{"id":4994,"date":"2020-12-17T07:49:39","date_gmt":"2020-12-17T06:49:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fdlsagesse.org\/letoile-de-noel\/"},"modified":"2020-12-28T10:59:34","modified_gmt":"2020-12-28T09:59:34","slug":"letoile-de-noel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fdlsagesse.org\/en\/letoile-de-noel\/","title":{"rendered":"The Christmas Star"},"content":{"rendered":"

Delegation Great Britain –\u00a0 Ireland<\/p>\n

“I bring you news of great joy: today a Saviour has been born to us, Christ the Lord.”<\/em> Luke 2: 10-11<\/span><\/p>\n

“The Christmas Star is you, when you lead someone to meet the Lord.<\/em>
\nYou are a Christmas Light, when you illuminate with your life the path of others with love, compassion, joy and generosity.”<\/em>
\nPope Francis<\/span><\/p>\n

Christmas 2020<\/span>
\n“A decree went out for a census 0f the whole world to be taken.”<\/em> Luke 2:1-14<\/span><\/p>\n

On Christmas day our waiting is over and the two searches \u2014our seeking God and God seeking us \u2014 meet on the long journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem of Joseph and his betrothed, Mary, who was with child. Our Christmas cards, while beautiful, do not show the reality and Luke\u2019s account of Christ\u2019s birth give us a deeper glimpse into the trials Mary and Joseph had to endure. The journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem is about 90 miles and would take four days to reach there. Can you imagine what that was like for Mary, an expectant
\nMother?<\/p>\n

On arriving in Bethlehem \u2018there was no room for them at the Inn\u2019 and Luke reports that\u00a0 Mary gave birth to Jesus and \u2018laid him in a manger\u2019 indicating that this was a stable where animals were kept. Pope Francis observes that.<\/p>\n

Mary experienced childbirth in a condition of extreme poverty; she could not give the Son of God even what Mothers would usually offer their new born baby; instead she had to lay him in a manger used by animals. Yet Mary was able to turn a stable into a home for Jesus, with poor swaddling clothes and an abundance of love.<\/p>\n

Joseph is not mentioned at this point but the picture below of \u2018Mary at Rest\u2019 may help us to pause and reflect on Joseph\u2019s hidden role in caring for Mary and her child. Consider how Mary and Joseph respond to these difficult circumstances.<\/p>\n

“Close by there were shepherds who lived in the fields and watched their flocks at night.” <\/em>Luke 2:8-9<\/span><\/p>\n

The shepherds, having been visited by an angel are told \u2018Do not be afraid. Listen! I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by all people\u2026.a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.\u2019 The people of Israel had been expecting a powerful Messiah of the Royal Davidic line who would save them from their enemies. Israeli leaders might have been expected to visit this long awaited Messiah but instead the only visitors at this time were lowly shepherds from the bottom rung of Jewish society who came in haste to witness the arrival of their Lord in a place of poverty. Mary prayerfully \u2018kept all these things, pondering them in her heart\u2019.<\/em> In a short time Mary and Joseph and Jesus would have to flee to Egypt to escape persecution by Herod and so became refugees in a foreign land, living as a poor and marginalised family with little support. What may we learn from Mary and Joseph this Christmas? Take some moments to ponder on the difficult circumstances of Jesus\u2019 birth. The \u2018yes\u2019 of Mary at the Annunciation was the total gift of herself to God and Joseph\u2019s own \u2018yes\u2019<\/em> of faithful and loving support of Mary and Jesus inspires us to understand and live what it means to Love without borders.<\/p>\n

“As we celebrate the joyful feast of Christmas and God dwelling among us, let us remember in prayer those, who like the Holy Family are marginalised and pushed to the edge of society. May our witness bring light, joy and peace to all peoples. There is a child born for us, a Son is given to us.”<\/em> Isaiah 9:5<\/span><\/p>\n

At the dead of night,<\/em>
\na Light in the darkness for a child is born.<\/em>
\nThe promise at last becomes<\/em>
\nflesh and blood,<\/em>
\nSpirit and truth.<\/em>
\nFor a people walking in darkness<\/em>
\nthe true Light comes into the world!<\/em>
\nA Light shining in the darknessa Light the darkness cannot overcome.<\/em>
\nA baby treasured,<\/em>
\na Mother\u2019s heart pondering<\/em>
\nthe meaning of God\u2019s gift.<\/em>
\nCross-beams loom over Mother and child,<\/em>
\nthe same message<\/em>
\nproclaimed by crib and cross.<\/em>
\nHave we come to witness a birth or a death?<\/em>
\nThe mystery of birth and death calls us.<\/em>
\nA sign of contradiction that will pierce<\/em>
\nmany hearts with a sword<\/em>
\nso that the secret thoughts of many<\/em>
\nmay be revealed.<\/em>
\nThe crib and the cross are one.<\/em>
\nGemma Simmonds<\/span><\/p>\n

Christ our Morning Star, to you our deepest night is clear as the day. O Christ, we praise you, because by your life and death you have redeemed the world<\/em><\/p>\n

Source image : Pixabay<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Delegation Great Britain –\u00a0 Ireland “I bring you news of great joy: today a Saviour has been born to us, Christ the Lord.” Luke 2: 10-11 “The Christmas Star is you, when you lead someone to meet the Lord. You are a Christmas Light, when you illuminate with your life the path of others with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[43,90,89],"class_list":["post-4994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-g-b-i-en","tag-prayer","tag-priere-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Christmas Star - Congr\u00e9gation des Filles de la Sagesse<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fdlsagesse.org\/en\/letoile-de-noel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Christmas Star - Congr\u00e9gation des Filles de la Sagesse\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Delegation Great Britain –\u00a0 Ireland “I bring you news of great joy: today a Saviour has been born to us, Christ the Lord.” Luke 2: 10-11 “The Christmas Star is you, when you lead someone to meet the Lord. 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