Cristy Li

Make me to know Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths.  –Psalm 25:4
Image Courtesy: Chabad.org

Prayer of David for Guidance and Delivery

To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

O my God, in You I trust;

Do not let me be put to shame;

Do not let my enemies exult over me.

Do not let those who wait for You be put to shame;

Let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

Make me to know Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths.

Lead me in Your truth and teach me,

for You are the God of my salvation;

For You I wait all day long.

Be mindful of Your mercy, O Lord and of Your steadfast love,

for they have been from of old.

Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;

According to Your steadfast love remember me,

for Your goodness’ sake, O Lord!

Good and upright is the Lord;

Therefore He instructs sinners in the way.

He leads the humble in what is right

and teaches the humble His way.

All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,

for those who keep His Covenant and His Decrees.

For Your name’s sake, O Lord,

pardon my guilt, for it is great.

Who are they that fear the Lord?

He will teach them the way that they should choose.

They will abide in prosperity

and their children shall possess the land.

The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear Him

and He make His Covenant known to them.

My eyes are ever toward the Lord,

for He will pluck my feet out of the net.

Turn to me and be gracious to me,

for I am lonely and afflicted.

Relieve the troubles of my heart

and bring me out of my distress.

Consider my affliction and my trouble

and forgive all my sins.

Consider how many are my foes

and with what violent hatred they hate me.

O guard my life and deliver me;

do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in You.

My integrity and uprightness preserve me,

for I wait for You.

Redeem Israel, O God

out of all its troubles.  –Psalm 25:1-22

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O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law;
Come to Save Us, Lord our God!  -Image Courtesy: EWTN

Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, Visits Elizabeth

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she

entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,

the child leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a

loud cry, “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”

“Why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard

the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy and blessed is she who believed

that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”  –Luke 1:39-45

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First Christmas, Last Christmas -V-Catholic

Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; Let it be with me according to your word.”
Then the Angel (Gabriel) departed from her.  –Luke 1:38  Image Courtesy: EWTN

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

In the sixth month the Angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a

Virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the House of David. The Virgin’s name

was Mary and he (Gabriel) came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with

you,” she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

The Angel (Gabriel) said to her, “Do not be afraid Mary, for you have found favor with Hod and

now you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son and you will name Him Jesus. He will be

great and will be called the Son of the Most High and the Lord God will give to Him the throne

of His ancestor David. He will reign over the House of Jacob forever and of His Kingdom there

will be no end.”

Mary said to the Angel, “How can this be, since I am a Virgin? The Angel said to her, “The Holy

Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the

Child to be born will be Holy; He will be called Son of God and now, your relative Elizabeth in

her old age has also conceived a son and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be

barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; Let it be with me according to your word.”

Then the Angel departed from her.  –Luke 1:26-38

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Saying ‘Yes’ Like Mary This Advent, As We Prepare for the Christ Child -Natl Catholic Register

The grass withers, the flower fades but the Word of our God will stand forever! –Isaiah 40:8

Raise your voice and tell The Good News;
Behold the Lord GOD comes with power! –Cf. Isaiah 40:9-10

I am the Lord and there is no other;

besides Me there is no god.

I arm you, though you do not know Me,

so that they may know, from the rising of the sun

and from the west, that there is no one besides Me;

I am the Lord and there is no other.

I form light and create darkness;

I make weal and create woe;

I the Lord do all these things.

Shower, O heavens from above

and let the skies rain down righteousness;

Let the earth open, that salvation may spring up

and let it cause righteousness to sprout up also;

I the Lord have created it.

Woe to you who strive with your Maker,

earthen vessels with the potter!

Does the clay say to the one who fashions it,

“What are you making?” or, “Your work has no handles?”

Woe to anyone who says to a father, “What are you begetting?”

Or to a woman, “With what are you in labor?”

Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel and its Maker:

Will you question Me about My children or command me concerning the work of My hands?

I made the earth and created humankind upon it;

It was My hands that stretched out the heavens

and I commanded all their host.

 

I have aroused Cyrus (Note: 200 yrs before Cyrus was born,

Isaiah predicted the king’s reign, mentioning him by name) in righteousness

and I will make his paths straight;

he shall build My city

and set My exiles free,

not for price or reward,

says the Lord of hosts.

Thus says the Lord:

The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Ethiopia

and the Sabeans, tall of stature

shall come over to you and be yours,

they shall follow you;

They shall come over in chains and bow down to you.

They will make supplication to you saying,

“God is with you alone and there is no other;

there is no god besides Him.”

Truly, You are a God who hides Himself,

O God of Israel, the Savior!

All of them are put to shame and confounded,

the makers of idols go in confusion together

but Israel is saved by the Lord

with everlasting salvation!

You shall not be put to shame or confounded

to all eternity.

For thus says the Lord,

who created the heavens

He is God,

who formed the earth and made it

(He established it; He did not create chaos,

He formed it to be inhabited!)

I am the Lord and there is no other.

I did not speak in secret,

in a land of darkness;

I did not say to the offspring of Jacob,

“Seek Me in chaos.”

I the Lord speak the Truth,

I declare what is right.

 

Idols Cannot Save Babylon

Assemble yourselves and come together,

draw near, you survivors of the nations!

They have no knowledge —

those who carry about their wooden idols

and keep on praying to a god

that cannot save.

Declare and present your case;

Let them take counsel together!

Who told this long ago?

Who declared it of old?

There is no other god besides Me,

a righteous God and a Savior;

There is no one besides Me!

Turn to Me and be saved,

all the ends of the earth!

For I am God and there is no other.

By Myself I have sworn,

from My mouth has gone forth in righteousness

a word that shall not return:

“To me every knee shall bow

and every tongue shall swear.” (See: Philippians 2:10-11)

Only in the Lord, it shall be said of Me,

are righteousness and strength;

All who were incensed against Him

shall come to Him and be ashamed.

In the Lord all of the offspring of Israel

shall triumph in glory.  –Isaiah 45:5-25

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Magnify (Praise) the Lord with me and let us exult (be ecstatic of) His name together!  –Psalm 34:3

David’s Praise For Deliverance From Trouble

I will bless the Lord at all times:

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

My soul makes it boast in the Lord;

Let the humble hear and be glad.

O Magnify the Lord with me

and let us exult His name together!

I sought the Lord and He answered me

and delivered me from all my fears. (See also: Philippians 4:6)

Look to Him and be radiant;

So your faces shall never be ashamed.

The poor soul cried and was heard by the Lord

and was saved from every trouble.

The Angel of the Lord encamps

around those who fear Him and delivers them.

O taste and see that the Lord is good;

Happy are those who take refuge in Him.

O fear the Lord, you Holy ones,

for those who fear Him have no want.

The young lions suffer want and hunger

but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Come, O children, listen to me;

I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

Which of you desires life

and covets many days to enjoy good?

Keep your tongue from evil

and your lips from speaking deceit.

Depart from evil and do good;

seek peace and pursue it.

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous

and His ears are open to their cry.

The face of the Lord is against evildoers,

to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears

and rescues them from all their troubles.

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted

and saves the crushed in spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous

but the Lord rescues them from them all.

He keeps all their bones

not one of them will be broken.

Evil brings death to the wicked

and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.

The Lord redeems the life of His servants;

None of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.  –Psalm 34:1-22

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The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to bring glad tidings (Good News)
to the poor. (See: Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18)  Image Courtesy: Archbishop Jose Gomez

Vigilance

Concerning the times and the seasons, Brothers and Sisters, you do not need to have anything

written to you. For you yourselves know very well that The Day of the Lord will come like a

thief in the night. When they (one) say, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction

will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman and there will be no escape!

You beloved are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; For you are all

children of light and children of the day; We are not of the night or of darkness. So then let us

not fall asleep as others do but let us keep awake and be sober, for those who sleep, sleep at

night and those who are drunk get drunk at night but since we belong to the day, let us be sober

and put on the breastplate of faith and love and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has

destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through Our Lord Jesus Christ, who died

for us, so that whether we are awake or sleep, we may live with Him. Therefore encourage one

another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.

Church Order, Final Exhortation

We appeal to you Brothers and Sisters, to respect those who labor among you and have charge

of you in the Lord and admonish you: Esteem them very highly in love because of their work.

Be a peace among yourselves and we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the

fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. See that none of you repays evil for evil

but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give

thanks in all circumstances; For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench

the Spirit. Do not despise the word of the Prophets but test everything; Hold fast to what is

good; Abstain from every form of evil.

Concluding Prayer & Benediction

May the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely and may your spirit, soul and body be kept

sound and blameless at the Coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful

and He will do this.

Beloved, pray for us! Greet all the Brothers and Sisters with a Holy kiss (embrace:

See: Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; 1 Peter 5:14  was a greeting of

respect and affection) I solemnly command you by the Lord that this letter be read

to all of them. 

The grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.  –1 Thessalonians 5:1-28 

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“The virgin is with Child, shall bear a Son and shall call Him Immanuel.” –Isaiah 7:14 (NRSVCE)

Mary gave birth to her firstborn Son, wrapped Him in bands of cloth and laid Him in a manger
because there was no place for them in the inn. –Luke 2:7
Image Courtesy: Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word

The Birth of Jesus The Messiah

The birth of Jesus Christ The Messiah took place in this way. When His mother Mary had been

engaged to Joseph but before they lived together, she was found to be with Child from the Holy

Spirit. Her husband Joseph being a righteous man and unwilling to expose Mary to public

disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly but just when he had resolved to do this, an Angel of

the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take

Mary as your wife, for the Child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit, she will bear a Son

and you are to name Him Jesus for He will save His people from their sins.” All this took place

to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the Prophet Isaiah:

“Look. the Virgin is with Child and shall bear a Son
and shall name Him Immanuel,” (Isaiah 7:14)

which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the Angel of the Lord

commanded him; He took Mary as his wife but had no marital relations with her until she

borne a Son and He named Him Immanuel. –Matthew11825

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“Blessed are you among women and Blessed is the Fruit of your womb.” –Luke 1:42B (NRSVCE)

Mary Visits Elizabeth

Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country where she entered the

house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child

leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry,

“Blessed are you among women and blessed is the Fruit of your womb and why has this

happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of

your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who believed that there

would be fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

Mary’s Song of Praise

Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God My Savior, for He has looked with favor on the lowliness of His servant. Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed; For the Mighty One has done great things for me and Holy is His Name. His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation-to-generation. He has shown strength with His arm, He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, according to the promise He made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” (Psalm 132:11)

Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months and then returned home. –Luke 1:39-56

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“Look, the young woman is with Child, shall bear a Son
and shall name Him Immanuel.” –Isaiah 7:14 (NRSVCE) Image Courtesy: EWTN

The Birth of Jesus the Messiah

Now the Birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph but before they lived together, she was found to be with Child from the Holy Spirit.

Mary’s husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose Mary to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly but just when he had resolved to do this, an Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the Child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit, she will bear a Son and you are to name him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the Prophet: (Isaiah)

“Look, the young woman is with Child, shall bear a Son and shall name Him Immanuel,”
(Isaiah 7:14) which means, “God is with us.”

When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the Angel of the Lord commanded him; Joseph took Mary as his wife but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a Son and he named Him Jesus. –Matthew 1:18-25

Related: For Today’s Bible Readings and More, Visit: -USCCB