When one has a longing so great that it surpasses human nature and eager desire, and are able to accomplish things beyond human thought, it is the Bridegroom who has smitten them with this longing.
Weddings are about human love that co-creates human life. On a deeper level, a wedding where the mother of Jesus is present, symbolizes the relationship between the divine and the human, how the two embrace each other to create vitality. The wedding symbolizes how God and people are united in love to co-create spiritual life.
The power of the Most High overshadowing Mary, and the Spirit descending upon Jesus in the form of a dove, are one and the same God breaking into our daily lives. God, loving us so intimately, leaves the remoteness of the heavens, and makes His dwelling among us.
Once you have seen the Light, once you meet the Child of God, you must change, turn, and go back to your life, your world, by another route.
Franciscans profess with their lives to bring the Gospel to people and people to the Gospel, so that the Prince of Peace may reign in human hearts.
In Elizabeth’s praise of Mary, she is blessed because she has learned to trust the process of hearing the Lord’s word with such attentiveness that it leads to fulfillment.
To be joyful is an undeniable sign of God’s presence, and of our faith, no matter what transpires as we wait for God to make His glory visible, and to show forth goodness and mercy.
John’s highway is ultimately a way to let God get close, to make it possible to welcome Jesus as the Giver of the Spirit.
God came down. This is the heart of the seasons of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. God prefers to live with us in spite of our sinful ways, our anger and violence, our lack of love for one another. We find God here on earth.
We are called to belong to the truth, to claim what is real in our lives, living a Catholic Christian Franciscan life, and to follow the teachings of Christ and His Church.