Shall I play for You?

It's rather quiet around the world-o'-blogs lately. Have you noticed?

Frankly, I find it rather comforting imagining that you are silently awaiting Our King. That is what you're doing isn't it? Yes, I thought so. You are not one of the millions upon millions of people I encountered yesterday on my way to Joann's for some embroidery thread, were you? No, I thought not.

Yesterday, when I read Sarah's post, it most definitely struck a familiar chord with me. I have no gift to give, that's fit to give a King. I want to make this Advent meaningful for myself, while help fulfill my call to evangelize, all the while giving a gift to Our Baby King, and His Blessed Mother.

And then, yesterday afternoon, a gift I ordered arrived, a brand new copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It's a copy my mother asked for, as she, a cradle Catholic, has recently desired to become closer to her King by learning more about His Church. I cracked it, enjoying the smell and feel of a brand new hardbound book, and glanced down. Instantly my eye caught paragraph 504:

Jesus is conceived by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary's womb because he is the New Adam, who inaugurates the new creation: "The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven." From his conception, Christ's humanity is filled with the Holy Spirit, for God "gives him the Spirit without measure." From "his fullness" as the head of redeemed humanity "we have all received, grace upon grace."

My heavenly mother spoke to me, drawing my eye to the birth of Our King through the history of our Church's teachings of her "Yes!," her hymn of praise, her sacrifice."

Instantly, I said "Yes!" I will sing a hymn of praise here, in this humble space, like the humble stable in which He came to us, posting snippets of the CCC, the bible, and a variety of lovely published thoughts, about our Heavenly Mother, and Her beloved King.

POUSSIN, Nicolas
Annunciation
1657

Paragraph 505:

 By his virginal conception, Jesus, the New Adam, ushers in the new birth of children adopted in the Holy Spirit through faith. "How can this be?" Participation in the divine life arises "not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. "The acceptance of this life is virginal because it is entirely the Spirit's gift to man. The spousal character of the human vocation in relation to God is fulfilled perfectly in Mary's virginal motherhood.

Wishing you a blessed first Sunday in Advent.

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment

in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary,

at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold.

In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God!

to hear my prayer and grant my desires,

through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ,

and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.