Soul Scribe

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)

Time is a transient thing.  It slips by quickly unnoticed until days, weeks, months have melted away.

Time in a crisis is even more fleeting.

I find myself starting again in more ways than one.  But isn’t that what life and faith are all about?  A journey of stops and starts, speed bumps and long stretches?

Where has God revealed himself today?  The answer is everywhere – if we happened to notice.

Time is that elusive prize we chase, yet waste and let pass us by often without a thought.  We need to take more time to see the world around you – to watch the clouds as they move past.

Let’s be real for a sec.  I don’t always get to just be and sit with thoughts.  And neither do you.  I’m working; I’m busy; I’m watching reality TV (oops, busted); I’m chatting; I’m reading; I’m Wii-ing (oops, busted again); I’m studying; I’m blogging; I’m praying; I’m doing.

But am I being?

Without that being, some moments are lost.

Today, I saw a tiny finch perch perfect between two branches, a canopy spread over it’s head – a delicately white-gold bird pausing for a moment of rest.  There was God.

With life swirling around us everywhere, we lose when the hustle of daily activity gets in the way of living.

Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.

H. Jackson Brown, Jr.