Reflect: It’s Christmas Day! Jesus is coming. And He comes to reveal the Father who loves us and calls us His beloved children. “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (Jn 10:10). And what is the fullness of life but to be fully loved? Let’s come to the Christ Child tonight, and let Him look upon us with the gaze of the Father who says, “You are precious in my eyes, and glorious, and I love you.”
Share: Tell someone you meet today that they are loved by God and share with them the good news that we are His beloved children. Spend 5 minutes in silence praying before the crèche, and ask Jesus to look upon you with the loving look of the Father.
Pray: Pray the Litany of Trust in the morning and at night. Download it here.
God bless,
Sr. Ann Immaculee, SV
Reflect: “From the fear of being asked to give more than I have, Deliver me Jesus.”In our hearts this prayer evokes a longing for freedom and yet also expresses the doubt that trusting in Jesus might leave us wanting. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI says, “If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great. No! Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide.” How do we value this ‘friendship with God’? This Advent may we dare to enter into this friendship and therein discover the freedom of loving and being loved.
Reflect: Just as Jesus comes to Thomas in his doubts, He also desires to meet us in our doubts and confusion, in all of our mess. He left us Himself fully present in the Eucharist, so we might encounter Him physically present and not leave us abandoned. We can adore Him and receive Him, and He enters the locked doors of our hearts to bring us peace. There are times in our life when we simply need Jesus to reveal Himself to us in a very real way. He knows this and wants to meet us in the mess of our doubts. Do not be afraid to encounter Him.
Reflect: Jesus tells us in Scripture, “I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) Abundance. Fullness. This is why He came. Somehow, though, we often find ourselves doubting this promised providence. The antidote? Trust. The opening of our hands and our hearts to let Him prove this promise true. In the prologue of the Gospel of John read at Christmas, we hear how “from His fullness we have all received grace upon grace.” This Advent, trust that He will fill every emptiness with the fullness of His love.
Reflect: When was the last time you asked for help? Asking another for help – and especially turning to God for help – exposes our dependence. This can be a frightening realization in a world that fosters a spirit of independence. Yet it is precisely our dependence on God that disposes us to recognize everything as a gift of his grace. Asking for help can also make us face our hidden motives: for example, am I unwilling to ask for help because I want to look competent or be commended for my own accomplishments? In all that we are asked to do, may we follow Saint Paul’s advice to the Colossians, “Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as for the Lord and not for others” (3:23).