Glory to God in the highest -2-

Glory to God in the highest -2-

The gift is heavenly and divine.

“Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the Lord your God, also the earth with all that is in it” (Deuteronomy 10:14).

Let us lift up our hearts and praise the One who comes down from the heavens.

God is the Most-High, and the Son of God is called Son of the Most-High, as the angel said to Mary at the Annunciation: “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest” (Luke1:32).

The feast of Nativity celebrates the manifestation of God in the flesh:

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.” (1Tim 3:16).

It is the divine economy that revealed God’s salvation to us and gave eternal peace to Man, so that they are glorified with him in His Kingdom. This is expressed by prophet Isaiah:

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
…They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people, for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious.” (Isaiah 11:6-10)

Proclaiming God’s glory in our life is also related to our behavior and our repentance; it requires struggle.

The call of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians is also addressed to each one of us: “Glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20).

In this feast, we do not contend in words, but we do as the Lord told us:

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Real peace only comes from above, it is unlike the peace given by the world:

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

This is what Jesus told us, and no one know the meanings of these words unless they taste and live them deeply.

In this feast, the coming King is accompanied by a scenery of angels. They are here not only to praise God, but their presence comes in the context of the heavenly visions that are fulfilled on earth to proclaim the beginning of the New Testament

- An angel spoke to Zechariah the elder, the husband of Elizabeth and the father of Saint John the Baptist.

- An angel who preached the Virgin Mary, another reassuring The holy and righteous Joseph the Betrothed of Mary, and a star leading the Magi.

The entire Heavens are on earth.