Have you every thought about Advent as a season of mercy?
Advent is that time in which we prepare—watching and waiting—in anticipation of the coming of the Christ Who saves us. He came not just for those who walked the earth while He did. He came for you and me as well. During this holy season, we recall his coming in time 2,000 years ago… we wait for our Christmas celebration of His historical coming, and we anticipate His return at His Second Coming.
The mystery we recall, celebrate and anticipate is His entering into Creation to redeem us and it is in the hope of that mercy that we await his coming again. But, we must also realize that He desires to fill our hearts and transform us in His likeness, if we will but open ourselves to His Will.
And beginning December 8, 2015, we will also begin the Year of Mercy; more to come.
For your reflection…
Excerpted from a pastoral letter on Advent by St. Charles Borremeo…
“Beloved, now is the acceptable time spoken of by the Spirit, the day of salvation, peace and reconciliation: the great season of Advent. This is the time eagerly awaited by the patriarchs and prophets, the time that holy Simeon rejoiced at last to see. This is the season that the Church has always celebrated with special solemnity. We too should always observe it with faith and love, offering praise and thanksgiving to the Father for the mercy and love he has shown us in this mystery. In his infinite love for us, though we were sinners, he sent his only Son to free us from the tyranny of Satan, to summon us to heaven, to welcome us into its innermost recesses, to show us truth itself, to train us in right conduct, to plant within us the seeds of virtue, to enrich us with the treasures of his grace, and to make us children of God and heirs of eternal life.
“Each year, as the Church recalls this mystery, she urges us to renew the memory of the great love God has shown us. This holy season teaches us that Christ’s coming was not only for the benefit of his contemporaries; his power has still to be communicated to us all. We shall share his power, if, through holy faith and the sacraments, we willingly accept the grace Christ earned for us, and live by that grace and in obedience to Christ.
“The Church asks us to understand that Christ, who came once in the flesh, is prepared to come again. When we remove all obstacles to his presence he will come, at any hour and moment, to dwell spiritually in our hearts, bringing with him the riches of his grace.”
May you enjoyed a blessed and fruitful Advent season.
