Advent is a season of waiting, of longing, of preparing our hearts for the coming of Christ. In the quiet rhythm of prayer, two petitions from the Liturgy of the Hours have struck me with fresh urgency:
“Bring low the mountains of our pride,
— and fill up the valleys of our weakness.
Lord, may your kingdom come.”
“Break down the wall of hatred that divides the nations,
— and make level for mankind the paths to peace.
Lord, may your kingdom come.”
These words are not abstract—they name the very terrain of our lives and our world. Pride builds mountains too high for love to cross. Weakness carves valleys too deep for hope to fill. Hatred erects walls that fracture nations and neighbors alike. Yet Advent proclaims that God is coming to level the ground, to make straight the path, to bring peace where division reigns.
Isaiah’s vision resounds: “Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain” (Isaiah 40:4). And Paul reminds us: “For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility” (Ephesians 2:14).
To pray “Lord, may your kingdom come” is to anchor ourselves in hope. It is to pledge that we will shine God’s light into the world, even in the midst of tragedy and division. Advent calls us not only to wait, but to prepare—to re-dedicate the temple of our own hearts, to let pride fall, weakness be filled, hatred be broken, and peace be made level across the earth.
As the candles of Advent grow brighter each week, may we become living lights of Christ’s kingdom, illuminating the darkness with humility, compassion, and peace.
Smitten With Goodness 