On December 17 the Church begins praying the O Antiphons. It’s such a rich tradition which I’ve written about in past. You can search the word Advent in the search bar or click here for a specific reflection which explains what they’re all about.
As we know, this week is probably the busiest of the season. Most of humanity is hustling to finish last minute Christmas shopping – some won’t even remember why. I would recommend taking some time this week to pray the Liturgy of the Hours/Divine Office, at least morning and evening prayer. You can find the website with readings here if you don’t have the books. I believe this will help keep you focused on the reason for the season. If you feel you don’t really have the time with all the preparations you have to make this week, then can you commit to waking up at least a half hour earlier? It is ok to sacrifice, Jesus did for us!
In addition to sharing my own reflection regarding O Antiphons, I wanted to share other links as well.
Can I be a witness? Words cannot express the joy I have in my heart this Advent. Since Advent is my favorite liturgical season, I would expect the joy to be present, but this year it’s different. I feel more open – as in arms wide open ready to receive while also being broken open and transformed.
I ask: Can I be a witness because I wonder if you’ve ever felt such joy in your heart that it brings you to tears? Have you ever had an experience, good or bad, and realized God was working in the midst of that experience? A few weeks ago, I was in the midst of a conversation that wasn’t going as I had planned. It really saddened me. However, for the first time in my life, I cried tears of joy in the midst of the sadness. I realized how God was working in that moment. Though the conversation did not evolve as I had hoped or expected, it was clear to me it evolved exactly as God planned. A seed was planted. Now I wait, patiently. THAT’s an advent of life!
FIAT
Praise be to God! Aside from that experience, this Advent season, I’ve been graced with morning prayer time. I pray with Scripture and other spiritual reading. Everything I read stirs my heart because I’m dedicating time and saying YES to God. In fact, if I feel I need more time in the morning to pray, I wake up earlier. Guess what? Thus far, 3:00am seems to be the time. It’s what I need to get all my praying done before I have to leave for work without rushing through everything. That doesn’t mean I’m more tired throughout the day. It means I go to bed earlier and more importantly, it means – the more “prayed up” I am, the more time and energy I seem to have to do all I need to do!
I say all that in order to share how making time and truly steeping yourself in prayer can bear much fruit. There’s an intimacy that develops between you and God: you experience God’s revelation more fully, you respond by surrendering to the desire to be better and the result is an abiding, life-giving love between you and God.
St. Irenaeus
During yesterday morning’s prayer I read a sentence in the Liturgy of the Hours that had me pondering many things. I invite you to ponder this as well. The Lord, coming into his own creation in visible form, was sustainedby his own creation which he himself sustains in being – St. Irenaeus.
What an image! God sustained by the very thing He sustains. Each moment I’m alive means God is breathing life into me. God is sustaining ME. Why? So I can take the necessary steps to finally abide in Him.
No words
I started to write this reflection yesterday and I found myself sitting before the computer with nothing to say though there was so much I pondered through the day. I felt like Zechariah – mute, lost for words and yet wanting to say so much. How could I say it in a way that made sense to my readers. After an hour or so of trying, I gave up. I finally realized I didn’t have the words God wanted me to “speak” yet. I wondered what He was up to and today, He did not disappoint. There was more I needed to read and hear before I posted.
Imagine that!
First, as I read The Reed of God by Caryll Houselander, I came across these words: but when we give our body willingly to another as the means of deliberate self-donation, then our union with the other is complete. Can you imagine the ebb and flow of the love between Mary and God. This constant give and take. Her YES sustaining Him and His very breath sustaining her – all for love! That’s what we’re called to do – love God enough to say YES! Can we imagine ourselves sustaining Him as Mary did, “by means of a deliberate self-donation” that makes our union with Him complete? Wow! I CAN imagine and I will certainly continue to try!
God didn’t stop there today. As I drove back home from church listening to the Bible in a Year Podcast God summed it all up through Fr. Mike.
ABIDING
Fr. Mike read from the Letter ofJames and St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians. At the end he gives a beautiful explanation of what James means when he says faith without works is dead. In a nutshell, we are saved by grace through faith working itself out in love. Fr. Mike explained “saved by grace (God’s gift), through faith (our response to God’s gift) working itself out in love.” Another word for love is charity. Works = charity. Please listen to the podcast episode – all you have to do is click the link above. It provides the answer to why God continues to sustain us – we have work to do! Will we say yes? Will we help sustain Him? How? Can we sustain Him by sustaining our brothers and sisters through the spiritual and corporal works of mercy?
The Lord, coming into his own creation in visible form, was sustainedby his own creation which he himself sustains in being. This can be summed up in 3 words: REVELATION, FIAT, ABIDING. God reveals Himself to us in love, we respond with a resounding YES, loving Him in return. The result is abiding intimacy! It’s that simple. God bless you!
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