December 20, 2022, Class Update: Waiting and Prophecies

Greetings everyone!

The fully lit Advent wreath inside Ascension Church


In our most recent class, nearing the celebration of Christ's Birth on Christmas Day, we took a closer look at Old Testament prophecies about the coming of the Messiah, which are specifically listed below my signature.

Just as we wait for so many things throughout our livers, so the people of Israel waited for a long time for the coming of the Messiah, the Anointed One Who is our Savior.

We are off from class on December 27 and January 3.

During our break, as the Church, we will celebrate the Christmas Season, extending from Christmas Day, December 25, 2022, until January 9, 2023.  There are several feasts during this season, including Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord, each of which is a celebration of how God revealed Himself to us through Christ.  

We resume class on January 10, and the plan is to take a closer look at the revelations celebrated in those feasts.

At the end of class this week, everyone got a card signed by Gabby and me for your families.

We ask that you keep it on display somewhere prominent in your home until January 10 as a reminder about the meaning of all the days of the Christmas Season.

As usual, please feel free to contact me with questions, etc.

Thank you for your generosity with our class Christmas Angel gift.  I matched the donations from the students and then rounded it up to a $200 Jewel gift card for a family in need.

And as the final days of Advent give way to the celebration of Christ's Birth throughout the Christmas Season, I pray that you rejoice in our hearts because God has come to be with us always.

We remain connected as One Church:
All my relations.

Merry Advent/Christmas/Epiphany, and enjoy ringing in the New Year.

God's blessings,
Paul


Advent wreath inside Holy Name Cathedral

As our opening prayer, we listened to the song "Here I am, the Servant of the Lord", the English dance version of the World Youth Day 2019 theme song.  The refrain is based on the words of Mary's fiat of accepting the word of the angel Gabriel.

Before class started, I played this performance of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" in Latin, performed by Hayley Westenra.

We looked at the story of John 10:22-30, when Jesus is in the Temple in Jerusalem for the celebration of Hanukkah.

We looked at these specific Messianic prophecies:
Isaiah 7:10-14
Isaiah 9:1-6
Isaiah 40:1-5 (which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., mentioned in his "I Have a Dream Speech")
2 Samuel 7:8-16
Micah 5:1-4

Nativity scene outside Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago


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