Day 101: Expecting the Messiah (711-720)
It’s Day 101!!
Congratulations!!
I’m not going to recap Fr. Mike’s Recap of the previous day from now on….this is very exhausting work and I just don’t have the energy…thank you for understanding
Today we are going to take the next steps
So keep this in mind
Today is the EXPECTATION OF THE MESSIAH AND HIS SPIRIT
The Prophet Isaiah talks about the SUFFERING SERVANT and the COMING MESSIAH
The Shoot that shall sprout from the stump of Jesse
The Holy Spirit is moving the prophet Isaiah to announce the Messiah’s coming
Also we will talk about how the Holy Spirit highlights and reveals to whom the Messiah will come
TO THE POOR!!
We talked about this yesterday
Paragraph 710 says, “In God’s plan, the Exile already stands in the shadow of the Cross, and the Remnant of the poor that returns from the Exile is one of the most transparent prefigurations of the Church.”
Paragraph 716 says, “The People of the ‘poor’-those who, humble and meek, rely solely on their God’s mysterious plans, who await the justice, not of men but of the Messiah…”
These are the ones Jesus Christ is coming for
We will also take a turn between Paragraphs 716 and 717
THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST IN THE FULLNESS OF TIME
Today we will start with John the Baptist
Back in the day we had Isaiah in the Old Testament
The Expectation of the Messiah and His Spirit
How did the Holy Spirit prepare the People of God in the moment?
How did the Holy Spirit move John the Baptist to prepare the people for Jesus’ arrival?
Tomorrow we will talk about how the Holy Spirit moved upon Mary
And then we will talk about how the Holy Spirit moved in the Son, in Jesus Christ Himself
And then we will talk about Pentecost and the Holy Spirit being God’s gift to His Church now
One of the things we struggle with at times in Catechism in a Year sometimes it’s tough to see where we are etc.
BUT…
Keep this in mind these next couple of days
As the Catechism is unfolding, here is how the Holy Spirit has worked over time
Fr. Mike is repeating himself from earlier in this episode so I’m not going to write it down
As we are walking on this path let’s take a moment and call upon that same Holy Spirit to come to be with us now in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior!!
Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in Heaven, we ask you to please send your Holy Spirit upon us. In the name of Jesus, we ask you to send your Holy Spirit of truth, your Holy Spirit of prophecy, your Holy Spirit that speaks words of wisdom, and your Holy Spirit that speaks words of conviction and consolation. Send that Holy Spirit, your Holy Spirit, into our hearts and into our minds, so that we can not only see how you have moved through the prophets, and see how you have moved in the life of John the Baptist, but so we can also see how you are continuing to move in our live. Lord, let us never be deaf. Let us never be numb to your voice and to your workings. Help us to always say yes to your Will, this day and every day of our lives. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen”
So there we have it!!
THIS IS SO IMPORTANT!!
Here is the way in which the Holy Spirit has continued to move from the very beginning of Creation
The Trinity
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Are ALWAYS operative
Are ALWAYS active
There has NEVER been a time where the Father acted and the Son did not act
Or when the Son acted and the Holy Spirit did not act
So since the beginning of Creation the Trinity has been PRESENT AND ACTIVE
Here we have the ways in which the Holy Spirit has been moving the Prophets
Paragraph 712 says, “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse…”
These are the readings we have during Advent Masses
We read the Book of the Prophet Isaiah who prophesies so much about the coming of the Messiah
Paragraph 713 says, “The Messiah’s characteristics are revealed above all in the ‘Servant songs.’”
THIS IS SO CRITICAL!!
The ways in which Isaiah prophesies these characteristics
Isaiah 42:1, “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one, with whom I am pleased; upon him I have put my spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations.”
Here is the Holy Spirit prophesied by Isaiah and is going to come upon Jesus
Isaiah goes on to describe Jesus
So what are His characteristics?
Isaiah 42:2, “He will not cry out nor shout, nor make his voice heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break; and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.”
SO POWERFUL!!
Isaiah 49:1-3, “Before birth the Lord called me, from my mother’s womb he gave me my name. In his quiver he hid me. He made me a sharpened arrow. And he said to me, ‘You are my servant. In you, Israel, I show my glory.’”
SO POWERFUL!!
SO BEAUTIFUL!!
IN FACT…
One of the most beautiful and painful parts is Isaiah Ch 50
Isaiah 50:4, “The Lord has given me a well trained tongue, that I might know how to answer the weary a word that will waken them.”
Isaiah 50:6, “I gave my back to those who beat me; my cheeks to those who tore up my beard; my face I did not hide from insults and spitting. The Lord God is my help; therefore I am not disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame.”
And it goes on…
This truth is POWERFUL AND BEAUTIFUL
The Messiah’s characteristics are prophesied and revealed to us by the Holy Spirit in the Book of Isaiah
SO GOOD!!
Not only is there a revelation of these characteristics of the Messiah
Paragraph 716 tells us the characteristics of the People of the Poor
Paragraph 716 says, “The People of the ‘poor’-those who, humble and meek, rely solely on their God’s mysterious plans, who await the justice, not of men but of the Messiah-are in the end the great achievement of the Holy Spirit’s hidden mission during the time of the promises…”
THE TIME OF THE PROMISES
That is a POWERFUL PHRASE
For so long the People of God WAITED in the TIME OF THE PROMISE
Yes, God showed up and delivered them so many times
God was with them THE WHOLE TIME
BUT…
Oftentimes, there were promises that were made and they just had to TRUST in those promises
This is part of living in the “ALREADY BUT NOT YET”
Here is Christ’s Kingdom that is ESTABLISHED
AND YET…
It is NOT YET established in GLORY
Part of the promise is ONE DAY EVERY TEAR WILL BE DRIED UP
ONE DAY EVERY WOUNDED HEART WILL BE MENDED
ONE DAY EVERY TONGUE WILL CONFESS AND PROFESS THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE LORD
That day is not here yet
Even though we are living in the time of the Kingdom…
We are also living in a NEW KIND OF TIME OF THE PROMISE
We can learn from those older brothers and sisters who were the People of the Promise who waited so long
Moving on…
JOHN, PRECURSOR, PROPHET, AND BAPTIST
John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb
When Jesus, our Lord, was in the Blessed Virgin Mary’s womb
NEWLY CONCEIVED!!
This is a couple day or couple week old human being in Mary’s womb
Who approaches John in Elizabeth’s womb
The Holy Spirit has communicated in some MIRACULOUS INCREDIBLE way from the womb of the Virgin Mary in Jesus Christ Himself to the womb of Elizabeth to John the Baptist
Let’s go an another tangent here…
There are many reasons why abortion is very clearly evil
BUT…
For Christians, there is no possible way that we could read the Gospels and come to the conclusion that what is in the womb is NOT a human being
Because days, maybe a week or two, after the conception of Jesus, He is FULLY GOD and FULLY MAN
So much so that John the Baptist, in the womb as well, recognizes His divine presence and LEAPS FOR JOY
It’s never made sense to Fr. Mike why anyone who is a professing Christian can say it’s ok to take the life of an unborn human being
Anyway…
Here is Jesus who communicates His Holy Spirit from the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the womb of Elizabeth, to John the Baptist
IT IS REMARKABLE!!
He is the PRECURSOR
He is the FINAL PROPHET
He is the BAPTIST
We get to explore more and more the ways in which the Holy Spirit has been ACTIVE AND OPERATIVE
Not only from the beginning of Creation through Pentecost to now
BUT…
Also in the prophets and John the Baptist
And in Mary
And in Jesus
And in Pentecost
And in the Church
It is SO GOOD to recognize that the Holy Spirit has been ACTIVE
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS PRESENT TO YOU RIGHT NOW!!
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS WITH YOU RIGHT NOW!!
We call upon the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ name
The Lord gives us a Spirit
IN FACT…
Remember what Jesus said, “If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to anyone who asks.”
SO…
ASK FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT!!
“In the renewal of our hearts, in the renewal of our minds, in the renewal of our lives, come Holy Spirit in Jesus’ name!”
Fr. Mike is praying FOR YOU!!
Please pray for Fr. Mike and for each other!!
I cannot WAIT to see you tomorrow!!