Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Turning to the disciples in private he said, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it."
Introductory Prayer:Lord, I too come to you repeating your words, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth.” Help me today to give you the praise and glory you deserve. I know my family and friends need me to be a witness of your love. Fill me with your wisdom so that I may know your action in my life and spread it to all I meet.
Petition:Lord, reveal yourself to my heart so that I can do your will and bring you to all I meet.
1. The Wise Guy. Imagine a Christmas shopper walking through Walmart absorbed by toys, candy canes, tinsel and the latest sale, with no thought of the reason for the season: Christ’s birth. Our Lord said, “You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned.” So too, God hides the mystery of Christmas to those absorbed only in shopping lists. But he “reveals them to the childlike.” The great secret to encounter the Christ Child this Christmas is to be like a child trusting that someone wiser and more powerful is in control: God.
2. The Wise Men. The Three Wise Men presented in the Gospel of Matthew (2:1-12) were smart because they possessed much knowledge of science and astronomy. But they were “wise” because the Father revealed to them his only Son and they knew how to respond to this grace in seeking him out. The Father placed in the Wise Men’s hearts a great desire to see the Messiah. This yearning allowed them to overcome all obstacles: a 1,000-mile journey, a jealous king and many cold cloudy days and nights. But it was worth it as they looked into that baby’s eyes and discovered he was their savior. They could then exclaim, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see!” During Advent, let us too have the priority of preparing our hearts to find Christ.
3. True Wisdom. How many years of formal education did we go through? A high school diploma means 13 years, a college degree is 17 years and a doctorate could have meant 23 years of dedication to become an expert in a certain field. This is an enormous amount of time and effort to educate ourselves and assure material success in life. So too we are called to put in time and effort to have spiritual success, which helps us reach eternal life! By praying this meditation well and remaining united to God’s will, I can be confident I am on the road to spiritual success today.
Dialogue with Christ: Lord, today I know I will find obstacles in my path to holiness. Like the Three Wise Men, help me keep focused, not on me and my petty things, but on the star that leads me to my goal in life: Christ and eternal life!
Resolution: Today I will engage in a conversation with someone about Christ or some aspect of the faith.
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