Advent Blessings
DECEMBER 6TH, 2009 — 2ND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
BARUCH 5:1-9, PHIL 1:4-6; 8-11, LUKE 3:1-6
Dear Friends,
At Spirit of Life, we entered into this Advent time of waiting by imaging ourselves as living within the Womb of our God. This is the imagery that Dom Marmion uses as he writes of Jesus as always living in the Womb of God. Whether Jesus is walking on the road teaching or sitting at table with his friends, he is living in the womb of God, that power source is his constant abode. We offer this image for your Advent meditation: that we too live in the womb of God and find our 'power source' there.
As with all creatures being formed in the womb, this is an experience of growth. In support of our desire to grow personally and spiritually, Spirit of Life began our Advent time by celebrating a communal rite of reconciliation. We used the Touchstones of Transformation which we share with you below, to aid us in reflecting on ways in which we might grow more fully into the loving and whole creatures our God yearns for us to be. These reflections also fit well, with this Sunday's call from John the Baptist to "prepare the way" for Jesus in our lives. John calls us to "make ready the way... clear a straight path". We invite you to consider ways in which the hills and valleys of your heart and lives might be leveled out so that you might more easily travel into and draw life from the womb of our God...
Touchstones of Transformation
We reflect on what we have done and what we have left undone:
"This is what Yahweh asks of you, only this: To act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8)
How well have I lived this?
In what ways might I have lived this more fully?
"When did I see hungry and feed you, a stranger and take you in, sick or in prison and visit you? When you did it to these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to Me." (Matthew 25: 37-40)
How responsive have I been to the needs of others?
What more might I do?
"Every human being is granted one more chance, one more opportunity to start life all over again. Just as God has the power to begin , we have the power to continue by beginning again and again." (Elie Wiesel)
In what ways do I give up on myself or others too easily?
Where could I give myself or others a new chance to begin?
"Even after all this time, the sun never says to the earth: 'You owe me.' Look what happens with a love like that: It lights the whole sky. (Hafiz)
In what ways do I keep track of blessings or failures and compare myself to others?
In what ways do I bring light into my world?
"This is what Yahweh asks of you, only this: To act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8)
How well have I lived this?
In what ways might I have lived this more fully?
"When did I see hungry and feed you, a stranger and take you in, sick or in prison and visit you? When you did it to these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to Me." (Matthew 25: 37-40)
How responsive have I been to the needs of others?
What more might I do?
"Every human being is granted one more chance, one more opportunity to start life all over again. Just as God has the power to begin , we have the power to continue by beginning again and again." (Elie Wiesel)
In what ways do I give up on myself or others too easily?
Where could I give myself or others a new chance to begin?
"Even after all this time, the sun never says to the earth: 'You owe me.' Look what happens with a love like that: It lights the whole sky. (Hafiz)
In what ways do I keep track of blessings or failures and compare myself to others?
In what ways do I bring light into my world?
We invite you to come and pray with us at Spirit of Life and share in the experience of and inclusive Catholic community where every voice is heard, and women and men are unafraid to acknowledge the equality of women and men; and to embrace feminine as well as masculine... and beyond... images of God. As a community, we try wholeheartedly to "be Christ" to one another, to tend to the needs of one another, and to those in need in our world. Together, we celebrate our belief that we are being transformed by God's grace as we gather together in prayer. We warmly invite you to come and gather with us at our Table, and join in our experience of the "kin-dom" of God. We are an inclusive, open, affirming and interactive community, deeply committed to being a people of "justice and joy."
May you find energy and hope in the womb of our God,
Find more about past weekly reflections and podcasts in our ARCHIVE PAGE.
