Category: Prayers

Elizabeth “went into seclusion for five months.” –Luke 1:24 After conceiving St. John the Baptizer, Elizabeth went into seclusion. As her husband could not speak nor hear, it was undoubtedly a quiet period for her. When the Blessed Virgin Mary arrived in Elizabeth’s sixth month of pregnancy (Lk 1:36, 39), Elizabeth must have been overjoyed to have a companion with whom to share her holy joy, much less to have the mother of the Lord in her midst. Elizabeth’s husband Zechariah spent nine months in silence, reflecting in wonder at the gradual, visible growth of his son in his wife’s...

“Joseph…an upright man…” –Matthew 1:19 St. Joseph would have likely heard today’s first reading and psalm response at some point in his life. Perhaps he had even committed them to memory. Little did he suspect when he initially heard these passages proclaimed that he one day would be raising and rearing the King prophesied in these readings. Yet Joseph surely imitated and emulated the qualities attributed to this King, for the Gospel describes Joseph as a righteous man (Mt 1:19). In his home and in his personal life, Joseph lived this kingly righteousness and modeled it for his wife, Mary,...

“A family record of Jesus Christ…” –Matthew 1:1 Wait! Don’t skip the genealogy! Because we love the Lord, we can’t wait to learn more about Him. Here are a few things God reveals about Himself in St. Matthew’s genealogy: Jesus Christ is “truly God and truly man,” God made man (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, 467-468, 470). Jesus is God, the Messiah, born of a virgin (Mt 1:16, 18). Family comes first — these are the first verses of the New Testament, and God can’t wait to introduce His family. God works through people — lots of them. God...

“For then will I remove from your midst the proud braggarts, and you shall no longer exalt yourself on My holy mountain.” –Zephaniah 3:11 The Lord calls us to repent of pride, self-exaltation, and arrogance, and become “a people humble and lowly” (Zep 3:12). Pride can disqualify us from Christmas. Through humility, however, we can fit into the manger scene at Bethlehem with the lowly handmaid Mary, the poor Joseph, and the simple shepherds. In our society, arrogance has almost reached new heights, if that were possible. Some people are so prideful they deny the truth of God’s Word, as...

“For then will I remove from your midst the proud braggarts, and you shall no longer exalt yourself on My holy mountain.” –Zephaniah 3:11 The Lord calls us to repent of pride, self-exaltation, and arrogance, and become “a people humble and lowly” (Zep 3:12). Pride can disqualify us from Christmas. Through humility, however, we can fit into the manger scene at Bethlehem with the lowly handmaid Mary, the poor Joseph, and the simple shepherds. In our society, arrogance has almost reached new heights, if that were possible. Some people are so prideful they deny the truth of God’s Word, as...