Reflection by: Lilian Cristina Pinheiro OSF
SCRIPTURE READINGS:
Jeremiah 33: 14-16
Thessalonians 3: 12-4:2
Luke 21: 25-28, 34-36
REFLECTION:
We now begin the liturgical time of Advent. The lilac color that covers the altars of the churches is a reminder that this is a time of waiting. A wait that is full of hope, a time of searching for the experience of love. God will become a child, be born among the poor and will dwell among us. But to see it you must have attentive eyes.
Saint Clare sought a path to a deep spiritual life by following these steps: to see, to consider, to contemplate, in order to imitate Christ. In this sense, "seeing" is about looking through eyes that see suffering. In the eyes of the child wrapped in swaddling in the crib, we see the eyes of frightened children, fleeing their country in search of better prospects of life; we see the eyes of children who have lost their lives, victims of violence; we see the eyes of starving children.
The restlessness and sensitivity that arise from this transforming gaze moves Christians toward the fulfillment of God's loving promises. These feelings, transformed into care, generate dignified life. Far more than just hope for the coming of Christ, Advent is the hope of the poor that, being instruments of God, we can prepare a better world for Him to dwell in.
PRAYER:
Lord, in this Advent season, give me the insignt and the vision that I need so that I can see more clearly the important things in life. Help me to SEE more clearly, that I might CONSIDER more clearly your holy true will in my life. AMEN.
ACTION:
Take time this week to SEE, to CONSIDER, to CONTEMPLATE, so as to IMITATE God’s gooness in your life, that you may reach out to others in yourful compassion and love.