December 7 - Jerusalem

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“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign; the young woman, pregnant and about to bear a son, shall name him Emmanuel." – Isaiah 7:14 (NAB)

The journey from the manger in Bethlehem to the cross in Jerusalem encompasses the whole of Jesus' earthly life, a path marked by humility, self-emptying, and sacrificial love. As Christians, we are uniquely invited to make this path our own as we model our lives after our Savior. The Bethlehem manger and the rejection the Holy Family experienced there, no room in the inn, is a prelude to the humbling of Jesus in the hour of his passion. It is in Jerusalem that Jesus would face rejection, betrayal, and crucifixion, bearing the weight of our sins and offering himself as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

Christmas invites us to recognize Jesus in the faces of the outcasts, the downtrodden, and those who suffer, just as Jesus himself suffered in his journey to Jerusalem. Of course, we are reminded that in our own trials, the Lord is near, He is God-with-us. At the end of this year 2023, we are called to pray for peace in Jerusalem and the Holy Land, that the harmony, justice, and security long awaited may be realized. May all people be filled with the consolation of the Holy Spirit.

Father Matthew Rappl
St. Joseph Catholic - Sturgeon Bay
Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic - Institute



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