We are quickly coming to the end of the liturgical year. Very soon we will find ourself in the midst of the Advent season and will be preparing for the coming of Christ. He comes to us at the Nativity, He comes to us in the Eucharist, and He will come again at the end of time. It is He alone who is able to bring peace into our life for it is He alone who can fill.
As disciples of the Lord we must choose to live for the Lord. We can only live for the Lord if we are willing to take up the cross and follow after Him. In so far as we are willing to reject the cross or to compromise the cross we become enemies of the cross of Christ. The cross always leads us towards an encounter with truth for the cross is life giving.
Enemies of the cross of Christ know not the true meaning of sacrifice. They instead push Christ out of their life by making room for the world to come and dwell with them. They get caught up in the pursuit of pleasures as an end in themselves and fail to treat their neighbor out of love. For them the world is more important the proclamation of truth that is found within the Church.
Advent serves as a means to reorient ourself to what is truly important. Through the passing of these sacred days we make room in the inn of our heart for Him to come and make His dwelling place among us. This reality can only be made so if we are willing to embrace the cross and accept Christ fully into our life.
The woman in our Gospel understood this when she reached out from the depths of faith to embrace the garment worn by our Blessed Lord. She was then told, “thy faith has made thee whole.” Through such an act of faith she was made clean as we are able to be purified by all that keeps us from Christ.
In order to reach out to the Lord in such faith we must have humility. Through such humility we hide not behind excuses or act as if such a commitment is not big deal. Through such humility we truthfully come to the Lord and leave everything that we have with Him. If we are unwilling to act in such a manner of faith we are found unwilling to allow Christ to dwell among us.
Through the sacrament of confession we reach out to the Lord in such humility and allow Him to purify us in His mercy. Each day we must desire for the Lord to dwell with us by staying close Him and choosing to live our faith without compromise. What is keeping us from allowing the Lord to dwell among us?
And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.
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