The crowds asked John the Baptist, “What should we do?” He said to them in reply, “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He answered them, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.” Soldiers also asked him, “And what is it that we should do?” He told them, “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.”
Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ. John answered them all, saying, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Exhorting them in many other ways, he preached good news to the people. [Luke 3:10-18]
Heart of Jesus Reflection:
Jesus, in Your Heart You show me the way to true love.
Through a spirit of sacrificial love the Father sent You into the world. From the moment You came into this world Your Heart beat with great love for us. You knew the way to our hearts, hardened by our woundedness and sin, would be difficult and painful for us, so through Your example of sacrifice and total gift of self, You showed us the way to heavenly joy.
You call to our hearts now in this moment, and through the lives of the saints, prophets, and holy men and women of God throughout the ages, “Give all of yourself, and You will have all of Me. Do not hold back any part of yourself – for I desire to fill you completely with the love of My Heart, so all you are is a reflection of Me.”
Thoughts to Ponder this Third Week of Advent
In today’s Gospel passage, we hear a message to those who wish to know “what they must do.” John speaks to each with regards to their own personal journey to Jesus. For each, the changes they must make are unique, but the goal is the same – to empty themselves of that which is preventing Jesus to enter into their lives fully, so that He can fill them with heavenly joy.
Ask Him to help you where is it hard for you to give all of yourself and these blessings back to Him, and ask that He transform your heart, so it is filled with the same sacrificial love of His Heart. Then, ask Him to show you how He wishes you to use your time, treasure and talents He has given you.
God blesses all of us uniquely through His gifts of time, treasure and talents. Do we use these gifts for His Glory or ours?
If we allow Him, God uses these gifts He’s given us to bring His love to others. Where we have more than enough food, material things, money or where we have been given great talents or are in roles which give us the ability to affect the lives of others for good, we should first give thanks to God for the great confidence He has placed in us by bestowing these gifts on us. Then, we must offer all these blessings back to Him, so He may show us how to use these gifts as He wishes us to.
In areas where we are lacking, are in need, are at the mercy of those around us, or are weakened by a chronic condition or illness, may we have the grace to thank Jesus for giving us the chance to share in His Passion. We have been given the chance to come to know Him more deeply and to trust in Him that He will supply the strength and courage we need to endure the trials we face on this earth.
Our blessings cannot truly give us joy unless we know Jesus and how He wishes us to use them for His Glory. This is because until we know how God wishes us to use them, we are at great risk for using them only for ourselves!
When we discern God’s will, our experience of these blessings take on a deeper meaning and purpose. And, we are given a peace from placing all our trust in Him – knowing that our joy comes from Him alone.
Meditation
This third week of Advent, during your time in prayer with Jesus, give Him everything. Yes, everything! Offer to Him your time (every moment of your day), your treasures (all the money in your bank accounts, all the material goods and assets you own), and your talents (your talents you use and do not use, and the roles you are in that affect the lives of others). Tell Jesus you offer Him all these blessings, as you realize it was Him who gave them to you.
Ask Him to help you where is it hard for you to give all of yourself and these blessings back to Him, and ask that He transform your heart, so it is filled with the same sacrificial love of His Heart. Then, ask Him to show you how He wishes you to use your time, treasure and talents He has given you.
In the areas you are in need, are lacking and suffering, thank Him for the opportunity to grow closer to Him and know Him more deeply. Feel Him embrace you with His great love for you. Know all your needs are already taken care of. Know it is the helpless and those in need He came to console, comfort and save – whether your need is physical, mental, emotional or spiritual. In this way, we come to realize we are all in need of saving, and we rejoice in knowing He came to save us all!
Jesus invites us into His saving mission through the giving of ourselves and all we have. What a joyous realization this is – that Christ came to save all, that He invites us to help Him save others through the gift of ourselves and our blessings, and in the freely giving of ourselves and participating in His mission, we are saved as well!
Prayer
My dear Jesus, I offer You myself – all that I am and have. Where I am blessed and You have given me in abundance, I offer to You all, so You may show me how I am to use these blessings for Your Glory. Where I am lacking, in need and suffering, I thank You for the opportunity to grow closer to You. I place all my trust in You, Jesus. I know You have already taken care of my every need. What joy fills my heart as I contemplate all the ways in which You have given me the opportunity to share in Your mission to save all souls – through my blessings of abundance and my blessings of sacrifice and suffering. I desire all the blessings You wish to give me as long as You only allow me to use them for Your Glory. Give me only what is needed to do Your will and keep from me all that would lead me astray. I know the joy of heaven and pure love of Your Heart is reserved for those who love You alone. Let me be a vessel of Your love. Let me know the true gift You wish to give to the world – the gift the Father gave us through Your birth. That gift is You, Jesus. Transform my heart so it loves only as Yours does. Amen, my Jesus, amen.