December 25, 2021

For you this week:

• Reflection for Saturday: Your beautiful feet are a gift to Jesus — Merry Christmas!
  
• Inside the Ministry: Sharing Jesus with Saint Joseph in Switzerland
  
• This week’s WordBytes faith-builder: The Treasure of Humility in the Story of Christmas
  
• Video Christmas Card: Merry Christmas from the staff
  

Saturday December 25, 2021
The Nativity of the Lord – Christmas

Isaiah 52:7-10
Ps 98:1-6
Hebrews 1:1-6
John 1:1-18
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122521-day.cfm
Podcast:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/2021-12-25-usccb-day-mass-readings

Saints Calendar:
gnm.org/saints-find/saints-calendar

How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings glad tidings,
announcing peace, bearing good news,
announcing salvation, and saying to Zion,
“Your God is King!”
(From Christmas Day’s first reading)

Reflection for Saturday: Your beautiful feet are a gift to Jesus — Merry Christmas!

Your beautiful feet are a gift to Jesus! How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bear good news, announcing the way of salvation and saying, “Your God is King!” That’s how the scripture readings begin in the Mass for Christmas Day.

Today you are hearing the good news. It’s your turn to have the beautiful feet.

Who do you know personally that’s like Zion: someone who is suffering and needs vindication and victory? Perhaps it is you yourself! We must first receive the good news and understand what Jesus has done for us and is doing for us in today’s circumstances. Only then can we successfully help others.

What has amazed you about Jesus? Share that with those who need to be reassured that Jesus is amazing. Do you need that reassurance yourself? Do you forget that your beautiful feet are a gift to Jesus? Open yourself to opportunities for connecting more closely to Jesus and his amazing love for you.

Here’s the good news: Jesus was born not only to save you from the destructive power of sin; he was born because he loves you and wants to heal your heartbreaks and guide you into a life full of victories.

The amazing presence of Christ comes to us at every Mass in the Eucharist. Although the little wafer of bread does not look like it contains the full presence of Jesus with all of his love for you, it is the Christmas gift that he wants to give you all year long. He is here for you.

Jesus comes to us in the Eucharist and in the words read at Mass, in the hymns, in gathering of the people, and in the teachings of the Church, because he is the good news, the way of salvation, the vindication we need and the goodness we long for. He is here for you!

Everyone longs for a savior, someone to rescue them and help them experience peace and healing and victory. The Eucharist unites us to Jesus so that we can receive him and share him. Now go out and spread that good news so that others can be amazed by Christ, too.

Have a Very Blessed Christmas!

Inside the Ministry:
Sharing Jesus with Saint Joseph in Switzerland

Last month, we were contacted by a mission group called the Friends of St. Joseph. They sought permission to distribute our Novena Consecration to Saint Joseph (available @ gnm.org/saints-find/saint-joseph-for-your-home-and-family) for an Extraordinary Procession in Basel, Switzerland.

Gladly, I gave them permission. Furthermore, they translated it into German (tell me if you want a copy). Below is their story in the words of one of the organizers, Liza Oprandi.

“We hope this will inspire more processions worldwide, as we need to bring Our Beloved Lord to the streets where he originally began his ministry.

“Four individuals from the Friends of Saint Joseph approached the parish priest at the Church of Saint Anton and proposed a plan for a Eucharistic Procession. Usually, a procession involving several communities would take a lot longer than a month to organize, but the Friends of Saint Joseph encountered little miracles along the way, which gave the group confidence that it was indeed God’s Holy Will to have this Eucharistic Procession.

“It became clear in the planning that it was Jesus’ desire to be brought to the streets of Basel where he could be adored by the faithful and give his blessing to the town and its people.

“The Eucharistic Procession was held on December 5th to honour and give thanksgiving for the Year of Saint Joseph, which was coming to an end. The event began with Holy Mass at Saint Anton, which concluded with a personal consecration to Saint Joseph. Outside the main doors of the church, approximately 150 Catholics from the different parishes gathered behind the Blessed Sacrament and the priests of the different religious communities, and the procession officially commenced. The group organised a couple of stops along the way to the Church of Saint Joseph. The first one was at an old people’s home on Mülhauserstrasse. The elderly eagerly gathered at the windows to receive a Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament. This brought tears of joy to both the elderly and members of the procession. The second stop took place at the centre of the bridge Dreirosenbrücke overlooking the city of Basel, and there it received a Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament.

“The Eucharistic Procession then continued until it arrived in front of the Church of Saint Joseph, where the people knelt as the priest placed the Monstrance on an outdoor altar for adoration. Additional prayers, including a general consecration to Saint Joseph, were recited while the Sister Adorers of the Royal Heart of Jesus Christ Sovereign Priest sang The Litany of Saint Joseph in Latin. The event concluded with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament over all gathered outside.

“Our world today needs more Eucharistic Processions where Jesus, in the sacrament of his love, can be adored by his children and to plant a seed of faith in those who do not know him. Our Lord will always use these golden opportunities to call people into his fold.

“The Eucharistic Procession in Basel reminds us of what is genuinely essential in these times of darkness and uncertainty. It also reminds us of the unique role that Saint Joseph plays as Protector of Holy Church.”

This week’s recommended faith-builder:
The Treasure of Humility in the Story of Christmas

Why do we think of Jesus as being poor? Poverty does not always equate to humility. Perhaps we think it does because Jesus was born in a manger. But His father was a carpenter, a very respectable career. Jesus was not born in a manger because He was poor, but because there was no room for Him anywhere else. The city was jam-packed with traveler.

And what about Mary? She had a say in all this! After all, it was she who would be uncomfortably giving birth in a stable. Yet, she accepted the provisions her faithful husband provided. What a marvelous example of faith in God to take care of all things. What a model of a trust, believing that God would not allow more than she could bear. Is it any wonder that God chose her to be the mother of His Son?

For more on this, visit wordbytes.org/spiritual-growth/humility-in-the-story-of-christmas.

WordBytes is a library of Catholic faith-building articles by Good News Ministries. Come on in and explore! Visit WordBytes.org today.

Merry Christmas! from the staff of Good News Ministries. May your Christmas be blessed despite any trials. Jesus is delightedly in love with you! Here’s a musical video card for meditation and reflection.

Open our video Christmas card @ gnm-media.org/merry-christmas-ecard-good-news-ministries.

God bless you!

Every morning, I lift up in prayer everyone who helps Good News Ministries in any way (donors, volunteers, prayer supporters, etc.) and all the prayer requests posted on our site. What can I cover in prayer for you? Post your prayer request.

How else can the team and I serve you today? Visit our homepage.

Thank you for reading this newsletter.

Your servant in Christ,
Terry Modica, Executive Director
Good News Ministries
gnm.org

Let’s connect in GNM’s community: See you there!

Keep your eyes on Jesus!
And when you have to look at others, see them through his eyes.