friends, we come now to the Second Sunday of Lent, and we’re on both dangerous and very holy ground with the first reading from the twenty-second chapter of Genesis. The ancient Israelites referred to it as the “Akedah,” which means the “binding”: Abraham binds and is ready to sacrifice Isaac at God’s command.
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