I would like to thank You for a baby that was born on a boat about two days ago and who was airlifted to Malta along with his mother. I thank You for this newborn child, my God and Father Amen. He is a sweet child. I pray for the full physical and psychological wellbeing and recovery of both the mother and the child Amen.
⁸ In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verse 8)
Oh God, my Father, when You do something You do it well, in order to accomplish Your aim as in that of Your birth, You made use of both heavenly sources such as angels, and even simple humans such as the shepherd. I thank you for enabling many of such resources during many different situations whom You sent at the right time to be of service and support to me and even my clients Amen.
⁹ Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verse 9)
Oh God my Father the power of Your light is far greater than that of the power of darkness, I pray that You continue to uncover my dark areas so that You can heal me of them Amen. May my areas of darkness be replaced by areas of blinding light Amen.
¹⁰ But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people; ¹¹ to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verses 10 to 11)
Oh God my Father, the Christmas Season has passed, we have all heard the message of Your birth and now that Your birth has taken place in our hearts we live to give testimony of the seed that was planted in our souls. Now it is time for us to start bearing fruit, however only You are the judge of that my God and Father Amen.
¹² This will be a sign for you; you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger."
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verse 12)
Oh God my Father, throughout my life You have given me and are still giving me many signs. The most important sign is that showing that I am still works in progress, the next sign is the cross, on which I base my life for You are the way of truth Amen.
¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ¹⁴ "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verses 13 to 14)
Oh God my Father when the time comes You reveal Yourself to us as a whole in our personal lives, however for now we are to be content with how much You reveal Yourself to us Amen.
¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us."
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verse 15)
Oh God my Father in the early stages of their faith the shepherds described Your birth as a thing as if You were only a historical figure however the more time they spend with You the more they come to know You because in time You reveal Yourself to us and they ended up adoring You Amen.
¹⁶ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verse 16)
Oh brothers and sisters, when we follow God our Father with faith we are rewarded according to our faith or to what God considers as being good for us, for our faith is not always fully charged, however if we follow with doubt and unbelief even if we had to find Mary Joseph and baby Jesus, we still would not have believed that we found them. This is valid for many situations in life. Being positive is the relative key to believing in You my God and Father, for all is possible for those who believe, therefore let us be positive people from all aspects by means of the help of the Holy Spirit Amen.
¹⁷ When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherd told them.
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verse 17 to 18)
Oh God, my Father, I thank You for using simple people such as the shepherds myself and many others in order to spread Your word. I pray that Your seed will continue to be spread throughout the world and that it will never stop making fruit Amen.
¹⁹ But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verse 19)
Oh God my Father like Mary I also reflect and ponder over Your words as in the Bible, and try to think about the message that You are trying to pass on to me each day of my life. Amen.
²⁰ The shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verse 20)
Blessed are those of us who believe You at Your Word without doubts or controversy or a lot of thinking for they receive You in earnest and You perform many works by means of such people Amen.
²¹ After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verse 21)
Oh God my Father, Joseph and Mary were people who give us a good example of how to be good citizens on earth and even good citizens of heaven. You Yourself told us to give to God what is of God and to obey our civil duties and obligations as good citizens are expected to do Amen.
²² When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verse 22)
Oh God my Father, You who were above the laws of this world, chose to make Yourself vulnerable and become subject to the same laws. I pray for humility and a strong sense of obedience in order to tame my sinful self into total obedience to Your will Amen.
²³ (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord"). ²⁴ and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord," a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verses 23 to 24)
Oh God, my Father, this verse arouses my emotions. Many times Your Word is quoted and abused in order to reach negative ends. At other times it is manipulated and twisted in order to make a particular argument appear logical and true. Amen. I pray that You stop such people in doing such great harm to our faith Amen.
²⁵ Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and d devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him.
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verse 25)
Oh God my Father, throughout this lifetime You have sent me many people in order to enlighten me along my way. I wish to thank You for each one Amen.
²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah.
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verse 26)
Oh God my Father how much I would like to be one of Your prophets. I would like to be Your messenger passing on to other words of prophecy and knowledge that would help others in changing their lives for the better Amen.
²⁷ Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, ²⁸ Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, ²⁹ "Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; ³⁰ for my eyes have seen your salvation, ³¹ which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, ³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verses 27 to 32)
Oh God my Father, I thank You for the many people that You have sent me in my life, to act as arrows pointing the way ahead. I pray for more awareness and sensitivity to such people so that I may not miss one sign that You are trying to show me Amen.
³³ And the child's father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him.
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verse 33)
Oh God You never cease to amaze us both by Your messages and by Your actions, that we do not always understand the how and why behind them Amen.
³⁴ Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, "This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed ³⁵ so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed and a sword will pierce your own soul too".
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verses 34 to 35)
Oh God my Father how nice it would be if we blessed each other every time we met them. This in itself is so positive and nice. Amen.
³⁶ There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, ³⁷ then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day.
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verses 36 to 37)
Oh God, my Father, I pray that You give me old age so that I can be of great service to You. I pray that You allow me enough time to cover all the Bible and to witness the fruit of this prayer time with alot of positive feedback addressed to You. I pray that many people reap the benefits of Your Word my God and Father and that many souls are saved by means of it Amen.
³⁸ At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verse 38)
Oh God, my Father, some may consider such happening as being coincidences or events that happen by chance, however, in faith, I consider the arrival of the prophetess Anna at the perfect time according to Your plan for our salvation Amen.
³⁹ When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verse 39)
Oh God, my Father, Joseph and Mary may have thought that they would settle down to the form of life that they had been used to but this was not to be for the unfolding of Your plan had just begun. Amen. When You enter our life, it will not be the same again because everything changes since we start looking at the world from a different perspective Amen.
⁴⁰ The child grew and became strong filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verse 40)
Oh God, my Father I am also like You as a growing child. Day after day You help me to grow up in both body mind and spirit so that with Your hand upon me I can bear much fruit Amen.
⁴¹ Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover.
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verse 41)
Oh God my Father as a child You went to celebrate the Passover. As an adult, You were to be the sacrificial offering of that same Passover. Oh God, I pray that I will not experience the same things that I experienced in my childhood Amen.
⁴² And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival.
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verse 42)
Oh God, my Father when we are young we all do things that we regret, however when we grow up we become more mature. I pray that I become more mature in my spiritual life with You Amen.
⁴³ When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it.
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verse 43)
Oh God, many times we act on our own agendas however we do not consider the agendas of others who might be dependent or responsible for us and this affects both our inner and outer circles as in the case of Your Son Jesus as a child Amen.
⁴⁴ Assuming that he was in the group of travellers, they went a day's journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends.
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verse 44)
Oh God my Father, many times we also may assume that we are walking on the same path with the same agenda that of the Salvation of our souls and that of others. However, when You open our eyes we realize that we are living according to our own agendas and not according to Your will. I pray that in those circumstances You give us the courage to turn back from our ways and start looking for You again in order to continue this experience of love and salvation Amen.
⁴⁵ When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him.
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verse 45)
Oh God, my Father I can only imagine the feelings of stress that Mary and Joseph would have normally experienced on having lost their child. I pray for all parents who have lost their children, either stolen, killed or even trafficked. I also pray for the parents of Migrants and Asylum Seekers who much against their will had to send their children away in order to seek a better future Amen.
⁴⁶ After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
(The Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 2 verse 46)
Oh, brothers and sisters, the inclination of Jesus to start his mission of proclaiming the Good News to humanity was so strong that from an early age he had already started during this episode. I pray that our inclination to do the same is alive in us. May we always be willing and ready to proclaim Your Holy Name in the different situations and circumstances of life, where You send us for this very reason Amen. 