Humble Christmas (Zeph 3:11) by Dr. Rich Reich

16 Dec Humble Christmas (Zeph 3:11) by Dr. Rich Reich

“On that day you need not be ashamed of all your deeds, your rebellious actions against me; for then will I remove from your midst the proud braggarts, and you shall no longer exalt yourself on My holy mountain.” ~ Zeph 3:11 (full readings)
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Rich’s Reflections:  The Lord calls us to repent of our pride and become “a people humble and lowly” (Zep 3:12).  Pride is so embedded in our culture that it can even push its way into Christmas, a time of the year in which the focus should be on the birth of Jesus and not on ourselves.  Pride can disqualify us from experiencing the true meaning of Christmas.  We are bombarded by materialism and commercialism focused on our selfish needs to satisfy what we believe Christmas is about.  We also cannot avoid the stream of Christmas letters that sometimes contain a litany of bombastic bragging disguised as Christmas cheer; updating people of all of our family’s successes, because we have failed to maintain a close relationship with them all year long.  Pride can disqualify us from Christmas.  Our inflated egos and selfishness can make it too crowded for Jesus.  Through humility, however, we can fit into the manger scene at Bethlehem with the lowly handmaid Mary, the poor Joseph, and the simple shepherds.  Make room for Christ this Christmas.
* Dr. Rich Reich is the co-founder of the National LIFE Runners Team.  He is married to Erica and lives in Colorado Springs, CO.  Full bio..

Faith Challenge:  Learn from Jesus, for He is so “gentle and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29) that He “humbled Himself, obediently accepting even death, death on a cross!” (Phil 2:8) Humble yourself (Mt 23:12).

Counter-Culture News: LifeSiteNews, LifeNews, American Family, Vatican, Project Rachel..
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Our Prayers: Pray LIFE Runners Creed to End Abortion.  Add Prayers. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, unceasingly. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.
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Feast Day:  St. Ado of Vienne
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Faith Quote:  “Too many people miss the silver lining because they’re expecting gold.” ~ Maurice Setter
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Through Christ our Lord,
Rich
James 1:22