Soul Scribe

I believe, in order to understand; and I understand, the better to believe

St. Augustine

Advent is a season of preparation for one of the greatest gifts of all time – the birth of a child named Jesus, who would come to sacrifice himself for those he loved.

Many see Jesus as a prophet, but for Christians he is Emmanuel, God with us.

Jesus reached out to anyone in need and called us all to do the same – a conversion of our souls that made us keepers of one another, as sisters and brothers in him.

This is our call from Jesus, but this means we are called to action. It is a call that Jesus lived from birth to death, as we must do as well.

Is it a call we always heed?

Of course not, let’s be honest. As humans, we often fail. Our failure is not because of Jesus or God. But it is a part of our learning process.

How we respond to our failures is the true test of our call.

Take a few moments before the celebration of Christ’s birth to prepare yourself – not just in decorating the nativity scene, Christmas tree and presents for your family and friends – prepare your soul to meet Jesus.

Pope Benedict XVI reminded the world to do so during his papal audience Dec. 22. You can see what he said here.

Now deck the halls of your soul in preparation for the ultimate Christmas present ever!

“For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

John 3:16
(New Jerusalem Bible)

Dream Over

That was the headline for a story on Susan Boyle, the contestant who caught the attention of the world in Britain’s TV talent show – Britain’s Got Talent.  She wasn’t your average – wait, she was your average-looking singer.  She wasn’t this polished, made-up and groomed mega-star like Beyoncé – or whatever she’s calling herself now.

She was a normal person with a God-given talent for singing.  Everyone wrote her off based on her appearance until she started to sing.

Now, I’m a huge reality show fan.  One thing you learn from watching reality TV is that the outer package doesn’t always tell the truth about what’s on the inside.

There’s plenty of great-looking people that I wouldn’t want to be around for one minute.  They need to spend just as much time grooming the inside as they do the outer beauty.

You can’t judge any book by its cover – because you have to ponder the words inside before you know the story.

Just because Susan didn’t win, doesn’t mean her dream is over.  Her dream is using her talent.  And she wants to continue to do just that.  So often nowadays, we must put another down to raise up ourselves.  Susan didn’t win – therefore she lost.  She has no worth.

It’s just not good enough anymore to be talented.  One has to be THE NEXT BIG THING or your dream is over.  It’s not okay to be good and to use your talent in the world.

The pressure that people put on Susan Boyle is unreasonable.  This is an amateur talent contest – she’s not a professional yet.  What about the growth she’s experienced as a singer?

Her voice is extraordinary.  I hope she holds onto that and doesn’t let anyone take away what God gave her – a voice to sing with.

Sing and continue to dream, Susan.  God hears you even when others do not.

Man is what he believes. 

Anton Chekhov 

If we pray, we will believe.
If we believe, we will love.
If we love, we will serve.

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta