The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.
Most highly favored Lady, Gloria.
Thank you, Menagerie. Advent blessings to you and yours.
Amen to that Mary and blessings to Menagerie and all Treepers for this Christmas Season.
Thank you for your post, reminding me to celebrate this beautiful season. Blessings to you, Menagerie and Sundance, for your steadfastness and good will. Prayers of thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ.
? Amen , in this Most Holy Season .
May Our Lord Bless
and Hold You All ?
Thank you so much Menagerie for the Advent posts!
During these final days of Advent, there are two settings of heart that we bring: a sweet hush of the heart and a tremendous eagerness. The one is not complete without the others.
— Mother Mary Francis
from Come, Lord Jesus
Good Morning Treepers,
This Blessing is given to all visitors and worshipers at the Old Church of St Boniface at Bonchurch on the Isle of Wight. I am sure many of you know it but it has been a constant comfort to me and so at the end of this most difficult year I would like to share it with you.
May the Presence of Christ go with you,
May the Peace of Christ enfold you,
May the Love of Christ fill you,
May the Strength of Christ uphold you,
May the Joy of Christ uplift you,
And as you journey on,
May the Light of Christ guide your way.
So beautiful … thank you for sharing. I’ll print this out, place it where I see it throughout the day.
Me too.
On July 11, 1926, James Allan Francis – a pastor and author – delivered a sermon to the Baptist Young People’s Union in Los Angeles. His stirring message ended with an unforgettable description of the life of Jesus. Francis’s words soon took on a life of their own. They were published and circulated widely, and today, nearly a century later, the impact of this short essay still resounds throughout the world.
Thank you!
Thank you. A blessing.
Hold fast in faith for we fight not of flesh but evil Spirits. Believe in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior and hold fast to your faith in God.
Catholic rights upheld to defund abortions.
It has never been done before.
The Justice Department (DOJ) suing for discrimination.
To protect the First Amendment.
Freedom of religion.
In a federal discrimination case filed Wednesday.
In Vermont.
To protect health care workers from being discriminated against in the workplace.
For being Christians.
And Catholics.
Who object to being forced to perform or assist with abortions.
Against their will.
Based on their faith.
Even though their employer had a policy against it.
And accepted federal money to prevent it.
The defendants were warned two and a half years ago.
But did it anyway.
And refused to change.
And kept the money anyway.
On Wednesday it happened.
Legal actions were filed.
It cost:
Primary sources are the:
https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/12/16/hhs-disallow-200m-california-medicaid-funds-due-unlawful-abortion-insurance-mandate.html
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-defends-health-care-workers-being-forced-perform-abortions-vermont-lawsui
https://brassballs.blog/home/hhs-uvm-uvmmc-krystine-spiess-vermont-medical-center-doj-abortion-aclj-frank-manion-first-amendment-freedom-religion-catholic-peacehealth-office-conscience-religious-christians
Thank you Menagerie! Enjoying this Fourth Sunday of Advent with everything in it’s proper place
Why God would deny his own creation and laws about how a Soul come to a human body?
God are the source of all Science and common sense…God not make fery tales..human do.
Bien dicho, Gabriel. Que Diós lo bendiga.
mankind has to come to the realization that everything that we have done since be removed from the garden … has bee a slap in the face to our “CREATOR” … he has blessed all of mankind and we have used and abused his blessings …”HE” spelled out in “HIS” instruction book ( the bible) … how to worship and adore “HIM” and we have trampled it to dust with our own interpretations … we do not honor our “CREATOR” with our actions … just our empty words and deeds … what this nation and world is experiencing is “HIS” slow and methodical … retracting of those blessings until we get it thru our “THIS SKULLS” that ” …. “GOD” expects “HIS” creation to do as we are told … it’s truly sad to watch what mankind has done to itself … it never had to be like this …
“for nothing will be impossible for God.”
To understand this to be the fundamental truth that it is, has changed how I think about everything.
Praise be to God.
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us
Our Lady of Good Success, pray for us
In the spirit of light and mercy, I find great comfort while listening to this:
Our pastor has been talking about God moving in individual lives, the life of the Church and the life of our nation. His 4 main points are well worth thinking about during this season—of the year and of our nation. First, God moves in surprising ways. Second, God moves in miraculous ways. Next, God moves in very personal ways. And finally, God moves in deliberate ways. I look forward with great anticipation to seeing Him move soon in His Church and in America!
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My son is named after the arch angel Gabriel. His message to Mary is why.
God bless us!
Even with all of the changes this year, we still are celebrating our unchanging God and His promise to send us a Savior.
I hope this link works. It’s the Christmas Hallelujah by the Living Stones.
Thank you Menagerie. This reading was always one of my favs. Luke 1:26, yes?
Yes, jeans, it is.