“Behold the Handmaid of the Lord.” In today’s first reading, Isaiah gives us the first hint into the birth of Jesus by predicting that the Lord himself will give us a sign: “The virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.” In the Gospel Luke picks it up from […]

Did you even wonder why Zachariah was really struck mute in the Temple? Yes, he questioned the angel, but so did Mary. In these Advent reflections we are focusing on a special SLW Call: “We are called to be an attentive presence in our relationships with each other, all of God’s people and creation.” Reflecting […]

Today, the psalmist shares that God is near to the poor and oppressed and helps them when they cry out for help. God shows pity for the needy and anyone who has no one to help them. In Matthew’s Gospel, Joseph struggles with the news about Mary’s pregnancy. He takes the message from the angel […]

They are in us, those long departed ones. They are in our inclination, our moral burdens, our pulsing blood, and in the gestures that arise from the depths of time. (Letters to a Young Poet, Ranier Maria Rilke) I read this recently and it fits to the genealogy we read today. Genesis reminds us of […]

Today’s main message is rejoice. About what are we to rejoice? We rejoice because God is with us at all times. We rejoice because God became human with and for us. Those are big reasons for which to rejoice. The second message is be at peace. Our minds are cluttered with fears about the future […]