Integrity... Allowing God to Accompany Us
First Saturday in Advent
Is 30: 19-21, 23, 26; Mt 9: 31- 10:1, 5a, 6-8
Life, food, water, protection, healing, assurance, sustenance, love and care...these are given to us gratuitously by God. All these are gifts that we have received, whether we acknowledge it or not. The greatest of all and the gift beyond all these is God's continual presence with us. More precisely, the fundamental gift of all is the presence!
God's presence is manifested to us in various ways: as providing presence that fulfills our needs; protecting presence that safeguards us from dangers; probing presence that challenges us on our life's journey; and above all, guiding presence that accompanies us on a constant basis. The last of these, is a bit different presence because, all others will be taken care of by God, even if we are mere passive receivers. But the accompanying presence of the Lord can be experienced only if we actively acknowledge, accept and allow the Lord to act on our behalf. We need to allow the Lord to accompany us!
Advent is a spiritual exercise precisely to grow in our capacity to become aware of this accompanying presence and to actively and positively allow that presence and wholeheartedly appreciate it! It is a moment when we learn to see, practice to understand and be prepared to allow God to have God's way in our life. Because it is not so easy, when God accompanies us, we just cannot have our own way in certain things! It is a whole life style to learn to be aware, to allow and to appreciate the accompaniment of God. That is definitely a journey towards integrity. Are we on that journey?
Is 30: 19-21, 23, 26; Mt 9: 31- 10:1, 5a, 6-8
Life, food, water, protection, healing, assurance, sustenance, love and care...these are given to us gratuitously by God. All these are gifts that we have received, whether we acknowledge it or not. The greatest of all and the gift beyond all these is God's continual presence with us. More precisely, the fundamental gift of all is the presence!
God's presence is manifested to us in various ways: as providing presence that fulfills our needs; protecting presence that safeguards us from dangers; probing presence that challenges us on our life's journey; and above all, guiding presence that accompanies us on a constant basis. The last of these, is a bit different presence because, all others will be taken care of by God, even if we are mere passive receivers. But the accompanying presence of the Lord can be experienced only if we actively acknowledge, accept and allow the Lord to act on our behalf. We need to allow the Lord to accompany us!
Advent is a spiritual exercise precisely to grow in our capacity to become aware of this accompanying presence and to actively and positively allow that presence and wholeheartedly appreciate it! It is a moment when we learn to see, practice to understand and be prepared to allow God to have God's way in our life. Because it is not so easy, when God accompanies us, we just cannot have our own way in certain things! It is a whole life style to learn to be aware, to allow and to appreciate the accompaniment of God. That is definitely a journey towards integrity. Are we on that journey?