Emmanuel: God Is With Us!

Father Fred Jenga, C.S.C., President of Holy Cross Family Ministries, shares a message for the Advent and Christmas seasons.

In this month of December, we have the Advent and Christmas seasons. In this same month, the Board of Holy Cross Family Ministries will sit to reflect on the work that we do, and plan.

At every Board sitting we have a theme that sets the tone for the Board meeting. As the President of the organization, I am given the privilege of choosing the theme and offering a reflection about it. I chose the theme “Emmanuel: God is with us” (Isaiah 7:14,8:8; Matthew 1:23) that speaks to the Advent and Christmas seasons yet is deeply rooted in the Third Joyful Mystery of the Rosary about The Nativity of the Lord.

Venerable Patrick Peyton said that the “good news” about the nativity of Jesus was that “God had come into the world” (Father Peyton’s Rosary Prayer Book, p.76). He also observed that “in the Incarnation, God, while remaining God, became one of us. A very humbling thought” (236).

In the Old Testament, a nation that had been repeatedly attacked and conquered by her enemies such as the Syrians, the Persians, the Romans—held onto hope amidst her circumstances that God is still present to her amidst what was going on. In the New Testament we see the incarnation of God’s presence when He sent His only Son to become flesh, to dwell among us, to be our neighbor, to be with us on our best days, and to be with us on our worst days.

Holy Cross Family Ministries through helping families reflect on the Mysteries of the Rosary aims to constantly remind families of the “Emmanuel” reality, that God is with them, He is near them, and He is for them, no matter the circumstances. Holy Cross Family Ministries desires to educate families that Our Blessed Mother Mary was an important part of God’s plan in birthing the Emmanuel. Through our face-to-face programs and through our media programs Holy Cross Family Ministries desires to help families encounter God, nurture their relationship with Him, and make God the center of their family life. We offer “Emmanuel” to families as a promise to hold onto, and “Emmanuel” as a way to live.

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We see the incarnation of God’s presence when He sent His only Son to become flesh, to dwell among us, to be our neighbor, to be with us on our best days and our worst days. #CatholicMom

As the official Chaplain of Catholic Mom, I pray that during these two important seasons, all our Catholic Mom contributors and all who use the resources of Catholic Mom may reflect on the “Emmanuel Promise” and open their lives and families to the “Emmanuel Way of Life.”

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