14 December 2023 Only By Grace Reflections

NOTE: Please click the Subscribe key on YouTube and press the black notification bell to receive the daily reflections. Or, open in YouTube for easy access. View and Like. Thank you. TOPIC: ARE OUR HEARTS READY FOR THE COMING OF THE LORD? First Reading: Isaiah 41: 13-20 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 145: 1 and 9, 10-11, 12-13ab Alleluia: Isaiah 45: 8 Gospel: Matthew 11: 11-15 Today, Thursday in the 2nd week of Advent, the Church honors the lives of two men, both named John. The first is St. John the Baptist whose life and mission was to prepare the coming of our Lord and the second is the saint we honor today, St. John of the Cross, patron of the contemplative life and mystical theology. Today’s Gospel brings back to mind the prophecy of Isaiah in last Sunday’s Gospel of the great mission of John the Baptist. John the Baptist dedicated his whole life to the call to repentance in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. He was the last and probably the greatest of all the prophets as our Lord Jesus says in our reading today that “among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist”. With the coming of Jesus, the work of God in the human heart rises to a new level. Now repentance opens us to a new life in Christ. This is the 1329th installment of our CFC contemplation series focusing on the daily liturgical readings. [NOTE: As we continue to pray for Bro Bong Arjonillo’s healing and recovery, let us listen to our brother Rouquel Ponte, a member of the CFC Board of Elders, as he brings us today's reflection. All the regular reflections are between 3-7 minutes long, enough time for us to ponder what God's message is for us individually and to pray that we may live them out in our lives. This video is also available on Couples for Christ’s Facebook page. In You Tube, just type ONLY BY GRACE REFLECTIONS] #OnlyByGraceReflections #CFC #CouplesforChrist