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Friday, December 22, 2000

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1 Samuel 1:24-28
1 Samuel 2:1, 4-8
Luke 1:46-56

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give the children to jesus

"Now I, in turn, give him to the Lord; as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the Lord." —1 Samuel 1:28

The meaning of Christmas is: "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son" (Jn 3:16). Christmas is God's gift of a Child. To be in the Christmas Spirit, we should be like Hannah and give our children to the Lord (1 Sm 1:28). This is done by:

  • married couples lovingly having all the children the Lord wants to give them,
  • parents offering their children to the Lord as priests, deacons, and religious,
  • parents being the major vocation directors for their children by teaching them the beauty, fruitfulness, and mystery of all vocations,
  • godparents prayerfully discerning their godchildren's place in the body of Christ,
  • all Christians praying that the Harvest-Master send workers into His harvest (Mt 9:38), and
  • all Christians leading young people to Christ and to their vocations.

In some way, present a child to the Lord this Christmas and change our culture of death into a civilization of love and life. The Lord promised that a little child would guide us (Is 11:6). We begin to give our world to the Lord by giving our children to Him. This is the meaning of Christmas.

Prayer:  Father, all that I have is Yours. All my children are Yours. My life is Yours.

Promise:  "My being proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit finds joy in God my Savior." —Lk 1:46

Praise:  "O King of all the nations, come and save the creatures You fashioned from the dust."

Nihil Obstat:  Reverend Edward J. Gratsch, July 15, 2000


Imprimatur:  †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, July 17, 2000