The Living Breath of God
Dear Fellow Parishioners of Our Lady of Divine Providence Family of Parishes,
Happy Advent and Happy New Liturgical Year! As we enter into this season of preparation for the coming of Christ at Christmas, the readings from the liturgy invite us also to prepare for the coming of Christ at the Apocalypse. These two comings are very different in appearance, but they are necessarily and essentially connected. Preparing well for one prepares us well for the other.
Advent is a time for silent reflection and anticipation. It is good to practice silence and gently open our hearts up more to the Holy Spirit. Perhaps taking two to five minutes a day to practice intentional, deep, and slow breathing, remembering that our breath is the living breath of God, the Holy Spirit, can help us to slow down and focus on the present moment. Silence helps us to find peace, and to listen to God, and let His Word come into our hearts.
By now, everyone has read this multiple times, but I want to keep bringing to your attention that the weekend Mass schedule is set to change on January 11. Our family worship commission is discerning the best schedule, and I look forward to announcing it soon. Please keep them in your prayers as they make recommendations and I make the final choice.
For your Advent consideration, I would like to suggest that you ponder this prayer of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity:
O my God, Trinity whom I adore, let me entirely forget myself that I may abide in you, still and peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity; let nothing disturb my peace nor separate me from you, O my unchanging God, but that each moment may take me further into the depths of your mystery! Pacify my soul! Make it your heaven, your beloved home and place of your repose; let me never leave you there alone, but may I be ever attentive, ever alert in my faith, ever adoring and all given up to your creative action.
O my beloved Christ, crucified for love, would that I might be for you a spouse of your heart! I would anoint you with glory, I would love you - even unto death! Yet I sense my frailty and ask you to adorn me with yourself; identify my soul with all the movements of your soul, submerge me, overwhelm me, substitute yourself in me that my life may become but a reflection of your life. Come into me as Adorer, Redeemer and Savior.
O Eternal Word, Word of my God, would that I might spend my life listening to you, would that I might be fully receptive to learn all from you; in all darkness, all loneliness, all weakness, may I ever keep my eyes fixed on you and abide under your great light; O my Beloved Star, fascinate me so that I may never be able to leave your radiance.
O Consuming Fire, Spirit of Love, descend into my soul and make all in me as an incarnation of the Word, that I may be to him a super-added humanity wherein he renews his mystery; and you O Father, bestow yourself and bend down to your little creature, seeing in her only your beloved Son in whom you are well pleased.
O my `Three', my All, my Beatitude, infinite Solitude, Immensity in whom I lose myself, I give myself to you as a prey to be consumed; enclose yourself in me that I may be absorbed in you so as to contemplate in your light the abyss of your Splendor!
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Henry
