Advent

I love Advent, I love the waiting in hope and joy. Alex has made a small advent wreath and we light a candle each night.

Isn't it an evocative word...waiting. How suitable that the reading at Mass was about waiting ...for His coming again.

Come Lord Jesus.

Challenged

For my birthday my daughter bought me "Jesus of Nazareth" by Pope Benedict. I was very pleased to get it but to my horror and surprise she said to me that she'd bought it to remind me that my focus should be on Jesus and NOT on the church or the Pope! I assured her that Jesus WAS my focus and that the Church is basically just a vehicle to get me closer to Him. I think she accepted that.

But I felt challenged and spent a couple of days searching my heart because I know it can be easy to slide into making things like the liturgy, or the priests, or even something like the rosary the centre of our devotion. But after much prayer and thought I feel sure that although I love all these things, and many other aids to devotion, they are NOT where my heart is, they truly are vehicles to Him who is my Lord.

Thank God.

Acts of Love

I have a real longing in my heart to be able to share what He means to me. The Catholic life can often seem to be a series of rules: Go to Mass on Sundays, fast on Fridays, fast before Communion,. but really they are little acts of love. He gives us so much and in return we give him our tiny offerings to show our love, like a child offering her mother a flower out of the garden. And each 'rule', if kept with love, will expand our hearts and make us love more.

What joy He offers us if we'll take it.

His Presence

I'm not really called to meditation: I'm more your intercessor, but just now and again, I find myself sitting silently in His Presence. It's usually when I'm have my prayer time or during Mass, or after Communion and it something He invites me to do. Inner silence and Him.

It doesn't happen often, and it's very short but when it does...what could be sweeter?


I delight to sit in His shade and His fruit is sweet to my mouth. (Song of Songs).