Make 2018 a year of blessing.
We are invited to become the man/woman we were made to be. In baptism we are asked to grow into maturity in Christ. Jesus took on our humanity so that we could take on his divinity.
In our gospel today we hear that Herod saw Jesus as a rival. Herod killed the innocents in order to destroy the newborn king. Do we view God as a rival? Are we rivals to each other? Jesus came not to be a rival but a remedy. He came to serve us, so that we could receive his life and witness to it to other people. We are called to represent Jesus as the light of Christ in the world.
We are blessed to be a blessing to others instead of criticizing them. When we build up and bless each other we create something beautiful. Our words have huge consequences.
God has given each of us a unique set of gifts. We shouldn’t covet each other’s gifts, nor lament what we think are our inadequacy. Blessings make whole, curses destroy.
The way we speak is important. Fr. Steve refers again to the Japanese scientist’s experiment where words had an effect on water crystals. Let’s use the prayers given out on December 17, 2017,to bless each other. Let us receive his mercy and his blessings and most especially to pass them on to our kids. Let us not curse our kids with criticism, but love them, bless them, and point them to the Lord.
Fr. Steve exhorts us, instead of bemoaning our shortcomings, to be grateful for the gifts we have been given. Let us notice each other’s gifts and affirm them. Let’s allow God to bless us and bless each other in return.
