Tis the Season of 'The Gospel of Life'
When you think about it - the Church has two special times of the year when it asks Christians to set a time aside for prayer and reflection (and fasting) -Advent and Lent-.
Why Advent?
Because...
As John Paul tells us in Dominum Et Vivificantem:
- " Creation is thus completed by the Incarnation and since that moment is permeated by the powers of the Redemption, powers which fill humanity and all creation." #52
- "The mystery of the Incarnation constitutes the climax of this (God's) giving, this divine self-communication" #50
- "What was accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit "in the fullness of time" can only through the Spirit's power now emerge from the memory of the Church. By his power it can be made present in the new phase of man's history on earth: the year 2000 from the birth of Christ." #51
- "But it must also be remembered that for us Christians this event (the Incarnation) indicates, as St. Paul says, the 'fullness of time', because in it human history has been wholly permeated by the 'measurement' of God himself: a transcendent presence of the 'eternal now.' " #49
Advent is that time to get in touch with that " divine self-communication", to become aware of "human history that is permeated by the measurement of God himself" and the "powers of the Redemption, powers which fill humanity and all creation". Right now in our world's history we desperately need this power of the Incarnation to " be made present in this new phase of man's history on earth".
We must realize that Advent and Christmas is a time where God is prepared to pour out anew many graces upon his children. Pro-lifers: in a special way this is our season. We who are pro-life should use this time when Christ came to our world first in a womb and then in a manger to renew ourselves to go out and build a 'culture of life'.
Image by Getty Images via Daylife
Visit the website: Unborn Word Alliance
Visit the blog version of: Unborn Word of the day
