Advent, this powerful liturgical
season that we are beginning, invites us to pause in silence to understand a
presence. It is an invitation to understand that the individual events of the
day are hints that God is giving us, signs of the attention he has for each one
of us.
---Pope Benedict XVI (Homily at First Vespers of Advent, November 28,
2009)
Scripture
Text: (MAL 3:1-4, 23-24)
Thus says the Lord GOD:
Lo, I am sending my messenger
to prepare the way before me;
And suddenly there will come to the
temple
the LORD whom you seek,
And the messenger of the covenant whom
you desire.
Yes, he is coming, says the LORD of
hosts.
But who will endure the day of his
coming?
And who can stand when he appears?
For he is like the refiner’s fire,
or like the fuller’s lye.
He will sit refining and purifying
silver,
and he will purify the sons of Levi,
Refining them like gold or like silver
that they may offer due sacrifice to
the LORD.
Then the sacrifice of Judah and
Jerusalem
will please the LORD,
as in the days of old, as in years
gone by.
Lo, I will send you
Elijah, the prophet,
Before the day of the LORD comes,
the great and terrible day,
To turn the hearts of the fathers to
their children,
and the hearts of the children to
their fathers,
Lest I come and strike
the land with doom.
Advent is the season of preparing our
hearts to celebrate Jesus’ first coming into our world. The question posed by
today's reading is stark: Have we reviewed our lives and examined them in
terms of fidelity to living Jesus’ message? Are there any dark corners where we
resist that light? Are our all our relationships free from hatred and
non-forgiveness? Are our daily occupations integrated with the two great
commandments of loving God and our neighbor? Are all our crosses and sufferings
brought to Christ for guidance and strength in carrying them?
In short what dark corners of
our hearts still await illumination by the light of Christ’s word?
No comments:
Post a Comment