Spiritual Advisor
(Each month, a Spiritual Advisor will write an article)
Advent Greetings Cursillistas,
Here we are in the midst of Advent - can you believe it!? As the age-old question goes, “Where did the year go?” So as we near the end of the calendar year and look forward to the coming of our Savior at Christmas, perhaps it’s time to take a little time to reflect on where we are in our relationship with Jesus. I’m sure that for most of us, this is by far the busiest time of the year. Shopping, parties, family gatherings, all of these things and more compete for our time with the Lord and so we are challenged to find quiet time to nurture our relationship. We are at the beginning of a new liturgical year. A time of anticipation and joyful hope in the coming of our Lord. It is a time for us to make our paths straight and to prepare the way of the Lord.
Jesus came, as he said, to seek and to save the lost. As it happened so many times in the past, God’s people were straying far from his commands. And so, as St. Paul says: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption. As proof that you are children, God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.” Is our God AWESOME or what!? I mean, who does that?
First of all, who would continually call his people and beg them to come back when they time and again turn their back on him? And then to top it off, who would send his Son knowing that those same people who turn their backs on him would eventually kill his Son? Again I ask, is our God AWESOME or what!? That is how much he loves each and everyone of us.
Everyday, in our good and bad times, in our weaknesses and failures, in our successes and even in our sins. No matter what, he loves us and wants nothing but the good for us. He has elevated each and everyone of us to be his children worthy of his unconditional love despite the numerous times we have turned our backs on him. All he asks of us is for us to strive to love him like he loves us and if we fail, well that’s ok. We pick up the pieces, go to confession, and continue working on our salvation so that we can live with him forever. Life is not easy at times, and sometimes we just simply do dumb things, but our God is a forgiving God with endless mercy and he will always love us.
So as we continue our journey through this Advent season, let us take time, even if only for a few minutes, to sit quietly at the feet of the Lord, gaze into his eyes, and let him tell us how much he loves us.
Ultreya,
Deacon Bruce