Month: December 2023 (Page 2 of 6)

A few years back I posted a touching rendition of What Child is This? by Andrea Bocelli and Mary J. Blige. It’s another favorite of mine. Here’s another version by Chris Tomlin.

Christ the KING; shepherds guard and angels sing; let loving hearts enthrone Him! All things that stood out to me as I listened for the umpteenth time! As often as I ponder Jesus, I’m not sure the implications of what it means to be a King has impacted me as it did while listening to this song. I always get caught up in his humility and approachability but Christ is THE KING OF KINGS – as such His name, His memory and His word are to be respected and revered by all. Think about how you would act if you met a king in person. Is this how you approach Jesus in prayer, in the Eucharist?

Whom shepherds guard and angels sing. This reminded me that Jesus unites heaven and Earth, especially in the Mass. How awesome! Finally, let loving hearts enthrone Him. Every King has his throne but the King of the Universe has many thrones – our hearts. How can our hearts become a throne? By sharing love, by imitating Him and BEING love, a love that is so much more than just an emotion. Ponder that today – what does it mean to REALLY love? Love changes us.

When I first started thinking about love, I immediately thought about loving others. But what about loving Jesus? What does it mean to love Jesus? The more I thought about loving Jesus the more I realized – it’s not about the warm fuzzy feeling one gets inside when “in love” – it’s about transformation.

Do I love Him enough to change for Him. Do I love Him enough to give of myself for His sake, for the sake of His mission? This reminded me of Fr. Mike Schmitz’s words: “it’s not about information transfer, it’s about transformation!” Loving Christ is not about reading His word and regurgitating it, or reading His word and talking about Him. Loving Christ is about reading His word and being transformed by it. To let it melt our hearts into a throne for Christ who is the King of the universe! Have you been transformed by His word or have you just transferred information? Let’s work toward converting our hearts into a throne. God bless you!

The next song I chose immediately transported me to the Catholic mass. It’s Face of God by Phil Wickham!

The words that stood out as I listened for the first time were lullaby, Gloria, the gift of heaven in her hands – staring at the face of God! I couldn’t help but think of several moments in the Catholic Mass. The first was when we sing the Glori. I envisioned it as a lullaby we sing to Jesus.

A few lines in when I heard “the gift of heaven in her hands; staring at the face of God.” I immediately thought of receiving the Eucharist in my hands. As a Catholic, I believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. I believe that what I am receiving in my hands is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ. So these words were especially powerful for me as I imagined myself receiving the Eucharist in my hands, a gift of heaven and staring at the face of God when I look down to lift it to my mouth to be nourished!!!!

Please click on the link above to hear Bishop Barron speak on the topic of Real Presence if you’re not clear on what I mean. If you’re Catholic and believe the Eucharist is just a symbol then I URGE you to please take the time and listen. He’s such a great, knowledgeable speaker. If you feel Bishop Barron’s talk is too long and you don’t have time for it, can you take 14 minutes of your day and listen to Fr. Mark Beard here? He’s so engaging and passionate, you HAVE to be moved! God bless you!