2ND
SUNDAY OF ADVENT-human rights day
1 Samuel, Chapter 3, Verse 15-16
15 Samuel then slept until morning, when he got up early and opened the
doors of the temple of the LORD. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, 16 but Eli called to him, “Samuel, my son!” He replied, “Here I am.”
One
night, while Samuel gently slumbers, he hears a voice calling his name. Rising
from his bed, Samuel goes to see Eli asking if he was called. Eli, doing no
such thing, sends him back to bed. Later that night, Samuel hears his name
again and returns to Eli. Again, Eli sends him packing off to bed. As Samuel
dozes again, he hears his name being called. Eli, now tells Samuel to answer
back because it's God calling his name (1-9). God relays the misery that will
plague Eli's house. In the morning, Samuel hesitates to tell Eli the news
because seriously, who wants to be the messenger of "your whole family is
going to die!"? After some prompting, Samuel spills the beans, but Eli
simply says God's will is not for anyone to change. Eli has nerves of steel
(before steel was invented). After this, Samuel is decreed a true prophet of
God (10-21).[1]
Sometimes
being faithful may be hard; it may be very hard. Christmas
is ultimately about faithfulness. The faithfulness we celebrate is not ours but
God’s. Despite Adam and Eve’s bad choice in the Garden of Eden, Cain’s murder
of his brother Abel, and the sins of Noah’s generation, God did not forget.
Though mankind sinned greatly at Babel, Sodom and Gomorrah, and Jacob’s sons
against Joseph when they sold him into slavery, God remembered. After the
Exodus, the Jews grumbled against Moses over the forty years he led them
through the desert. Under the Judges, Israel thought not of God but only longed
for a King. Though Saul became filled with his power and even the beloved David
strayed from God’s law, the Lord God renewed his oath to David and his
descendants. Though eventually both kingdoms of Israel would betray God, live
for themselves and worship the idols of foreigners, God remained true. While
many forgot Him in their exile, and after their return took up the ways of
their neighbors, God remembered what he had uttered to Adam and Eve. While the
Maccabees and their descendants (including Herod) tried to raise up a new
nation of Israel that thought only of power and independence, God did not
forget. On a cold night in Bethlehem, through a young virgin aided by her courageous
spouse, a child was born. The Word of God himself took on our flesh. In that
moment God kept his promises to all generations who had come before the child,
and all who would come after. God would redeem mankind from its sins. Once
again man would be given the possibility to live ac-cording to God’s plan.
Human beings would know their true dignity. In human life the Spirit of God
would dwell anew. Christmas is ultimately about faithfulness, because it is
about love. Though we turned away from God as a people, he never stopped loving
us nor did his love for us ever despair. Be-cause he has loved us in his Son,
we can love Him and one another. As we prepare for this Christmas night, let us
embrace faithfulness born of God’s love. Let us be faithful to our families and
spouses, true friends. May we always honor the Word of God who has come to
dwell in us. Let us never dishonor this child by lies, or jealousy, anger, or
greed. Let us pray to be faithful as God has been faithful to us. Then may we
know the truth of Christmas night: Peace, Joy, Hope and Love.[2]
It
is wonderful to know that we do not have to be perfect-or even very lovely-to
be loved!
Christmas Calendar[3]
·
Read: In
the Gospel today, John the Baptist tells us to prepare the way of the Lord. He
is talking not about the baby in the manger but about the adult Christ soon to
begin his public ministry. Take time to read commentary about the prayers and
readings for the Second Sunday of Advent.
·
Reflect:
Take a few minutes to reflect on today's readings by practicing the ancient
art of Lectio Divina.
·
Pray:
Churches around the nation held a special collection for retired religious
today. Pray for these
dedicated servants of Christ.
·
Act:
Light the second violet candle on your Advent wreath today.
The voices of Isaiah and John the
Baptist tell us to prepare.
“As the journey of
Advent continues, as we prepare to celebrate the nativity of Christ, John the
Baptist's calls us to conversion and sounds out in our communities. It is a
pressing invitation to open our hearts and to welcome the Son of God Who comes
among us to make divine judgement manifest. The Father, writes St. John the
Evangelist, does not judge anyone, but has entrusted the power of judgement to
the Son, because He is the Son of man. “And it is today, in the present, that
we decide our future destiny. It is with our concrete everyday behavior in this
life that we determine our eternal fate. At the end of our days on earth, at
the moment of death, we will be evaluated on the basis of our likeness or
otherwise to the Baby Who is about to be born in the poor grotto of Bethlehem,
because He is the measure God has given humanity. “Through the Gospel John the
Baptist continues to speak down the centuries to each generation. His hard
clear words bring health to us, the men and women of this day in which even the
experience and perception of Christmas often, unfortunately, reflects
materialist attitudes. The 'voice' of the great prophet asks us to prepare the
way for the coming Lord in the deserts of today, internal and external deserts,
thirsting for the water of life which is Christ.” — Benedict XVI1. A firm belief that everything is ordered by God’s wise providence, and that no evil can befall us except by His permission, Who never allows us to suffer more than is for our good.
2. That if we call upon Him in adversity God will help us, whenever it is expedient for our salvation. Thus to encourage us He says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee” (Ps. xlix. 15); and, “If God be for us, who is against us?” (Rom. viii. 31); and “Can a woman forget her infant so as not to have pity on the son of her womb? and if she should forget, yet will not I forget thee: behold, I have graven thee in My hands” (Isaias xlix. 15, 16).
3. That it is useless to resist Divine Providence, for all who have done so have been filled with shame and ignominy, “Who hath resisted Him and hath had peace?” (Job ix. 4.)
4. That our sufferings when borne with patience and submission lose their sharpness, and bring us merit and reward. “For that which is at present momentary and light of our tribulation, worketh for us, above measure exceedingly, an eternal weight of glory” (n. Cor. iv.17).
Human
Rights Day[6]
Human Rights Day commemorates the
day on which the United Nations issued the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights (UDHR),
a document drafted by representatives from all regions of the world, which
outlined fundamental human rights to be universally protected. The Declaration
contains 30 articles that touch on rights to freedom, justice, peace, dignity,
education and health care,
amongst other rights. On December 10, 1948, the United Nations proclaimed
the UDHR in an effort to help define equal rights that all humans on the planet
deserve and can help the world achieve lasting freedom, justice and peace.
Human Rights Day was officially declared by the United Nations in 1950.
It is celebrated on December 10th each year and is marked by speeches and
activities designed to bring attention to the issues surrounding the most
pressing Human Rights issues worldwide.
Human Rights Day Facts & Quotes
·
The United Nations Declaration of
Human Rights was one of their first declarations and came about after the
atrocities perpetrated upon humans during World War II were brought to light.
·
Over the past decade, armed conflict
has killed 2 million children,
disabled another 4-5 million, left 12 million homeless and orphaned another
million.
·
Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery,
I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally. - Abraham Lincoln
·
America did not invent human rights.
In a very real sense... human rights invented America. - Jimmy Carter
·
I have cherished the ideal a
democratic and free society... it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die. -
Nelson Mandela, President of South Africa, who was imprisoned from 1964-1990.
Human Rights Day Top Events and
Things to Do
·
Educate yourself on current human
rights fights such as genocide by terrorist groups, slavery and trafficking and
child labor around the world.
·
Get involved with a local human
rights organization.
·
Watch a documentary about human
rights issues and violations. Some recommendations: Invisible Children
(2006), Girl Rising (2013) and Nefarious (2011).
·
The U.S. is not the only country to
recognize the importance of religious liberty. The UN Universal Declaration of
Human Rights--a foundational document for international law, created by
representatives from all over the world--recognizes this basic human right in
Article 18: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and
religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and
freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to
manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance”.
Clearly, the framers of this document relied on human reason and saw the need
for governments to recognize this civil right.[7]
As we begin the Advent season let us take up the nature of God by reflecting
on these traits that make us a model for our children and our sisters and
brothers in Christ. Today reflect on:
Diligence vs. Slothfulness
Visualizing each task as a special assignment from the Lord and using all my energies to accomplish it (Colossians 3:23)
1866 Vices can be
classified according to the virtues they oppose, or also be linked to the capital
sins
which Christian experience has distinguished, following St. John Cassian and
St. Gregory the Great. They are called "capital" because they
engender other sins, other vices. They are pride, avarice, envy, wrath, lust,
gluttony, and sloth or acedia.
2339 Chastity
includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery which is a
training in human freedom. The alternative is clear: either man governs his
passions and finds peace, or he lets himself be dominated by them and becomes
unhappy. "Man's dignity therefore requires him to act out of conscious and
free choice, as moved and drawn in a personal way from within, and not by blind
impulses in himself or by mere external constraint. Man gains such dignity
when, ridding himself of all slavery to the passions, he presses forward to his
goal by freely choosing what is good and, by his diligence and skill,
effectively secures for himself the means suited to this end."
2094
One can sin against God's love in
various ways:
·
Indifference
neglects or refuses to reflect on
divine charity; it fails to consider its prevenient goodness and denies its
power.
·
Ingratitude
fails or refuses to acknowledge divine
charity and to return him love for love.
·
Lukewarmness
is hesitation or negligence in
responding to divine love; it can imply refusal to give oneself over to the
prompting of charity.
·
Acedia
or spiritual sloth goes so far as to
refuse the joy that comes from God and to be repelled by divine goodness.
·
Hatred
of God comes from pride. It
is contrary to love of God, whose goodness it denies, and whom it presumes to
curse as the one who forbids sins and inflicts punishments.
Daily Devotions
·
Please pray for me and this ministry
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