Catholic Faith Space
|
|
|
Sometimes when you listen to the lyrics of a song you’ve heard countless times, something new stands out or maybe strikes you in a different way. This has been my experience with a common Christmas song that appears to be pretty basic and surface-level. “Be near me Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay, close by me forever, and love me I pray.” These simple yet profound words in the song “Away in a Manger” can serve as a prayer for each one of us on a daily basis.
I think one of the worst things that we could allow to happen in our lives is to become far from Jesus: to live our lives as if He doesn’t exist or like faith doesn’t matter. We need to always realize the gift God has given to us. At Christmas mass, it’s easy for us to recognize the gift that God has given us in the birth of Jesus. During this time, we hear the nativity story and hear the invitation to make room for Jesus in our hearts and invite Him into our lives in a deeper way. We are reminded that His love is so great that He came humbly as a baby. But we need to continue to respond to this gift and invitation even after we leave mass on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Jesus wants to be near to us and remain with us always. And what if we prayed this every day? In the times when we feel close to Him and the times when we feel distant. He wants nothing more than for each one of us to desire to be near to Him. We must never tire of asking this of Him. We need to take the time to grow closer to Jesus every day. And what better way to be close to Jesus than by going to mass? We cannot get any closer to Jesus while on this earth than by receiving Him in the eucharist. This is the greatest gift we could ever receive and it far surpasses any gift that may have been under our Christmas trees. And the amazing part is that we can receive this gift, not only every weekend, but every single day if we are able to. Aside from going to mass and receiving the eucharist, there are many other ways we can stay close to Jesus. However, each day, we should start with the basics. Start by simply praying and asking Jesus to be near to you and to remain with you. Merry Christmas! May each one of you stay close to Jesus and experience His presence in this season and always!
0 Comments
During this time of year, we hear so often that it’s not a season of receiving, but of giving. The general message during these weeks before Christmas is that we shouldn’t be concerned with what we might receive, but rather with what and how we can give. And these ideas are true, when we are thinking about it in the sense of gifts and material items or about how we can give of ourselves to others. But if we look at it with a different approach, this time of year is absolutely about receiving. It’s about receiving Jesus more fully into our hearts.
Advent is a time for us to examine our hearts and our lives and invite Jesus in. Maybe we need to invite Him into parts that we are withholding from Him. Or maybe we need to just continue to grow closer to Him and work on deepening our relationship with Him. During this time, we are all called to purify our hearts, minds, and souls so that we would be able to better receive Him. We must reflect on the fruits that our lives are bearing and make any necessary changes. We need to be always ready and alert, mindful of how we are living. If we don’t spend this time intentionally preparing, our hearts can become cold and hard. Think about the people you know who don’t know the love Christ has for them. Think about the people you know who have left the faith because they don’t understand what His love for them means for their lives. If our hearts become cold and hard, we will block out this truth and become numb to the reality of His love for us. And then when He comes, we won’t be ready. This is why it must begin with receiving. When we receive the love of Christ into our hearts and lives, we become more like Him. We must allow Him to enter our lives so that we will be transformed and ready to be witnesses. When we receive Jesus and His love into our hearts, we are better able to help the world around us prepare to receive Him too- in the words we say and how we live. In order to give to others and share the love and joy of Jesus with them, we must first receive it in our own hearts. May we spend these last two weeks of Advent receiving so that we can give. “I’m praying for you” is simultaneously one of the most powerful and beautiful sentences we can say to another person. As the Body of Christ, we have the ability and responsibility to pray for others. And there is a lot of power in that.
There’s a passage from a book I read sometime last year that explains it well. In This Present Paradise: A Spiritual Journey with St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, author Claire Dwyer writes “That’s part of the power of our prayer, too, to help others, in some mysterious way, to carry their crosses and to trust God in their most cruciform moments. How often have we heard someone say, “It was your prayers that got me through?’ That’s not just a sentiment: it is a real spiritual exchange that people experience whenever someone carries another in his or her prayers. It is being part of the Body of Christ, being bound to one another” (138). As this passage reveals, there is a lot of weight to our offer to pray for others. When we tell another person we will pray for them, it should not just be a nice sentiment or a fleeting comment that we offer and then never think about again after the moment passes. Our promise to pray for someone should be just that- a promise. Because prayer changes everything. It is the prayers of others that help us along the journey. Lifting others up to God in prayer is one of the greatest acts of love we can offer. To pray for others is to carry them and their intentions right into the hands of Jesus. And if you have been the recipient of prayer from anyone at any point, you have surely felt this in a real and deep way. That God would allow us to cooperate with Him in this way is a gift and privilege. Praying for other members of the Body of Christ has a powerful impact. Praying for others can help us feel more connected to others, deepen our relationships, and help us grow in our faith. And when we pray for others, our hearts are changed as well. Our capacity to love God and others is expanded. Pray for other people often. And when you let someone know you will pray for them, remember the power in those words. May we build up the Body of Christ by carrying one another in prayer always. |
AuthorStriving to share hope, joy, God's love, and all of the good stuff, one blog post at a time. Categories |
RSS Feed