JOY Alive in Our Hearts

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Category: Advent

Advent / Christmas / Hospitality

Favorite: Christmas is a beginning

Jesus was born in a stable because there was no room or him in the inn. The innkeeper didn’t know that the Son of God was coming to him. He wasn’t prepared and missed a great blessing.
If the innkeeper had known what we know, he might have acted differently. The Scriptures would have acknowledged him as a participant in this great event. The gospel might read, “Jesus was born in an inn in Bethlehem, far from his home, attended by the innkeeper and the innkeeper’s wife.” Pilgrimages would bring the faithful to this famous inn instead of to the cave.

Advent / Catholic family / CatholicMom.com / Jesus / Joy / Nancy Ward / Scriptures

CatholicMom: Something Wonderful is About to Happen

Something wonderful is about to happen to you. Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart. Are you ready for His joyful coming? Jesus said to his disciples: “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. (Luke 12:35) He wants to give you something amazing, and He’s trying to get your attention. With all the secular signs of Christmas in the streets and malls and on the Internet, it’s refreshing to walk into a church and see the purple banners and the Advent candles surrounded by a wreath of greenery. Do you sense the coming of something magnificent?

The Friar's Corner

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Friar’s Corner: Rejoice, Jesus is always with us

I hope you had an exciting and joyful week getting to know Jesus better and wanting to follow him. We are three days away from another remembrance of the first coming to Earth of God’s Son to save and redirect the human race back to God. God had spoken to various key people during two thousand years of Jewish history since the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, yet the messages did not get through to humans clearly enough. So the Son of God had to come to earth himself, taking on our human nature except for the consequences of the sin of Adam and Eve. He came to speak to us person-to-person and to thousands, as a human person, while he lived on earth for thirty-three years. Many Christians lose the significance of his first coming because this day has been so commercialized with Christmas presents. As faithful followers of Jesus, we celebrate Christmas, Jesus’ first coming, with some degree of joy.

Advent / Catholic family / Jesus / Joy

Don’t miss the great blessing of Christmas

Jesus was born in a stable because there was no room or him in the inn. The innkeeper didn’t know that the Son of God was coming to him. He wasn’t prepared and missed a great blessing. If the innkeeper had known what we know, how differently he might have acted. The Scriptures would have acknowledged him as a participant in this great event. The gospel might read, “Jesus was born in an inn in Bethlehem, far from his home, attended by the innkeeper and the innkeeper’s wife.” Pilgrimages would bring the faithful to this famous inn instead of to the cave.

The Friar's Corner

Advent / Catholic / Eucharist / Evangelization / Fr. Bob Hilz / Holy Spirit / Jesus / Joy / Sacraments / Scriptures

Friar’s Corner: Christ’s Mission is possible!

We are more than halfway through Advent. Our celebration and remembrance of Christ’s birth is only 10 days away. For me, my greatest joy is that Jesus is still with us. he did go back to heaven in his glorified body at the Ascension. For some, he is gone from us. That is “fake news.” For others, Jesus promised, “I am with you always, even to the end of the world,” Matthew 28:20c. He also told us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and overburdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light,” Matthew 11:28-30. When we look at the facts in our four gospels and our nearly two thousand years of Catholic tradition, Jesus is still daily present in spiritual ways all over the world and his loving power flows through his sacraments and our prayer lives to us

Got Joy?

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Got Joy? Latest posts 12-6-19

Kendra Von Esh’s personal observations make her story come alive as the Lord guides her from Reconciliation to spiritual direction to Catholic radio. Purchase Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story: Tools, Tips, and Testimonies paperback and get the Kindle version free. Fr. Bob Hilz: Every day of our life is nearer to our personal judgment at the end of our life on earth. Advent gives us time to adjust our life schedule. It is “winter cleaning” not spring cleaning which is for Lent. 

The Friar's Corner

Advent / Catholic family / Fr. Bob Hilz / Heaven / Jesus

Friars Corner: Getting closer to Jesus

St Paul tells us, “It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” Every day of our life is nearer to our personal judgment at the end of our life on earth. Advent gives us time to adjust our life schedule. It is “winter cleaning” not spring cleaning which is for Lent. In Matthew 24 we find similar words, in the days of Noah before the flood, we hear, “They (the people of Nineveh) did not know until the flood came and carried them all away…So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” So my brothers and sisters, hopefully, we will meet one day in heaven. This Advent let us look at our daily schedule of events and find a little more time to get closer to Jesus. He will bring you more joy and other wonderful gifts. Every day in prayer has its own gifts.

Advent / Jesus / Joy / Nancy Ward / Prayer / Scriptures

Featured Favorite: Christmas is a beginning

Jesus was born in a stable because there was no room or him in the inn. The innkeeper didn’t know that the Son of God was coming to him. He wasn’t prepared and missed a great blessing.

If the innkeeper had known what we know, how differently he might have acted. The Scriptures would have acknowledged him as a participant in this great event. The gospel might read, “Jesus was born in an inn in Bethlehem, far from his home, attended by the innkeeper and the innkeeper’s wife.” Pilgrimages would bring the faithful to this famous inn instead of to the cave.