It was a cold, crisp December morning as I ventured down the stairs to follow my weekly routine of watching Saturday morning cartoons. A commercial came on the air, and it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen…it was the Big Jim Sports Camper. It was the coolest toy ever! It included a boat, camping gear, and a bunch of manly accessories that a boy could only dream about. I swear that I heard angels singing when it came on the TV; and at the moment I knew, that is what I wanted most for Christmas. Read More
“Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof. Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you…” ~Luke 7:6-7
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Here I am, Lord. I stand before you a sinner. As I look at my life, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve used Your name in ways that I shouldn’t have. I’ve lied and cheated so it would benefit me. I’ve put my needs, wants and desires before the needs, wants and desires of others. There were so many times when I talked behind other’s backs, treated my friends and even family unfairly, and judged others unjustly. And let’s not forget the number of times I shouted angrily at other people on the road because they weren’t driving like I think they should be driving. How many times have I ignored the poor and needy on the street corner, or spent my money on something that I really didn’t need instead of helping out someone who was in real need?
Sometimes, I look in the mirror and don’t even recognize the person who is staring back at me. I can’t help but to wonder what happened, why I feel so empty, so abandoned, so unworthy.
And then, I stop what I am doing and simply sit in Your presence. For when I am with You in prayer, I realize how blessed I am. When I am with You, things become less cloudy, less stressful, less painful, and more peaceful.
When I am with You, I remember that I matter and that I am the most precious thing in Your eyes. I am reminded that I have a purpose and a calling. I may not always know what you want me to do, but I trust that it will be revealed to me in time. When I am with You, I realize that I am Your child, and that I am loved for who I am.
Lord, if it’s not too much trouble, I ask You to be with me and speak to me. Give me the strength to freely come to you.
I am ready. I am here. I am listening. I am worthy!
Most of us can remember being told to ‘wake up’ when we were growing up. Maybe the words came from one of our parents after we tried to catch a few extra minutes of sleep on a school day. Maybe it was in the classroom when we discovered that not only did we not know the answer to a teacher’s question but we didn’t even hear the question! For many of us, waking up is hard to do!
In the next four weeks, the Church invites us to enter into the longing of those who first waited for the coming of the Messiah. Scripture helps us to do this through the figures of Isaiah, John the Baptist and Mary. Advent also directs our minds and hearts to await Christ’s second coming at the end of time, spoken of in Matthew’s Gospel (MT 24:37-44): stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord will come. Advent is a time to wake up to God’s love, and to realize more fully that God wants us to love one another as God loves us – unconditionally. It is a time, especially, to renew our hearts in and through love; for the best way for us to prepare to remember the celebration of God’s coming among us in Jesus is through a conversion of our hearts.
It’s time for us to wake up! Advent invites us to wake up to something wonderful, to some good news – and that news is this: Jesus is coming! Let us prepare ourselves to receive him.
I was running errands the other day, and when I walked into one of our local stores, I heard these familiar words of this Christmas song:
“Haul out the holly; put up the tree before my spirit falls again. Fill up the stockings, I may be rushing things, but deck the halls again now. For we need a little Christmas, right this very minute, candles in the window, carols at the spinet. Yes, we need a little Christmas, right this very minute. We need a little Christmas now.”Read More
Peace on the outside comes from knowing God on the inside - spreading the message that work and the circumstances of everyday life are opportunities for growing closer to God and serving others.
