11th Day of Advent

Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.  ~ Matt11: 28-30       The Advent liturgy shows us Christ as gentle and lowly so that we can go to Him in all simplicity, and so that we can prepare for Christmas by trying to imitate Him.  Only in this way, will we be able to understand what is happening at Bethlehem.  Only in this way will we able to get those around us to come with us towards the Baby who is God.    If we look closely at Jesus, we will see how patient His is.  Learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart.  Meekness does not go with being feeble or characterless. On the contrary, it is founded on great spiritual strength.  Just as in the Gospel, the poor are those who are truly rich, so the meek are those who are truly strong. 

Comparing (our lives) to the majesty of God, who made Himself a Baby in Bethlehem, we see our own trials in real proportions.  And what seemed enormous shrinks to insignificant size.  As we contemplate the birth of Jesus, we find that our prayer comes alive, our love becomes wider and deeper and our peace unshakeable.   The meek shall inherit the earth.  First, they will possess themselves, because they will not become slaves of their impatience and bad temper; they will possess God, because their souls will always be inclined towards God; they will possess those around them because they will have the kind of hearts which win friendship and affection. 

                                                                         ~In Conversation with God, vol. 1, p. 81-86
 

Pro-Life Challenge:

Do I remember that God is in control of everything that happens in this world?  Do I trust in Him to be able to bring good from everything, even the evil of abortion?