Saturday after the Nativity of Christ; the Two Thousand Martyrs Who Were Burned in Nicomedia (303); Passing into eternal life (1945) of Blessed Hryhoriy (Gregory) Khomyshyn, Bishop of Stanyslaviv (Ivano-Frankivs’k) and martyr
Read
1 Timothy 6:11-16; Matthew 12:15-21
Christ is born! Glorify Him!
Anyone who has something to sell will tell you that the very best method of advertising is word of mouth. Nothing gets around more efficiently that one person’s word to another. One would think that as Jesus progressed in his three-year ministry, He would want word to get around of His teachings and His miracles. But He does not want that. Rather, He wants the opposite. He asked all whom He healed not to spread the word of it. Matthew is convinced that Jesus is the true Messiah; He fulfils one of the Servant Songs of Isaiah the prophet (see Isaiah 42:1ff). The true Messiah will be the king of the restored Israel; he will be unlike most earthly kings – he will reign in peace not in arguments, or in wrangling, or in violence. Truly, Jesus is the Prince of Peace. We need to renew our relationship with him continually. As we continue to celebrate the Nativity of our Lord, it would be good to recall a few small phrases that often make their way into Facebook memes:
No God, no peace. Know God, know Peace!