Tag: advent

94) Advent Peace

We’re about to enter the third week of Advent, and the words “peace” and “forgiveness” have been on my mind a lot! It seems the two go together – we can’t really experience peace without living a forgiving life. I deeply desire to live in peace – the peace that keeps my heart at rest no matter what the outward circumstances are. I have an icon of St Seraphim of Sarov next to my desk, to remind me of one of his famous sayings: “Acquire interior peace, and many will find salvation near you.” I hope to help others grow in their relationship with God, to gain the salvation Jesus has suffered and died to give us. Living with interior peace brings a grace to others that may help open their hearts to God’s grace for them.

When walking with others in spiritual companionship, the topic of forgiveness often surfaces. I’m often prompted to share the YouTube by Larry Christenson on Unilateral Forgiveness, and in particular one of the stories he relates in it. He tells of a good friend who is deeply hurt and troubled by an injustice, such that she becomes embittered against the one who hurt her. She finds a deep peace in the quiet of a church that allows her to release the bitterness, and this is followed by a word from the Lord that has helped me a lot in my own life. She heard in her heart, “you never lose your peace over someone else’s sin, but only over your own.” She had lost her peace through her bitterness toward another, and not because of what they had done.

There are steps to take here, tied to the desire for peace and forgiveness. First is to acknowledge the injury, and to allow oneself to gently lean into the pain it has caused. We don’t want to over react to it, nor diminish it, but to name it and feel it.

The second step is often overlooked. We take our eyes off of the injury, and ask the Holy Spirit to convict us of how our own reaction may be in need of God’s forgiveness. In the case mentioned above, the need was to acknowledge the bitterness that had taken root in her heart, and to ask the Lord to forgive her for that. This is then followed by His gift of peace, freely given to every soul that honestly confesses their own sin, and seeks forgiveness. It also takes our eyes off someone else’s sin, and paves the way for us to offer a blessing for them, rather than ill will. In his article, Larry speaks about “beaming out forgiveness” to others, unilaterally. That is, from one side only – we don’t wait for them to ask for it, we offer it first. “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you,” can only be done from the heart when we have allowed the Lord to cleanse us of our own sin, and receive His gift of peace.

Peace and forgiveness, partners hand in hand. May our Advent preparation include time to examine how we may have reacted and lost our peace in some circumstance, and allow the Lord to restore it through a good confession and extending blessing to others.

Lord God, I desire to be an agent of your peace and mercy. Help me to take my eyes off others’ failings, and allow you to use me to help others on their journey of faith. Thank you for Your gift of forgiveness – may I allow You to convict me quickly, that I may live in Your grace…

Link to Larry Christenson’s YouTube audio:

Larry Christenson – Unilateral Forgiveness & Empathetic Repentance

Track 1 – empathetic repentance. (20:25 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im8w7ihVid8

Track 2 – unilateral forgiveness. (19:27 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MBGwHO0MeM

58) Visio Divina with Mary in Advent

Visio Divina with Mary

     Visio Divina is a complement to Lectio Divina, spending time with an image in the company of the Holy Spirit, and allowing Him to speak to my heart through the image.  A recent prayer opportunity has been a precious blessing to me in this second week of Advent.  

     

I spent several minutes focused on the image below, allowing my eyes to travel around the parts of the picture and be drawn to particular portions of it.  It’s a unique experience, as the Lord evokes particular thoughts and memories perfectly suited for each individual engaging in this prayer.  I did it with a group, and was blessed as each person shared what part of the image stood out for them, what particular word or Scripture came to their mind, and what they felt the Lord was revealing to them.

     My eyes were drawn to the center of the picture, where the bright Light was shielded by Mary’s hand.  It brought to my mind the word GLORY! And the Scripture, “All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (NASB 2 Cor 3:18) I thought of Christ’s resurrection Glory, of the moment when His dead human body was transformed as by a huge cosmic explosion into His glorified Body, producing a tremendous burst of Light and Power!  This was the image that was miraculously imprinted on the Shroud of Turin, and the image that is imprinted on my own soul, and on the soul of every baptized Christian.  The image that is sacred, is holy, and is to be respected and reverenced.

     I noticed how gently Mary held her hands, shielding and cradling the Light.  They seemed so tender, so very fragile yet strong.  There seemed to be a group of holy souls in the lower corners of the picture, the cloud of witnesses, adoring and marveling at the glowing and growing Light about to be born into the world.  

     I was blessed too to hear what the Lord was revealing to other group members.  Other words received were Grace, Peace, Purity, Longing, Contentment, Receptive, Focused, Caressing, a Love beyond all telling.  

The Lord was pouring out His grace on us as we prayed together in silence, and then shared the fruit of this sacred time together.

     You are invited by Jesus to spend time during Advent to be with His Mother, to prayerfully focus on an image or passage of Scripture of your choosing, and to receive His Love in preparation for the celebration of His birth.  May it be a time of blessing for you, drawing you more deeply into His Sacred Heart, through the Heart of the Blessed Mother, and into the Heart of the Father. 

Lord God, thank you for the the gifts of words and images, created in cooperation with Your grace, that help us to receive and share Your tremendous Love.  Grant us the desire and space to enter in to this sacred time with You, and more fully experience the Joy of Christmas!