Daily prayer
to St. Jude

O kindSaint-Jude, our faithful intercessor to Jesus, receive the following special intentions : to present them to the Almighty Lord, Root of all good. Above all, grant us an increase of our faith in His love. May each day find us closer in our relationship with our Heavenly Father. KindSaint-Jude, you who has revived hope in our hearts, you whose model merits and life bring us the divine blessings and graces, be our advocate, and lead us to Jesus and Mary. With you, blessed apostle, we give thanks and praise God with all our heart for His innumerable kindnesses. Amen.

The Monthly Note

December 2005

Awaken

by Fr. Émery Désilets, OP

This is the title of a homily that Saint Augustine delivered on Christmas day. This is what he said: “Man, awaken: for you, God became man… I repeat, for you, God became man”.

Awaken. Must we need to be shaken to be awakened to the beauties God makes for us?  God come to us.  In His Son, He comes to live among us.  He becomes the Emanuel, God with us.  Do we measure what all this represents, what it means to us?

In His Son, God experiences with us the human adventure, in all its density and to open it up to undreamt of horizons. Who is thus God to act this way?  Who is thus God to be so kind?  Who is thus God to deliver us His Son?  Who is thus God who, through His Son, becomes flesh of our flesh?  Who is thus God to love us in this way (Lauds, the Friday of the fourth week)?  After having spoken through “the prophets in different and fragmented ways”, God gives us, on this Feast of Christmas, His Word, His Verb, His own Son, His only Son.

In His great kindness, God, Himself, joins us in the midst of our life. In His Son, He comes to save our life, to liberate it from bondage, to open it to Him, to our brothers and sisters. He comes to open our hearts to the dimensions of those of His Son.  Saint Augustine explains this mystery with a wonderful formula: Could God have sent upon us a greater gift than this one: His only Son, He made him a man’s son and, in return, he transforms men’s sons into sons of God.

Christmas, is the feast of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, but it is also the feast of our own birth to the life of God.  The impact of this event goes beyond us infinitely….The angels sing: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests."  The Son of God comes to our world, and the world is filled with the peace, the light and the joy of God.

Christmas is the beginning of a great adventure: the awakening to which we were made for, the awakening of our true vocation. Christmas, is the start of the great adventure of salvation.  With all our heart, let us join this adventure.

Émery Désilets, o.p., Director.

“Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.” (Isaiah 9,1)