24 The First Week of Advent Wednesday Remember that you are in the presence of the Lord. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. On Christmas Day, it is exciting to give and receive presents. Brightly wrapped and filled with surprises, these presents can cause happy smiles. Now think of the Baby Jesus. Mary wrapped God’s wondrous gift—not in bright paper but in plain, simple cloth! Yet Jesus is the greatest gift of all! How blessed we are to receive him! A reading from the Prophet Isaiah: On that day it will be said: “Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us! This is the Lord for whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!” (Isaiah 25:9) Long before the first Christmas, the Prophet Isaiah told the Israelites that one day they would thank God for saving them from sin and death. Many years later, their salvation and ours came in a tiny bundle born in a stable: the Baby Jesus, who grew up to save us by his Passion, Death, and Resurrection. Advent is a time to say, “Come, Lord Jesus, come! We await you with joy!”
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