Reflection of the Week
“We should never lose sight of the goal which we have to reach, namely, that each one of us must become identified with Jesus Christ, who...became poor for you and for me, and suffered, that we might have an example of how to follow in his footsteps.”
- St. Josemaria Escriva
Friends of God, 110
“Time for Hope”
'Perhaps some of you are wondering, "What should a Christian hope for?" (...) Christians have to aspire to the highest peaks of all, to the infinite. Our aim is the very Love of God, to enjoy that Love fully, with a joy that never ends.'
- St. Josemaria Escriva, Friends of God, 209
"Advent is a Time for Hope"
As we are thrust into this busy time of year, we begin to feel a sense of anticipation and a deep sense of hope.
St. Josemaria reminds us that Advent, which begins on Sunday, November 27, is "a marvelous time in which to renew your desire, your nostalgia, your real longing for Christ to come..." (The Forge, 548)
We encourage you take a few minutes today to think about what you can do each day, from now until Christmas, to prepare for the Nativity of Jesus. We share with you a short reflection to help in your Advent prayer:
Advent Reflection from St. Josemaria Escriva
"...On this first Sunday of Advent, when we begin to count the days separating us from the birth of the Savior...Jesus wants to see us dedicated, faithful, responsive. He wants us to love him. It is his desire that we be holy, very much his own.
You see within yourselves, on the one hand, pride, sensuality, boredom, and selfishness; on the other, love, commitment, mercy, humility, sacrifice, joy. You have to choose. You have been called to a life of faith, hope and charity. You cannot seek lesser goals, condemning yourself to a life of mediocre isolation. (...) We must make sure that our souls have no nooks or crannies into which the light of Jesus Christ cannot shine.
This time of Advent is a time for hope. These great horizons of our Christian vocation, this unity of life built on the presence of God our Father, can and ought to be a daily reality.
Ask Our Lady, along with me, to make it come true. Try to imagine how she spent these months, waiting for her Son to be born."
- St. Josemaria Escriva, The Christian Vocation, 11
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