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Praise and glory to you, loving God our Father in heaven in giving us your beloved Son Jesus Christ who had come, now comes, and would come again at the end of time.
In him you have fulfilled your promised liberation and establishment of a "temple as the highest mountain and raised above the hills" where "all nations shall stream toward it and many peoples shall come" (Isaiah 2:2-3) to worship you and follow your path.
O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!
Isaiah 2:5
As Christians, we still have a lot of work to do to bring the spirit of Jesus Christ and his Gospel into the world to make this more humane, where peace and justice reign; remind us that Christmas is more than mere celebrations and parties or shopping and gift-giving.
In this Season of Advent, teach us to reflect on the real meaning of your coming, dear God, in Jesus who became human like us to live and work among us; Christ has not failed in his mission -- it is us who have done so little to carry on, to continue what he had began like bringing healing and comfort to those afflicted and suffering, joy and forgiveness to those losing hope in the face of many sins and evil.
It is true, O Lord, that "we are not worthy to have you enter under my roof but only say the word and we shall be healed" (Matthew 8:8); let us listen and respond to your invitation and calls, Jesus, filled with faith like that centurion so that eventually, your Kingdom may become a full reality among us. Amen.
