Advent is a great season. It sparks within us a season of excitement and of preparation. Yes, there are those of us who can be misdirected in our excitement and prepare with the wrong priority, but I believe from every stage of life during this holy season, good comes out in one way or the other. Imagine how much joy and peace can be accomplished when we prepare for the mystery of God coming to us through Jesus!
We read in Isaiah about the perfect time of peace and unity, where there is no fear. I believe this is the seed we need to instill within us. We need to banish fear and force it out of our minds, knowing that where God lives, there is no fear. Advent is the time to ensure God and Jesus live within us. Once we commit to prepare a place for Jesus in our hearts, we can push out fear:
Fear of not having enough
Fear of not being loved
Fear of not baring fruit
Fear of negative generational history falling upon us.
I believe focusing on the power of Christ within us, believing our soul is a piece of the living God, will give us the power to draw that line in the sand and say “no more.” “He who created me lives within me.” Where there is light there cannot be darkness as light banishes darkness. During Advent we need to work hard to ensure the sacred space within us has not diminished, overtaken by our ego, misguided priorities, fear and despair. Advent is a time to cultivate that sacred space. We must push out the walls of this holy space within us and make it larger, better and cleaner for Jesus to come and reside within us.
“A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him…”
Let Isaiah’s words reside in your heart and have faith where the spirit of the Lord resides: “The wolf shall be guest of the lamb.” Fear not for, “he shall trike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.” Focus on inviting Jesus into your heart. With every breath, welcome Him by doing what is pleasing to God and by proclaiming the Holy Scripture as it has been divinely prepared for us as spiritual food for our mind, soul and spirit.
The Psalmist proclaims with confidence. “Justice shall flourish in his time and fullness of peace for ever.“ We need to be confident like the psalmist. “Justice will flourish” with Jesus in our hearts. The fullness of peace is not sporadic. It is the fullness of peace forever.
“He shall govern with justice and your afflicted ones with judgment
“Justice shall flower…”
“He shall rescue the poor…”
“He shall have pity for the lowly…”
The Psalmist ends with an affirmation of a mighty God.
“His name be blessed forever…”
We sometimes fail to see the power of thanking the goodness of God before the blessings appears. The psalmist thanks God before he ever sees the blessings. Confidence and faith should urge us to thank and praise God before the blessings are visual, before the waters are calm. It is this same confidence and faith in a loving and gracious God that opens the door to the gifts of courage and fortitude. It is this confidence that will banish our fear and align our mind, body and soul with the perfect dream God has prepared for us.
Jesus follows through with the same confidence in the gospel today: “Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “ I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth…” If Jesus, son of the living God, finds it essential to take time to acknowledge and praise His Father, how much more should we?
When we acknowledge and praise God we are declaring to everything and everyone around us that we belong to God and choose to live God’s way. My brothers and sisters, this is the power of our faith. Advent is a time to rekindle our faith and to affirm our free will to choose God. This is a time to focus our efforts to removing any obstacles hindering our spirits and relationship with God. We must focus on the humility of Jesus and the power within a gentle and contrite heart. When we live in God, we need not worry, as we are able to recognize our fearful thoughts by simply acknowledging God has the power to take care of us.
Did he not take care of:
The pregnant virgin?
The fulfilment of Joseph’s promise of marriage to Mary?
The place of birth? Yes only a manger but how much power came from that abode?
The protection from the enemy?
God takes care of everything when we trust Him and living within His grace keeps us astute in this confidence.
So, dive into preparation of this holy Advent and discover the graces God has in store for you. May your Christmas be holy, in union with our baby Jesus. May you approach the New Year fearlessly in confidence that all things are possible through God. May your eyes be open to see who walks with you and protects you every moment on your journey home.
“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see…”
I pray that God will grant us the grace to have a Holy Blessed Christmas and a new year filled with abundance, health and prosperity, prepared for you be our Loving God.