Preparing our heart in Advent.
Read, Reflect, Respond
Read:
Commitment to the wellbeing of others no matter what. 1 John 4:7-12
Reflect:
Charity is a gift of the Holy Spirit when we unconditionally love God and our neighbors. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God . . . If we are children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. We must love the Lord your God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our strength. (Deuteronomy 6:5) and be committed to the wellbeing of others; seeking good for all people, no matter what. (1 John 4:7-12)
We become what we love and who we love shapes what we become.
St. Claire of Assisi
Respond:
The Spirit lives. Let Your good Spirit lead me on a level path.
Preparing our heart in Advent. Read, Reflect, Respond
Read:
Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh. Romans 13:14
Reflect:
So much of sin is a product of our pride and ego, thinking that we know more and what is best rather than surrendering to God who has knowledge of the whole plan of eternity. We have expectations that life should be a certain way rather than treating each day and breath as a gift. When I’m jealous of what others have, or live in excitement of the next party or relationship to ease the hole inside me that only God can fill, I create division in myself and become divided for the divine within. I must resist the work of the flesh of envy, drunkenness, and carousing which lead me away from you God. Let my mustard seed of faith grow my confidence in you allowing me to accept that I am exactly where I’m supposed to be.
More souls go to Hell because of the sins of the flesh than any other reason.
Our Lady of Fatima
Respond:
Lord, because nothing but my self-will separates me from you, call me to love you more than anything so I can be aligned with you.
Preparing our heart in Advent. Read, Reflect, Respond
Scripture: A man without self-control is like a city broken into without walls. Proverbs 25:28
Reflection: We live in an impulsive world full of toleration. It’s the I’m OK, You’re OK culture. Our society doesn’t have a north star or know how to define truth. This promotes ignorance and lack of healthy boundaries. It breeds dysfunctional marriages, families, relationships, communities (including faith), countries and the world. Works of the flesh like hatred, strife, rivalry, jealousy, anger, rage and selfishness cause division, creating fractured families and communities. Evil divides while God unites. Do I build healthy walls in my life based on virtue, humility, modesty, and self-restraint?
Wise Words: It is by resistance to temptations that we give God proof of our love. St. John Vianney
Prayer: Lord, give me the self-restraint to respect any holy boundaries I need to set today.
Preparing our heart in Advent. Read, Reflect, Respond
Read:
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6
Reflect:
The next two sins of the flesh, idolatry and sorcery, are when we fail to praise and thank God for His goodness. We worship things, like power, wealth, and status more than our Creator. Coveting is idolatry as it reveals desires that rule in human hearts, so that the desired thing takes precedence over God. With Piety or Reverence, we have a deep sense of respect for God and the church. It is in this posture that I recognize my total reliance on God and come before Him with humility, trust, and love. Piety is the gift, at the Holy Spirit’s instigation, where we pay worship and duty to God as our Father. It is also the perfection of the virtue of religion. While we tend to think of religion today as the external elements of our faith, it really means the willingness to worship and to serve God. Piety takes that willingness beyond a sense of duty, so that we desire to worship God and to serve Him out of love, similar to the way that we desire to honor our parents and do what they wish. True piety instills in us a desire always to do that which is pleasing to God.
Wise Words:
The closer one approaches God, the simpler one becomes.
St. Teresa of Avila
Respond:
Lord, help me to contemplate you as my heavenly Father and grow in reverence towards You.
Preparing our heart in Advent. Read, reflect, respond.
Read:
“Now the works of the flesh are evident, and they are: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality” Galatians 5:19
Reflect:
Identifying works of the flesh does not demand extraordinary spiritual discernment. We can clearly see they center around sexual sin. Think about ordering your physical appetite according to your vocation in life. When we lack restraint with our passions and our thoughts, we can start down the slippery slope of considering others as mere objects to fulfill our desires. Ask yourself, do any of my thoughts, words or actions go against the beliefs of my faith? Does my heart hold any strong cravings or desires that are impure? How does my behavior, including the entertainment I consume, reflect my values and nourish my soul?
Take care of your body as if you were going to live forever and take care of your soul as if you were going to die tomorrow. St. Augustine
Respond:
Today, Lord, please purify any of my desires that do not come from You.
Preparing our heart in Advent. Read, Reflect, Respond
Read:
I say, then: live by the Spirit…not the desire of the flesh…These are opposed to each other, so that you may not do what you want. But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like.… In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit. Let us not be conceited, provoking one another, envious of one another.
Galatians 5:16-26
Reflect:
The battle is real between the world and spiritual life. If I want to bring your love Lord to my family, friends, and those I encounter today, I need to live in the spirit, and live in your mercy and compassion. As I surrender myself, my wants, and desires to Yours, I trust Your plan is larger than mine. I release the exhaustion of trying to hold it all together and live in the peace and trust of Your endless and generous love.
“It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you.”
St. Teresa of Calcutta
Respond:
Lord, help me live with an eternal perspective in the Spirit, living in the world but not of the world. Reveal to me the areas of my heart that need attention to fully grow in your love.
Tomorrow is the first day of December and marks for many the beginning of the Christmas season. During the hustle and bustle of the season, it is hard to stay grounded in the true meaning of the season. Through the month of December, Smitten with Goodness will invite you to take a few moments each day to prepare your mind and heart to receive the gift of Advent, the birth of Our Lord and Savior.
Preparing Our Heart for God’s Goodness is a 25-day journey to renew your mind and prepare your heart to embrace the beauty of God’s goodness. When we stand in solidarity with our Creator, we unite our thoughts with His and surrender to His beauty and love.
God loves us so much that He became human, through Christ Jesus, so we can have eternal life. So, we can experience true joy and happiness. To live a full life and bear good fruit.
Through His mercy and compassion, He set us free.
But we must stand firm, fighting the spiritual battle and not go back to the slavery of ourselves through sin. Our natural tendency is to be drawn to the works of the flesh. We are called to live in the Spirit and not in the flesh.
When we live in the Spirit, we trust and surrender to love. Love engulfs our hearts and we become who He created us to be. In turn, we bring this love to the world – loving our neighbor as ourselves.
As we prepare our hearts to celebrate the birth of our Savior, commit to taking in the daily scripture, reflection, wise words, and prayer. Reflect on these words of truth throughout your day as you are able. By rejecting the works of the flesh and living in the Spirit we embrace God’s goodness and the true reason for the season.
As we get ready for the birth of love itself in Jesus Christ, let us take the necessary steps to prepare our hearts and minds. What if we bring out the creche or nativity scene and place it where it can be seen and, if the moment is right, contemplated? What if, in the Spirit of the season, the creche characters began to talk? What if they asked us questions to bring home our faith, to encourage us into gratitude and commitment? How would we answer?
The Child
I am the Father of the Child.
My Son is too young to speak.
So I will say a few words
to help you place him
at the center of your crèche
and, as you do it, allow him
to place himself in the center of you.
How many have I courted seekers
in dreams and deserts
only to be forgotten
in the demands of day?
They put me on a throne,
so you must kneel.
They say I withhold blessings,
so you must beg.
They claim I punish,
so you must be afraid.
Then my Son came out of the water
and swallowed my Word from the sky.
The dove of love descended
and my pleasure ran through him.
He never looked back,
but looked everywhere else
and saw what no one else did.
When people cried from the crowd,
he turned.
When people hid in their sin,
he forgave.
When people lost their way,
he pursued.
When people were shunned,
he reached out.
When people were in pain, he touched.
When people did not understand, he explained.
He gave himself away like one who lays
in the feeding trough of the manger
as food for every hunger.
He knows Me well.
Yet no one could thin a crowd like my Son.
His parables were mirrors.
People saw themselves and did not like what they saw.
His actions were scandalous attacks
on the conventions of separateness.
His arguments silenced adversaries.
The cry of the child in the manger
became the voice of the prophet.
My word of mercy was never so strong, yet never so rejected.
My word of love was never so perseverant,
yet never so avoided.
Of course, they came for him with clubs and swords and lies
and he met them with Me.
I was always his welcome
for those who do not know,
drawing light from their darkness,
life from their death.
In him, I Am Who I Am.
You see, he is Me among you.
So my question to you will be no surprise.
How do you listen my Son?
The perspective of the Child was originally published on December 24, 2019, written by author and theologian John “Jack” Shea for Catholic Extension. Smitten With Goodness exists to shine a light on goodness. The presence of the Catholic Church is a guiding light in many places darkened by poverty and conflict. Catholic Extension uplifts faith communities and supports individuals who bring the light of Christ to the most forgotten areas of our country, and you can support their mission here.
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