Monthly Devotion: The Divine Infancy

​​O come, O come, Emmanuel! And ransom captive Israel...

Our monthly devotion for December is to the Divine Infancy of Jesus, our king who saves us from sin. 
He came not in glory and majesty, but to a cold and lowly manger to show us the way back to God. This way He gave us is that of pure, and simple love. A love without measure or limit, a love that always seeks the good of others. So we should also always try to do the same in our own lives, growing closer to God and seeking ways to show love for others. God did not have to send His son to earth to give us a model for our lives. Yet He did… Why? Because He loves us. 

As we await the coming of Christ at Christmas, let us pray that this year, we will love Him more than ever before. He loves us so much, may we show our love for God and neighbor by practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, recommitting our hearts and minds to seeking God’s will. When we take a few extra minutes to pray each day it reminds us of all that God has done for us, and deepens our relationship with Him. By fasting we chose to deny ourselves something so that we can begin to overcome our passions. Finally when we give alms to someone it has a double effect, it helps care for their physical needs (a corporal work of mercy), and at the same time it can help keep our hearts detached from the things of this world. 
​
All of our sacrifices during the Advent season, are intended to prepare us to participate fully in the joy of Christmas. That day when God’s Son came to earth, and fulfilled the promise He had made. For any important event in our lives we take time to prepare beforehand, if we are expecting company for dinner we carefully plan the menu ahead of time, if we are planning a party it may involve a great deal of effort. So this Advent, we should take time to prepare before the great celebration of Jesus’s birth. Each small sacrifice we make to prepare the way for God will delight the heart of Jesus, so let us set out on this road with all the love of our hearts.  

---