Mon., Jan. 4: 1 John 3:22–4:6; Matt 4:12-17, 23-25

Every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ come in the flesh belongs to God. In The Holy Longing, Fr. Ronald Rolheiser calls the Incarnation the most “under­understood” of Christian mysteries. The Incarnation was not “a one-shot incur­sion by God into human history.” Rather, it is ongoing, an ever-unfolding mys­tery: God, in the flesh, ever accessible to us now in the community of believers, the body of Christ. The fuller grasp of this mystery is, perhaps, what sets saints apart from the rest of us. Jesus Christ come in the flesh filled St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s mind and heart. But more than this, it permeated her words and her actions. She saw Christ in others; she acted as Christ toward them.

*May we do likewise. For a fuller understanding of God’s marvelous love, we pray.