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Summary: A few days before Christmas, people may be wondering if they’re ready for the holiday. Real readiness is a matter of being open to receive God’s gift that we celebrate that day. Mary, the young woman who first received that gift, can help us to be prepared. She is surprised by being favored by God, but willing to rely on that favor and the God who gives it. |
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Summary: Incarnation is what Christmas is all about. God took the initiative to establish room in us for him to dwell, so that we can be the people he wants us to be. |
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Summary: As Christmas approaches, the story of the Annunciation challenges us, as the angel Gabriel challenged Mary, to find God in unlikely places and to courageously respond in positive ways to his call. |
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Summary: Although many of today’s Christmas observances are based in fantasy, and although even the story of the Annunciation has fantastic elements, at Christmas all of us still face the burdens and decisions of living life in the real world. Mary, in taking her first small but heroic step toward God’s destiny, is a model for our faithful living in whatever real circumstances we face. When we take those steps with her, we begin to know the true dimensions of Christmas joy. |
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Summary: A person does not need to be able to agree with every detail doctrine to be Christian. A person does need to submit himself or herself to Christ to be a Christian |
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Summary: It has never been easy to be a mother or father. The responsibility has always been awesome but there are some senses in which it is more difficult today than ever. Changes have swept over us and through home and family, altering both structure and expectations. Guidance is needed and here we look at the relation of Jesus and Mary. Five pictures are shared: the wonder of the Annunciation, the pondering of the sayings of those who came to the manger, the visit to the temple when Jesus was twelve, the enmity of the officials of the society and the refuge Jesus found in home and family, and the tender scene on Calvary when most had fled but at the cross Mary his mother was to be found. We seek not only to illumine the relation of Jesus and Mary but to suggest some guidelines for parents today. |
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Summary: In a rearrangement of the time-honored "Mary had a little lamb" nursery rhyme, we can bring a new perspective to motherhood and mothering. The virtue is not the sole province of women, but a characteristic to be nurtured in all. Christ's embodiment of "nurturing" gives a radical new perspective to the concept of the Lamb of God and by that lamb we are led. |
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Summary: It’s a wonder and a mystery that God uses frail human flesh to communicate divine love to the world in Jesus Christ. |
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Summary: The announcement to Mary that she is to be the mother of the Son of God has been the subject of many paintings. Of course, Mary is there, as well as the angel Gabriel who brings the message and a perhaps surprising dove. Mary is surprised that she is to be the mother because she is a virgin, but Gabriel tells her that the Holy Spirit will bring this about. That explains the dove, which is often used as a symbol for the Spirit. The Holy Trinity — Father, Son and Spirit — are at work here to bring about the salvation and renewal of the world.
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Summary: Mary and Elizabeth shared a bond of miraculous pregnancies and being blessed by God. Their visit strengthened each of them and gave them joy as they obediently followed God’s commands. That same joy is available for us today. |
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Summary: At your funeral, no one will remember how much money you made or what kind of status you had. Instead, they will remember your faithfulness, your bravery and your kindness. We can all follow the example of Mary in developing eulogy virtues, with the support and accountability of a community of faith.
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Summary: We’re close to Christmas and most of us aren’t really prepared for the birth of Christ. Neither Elizabeth nor Mary, who meet in the gospel, was prepared for what happened to them, but they believed God’s promises. Faith is not something we naturally have, but is brought about by the creative word of God. And it is that saving word that will come to us at Christmas, however unprepared we may be. |
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Summary: In this short passage, we witness the kingdom of God being ushered in by two pregnant women who believed, and acted upon, the promises of God. Will we recognize, and act upon, these promises in our own life? |
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Summary: If anyone deserves this high honor of Assumption, it is the Blessed Virgin. But what does it have to do with us? The answer is found in the Magnificat, Mary’s response to her cousin St. Elizabeth’s joyful greeting. Mary’s blessings, and our blessings, are part of a great chain, a story that begins with Abraham. We are a part of it all. |
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Summary: Mary and Elizabeth share a time of joy, but they also teach the church. Luke offers his initial interpretation of the far-reaching significance of Jesus’ birth not from a dramatic event, but from the most ordinary of circumstances: two women talking together in a house. Luke celebrates the contribution of women. From this tender and humble conversation, the church learns that the birth of Jesus changes everything. |
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Summary: Two remarkable women, each carrying a miraculous child, meet. That meeting leads to prophecy and joy and blessings. God’s word and blessings come to us in many ways, and when we are faithful and obedient, God uses us to bring his message to a world desperate for hope and peace. |
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Summary: Though we don’t know the details of Mary’s assumption, it has much to tell us of this woman who had already been lifted up in many ways. When God called, she did not simply say, “Yes”; she actually went. She brought God with her wherever she went and God did great things for her — as God will do for us as well. |
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Summary: Like the guy who warms up the audience before the host takes a late-night talk show stage, St. John the Baptist warmed up Judea and Jerusalem for the moment when the Savior would arrive! Our task is also to point toward Jesus, not ourselves. Nor should we mistake our mentors, no matter how profound their influence, for the one toward whom they have pointed. |
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Summary: Throughout the Bible, when people are called to a way of life in God’s plan, their names are often highlighted. Abraham, Sarai, John the Baptist, Simon Peter and Mary Magdalene are some examples. But you and I are no less called, and in God’s plan, our names are every bit as important as theirs. |
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Summary: God’s plan of salvation includes each of us. God wishes to save all, but along the road we may be called upon to take a detour and/or endure some difficulty. But we must cooperate with God’s plan. Then and only then will we be ready for the gift of eternal life. |
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There are 20 sermons in your results. |
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