"THE LION OF JUDAH AND CHRISTMAS" - MY REFLECTION ON CHRISTMAS
When we think of Christmas — we can be easily distracted with thoughts of the cute cuddly little baby in a beautiful manger, cute chubby angels, little lambs and the 3 wise men. Those images rightly remind us of the gentleness, the humility and tenderness of God. But let’s not forget & erase from our minds that the little Baby from Bethlehem is the Lion of Judah & the Lord God Almighty who made heaven and earth.
Galatians 4:4 “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption. 6 As proof that you are children, God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.”
Don't be fooled by the disguise; this lil baby is Jesus Christ —he is also called Emmanuel, which means "God with us." He has now come in the flesh, he came for one solitary mission: “to destroy the works of the devil” (cf. 1 John 3:8) established through sin & disobedience. Remember, Jesus Christ is called our SAVIOR. Why? Because we were Prisoners of War.
Here is a trip down memory lane, remember General George Patton & General Douglas McArthur during WW2 leading the allied forces against the Nazi War machine. Remember the morning of June 6, 1944, the beginning of the Normandy invasion, with American soldiers preparing for the perils of landing on Omaha Beach and struggling against the entrenched German infantry who had the high ground, they had machine guns and artillery fire, which cut down many of the American troops who landed on the beach to save France from the Nazi war machine.
Likewise, Our Lord & Savior came to take back that which was stolen by the devil. Christmas is our D Day – our Normandy Invasion, Our Lord was deployed by God the Father to save us as Our Lord navigates through spiritual bombs, grenades, machine gun fire, ied’s, minefields & mortars with all of us on his shoulders, like the Good Shepherd – as he takes us to safety through the dangers of this world to the Kingdom of Heaven. That’s why the cross is a war memorial, that’s the spot where Our Lord defeated our enemy.
He destroyed the kingdom of Satan that controlled the entire human race through sin and death, by rising from the DEAD and demonstrating that death could not hold him down, death is not the final word, death has no power over Him. Our Lord’s saving work continues throughout time & space through His One, Holy, Catholic & Apostolic Church. We need to remember, that we are warriors in the Church Militant, that we are, as Pope Leo XIII declared, "born for combat." And combat can be long and arduous, it can take a toll on us, wear us down. That’s why Job 7:1 says: “life on earth is warfare…” This is why we have to be always vigilant, alert, committed & battle ready. Notice all the military terms. Why? Because we are soldiers of Christ. If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.
C.S. Lewis: "Enemy occupied territory - that is what the world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful King has landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage. When you go to Church, you are listening in to the secret wireless (communication) from our friends (in heaven): that is why the enemy is so anxious to prevent us from going."
"Plainly spoken, because of Jesus' unconditional, sacrificial love, we are free from the bondage of sin, and we do not have to live in fear of the Enemy or the deep dark realm of his abode. When the Father drafted the Son for spiritual warfare, Jesus could have refused deployment. Instead, Jesus accepted the mission and boldly triumphed over our Adversary, sealing our freedom and our place in eternity" (AFA Journal, July 2007, p.14). Remember, the Scripture says: "For freedom Christ set us free, so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5:1).
Luke 19:10 - "For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost."
Ezekiel 34:16 - "I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the crippled, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will watch over; I will feed them in justice."
I hope to see you all at the General Judgement, for those who lived and died in a state of grace, in friendship with God – the elect will say at the 2nd coming of Christ the King: “Free at last free at last, thank God Almighty, I'm free at last.”
By Jesse Romero