Happy Gaudete Sunday

Today marks the third week of Advent and we rejoice!

The homily I heard stuck with me. Father talked about False Messiahs. He asked us to look at things in our life and answer the following questions:

Does it promise to complete us emotionally and that we will endure no more sorrow?

Do we get irrationally angry when we don’t receive the emotional completion we were promised?

Does it tell us to avoid suffering (our crosses) at any expense?

And then Father pulled out a potential False Messiah I never previously considered – an idealized personal identity. The perfect creative missionary spirit I want people to see me as means nothing if it doesn’t turn people to Christ.

The joy of the Christian is we have found the Messiah.

Ultimately, we each have to face our False Messiahs and we should follow John the Baptist’s example… “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘make straight the way of the Lord.”

Happy Second Sunday of Advent

Today each of us are reminded to prepare the way for the Lord. We prepare the way by opening ourselves to the Lord’s assistance and grace. As we move through this week, let us pray for hearts that are open and minds focused on what is important.

A voice cries out:
In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!
Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill shall be made low;
the rugged land shall be made a plain,
the rough country, a broad valley.
Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Isaiah 40:3-5

Jodi a se fèt m!

Today is my birthday! And the beginning of a new liturgical year! There is so much to be joyful about on this first day of Advent.

The part of my brain that wants everything to line up “just like so” is content. Why? Because I get to start this next year of life, the last year of my twenties, in sync with the Church.

I can’t think of a better way to start my twenty-ninth year than in joyful anticipation for the celebration of Jesus’ birth. Jesus, who loves me when I’m unlovable and patiently waits for me each I stubbornly turn away (over and over again…).

Here’s to being excited for birthdays (and the Christmas season), while realizing there’s so much more to look forward to and better things to come.

Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
Psalm 80:3

#projectblessed