Daily Thoughts: “Be prepared at all times for the gifts of God,
and be ready always for new ones. For God is a thousand times more ready to
give than we are to receive.” (Meister
Eckhart)
These thoughts from one of the great Dominican mystic of the
Middle Ages, Meister Eckhart, sum up the focus of Advent. It is a time to
prepare, to be ready for the coming of God in our life. It is a time to prepare
and be ready for the grace of God in our life.
As Eckhart says God is always willing and ready to give it
is us who have to be willing and ready to receive. Here in lies the problem we
are often not ready or willing to receive. Perhaps we are looking in other
place. Perhaps we are distracted by the things of the world. Yet God is
patient, compassionate and merciful. God is will to wait until we are ready.
As we journey through this first Saturday of Advent it might
be a good time to stop for a moment and look around at our life. Are we
prepared, are will ready for the gifts, the grace that God sends into our life?
Are we ready the new gifts from God that we might encounter today? Let us be
ready for any way, any gift, of the mystery that will touch our lives today.
Have a great Saturday everyone!
Daily Prayer: Look on us, loving Jesus, and let all the
darkness of our hearts disappear before the beams of your brightness. Fill us
with your holy joy and love, open to us the treasures of your timeless wisdom.
You know our desires, so bring to perfection what you have started and what the
Holy Spirit has awakened us to ask in prayer. Amen. (Adapted from a prayer by St. Augustine of Hippo)
A Runner’s Thoughts: “Shift from thinking to feeling–feel
yourself accomplishing your goal. Take that feeling out of your head and put it
into your heart. Embrace it as the reality.” (Erin Taylor) So to in the
spiritual life…Take your faith out of your head and put it in your heart!
Daily Blessing: Saturday greetings and blessing to all. I hope
your Saturday has gotten off to a good start. It looks to be another sunny day
here in Pelham and they are saying the temperature will get up into the high 50’s
today which should make for a very pleasant day. I hope the same is true where
you are today!
Later today I will be off to a birthday gathering and then I
will prepare to journey to Naples, FL for Fr. Edward’s father’s funeral on
Monday. I will be flying down on Sunday and returning Monday evening as I have
a mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on Tuesday at Wartburg Home.
Please keep Fr. Edward and his family in your prayers as they journey through
this time of loss and grief.
I pray that you are not too busy on this first Saturday of
December and Advent and that you will have moments today to relax and just
enjoy the gift of Advent, the gift of family, the gift of friends or even the
gift of solitude! May God bless you today and always – in the words of Isaiah
that we will hear a little later in Advent – with the strength to run and not
grow weary, walk and not grow faint and that you may soar through this day on
eagles’ wings as people of faith who hope in God with strength renewed! Peace
in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul
No comments:
Post a Comment