Saturday, November 30, 2013

Starting Over

"They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again." Is 2:4

Starting over is never easy, but often unavoidable. Ask any Filipino trying to rebuild his or her life after the recent typhoon or an alcoholic who has had a slip. Acknowledging one's powerlessness over nature or alcohol and committing oneself again to live a day at a time, while painful and frightening, is absolutely necessary, and the only way out of chaos.

The same is true for Christians. No matter how far we fall or how often we turn away from the Lord, we can always begin again, and Advent is the perfect time to try. As we begin a new liturgical year, the church reminds us that God always welcomes his people to renew their faith by focusing on the great of gift of Jesus at Christmas. More important we are challenged to give birth to the Christ in our daily lives, and this is no small task. As the years since Christ lived on earth fade, it becomes more crucial for believers to live the Gospel and allow Christ to be born through their actions and prayer. But we must be patient.

While a woman becomes pregnant in an instant, the child growing within her needs time to grow, to mature and to be made ready for birth. The same is true for us. As Advent begins, the seed of God's love is planted in our personal and communal lives, but we must nurture the seed and wait for it to mature. Every good act is not immediately received with joy, delight and full growth. In fact, most of our kindnesses are taken for granted or ignored, but this should not deter us. God is living in and changing us, and making us, despite our faults and failures, into powerful witnesses of Christ still alive in the world.

Today, pray for patience with oneself and others.

What areas of your faith life are the most difficult to begin again?






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