The Silver Lining of a Short Season
Blog Post #46
Kristen and I both love Advent and wish it was a longer liturgical season. But the silver lining of this short season is that it forces us to immediately dig in and get down to the business of Advent, which generally means doing whatever it takes to grow closer to Jesus. One of the ways we try to grow closer is by reading and you can bet that we’ll be digging into anything Advent we can get our hands on. In doing so, we have stumbled upon many a profound statement about Advent that swirl around in this exciting season of anticipation, hope, joy and sheer amazement as we behold the coming of Christ to a dark and desperate world.
I found one of those statements several years ago that I couldn’t wait to write into my journal and every year I make sure to dig that journal out and reread the piece. It’s brilliant and I can’t seem to get enough of its interior wisdom. Written by Fr. Mark Mary, MFVA (The Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word), you have to check this gem out for yourself.
“Advent is very pertinent to the time in which we live, for we are in an age that trusts in itself and its own abilities. Oftentimes, our view is not toward the kingdom above but the world below. In many ways we have lost our hunger for God, and feed off of the world instead. But the hope of Advent is that Jesus has come and will come again. In this liturgical season, we invite Him into our hearts yet again, to renew our trust and confidence in Him as Savior.”
Considering the challenging times we’re all living in right now, maybe it would be a good idea to back up, slow down, rewind a bit, and carefully read that last paragraph very carefully one more time. Go ahead, take a reread and then ask yourself: Are you trusting in yourself and your own abilities? Are you more concerned about what’s happening on earth than you are with your eternal life? Have you lost your hunger for God? If any part of you can identify with any of those invitations, then I urge you to invite Jesus back into your heart right this minute...renew that trust and confidence in your Savior and get your soul ready for the reunion. There is simply no better use of your time.
To help you dig in and get down to the business of Advent, we have created a daily Advent devotional entitled, "The Secrets of Scripture: An Advent Devotional." Complete with reflections on the daily Gospel reading, along with three calls to action to help you share these secrets with your soul, our hope is that your Advent will be well spent and that Christmas will find you ready with hope in your heart to behold your Savior.
