Saturday - First week of Advent

"Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues,proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9).

In this time of Advent we look in hopeful expectation for the Coming of the Lord.  We are blessed if we wait for the Lord, to speak with the words of Psalm 147. God inscribes in our hearts the new covenant that he has made with mankind. Jesus came to save us from our sins, our bondage to the world and our self-made illusions. He taught us that Gods grace is always bigger than any wrong doings we did. God is a loving God that loves every single one of his children and wants everyone to be saved.

In bringing Jesus to us he wants us to focus on his merciful love. He is merciful and we are called to witness of that merciful love in the way we live our lives.  We need to follow the merciful teachings of Jesus. We are to live his teachings of compassion for the afflicted and those that are fallen. We are called to embody the new covenant that we have in Christ. Jesus came so we may have live in abundance. We are ca;;led to be merciful to those that have sinned against us. We have to live the Gospel, which literally means Good News.  

In chapter 9 of Matthew’s Gospel Jesus teaches us what that means. Jesus shows us how we should bring His gospel to the world. We need to go and proclaim that ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ We need to cure the sick, raise those that have fallen and fight any affliction and injustice. Without that all our worship is meaningless. He calls us to be merciful to all those around us and give ourselves in love and service. He wants us to bring His Gospel to all creation with joy and not with a heavy heart. The Gospel means God News so we can and should bring it with a smile and with joy.

Let us be reminded that whenever we ask the Lord to take care of us and His Church and protect what His right hand has planted, He responds to us and says, “My heart is overwhelmed, my pity is stirred”. That is how our attitude should be towards those that “trespassed” against us, as Our Lord’s prayer teaches us. We should extend our forgiveness no matter how difficult it is. If we do not bring the gospel to the ends of the earth, who  will?  So let us go with joy and love and bring people back in the sheepfold of our Good Shepherd. Let us pray: “Heavenly Father give us the grace and strength to be faithful followers of your