“THE GRACE OF GOD UPON YOU”
Saint Luke 2: 33-40
The Sunday after Christmas: 28 December Anno Domini 2014
Father Jay Watson SSP
Today is the Sunday after The Christ Mass. Today is also Holy Innocents Day. “Old Adam” tries to ignore both days. Sinful man, sinful Christians, have moved on from stables, evergreens, presents for immediate family, and is already planning useless “new years’ resolutions” with synergistic swinishness. Repent.
Repent of your lack of reverent piety. It is still the octave—the church season—of Christmas until the vigil of Epiphany on January 5th. Breathe in Holy Scripture, the Word of The Lord, and let the Blessed Holy Family—Saint Joseph and The Blessed Virgin guide you in “marveling at those things which were spoken of Him.”
Mary and Joseph knew what Arch Angel Gabriel had said; what the Host of Sabaoth had sung over the Judean fields—what had been Gospelled to them by the shepherds (and what you sang on The Feast of The Nativity Thursday in the Gloria in Excelsis)…and so do you; IF you receive The Word. Repent of your carnal and profane worldliness and read, mark, learn and inwardly digest Sacred Writ. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear”
Our Holy Family also hears this morning Saint Anna and Saint Simeon: “Behold this Child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken against.”
Since Adam fell, jumped into the manure of “self” man has been falling. You fall daily to ego and to the worlds allurements. In today’s sorry decaying world unborn babies fall under the knife, the suction devices, and chemically poisonous abortifacients. Herod had a satanically evil reason for slaughtering the young boys of Bethlehem. But the reasons today for the holocaust, which has piled up corpses since 1973, are every bit, if not more so, monstrous. That King sought personal tyranny and continued monarchy. Today, killers butcher for “choice,” comfort, life-style, and filthy lucre. Pray for the deceived and misguided who are lured by the same serpent lie “you can be like gods.” Comfort all the “Rachel’s” who are weeping for their children which are not more. And follow the blood. The blood Christ shed on His own 8th day atoned for and covered the boys of Bethlehem making them indeed Holy + Innocents, confirmed from before time and sealed in His own Old Testament sacrament of Circumcision. They now wait secure for the resurrection of all flesh. The “sign which shall be spoken against”—which is spoken against and persecuted—is Jesus’ sign of The Holy Cross—His Body and Blood given as a ransom for sin and all sinners.
Christmas is not for wimps. A soft easy life is that which is craved by the heathen and the fallen nature even in Jesus’ family members. Blood is the antidote when it’s the Blood of The Lamb.
The swords which pierced the young hearts of the boys under two years of age, which pierce all the little ones in-utero, have been turned into glorious palms of peace and rest by the Sword of the Spirit, the Holy Ghost, giving you the Jesus who had the sword—the nails, thorns, whip, and spear—pierce Him unto suffering and death.
You experience a lot of suffering and pain as human beings. Yes. Everyone does and will. But as disciples of The Lord you also experience a cruciform life—suffering for the faith like Saint Stephen proto-martyr, Saint John, and the Holy Innocents. Our Holy Mother Saint Mary, the icon of the Church, experienced a pain which no mother should ever have to endure—made even more profound and poignant because she had known from the beginning that her beloved Son was the Son of God, was God! From cradling The Lord in the stable to cradling His lifeless Body when Nicodemus and Joseph removed it from the cross, her life, your life, our life is always under that cross and covered in that precious Body.
The Body that is alive and now forever glorious.
Jesus revealed His heart in her womb, in her arms at the crèche, and on the true Christ Mass tree of Calvary. Jesus reveals His heart for you today and places His Blood into your broken hearts filling you with wisdom and grace. Jesus rose…is risen…and lifts you up from the grave or sorrow and one day dirt!
In the Name of The Father and of + The Son and of The Holy Ghost
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