Jesus said to his disciples: “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.
“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21: 25-28, 34-36
Heart of Jesus Reflection
Jesus, Your Heart burns with love for us. You desire we are ready to receive You when You come again. Yet, not just when You come again, but now, in this very moment, You desire our hearts to be one with Yours.
Burning with a desire to transform our hearts, You reach out to us, call us gently to turn to You. What great love you have for us! With fervent desire You shower down blessings upon all mankind every day – all in hopes we surrender all to You, so the blessings You give us will purify our hearts so that we may spread Your love throughout the world and bring more hearts to You.
You will stop at nothing to win our hearts, to make us one with You. To bring all God’s children into the fold of Your kingdom. You desire our readiness for Your second coming, but beckon us to You now, as You desire our hearts to be with Yours always, forevermore.
Thoughts to Ponder this First Week of Advent
As we begin this advent season, we are reminded with this gospel passage to be vigilant. Jesus speaks of those who have become lazy in their spiritual lives. We can become lazy, too. We become absorbed in the day-to-day and forget to turn to Him. Our troubles consume our minds, and anxiety fills our hearts. We forget to remember Him and spend time pondering on this fundamental Truth of our existence:
God in His goodness loved us into existence, and in loving us as He does, He sent His Son into the world, to live and experience life as we do so we may know our God understands us completely. And, so we may come to know Him as He truly is in His divine nature, His sent His Son to live, suffer, die and rise so we might live forever.
Do we contemplate on this daily? Do we ponder this Truth in our hearts as the mother of Jesus did? The more we contemplate on this fundamental Truth, the more passages which speak of His second coming are seen through a lens of hope, joy and rejoicing love.
The anxiety we experience comes from not trusting in Him. We lose our peace when we are not aware of His presence in our lives. It is a peace He desires to give to all, and is given freely, without reserve, when we surrender all to Him.
In essence, when we do not trust in Him, we do not stand ready to receive His blessings. Blessings He desires to give us in the here and now. And, in His second coming, the blessings He desires to give us for eternity.
Jesus reminds us to stand ready for His second coming. We do not know when this will be – whether we will see Jesus when He comes in all His Glory or when we meet Jesus face-to-face when our earthly life ends. However, it is important to remember, while we are to be vigilant and ready for His second coming, Jesus is present with us in this very moment! He is with us, among us and in us. Are we aware of His presence in our daily lives? Do we spend time with our Savior each day who desires to spend time with us?
The more we become aware of Jesus’ presence with us now, the less fear and anxiety we experience, because we come to understand there is no need to get caught up in our day-to-day worries or become distracted by worldly affairs that can stir fear in our hearts. Ultimately, we see Jesus is in control of all – since the beginning, the here and now, and when He comes again.
Stand ready, become aware of His presence, and open your hearts so you may be ready to be transformed by the Love of His.
Prayer
Jesus,
My heart desires to know You more.
Gently remind me each morning to contemplate on the truth of Your love for me, the life You lived, the sacrifice You made and the joy You give to those who surrender all to You.
Help me to be aware of Your presence with me in every moment.
Help me to see Your blessings all around me.
When anxieties and cares of the world fill my heart, gently turn my heart to You, lift my face to see Yours.
I lay my fears at the foot of the cross and kneel before You, surrendering myself to Your will for my life now, so that I will stand ready with joy and peace in my heart for the eternal life to come.
Amen, Jesus, fill my heart with the Love of Yours.
Amen! Thanks for helping us be more present to Jesus this first week of Advent. I’m already very distracted, and this was a good redirect.
Thank you, Sara. May God shower you with abundant blessings and joyful love this Advent and Christmas season!
Your devotions are always so beautiful! I can’t help but pause and slow down when I read them!
Thank you so much, Fouad. May you have a very blessed Advent and Christmas season!
Thank you Laura! Beautiful and inspiring reflection and prayer to open us to the Advent season of preparation to welcome Jesus.
Jane
Thank you so much, Jane! May God’s peace be upon you and your family today and always!