Memorial of Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Intention: That all people will embrace the story of the birth of the Christ Child as a call to increase our attention to the needs of children throughout the world.
Today’s Gospel | Matthew 18:12-14
Jesus said to his disciples: “What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.”
A Short Reflection for the Second Tuesday of Advent
The time of Christmas is synonymous with the giving and receiving of gifts. While our society may have a propensity for focusing on the material notion of this, the story of the Nativity challenges us to a higher understanding. We are asked to recognize gift as grace, a gratuitous coming of enrichment into our lives, one that can both humble and lift us to profound realizations. It is when giving that we are most like God in his unconditional and joyful graciousness. It is in receiving that we are most ourselves in our need for God and for each other. As the letter of James admonishes, “Do not be deceived, my beloved: all good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change.” And so, we are challenged to celebrate our Lord’s birth by entering into the real meaning of gift. The time of Advent is a time to reclaim the grace of Christmas by acknowledging that the real substance of a gift lies in the very act of giving.
Prayer
Eternal Father, your grace is from age to age. In the birth of your Son, you blessed us with the ultimate gift of your presence. Like all gifts, it was meant not only to be held but also to be celebrated and shared. As we prepare during this Advent to remember our Savior’s coming, may we continue to hear and to proclaim his good news each day. We pray that this greatest of all gifts – your redeeming love – will find its way into all of our hearts. We ask this of you who lives and reigns with your Son and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.