Molly Fernandes –
When you are downcast the tech world tells you to go digital to relax and unwind. However, at the end of the day, after all the digital fun-fare and play, you find yourself at square one as you get back home or to the place from you left. No doubt, modern gadgets accompany and provide you with the most thrilling experience yet, the disturbance keeps haunting…
When you are downcast and have recourse to the Word of God, it brings you lasting peace, endurance, and hope and overwhelms you with grace to face and accept the situation.
The Word of God – It is available 24×7, without a network. Especially in this season of Advent, we are strengthened by the prophet Isaiah’s words, “Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak, say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God … he comes to save you.” How fortunate are we to have a God who continues to come in search of us, as He did in the Garden of Eden, where He came in search of Adam saying: where are you?
God’s word invites us to begin anew our spiritual journey to the unsurpassed gift of God in sending his son, Jesus, among us. Jesus desires to calm our fears, quiet our hearts and loosen our grasp on the many superficial, unreasonable demands of the season. God’s word opens our hearts with a sense of gratitude and wonder at the mystery of what God is doing in our lives during these days of grace.
The everyday readings from Prophet Isaiah are a beacon of light and of hope, which motivates, rejuvenates and rekindles faith. Yes, and affirms to accept ones wretchedness. The words of the psalmist, “Lord, come and save us.” is an invocation and a prayer of petition seeking mercy.
The season of Advent is a graced time to ponder the mystery of God – God with us- Immanuel!
In the Gospel of St. John, Jesus announces signs and wonders that accompany God’s search for fallen humanity when he says, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.”
Advent awakens us to recognize those signs and wonders, great and small, by which God continues to work in our lives today. He continues to come to save us from the dangers of life in subtle ways, even though a smile! Advent is a time of patient waiting. Let our quest be to seek patiently that which will last and not fancy that fades with times. Advent is a time to hunger for higher ethics which in return will enable us to transform our life, being born again. Advent is a time of vigilance. It says wake up oh people the Lord is very near. A time to keep awake like the mother who keeps watch over her new born!
Let’s cheer up doing that which captivates and gives hope. Decorate our surroundings and houses with the symbols of Christmas and let our ears re-echo with those carols that warm up our souls.