Discover the Birth and Joy of Jesus!
December 20, 2020
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Christmas Novena, Day 6
Dear Family of Mary!
This is Day 6 of our Christmas Novena! Here is the sentence from the November 25, 2020 message for today:
By reading the Sacred Scripture you will discover Jesus’ birth and joy, as in the first days which Medjugorje gave to humanity.
The Gospel readings for these last days of Advent are some of most beautiful and joyful scriptures to be found in the Bible. Starting with December 19, we read a portion of the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke each day until Christmas! And what joy and wonder is to be found in each reading!!
Luke 1:5-25: And angel of the Lord appears to Zechariah, proclaiming that his prayer had been heard, and his wife, Elizabeth would bear a son who will go in the spirit of Elijah to prepare the way of the Lord!
Luke 1:26-38: The Annunciation!! The Angel Gabriel comes to Mary saying “Hail, full of grace!” He announces the Incarnation of the Lord, the coming of the Messiah! And Mary says, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”
Luke 1:39-45: Mary sets out in haste to visit Elizabeth and little John leaps for joy in the Holy Spirit at the presence of Jesus!
Luke 1:46-56: Mary proclaims her Magnificat!! “My soul proclaims the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior!!” What joy!!!
Luke 1:57-66: Elizabeth gives birth to a son, and he is named John! And the news spread throughout the hill country of Judea!!
Luke 1:67-79: Zechariah proclaims in prophecy his great Canticle: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; for he has come to his people and set them free. He has raised up for us a mighty Savior, born of the house of his servant David…”
Then on Christmas Day Luke 2:1-14: The Birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, in a stable, because there was no room in the inn. And all heaven erupts of jubilation!!
Indeed, this entire week we will be discovering the joyful birth of our Savior, Jesus! I hope to take time for some prayerful reading of these scriptures, in order to let the Holy Spirit, fill my heart with joy.
Our Lady mentions that as we ponder these scriptures, we will discover the same joy that was revealed in the first days of her apparitions in Medjugorje. This may seem odd. But in reality, it is not. Franjo Zubac shared on the Jesus Rosary for December 2, 2020, about the power of the joy that Our Lady gave to the people of Medjugorje when she appeared. He said that the communists were using all their tactics to scare the people away from the apparition site. They were threatening them with terrible consequences. But it didn’t work. Here is why:
“But Our Lady poured joy into the hearts of the people, and the people would walk to Medjugorje’s church through the fields, singing! Singing! Full of joy and happiness. And you couldn’t stop it. And slowly, slowly it started moving the way Our Lady wanted it. And slowly, slowly, through the messages that Our Lady is giving us, all of us even today, every month, she is trying to lead us and guide us. Prepare us.” (Frano Zubac, Jesus Rosary, 12/02/20)
The joy that the people experienced was a power much greater than any communist threat. It was the joy from Heaven, the joy of the first days which Medjugorje gave to humanity. That joy persists. And it is more powerful than any worldly threat. So, the joy of Jesus’ birth and the joy of Our Lady’s coming both tell us: “God exists!” They tell us that Jesus is with us and that He loves us, and this is all we need!
(You can hear Frano describe the first days at this link:
https://marytv.tv/jesus-rosary/
(scroll down to December 2, 2020)
Or read my transcription here:
https://marytv.tv/the-december-3-2020-reflection-as-in-the-first-days/
Now let us pray:
Dearest Baby Jesus. I love You. I can’t take our eyes off of You. I long for You. And I pray to You, please come and be born in my heart today. And I say to You: I give you permission to be born in my heart right now, today. I give you permission to use my poor stable of a heart as your birthplace. I open the doors of my stable/heart, and I say to You, come! Come with Your Mother, Mary, and with Your foster father, Joseph, and find in my heart, a place to rest and be born. I welcome You with wonder and awe. And I love You with all of my strength. Come and take over my stable of a heart. It is Yours forever. Amen.
In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2020
P.S. The parish of Medjugorje continues the Novena before Christmas today! Each day the parish will climb Apparition Hill, praying the Rosary. Mary TV will stream this event, live, each day, at 2:00 pm Medjugorje time. You can join in on our Channel at www.marytv.tv
