Advent Reflection

Advent... 

The following  is a lengthy reflection  from one of my favorite blog sites, Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration.   Any words or thoughts I have concerning this season of Advent would be trite in comparison to words of Prioress General Sister Pat. The scriptures that she sites are powerful. 

As a Protestant how did I  come across this site?  Four years ago,  my husband and I celebrated a special anniversary.  We hosted  a simple gathering for friends and family. We shared food, music, and a short video. Each of our guests received a small  bar of fragrant soap that was beautifully wrapped and tagged with a scripture from the Bible.  I purchased the soap from the Sisters. They create soap and other items. Since then, I am on their email list and mailing list.  

 To read the entire  post, I invite you to visit  site. Sacred Stones, Sacred Stories. 

"A word from our Prioress General Sister Pat on Advent:  O Come, Emmanuel

Advent is the season that allows us to give unabashed and full vent to our longings.  To long for something is to recognize that a gap exists between what is and what could be; that a piece is missing from the whole.  The human heart longs for justice and truth, mercy and forgiveness, peace and understanding, compassion and love.  The Advent scripture readings from the prophets, St. Paul and the evangelists fuel our longing for these human hungers as they hold out hope that God will bring us to safety and security and glorious redemption.

Our greatest longing, of course, is for God.  That most basic, primal longing is a mirror image of and response to God’s longing for us:

“God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’” (Gen 3: 9)

“I will seduce her and lead her into the desert and speak to her heart.” (Hos 2: 14)

“I myself took them in my arms; I drew them with bands of love.” (Hos 11: 4)

“How many times I yearned to gather your children, as a hen gathers her young.” (Mt 23: 37)

And our longing for God:

“God, you are my God, for you I long.” (Ps 63: 2)

“O Lord, our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” (St. Augustine)"
What do you think?  This is not the end of the post. You may visit the site to read the entire post. 

In closing, I rest in the fact I trust in a God who is a faithful, loving, and merciful . I also long for the day when Jesus will return.