Beloved in Christ,
“Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” (Mt 11:2). Is God not who he says he is? Is Jesus truly present in our world? Am I seeing myself grow spiritually? John the Baptist must have wondered, in his pain and suffering, whether Jesus was truly the Messiah he claimed to be. We too have our doubts and questionings of the presence of God in our world, is Jesus at work in our lives?
Christ came 2000 years ago at the first Christmas, yet the world is still in the darkness of sin, violence, war, hate, lies, suffering, and aimless death. We were baptized, received Eucharist frequently, confirmed, yet and despite this, Jesus' coming and presence in our lives, we still show weakness and sin and suffer pains and anguish.
Despite conditions that make us wonder whether God is with us because of suffering and trials, despite our wondering and doubts about whether we are growing in faith, we know for sure that the Light of joy is present in the darkness of sin and evil that sometimes envelopes our lives. The Lord will come and save us, the Psalmist says to us this morning. God is with us, he is near, the coming of the Lord is near, St James reminds us. Here is your God, he comes to save you, says the prophet Isaiah.
No cause for alarm, Jesus is here in our world, in our Church, in our individual lives. The seed of Christ's presence 2000 years ago is still growing patiently and quietly in a world that seems to only show us darkness. Look at all the good brought into the world since Christ came at first Christmas: catholic schools, orphanages, hospitals, saints. See how you have lived life based on hope, faith, and a good Christian conscience. These are the fruits of Christ's presence in our lives.
We only need to be patient and trust in the Lord. Until his second coming and his daily comings, we must be joyfully expectant and live in hope that there is light on the horizon. Like the farmer in today’s letter of St James, we must be patient to see the seeds we plant blossom. We are called to build in faith, patiently and expectantly. Donovan’s song, “Little Church”, in the film based on the life of St. Francis of Assisi, Brother Sun, Sister Moon, captures this sense for us:
“If you want your dream to be
Build it slow and surely.
Small beginnings, greater ends
Heartfelt work grows purely.
If you want to live life free
Take your time go slowly.
Do few things but do them well
Simple joys are holy.
Grow slowly and steadily. It takes time to grow spiritually. Like many saints, we may not see the signs of God’s presence in the midst of our struggles, sin and sufferings we encounter daily, we may have our doubt and questionings like John the Baptist but like St. Teresa of Avila, who for the first 20 years of her spiritual life was not on fire, we must persist in prayers and charity until our faith starts to blossom. The saints have much to teach us about how God is joyfully encountered, even in the darkness of a sad and sorrowful world. Let us be joyful as we patiently allow Jesus to come into our lives at Christmas and every day. We must do our part in watering and fertilizing the soil as we wait patiently for the seeds of faith planted in us to grow and blossom. Be patient and have no doubt that Jesus is the one who is to come, and he is near. Do not doubt but rejoice that he is near on this Gaudete Sunday.
We had our Advent penance service last Friday. Many of us have had the opportunity to prepare a home in our hearts for Jesus to dwell at Christmas by taking advantage of several opportunities for sacramental reconciliation. We have an additional aid in our preparation for a joyful Christmas tomorrow at our Advent Night of prayer and adoration led by Mark Forrest, Irish Tenor. It promises to be another amazing night of hope and joy; you don’t want to miss it. Invite a friend to come with you.
With joy,
Fr. Alayode Bernard, OP
“Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” (Mt 11:2). Is God not who he says he is? Is Jesus truly present in our world? Am I seeing myself grow spiritually? John the Baptist must have wondered, in his pain and suffering, whether Jesus was truly the Messiah he claimed to be. We too have our doubts and questionings of the presence of God in our world, is Jesus at work in our lives?
Christ came 2000 years ago at the first Christmas, yet the world is still in the darkness of sin, violence, war, hate, lies, suffering, and aimless death. We were baptized, received Eucharist frequently, confirmed, yet and despite this, Jesus' coming and presence in our lives, we still show weakness and sin and suffer pains and anguish.
Despite conditions that make us wonder whether God is with us because of suffering and trials, despite our wondering and doubts about whether we are growing in faith, we know for sure that the Light of joy is present in the darkness of sin and evil that sometimes envelopes our lives. The Lord will come and save us, the Psalmist says to us this morning. God is with us, he is near, the coming of the Lord is near, St James reminds us. Here is your God, he comes to save you, says the prophet Isaiah.
No cause for alarm, Jesus is here in our world, in our Church, in our individual lives. The seed of Christ's presence 2000 years ago is still growing patiently and quietly in a world that seems to only show us darkness. Look at all the good brought into the world since Christ came at first Christmas: catholic schools, orphanages, hospitals, saints. See how you have lived life based on hope, faith, and a good Christian conscience. These are the fruits of Christ's presence in our lives.
We only need to be patient and trust in the Lord. Until his second coming and his daily comings, we must be joyfully expectant and live in hope that there is light on the horizon. Like the farmer in today’s letter of St James, we must be patient to see the seeds we plant blossom. We are called to build in faith, patiently and expectantly. Donovan’s song, “Little Church”, in the film based on the life of St. Francis of Assisi, Brother Sun, Sister Moon, captures this sense for us:
“If you want your dream to be
Build it slow and surely.
Small beginnings, greater ends
Heartfelt work grows purely.
If you want to live life free
Take your time go slowly.
Do few things but do them well
Simple joys are holy.
Grow slowly and steadily. It takes time to grow spiritually. Like many saints, we may not see the signs of God’s presence in the midst of our struggles, sin and sufferings we encounter daily, we may have our doubt and questionings like John the Baptist but like St. Teresa of Avila, who for the first 20 years of her spiritual life was not on fire, we must persist in prayers and charity until our faith starts to blossom. The saints have much to teach us about how God is joyfully encountered, even in the darkness of a sad and sorrowful world. Let us be joyful as we patiently allow Jesus to come into our lives at Christmas and every day. We must do our part in watering and fertilizing the soil as we wait patiently for the seeds of faith planted in us to grow and blossom. Be patient and have no doubt that Jesus is the one who is to come, and he is near. Do not doubt but rejoice that he is near on this Gaudete Sunday.
We had our Advent penance service last Friday. Many of us have had the opportunity to prepare a home in our hearts for Jesus to dwell at Christmas by taking advantage of several opportunities for sacramental reconciliation. We have an additional aid in our preparation for a joyful Christmas tomorrow at our Advent Night of prayer and adoration led by Mark Forrest, Irish Tenor. It promises to be another amazing night of hope and joy; you don’t want to miss it. Invite a friend to come with you.
With joy,
Fr. Alayode Bernard, OP
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