Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori
11 December – Tuesday of the Second week of Advent
Jesus, suffering servant, in the womb of His mother
“Consider, as the prophet Isaiah once proclaimed, that Jesus is the ‘suffering servant’ and from His infancy began to endure the greatest sorrows. Even from the womb of Mary, Jesus Christ accepted obediently, the will of His Father. He foresaw the scourges, the thorns, the blows, the nails and the cross on which He offered His life. He suffered a continual martyrdom and He offered every moment for us, to His eternal Father. But what afflicted Him more than any other suffering, was the malice of every sin, when He saw the immense number that would be committed.
My sweetest Redeemer, when shall I begin to be grateful to You for Your infinite goodness? When shall I begin to acknowledge the love that You bear for me and the sorrows that You endured for me? Shall I continue to live an ungrateful life? No, my Jesus, by the help of Your grace, it shall not be so.”
Scripture
“He grew up like a sapling before him,
like a shoot from the parched earth;
He had no majestic bearing to catch our eye,
no beauty to draw us to him.
He was spurned and avoided by men,
a man of suffering, knowing pain,
Like one from whom you turn your face,
spurned and we held him in no esteem.”
Isaiah 53:2-3
Prayer
Thank You, my Lord, for looking for me.
Thank You, my Lord, for finding me.
Thank You, my Lord, for telling me
“it is never the will of my Father,
that one of these little ones should perish.”
This explains why
You assumed our human nature
and suffered so much for us.
Thank You, my Lord,
for Your reckless love.
Thank You, my Lord,
for saving me!
Amen
Advent Action
Our Scripture today, overflows with hope. In the Gospel, Jesus proclaims that He, personally, will rescue us. Even if we are the only one lost, He will come after us. “So it is not the will of my Father, who is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.” Are we in trouble, lost, confused and overwhelmed? Tell Jesus! He fulfils His promise to rescue us.
AnaStpaul 