December 18, 2013 Prayer and Meditation
3rd Week of Advent
Emmanuel
By Mary Lorelie Vicedo Aquino
“Emmanuel, which means “God is with us”. Matthew 1:23
“If God is with us, who can be against us” Romans 8:31
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” Jn 3:16
Beautiful verses of God’s eternal and everlasting love for us
Loving reminders of His presence in our lives
An assurance of His love, guidance and protection
Affirmation that God is a living and loving God in the midst of His people
Deepen my faith, my hope, my love, my desire to live with you
By your gift of confidence, increase my desire to renew my life, my ways for you
To embrace holiness and righteousness in all my ways, in all my days
To live a life worthy of your blessings, love and mercy my Lord
Emmanuel, oh how great are you thy Savior
To accept the mission of salvation for the love of God
Humble my heart, my soul, my life
Let me respectfully accept the purpose that God provides
Let your voice be my voice, to speak of your greatness daily in my chores
Let your eyes be my eyes, to see your goodness in all that surrounds my life
Let your ears be my ears, so I can hear the cry of help of everyone near
Let your heart be my heart, that I can always see Jesus in everyone’s heart.
I believe Jesus, my Emmanuel you are near
Your presence magnifies the joy, the peace, and love in me
The understanding beyond explanation
The love beyond expiration.
Only through you I am able to see, hear, feel this peace and joy
Only through you, fear, doubt and anxiety exiled from my world
Only with you, I can attain confidence and full trust in God’s provisions and fortification
Only with you, through you and by you. I will grow in God’s grace forevermore. Amen.
Scripture Readings
Psalms 72: 1 – 2, 12 – 13, 18 – 19
1 Give the king thy justice, O God, and thy righteousness to the royal son!
2 May he judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with justice!
12 For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper.
13 He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy.
18 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.
19 Blessed be his glorious name for ever; may his glory fill the whole earth! Amen and Amen!
They shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” (Matthew 1:23)
Meditation
For ancient people, a name was not simply a conventional designation. It marked out a person’s place in the universe. We see this in the very first pages of the Bible, as God gives his new creation names like “day,” “night,” “heaven,” “earth,” and “sea” (Genesis 1:3-10). We also see him telling Adam to name each of the animals (2:19-20).
As history unfolds, we see people giving people, places, and even events names that signify their importance and value. And in today’s Gospel, we learn that Mary and Joseph are to name their son Jesus “because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). This child will also be called Emmanuel, “God is with us” (1:23).
Amazing! In Christ, we are promised a Savior who is with us at all times. When we see Jesus, we are seeing nothing less than the face of God. In his words and deeds, we are seeing the heart of a Father who cares for us and wants to be involved in every aspect of our lives.
So on those days when life seems uncertain, remember that God is with you to help you. When you celebrate a success in life, remember that he is with you to celebrate with you. And when things are going smoothly, remember that God is with you to guide you and protect you.
Did you ever go through a time when you felt that God was not with you? Try recalling that time right now. Go back into that memory, and invite Jesus into that situation. Imagine him standing by you, unseen and unnoticed, but still looking at you with love and compassion. Try to imagine the look on his face. Picture him putting his hands on your shoulders, comforting you.
Ask him to heal that memory and to give you a new perspective into that painful situation. Listen carefully to what he wants to say to you.
Jesus, Emmanuel, is with you, and he wants to help you! You are important to him. Your name is written in his book of life. So in this week before Christmas, let him come to give you new life and new hope.
Prayer of the Soul
“Lord, deepen my faith. Let me know you are with me all of the time. Father, we come united in prayers to offer you everyone we are praying for, those who pray with us and each and every soul in your land wanting to live a life of happiness, peace and joy. We come to you to entrust our lives oh Jesus. We accept and we believe in your coming and our salvations. We believe in your love and your protection. We believe in your majesty and provision. Almigthy Father, there are those who are losing hope in life. Shine upon all of us to see the beauty of the life you have given us. Let us see the goodness of soul of everyone around us. Help us grow in your Spirit our Lord and magnify your beauty in all that we will do, say or think. Let us be the pride of God upon earth and to all mankind. Let us forget all about us and do the will of God for His glory. We are weak and we are helpless, only through you we can free ourselves of fear, doubt and anxiety. Live a life of hope, love and faith with our Emmanuel. Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, all the angels and saint. In the name of our loving and everloving Jesus, our Emmanuel we pray and surrender. Amen. ”
Oh Emmanuel we accept and believe in you in our lives. Hold us firmly today, for we believe if God is with us who can be against us. Let your will be done upon us all…
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