was born to save us all from our sin. Merry Christmas!
“Keep the light of the world in your heart, despite all difficulties. He carries you as you carry him. He gives you to the world just as you daily give Him to others. Thank you for all your sacrifices, your life poured out for others.” – Painting and prayer by prolific author and artist John O’Brien
The Christmas Story from St Paul's on Vimeo.
Prayer is always valued by our God. Prayer is mystical and isn’t always answered in the way we desire. Author of International bestseller Eternal Echos, John O’Donohue, writes “Prayer is never wasted. It always brings transformation. When you really want something and you do not receive it, you tend to believe that your prayer was not answered. Such a prayer has a powerful intentionality; and it is true that sometimes your prayer is not answered in this direct way. You do not receive what you long for. Unknown to you, that prayer has secretly worked on another aspect of the situation and effected a transfiguration which may become visible only at a later stage. Unknown to you, prayer is always at the service of destiny. Your days and ways are never simply as they appear on the surface. Human vision is always limited and selective, and you never see the whole picture. The Providence that weaves your days and sees the greater horizon and knows what your life needs in order for you to come fully to birth as the person you are called to be. Prayer refines you, so you may become worthy of your possibility and destiny. The irony of being here is that sometimes it is precisely what you want to avoid that brings you further toward creativity and compassion. The intensity of rejection is the index of need.”
So yesterday was the winter solstice, also known as the darkest day of the year. This maybe isn’t such a happy thought, except for the fact that it also marks the moment when each day going forward gets longer. Another example of God working in mysterious ways, and a reminder that it’s always darkest before the light.
A candy maker wanted to invent candy that was a witness to Christ.
First he used a hard candy because Christ is the rock of ages. It was made white to represent the purity of Christ.
The peppermint flavor is similar to hyssop, used in the Old Testament for purification and sacrifice.
The red stripe was added representing the blood Christ shed for the sins of the world. The three thinner stripes represent the stripes He received on our behalf when the Roman soldiers wiped Him.
This hard candy was formed so that it would resemble the letter “J” for Jesus or turned upside down, a shepherd’s staff.
Jesus is the pure lamb of God, who came as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.
“I’m all you have forgotten, I am all that you have not been, I am in you – all of this is within you. Let the journey begin, Amen. I am in you, Amen.” – lyrics from Danielle Rose’s “God is.”
EWTN has a good story for the 4th Sunday of Advent, “God is with us.” 
Father Thomas Rosica explains “…In the name ‘Emmanuel,’ we find the answer to humanity’s deepest longings for God throughout the ages. Emmanuel is both a prayer and plea (on our behalf) and a promise and declaration on God’s part. When we pronounce the word, we are really praying and pleading: “God, be with us!” And when God speaks it, the almighty, eternal, omnipresent Creator of the world is telling us: “I am with you” in this Child. In the baby Jesus, God is “with us,” not merely to bless us in some sort of cameo appearance at one difficult moment in history. Nor is God with us in that he is going to use Jesus to help us, protect us, rescue us from danger and guide us. No — the little Lord Jesus asleep in the manger of Bethlehem is “God with us” because he is God.” — see Father Rosica’s full reflection here http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=110189
A modern twist…Advent lights my way
“My faith played a back seat role for years until it all came to a soulful boiling point during a high power photo shoot and believe it or not, this is where I turned back to God and my faith. Ever heard that prodigal son story? I’m his sister.” – Leah Darrow
