Our readings for this first Sunday of Advent are:

1. Isaiah 63: 16b-17, 19b, 64: 2-7
2. Psalms 80: 2-3, 15-16, 18-19
3. 1 Corinthians 1: 3-9
4. Matthew 13: 33-37

1. Praying intently/intensely
• Do you ever rant at God?
• How do you think it might make Him feel if you were to ever do so?
• If He had to choose, do you think that God would prefer that we be honest or reasonable in our prayers?
2. Seeing God's face
• Have you ever had a special friend, someone that you had shared a great deal with through life, who had the capacity to remind you of the best parts of you every time that the two of you got together?
• What do you do to help make that friend more present to you during a separation?
• How might that inform your prayer life while we're physically unable to "see" God?
3. Relying on God
• The end times always sound scary.  Just what do you think God's protection of us is going to save us from during those days?
• What do you think would be the best preparation for that closing chapter of human history?
• How much of that do you think that you can afford to do, and still get by in the day to day?
4. Watching and waiting
• Each of us has our talents, if we're lucky we recognize them, and align them with our calling. Do you think that there are people, maybe even folks among us today, that are especially good at reading the signs of the times, discerning the flow of human and salvation history, and helping the rest of us respond prayerfully to such movements?
• If so, would that free the rest of us to go on about our business as usual?
• Can you think of anyone who performs this sort of service in one way or another today?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Do I trust God with my deepest longings and desires, even if I don't think that He would approve?
2. What are the things in my life that I need to be saved from today?
3. When was the last time that I thanked God for all of the graces that He has given me.
4. If I knew that Jesus was returning tomorrow, how would I live differently today?

Traveling Light

Freedom is a sharp two-edged sword.

Shackles come in many forms, and freedom from them can be costly.

Waiting until you find yourself at the end of a chain

Before trying to free yourself can make for missed opportunities, loss of nimbleness of thought and deed.

The simple question "what would I be willing to live without"

Can yield some interesting insights into your heart of hearts.

For me, the struggle might be living without sure knowledge that my work will be appreciated.

Or maybe it would be hard for me to get along without acceptance from others.

Long practice in offering those up to Jesus in prayer of thanks and surrender

Giving me practice in indifference toward them,

Gradually lessening the fear of loss,

Gradually increasing my trust in God,

Making me better able to hear God's voice in my heart

I'm thinking that's a prayer that might be pleasing.

May you find peace beneath the turbulence.