By Barb Arland-Fye
Editorial
On Dec. 1, we enter the Advent season preparing to welcome the Prince of Peace. Our preparation should begin and continue with prayer, reflection and interactions with others that convey our yearning to welcome the Prince of Peace.
“It is only by starting from the heart that our communities will succeed in uniting and reconciling differing minds and wills, so that the Spirit can guide us in unity as brothers and sisters,” Pope Francis says in his new encyclical, “Dilexit Nos.” The encyclical reflects On the Human and Divine Love of the Heart of Jesus Christ. “Reconciliation and peace are also born of the heart,” Pope Francis says. In the heart of Jesus, “we learn to relate to one another in wholesome and happy ways, and to build up in this world God’s kingdom of love and justice. Our hearts, united with the heart of Christ, are capable of working this social miracle” (https://tinyurl.com/3n8ssuee).
Peacemaking requires an investment of our precious time, perhaps a resetting of our priorities, to build relationships that create a ripple effect of love and understanding that extends from our hearts to our homes to our world. Some suggestions for preparing to welcome the Prince of Peace:
- Pray the Liturgy of the Hours (the universal prayer of the Church), Lectio Divina, Centering Prayer, the rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet or other prayers that help you to get to know God and the people you encounter.
- Read daily Scripture and supplement your reading with commentaries. Bishop Robert Barron also offers short reflections on the daily Gospel reading (free at wordonfire.org/reflections). America, the Jesuit Review, publishes daily Scripture reflections with a paid subscription
(americamagazine.org/scripture-reflections).
- Read Pope Francis’ encyclical, “Dilexit Nos” (https://tinyurl.com/3n8ssuee).
- Participate in a parish or small-group Bible study. Check with your parish for groups.
- Participate in Advent retreats or other events (read The Catholic Messenger’s calendar page for ideas).
- Pull out The Catholic Messenger’s Advent calendar in this week’s (Nov. 28) issue.
- View Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) digital advent calendar (https://tinyurl.com/39web8tk).
- Consider participating in CRS’ Gift of Hope Tree activity that invites “children and families to reflect on how Christ was born into poverty, and how this reflects the reality of many other families around the world today” (https://tinyurl.com/v9pwcy33).
- Listen to faith-based podcasts or music that reflect on this Advent season.
- Create a personal prayer book with prayers of anticipation you have come across in your reading, including from your favorite social media blogs or websites.
- Participate in Peace in the Womb Christmas Caroling Dec. 11 from 3-4 p.m. and Dec. 14 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. on the sidewalk public right-of-way at Emma Goldman Clinic, 227 N. Dubuque St., Iowa City (sponsored by Johnson County Right to Life, director@jcrtl.org). Organizers describe this event as a “powerful way to bring the joy and hope of Christ to women who feel hopeless and alone.”
- Keep a spiritual journal for personal reflection on the dynamic of prayer and God’s presence or absence in your life. Limit your entries to three questions to answer on a daily basis:
Where did you experience God’s presence or absence in your life today?
Where or how were you present or absent to God today?
Where or how did you reach out to others in kindness/love/service?
- Visit a friend living in an assisted living residence or nursing home. Visit on their time, not your time.
- Send a card in the snail mail containing a personal note of encouragement to someone struggling with physical or mental illness.
- Refrain from speaking or posting disparaging comments on social media. Make that a permanent goal.
- Ask members of Congress to encourage spending priorities that focus on people in need of food, shelter, clothing and health care (congress.gov). St. Paul VI said, “If you want peace, work for justice.”
The prayerful, peaceful patience we exercise during Advent inspires us to prepare to welcome the King of Peace, and one another.
Barb Arland-Fye, Editor
arland-fye@davenportdiocese.org
