Gift-Giving

Oh boy. The best and worst part of Christmas has got to be the presents. I mean, on the one hand there is nothing more awesome than giving or receiving the “perfect gift,” something that just says, I know you, love you and this is perfect for you (and within my price range). On the other hand, Black Friday. Also, that super awkward gift exchange when you brought a gag gift but everyone else brought a real gift.

The true secret to gift-giving is that it is hard. There is no easy part about it. You must start by loving some other person. Next you must want a physical manifestation of that love that will please the other person. Having racked your heart in love you must now rack your brain in thought as you devise that perfect manifestation for the other person. Finally you must bequeath this gift (and a good portion of your heart and pride) to this person. Having relinquished the gift, there is nothing else; gift-giving is not quid-pro-quo.

So what have we learned? Gift-giving is a challenge. Done properly it is the equivalent of taking out your heart and presenting it to someone else for a couple moments. At the same time, it is an act of pure charity, and an imitation of the God who has given so much to us. So don’t give up.

At this moment I would like to confess that (1) I am not done with Christmas shopping as I have not yet found the perfect gift for a few important people in my life and (2) Becca is awesome because she tried to send me cookies.

Merry Christmas all! Can’t wait to see you in February or sooner!

day 18: fortune cookie, anyone?

"Refuel my faith and heighten my hope that charity might once again be reborn in my heart."

what's that saying, you usually find it in fortune cookies? O i remember-- Shared sorrow is halved while shared Joy is doubled. Today the excerpts from Thomas Aquianas mostly quote Augustine. and they both point to the great qualities of the God who dwells with us.

Faith is stronger to believe in the God who came to earth. In that we can more confidently journey towards it.

Hope becomes stronger when we are shown how much God loves us. What better sign than the God who dwells with us.

to double love, we must love each other. Augustine says even if we have been slow to love others, may we ourselves not be slow to receive others' love.

i really like the Advent Action for today. Do not leave God and these virtues at home. Share them so they can be doubled for you! "Take God with you into your day by emailing someone in doubt to strengthen their faith or by offering encouragement and a word of hope to someone who is struggling. Make a conscious gesture toward someone who has ongoing difficulties with low self-esteem."

my friends; God loves you, God has faith in you, God gives you hope for your future. May God grant you peace today

On the 17th Day of Advent, God Challenges Us

Today we are challenged to open ourselves up to allow God’s light into our hearts. We all have places in our hearts that do not reflect our image of God, and we are thus called to examine those aspects of our lives that we prefer to hide in the closet or the attic, the basement or the garage. Even in a small house, a dorm room, or an apartment, there is usually more than enough space to store stuff that we don’t really need or use anyways (and a surplus of products to help us do so).

Advent and Christmas remind us to be generous, to clean house, and give stuff away. On this 17th day of Advent, we focus not only on the physical ‘stuff’ we want to be rid of, but also the habits, emotional baggage, and ways of relating to other people or to God that we need to change or let go of. There are many areas to examine: our attitudes about service, how we interact in community, relationships with friends and family members, our thoughts about the future, whether we truly are living simply, our self-esteem, or how we relate to God.

Even though this year brings with it a number of (often unexpected) challenges and struggles, during this season of Advent we freely ask God to challenge us and to lead us in the way God lovingly desires for us to go. Our egos do not always appreciate God’s Divine Plan and the journey it entails, but during this time, let us actively work with God and allow God to bear fruit in each of us.

May your heart remain open,
Kristen

16th day of Advent: Fear not, for God is with you.

Christmas Eve is 10 days away! Isn't it crazy how fast time moves? I feel like it was August 1st just yesterday. And now, 4 months later, it's almost Christmas and we have all been through so much with our ministries, communities, faith, and ourselves. I hope and pray that everyone is enjoying this experience thus far and that we're all open to everything that has come our way in terms of people, opportunities, ideas, and challenges.

When I read today's wisdom from St. Thomas Aquinas, focusing on Mary and the uncommon reverence the angels gave her before she was to conceive Jesus through the Holy Spirit, I couldn't help but try to connect his message to my day to day experience. I have spent the last four months trying to bring about a new spirit of self-renewal to all the men and women I meet at St. Leonard's. But who's helping whom? Am I the angel coming to bring unexpected praise and reverence to the people I meet or am I the fearful Mary who has questions and is uncertain of her future?

I think I'm a little bit of both the angel and Mary...and, I think, so are all of the other DVs. Like the angels, we all strive to help those we minister to and work with in that we want our clients, co-workers, students, and other people we encounter in our ministries to understand the grace they have within themselves that allows them to achieve great things and believe in miracles and have faith in themselves.

But, we also have the fear Mary had in that we may have thoughts of self-doubt or may question our ability to follow God's call through our ministries and be able to believe in the people or projects considered "lost-causes" or "impossible cases." Mary is able to overcome her fears and bring Jesus to human form through knowing that God is with her; thus, we all can overcome our fears and have strength in ourselves and those we minister to because of faith.

I hope that during this time of the year, a time of great anitcipation and prepartion, that all of the DVs can find time to see how they are both Mary and an angel from Heaven and recognize the ways in which God, through the Holy Spirit, brings comfort, strength, and guidance to you in your challenges and uncertainies.

I'd like to leave you all with a quote I love and live by:

"...Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves...Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer."
-Rainer Maria Rilke

Peace, love, and blessings,

Emily

I've got the Joy, Joy, Joy...

Remember that old song, "I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart, I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart. Down in my heart to stay!" God's deep desire for us is that we come to find this joy. Not moment of happiness, but to be filled to the depths of our being with joy that can sustain us, that will keep us rooted when times are tough. The Christian vocation calls us to places at times void of joy, but we must be joyful all the same.

The Gospel for Sunday, December 13, 2009 (yes, I'm just a bit behind, please forgive me--don't lose your joy over it), comes from Luke 3:10-18. This passage highlights John the Baptist's prescription for finding and sustaining joy. A very similar prescription appears in Matthew 25, but it is being said by Jesus. Joy is sustained when we give of ourselves. This year of service may be one that is draining, frustrating, and challenging in many ways, but it should also be one that buffets your join and sustains you in the Christian vocation.

Keep up the good work as you mentor children, deliver babies, teach art, teach English, hold the hand of an elderly sister, fight the criminal "justice" system, speak kindly with seniors, locate funding for the mission, pass on the faith, and advocate for the needs of the forgotten. The joy is in our hearts for us, and for us to give away. I pray you will be immersed in joy.

Blessed Advent,

Tony

Day 14: A Faithful Yes

Good Morning!
Happy Saturday. I hope everyone is able to relax and enjoy the weekend.
Today is Day 14 of Advent! We are almost halfway to the big day! Wow.
As we think about lighting the third rose colored candle on the Advent wreath a piece of scripture from Luke stands out because it reminds us why we are in the Advent season. The scripture says, “Mary said “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled. ”

God’s glory is revealed to us in His sending Jesus. God loved us so much that He was willing to become human and dwell among us. We should most definitely take comfort and joy in this fact! The Incarnation changed us forever and continues to change us. For this to happen we have to make a faithful yes to God just as Mary did. God has a good will and plan for each and every single one of us. Our faithful yes is the first step in finding this Will. What are some of the things (major and small) you have said yes to recently? How did they fit into God’s plan for you?
Now, the really big question of Advent is how do we prepare for the blessed event of Christmas?’. As Andrew Carl Wisdom OP suggests in his Advent challenge a way to prepare is reflecting with family and/or friends about the things we need to free ourselves from which keep us from doing God’s will. What are some of these things that keep from you God’s will? How can you change these things in your life?
I pray that you have a wonderful and blessed Advent Season!
Bridgette

Day 13: "Jesus is the Reason for the Season"

It's safe to say that Advent and Christmas are synonymous with anticipation, joy and hope; it's also a sure bet to assume that we approach the season with the expectation that our holiday will be filled with love, acceptance, and peace. Whether those aspirations are fulfilled is sometimes beyond our control, but either way, we prepare. We do our best to buy meaningful gifts, spend time with loved ones, keep the less fortunate in mind, and remember that "Jesus is the Reason for the Season".

Ahh... I used it... the often cliche (although catchy) axiom that is displayed vividly on Christmas greeting cards, painted on store windows, hanging on decorative ribbons, and so on. Yes, while I agree that "Jesus is the Reason for the Season", there is more to it; what if we dropped the last few words of the phrase and take out "the season". Look what happens: Jesus is the Reason.

When we think of our closest friendships and relationships what do they contain: hope, joy, anticipation, love, acceptance, peace? If we're lucky, we can answer "yes" to that question. Today's reflection serves as a great reminder that we already have that and with no special doing on our part. God wants to be in relationship with us and all we have to do is put aside our pride, our busyness, our distractions, our clutter and focus on Him. As we get closer to Christmas and are filled with the holiday spirit let us remember that "Jesus is the Reason", the reason for our hope, our joy, our anticipation, our love, our acceptance, our peace, our....

Happy Advent my friends! (AND Happy weekend too!)

Advent Day 10

Today's advent reflection reminds us that we set aside a day every week to remember God's creative power. On the tenth day of advent this year, we remember a particular member of God's creation - Mary - while today's Gospel begins the Christmas story.

Mary, a young woman engaged to be married, is visited by an angel and recieves a very unique call from God. Without understanding how any of the details would work out, she agreeed to become God's mother. As I reflected on the Gospel today, I couldn't help but wonder about the thoughts than ran through her head after the angel left her. Was she dreaming, or was she really visited by an angel? What makes her so special that God wanted her for this task? How on earth was she going to explain this to Joseph?

Although we know the end of the story, Mary didn't. Yet she wholeheartedly agreed to do whatever God wanted. She had faith that God would see her through whatever trials would come - and He did.

I was deeply encouraged today when I considered these things. Today, at work, I found myself looking up to heaven and asking God why on earth He decided this year of service was such a good idea. As they say in the motherhouse, only God knows, and He's not telling. Mary's act of faith reminds me that I only need to follow God's will; God will take care of the rest.

PS Sorry for the late post I worked today....Happy Advent everybody!!!
-Kira

Advent Day 9!!!

We continue to prepare for the coming of our Lord as a child and although this season can be filled with busyness and stressfulness, we should all be taking time to stop and really think about what the season of Advent is about.  In todays reflection, we are talking about the Word of God.  I really began to ponder the words of the Advent Action section.  There are many questions mostly covering whether or not I truly share Jesus with others.  This is something that I am constantly striving to do, but I wonder if it something that I do successfully.  Did I share Jesus with others today in some way whether through telling them or through my actions?  How can I improve on this part of my life throughout this Advent season?

Looking at the readings from today, the Gospel reading has a wonderful message in it.  The men who were with the paralyzed man wanted so badly to be close to Christ because they believed in Him and His healing touch.  They wanted to be close to him so badly that they went up on the roof and lowered the paralyzed man in that way.  I can only imagine how much work it took to climb up on the roof with a man and lower him down.  Do I strive to do anything possible to be close to Jesus, even something that would seem so hard to do physically?  Do I take the time out of my day to be with Jesus alone, in the quiet spending time to develop our friendship and truly understand our relationship?

Advent is a great time to come to really know Jesus and the relationship that we each have with Him.  It is so easy to be caught up in the consumerism of this season, but we should each take a little time out of our day to foster our relationship and to show this relationship to others.  It does not have to be through our words, but rather the love of Jesus pouring out of us to others.

Preach the gospel at all times. When necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

A Voice Cries Out....

Here is my reflection a tad early...but tomorrow we're going to THE NUTCRACKER IN LINCOLN CENTER sooo I won't have time to post :-)

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, it was the voice of one crying out in the wilderness. Yet it was not the voice of Caesar, or governor Pontius Pilate, or even one of the high priests Annas or Caiaphas. It was John. John whose only title was the son of Zechariah. In his gospel, Luke introduces the titles and names of the famous men of the time, but leaves them with only their titles and nothing more. Only John is given a voice. It is John who is recorded for the ages to remember. One may forget who was Caesar, or who was tetrarch of where, but John is remembered.

Not only is John remembered, but his words are headed. When he first came to town proclaiming his message, it’s hard to believe many would listen to the long-haired, cricket eating man.

Yet, eventually many did listen and act. And it all began with one. The voice of one was able to ready the world for its most important visitor, the living God.

If John alone was able to prepare the world for God, why should we not each be able to prepare ourselves? And not only ourselves, but all we meet. John shows us one person can make a difference in the lives of many simply by proclaiming and living God’s word every day of our lives. Although at times it may seem impossible for one to change the world, with God all things are possible. And with God it only takes one voice.

"Without cost you have recieved, without cost you are to give" Mt 10:8

It's the second Saturday after Thanksgiving, which means that the holiday shopping season is in full swing. All the shoppers are searching for the perfect gift for all their friends and family. Why? Why does there need to be a gift given with a (usually large) monetary value? God has given us the greatest gift imaginable - and you cannot use money to buy it.

God claimed us as his own.

God is showing his love and care for us in this action. Because we were claimed, God gives us his healing, strength, & life. God also listen to all our prayers and guides us on the path that will lead us to him. All we have to do is listen and love God. God does not expect gifts of sweaters or books or lotions for Christmas, just love and devotion shown in return.

This is the gift that we should be trying to imitate this season and give to others, the gift of Love. Love costs nothing to give and Love costs nothing to receive.

Day 6 of Advent!

When I was in 6th grade I wanted to be in the school band and play the clarinet. My father did not think I was capable of actually becoming good at playing it because I was unsuccessful at piano lessons when I was 7 (even though the ages 7 and 12 are completely different from each other). I remembered his words carefully and it was not until I was in 8th grade when I really started devoting time to practicing. I would go to early morning band practice and stay for after school band practice and spend hours practicing in my free time. I had to sacrifice sleeping in on school days or time that I could be watching TV but I became better the more I practiced.

This same concept can be correlated into the charity we give in our ministries. There is only one true way to "learn" to love our family, community and those we minister to; it is spending time in prayer with our Lord. I hate to be a "Debbie Downer" but we as humans are very selfish creatures. We think too much about ourselves and Jesus is the One who can truly teach us how to love others because He showed us what true love is by coming to earth in human flesh and dying so we may be able to join Him in heaven. We do have to sacrifice our personal time to spend time with Him but it is worth it. Some ways to increase your personal prayer life could be by going to daily mass, going to adoration once a week, reading and learning Scriptures or saying a rosary. This may mean not spending 2 hours on facebook or watching Youtube videos or missing The Office on Thursday nights (I know this is a sacrifice!!!!). But if we sacrifice our fleshy desires, He will reward us more than we could ask for.

The Advent Reflections...

have been AWESOME!!! I am thoroughly impressed and am thankful for the words shared thus far. I am using them in prayer and have found something in each to which I can relate.

Just wanted to say thanks and that I am looking forward to seeing the upcoming reflections. Keep up the great work DV's!

(Make sure to share the blog with family and friends.)

And Jesus Said... COME TO THE FEAST!

http://www.usccb.org/nab/120209.shtml


There is a hymn, one that i would dare to say as my favorite at any given time. I mean we all have our favorite hymns: for some it is always Soon and Very Soon. for some of us, it's seasonal, ranging from O Come O Come Emmanuel to Jesus Christ is Risen Today. For some of us our favorite falls under the "oldie but goodie" like Amazing Grace

There is one song that no matter the season, no matter the readings, no matter where I am in the world-- if we sing it at church it will always brighten my day. Sometimes, it is so 'overplayed' that it seems cliche. But it still makes me smile. The song I am talking about is Table of Plenty by Dan Schutte
Come to the feast of heaven and earth!
Come to the table of plenty!
God will provide for all that we need,
Here at the table of plenty

O come and sit at my table,
where saints and sinners are friends.
I wait to welcome the lost and lonely
to share the cup of my love.

O come and eat without money;
come to drink without price.
My feast of gladness will feed your spirit
with faith and fullness of life.

My bread will ever sustain you
through days of sorrow and woe.
My wine will flow like a sea of gladness
to flood the depths of your soul.


I think in music, so when i first read the readings for today (at the above link, take a few minutes to read through them) all i could think about was this song.


Today I pray that I am welcoming to all others to Jesus' table; The one who provides for us and asks us to provide to others. Advent, as a season of waiting, asks us to prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus, the coming of the Kingdom. essentially the coming of the Feast. I pray that today I can be welcoming amongst my waiting. Advent is the gathering around the table. It is the Host asking us to find our places, and in sitting down, we see that we might be sittingby the less desirable guests. When I would rather sit with my friends, I pray that I remember that the Host has invited me to join in this feast together. Advent is the ultimate anticipation before the Host calls for the feast to be served.

Advent Day 3

Many times in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus notes that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. No longer is God some far off authority, but God is near. God is here, present to be with us. In this season of advent in which we wait for the celebration of Jesus' birth, I encourage you to rejoice in the presence of Christ. He came to be with us, and even after his departure from earth, he is present in our suffering, rejoicing, learning, and growing. It is a blessing to have a god who loves us enough to bring His kingdom to us. Our beautiful and loving God fearfully and wonderfully made a bunch of sinful, depressing creatures, and then cared enough to send his son to become a flesh-bound man that put up with us for a while before he willfully gave his life to save us. Praise the Lord! We are loved beyond compare. And with that love, the reflections in "Advent and Christmas" remind us on this day that everything in Christ is magnified. Sure, we can find happiness without God, but with God we can have complete joy. Without God, we may have comfort, but with God, peace. Without God, achievements, but with God, satisfaction. Everything is greater in the presence of our Savior. Today, as you pray on your own, think of the ways that your relationship with Christ has magnified your life. When I think of these things, it challenges me to be a more faithful, loving, and devoted follower of Jesus because I know that He satisfies my deepest desires more than anything on the earth ever will.
Peace,
Katie

Baby, it is COLD outside in Texas!

So I was making a gift for my best friend last night and I was excited when I came up with the idea. It is a simple idea but I still thought it was a cool gift. As I am making it, these self-doubt thoughts came into my head : "This is is so silly. What if she gets you something better and your gift looks stupid next to hers?" And I was on the verge of just buying her a starbucks giftcard, but it was as if the Holy Spirit came to me at that moment. It told me, "the time and effort you are putting into this gift shows how much you love your friend. It may not be worth as much in monetary value but if she is a true friend she will appreciate the time you put into this gift." Then today I thought about how this ties into ministry. I get frustrated sometimes when my patients only speak espanol and I am trying so hard to speak to them and I wonder if they think I am some pathetic white girl trying to attempt to speak Spanish. But I see how appreciative they are of my actions and my broken Spanish is enough for them and they so appreciate it. We may not be perfect in our ministries, but that is perfectly fine. It is the little acts of kindness that matter, not the big ones! Have a blessed day! Becca

All I Want for Christmas is...

To keep the Christmas season forever! I must admit I really love the season of Christmas (aka ADVENT) but the day of is a little depressing to know it's all over. I hope all of you cherish this Advent season and I am and will be thinking of your throughout.

I'll leave you with this little photo of Charlie Brown to remind you that simple living Christmas is one of the most special :-) Rachel-do you still have a lot of those simple gifts ideas? I'd love to hear them!

Now I must away to work with the Advent spirit alive in my heart!

Blessings to you all!

-Sarah-