SHOW US YOUR LOVE;
AND GRANT US YOUR SALVATION
AND GRANT US YOUR SALVATION
"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." (St. Charles)
In today's Gospel of
Mark Jesus says, "Be watchful! Be alert" (Mk 13:33)! Saint Charles
Borromeo wrote, "Beloved, now is the acceptable time spoken of by the
Spirit...This is the time eagerly awaited by the patriarchs and prophets."
Charles is using present tense, "now is...this is." Advent has a way
of reaching into the past and making Jesus' coming a living reality in the
present. It also, however, looks ahead to the future.
St. Charles also wrote this which I like so well, "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."
In the Responsorial
Psalm we acclaim, "Lord, make us turn to You; let us see Your face and we
shall be saved" (Ps 80:4). With God's help we can turn and see our
salvation again. St. Paul
wrote in his Letter to the Corinthians, "God is faithful and by Him you
were called to fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Cor
1:9).
Ponder on these
questions: Do I see myself as the work of God's hands? What changes could I
make to help shape me into one who is better prepared to receive Him?