FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
Jesus said to his disciples: “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his own work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.
Watch, therefore; you do not know when the Lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning. May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’”
Mark 13: 33-37
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF CHRIST
“‘Ego sum via, veritas et vita.’ ‘I am the way, the truth and the life.’ In these clear and unmistakable words Our Lord traces out for us the true path that leads to everlasting happiness. Ego sum via: he is the only road linking heaven and earth. He is speaking to all men, but in a very special way he is thinking of people who, like you and me, are determined to take our Christian vocation seriously, so that God may always be present in our thoughts, on our lips and in everything we do, including our most ordinary and routine actions.
“Jesus is the way. Behind him on this earth of ours he has left the clear outlines of his footprints.
“They are indelible signs which neither the erosion of time nor the treachery of the evil one have been able to erase. ‘Iesus Christus heri et hodie; ipse et in saecula.’ How I love to recall these words! Jesus Christ the very Jesus who was alive yesterday for his Apostles and the people who sought him out; this same Jesus lives today for us, and will live forever. Yet, at times, we poor men fail to recognize his ever-present features, because our eyes are tired and our vision clouded. Now, as we begin this time of prayer close to the tabernacle, ask him, like the blind man in the Gospel did, Domine, ut videam! Lord, that I may see! Enlighten my intelligence and let Christ’s words penetrate deep into my mind. Strengthen his life in my soul so that I may be transformed in readiness for eternal Glory.”
St. Josemaria Escriva
Friends of God, no. 127
For reflection and prayer:
Do I realize that God is calling me to serve Him in and through my daily life and activities?
Do I watch for the ways God is preparing me to serve Him?
Do I prepare my soul in confession, Holy Communion, and penance to deal effectively with the joys and sorrows of life?
FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW: LORD, THAT I MAY SEE!
It may seem surprising that a little thing like footprints in the snow was enough to make St Josemaria Escriva, a teenager at the time (1918), take the great decision to give his life to God.
But that is the language God often uses to call people, and that is how generous souls who seek God sincerely are capable of responding, with faith.
Continue reading…
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