Advent 2021 – Week 3 Prayer Guide
Advent 2021 Prayer-Reflection Guide 3
Care for Our Common Home
Care for our Common Home (LS Encyclical), invites us to celebrateEarth, the Sacred Manger, birthing the many
incarnations ofEmmanuel- God with us. Meister Eckhart often said, why talkabout Jesus birth a thousand years
ago, if he is not born againamong us today?
As we plunge into this unknown, unfolding a new tomorrow,allowing our future to happen now, let us listen deeply
to its call.Patient and with open, empty hands, let us play our part in the GreatCosmic Drama. Let us REJOICE
and celebrate Gaudete Sundaylighting the only pink candle in the Advent Wreath with meaningand freedom,
giving birth to what has never happened. Let us alsocelebrate the birthday of Sophie with Joy this 12 of December.
Reading: Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all.The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything,
but in every situation, by prayer andpetition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, whichtranscends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Society Readings:
In the Gospel through His words, His attitudes, His relationships with people, His way ofrelating to all created things, we discover His Heart
wholly given to the Father and to allpeople. (Constitution 1982 #19 General Chapter 2008-JPIC section)
How do I develop a critical awareness of the interconnectedness ofthe whole of creation with the events that mark our world?
The wine-growers life was rooted in the earth and followed its seasons. (Madeleine Sophie Barat- A Life, Cork University Press, Ireland, 2000, P.9.)
Hymn: Thats the Love of God – Sandi Patty
Reflection:
True joy comes with preparation and conversion, growing ourselves and our living testimony toJoy. John the Baptist emphasized preparation and the need for repentance. We need to feel thejoy of preparing the way for the Lord. It is a call to be deeply felt and relished. To increase our joy,we need to be generous and share our resources (Lk3:11), not out of pity but out of love andkindness, especially with the poor (See LS#49). Such sharing doubles our joy, is contagious andtriggers an entire movement of giving, especially to those in need.
As Christians, we also celebrate the Joy of making others joyful. For the Israelites, the wordMessiah meant the anointed one, the one who would bring healing, salvation, and empowermentto Israel. As a result, they looked forward to this healing, salvation, and empowerment.
There can be no conversion without returning to justice. Justice demands integrity and honesty.Justice causes joy for the giver and the recipient. Even a small act results in a big transformation. To manifest repentance, we need to challenge discouragement by feeling and trusting Godspresence in our midst (Zep.3:5-6). We experience tremendous joy when we feel Godsaccompaniment and know that He is the doer. We are merely the instrument.
Christians need to be living testimonies of the Gospel by fearlessly testifying to the joy that comesfrom having a deep encounter with God, deflecting attention from ourselves, and inviting othersto trust in what we testify.
Links with our world:
Gaudete Sunday is the right week to reflect and deepenour joy, by preparing for it, for it can be elusive.
Joy canonly be experienced in wonder and stillness. Our multi-tasked, press-button generation is in a
hurry. We need toslow down. Nature teaches us to be patient, enjoy thepresent moment and wait for
the fruits of the ground toripen. We are invited to find goodness around us. God isin our midst saving
us by working through bold andselfless COVID-19 and other warriors of Hope (See FT #54and LS #244),
Science, Research, Vaccines etc. Finally, wecan believe in transformation. Another world is possible
(See FT#183), for nothing is impossible for God.
The Cosmic Christ – Icon by Mudita rscj
What is my level of joy? How consistent is it?
How do I manifest my repentance/conversion?
Am I willing to commit to JPIC/Laudato Si/Fratelli Tutti ordo
something nice for someone with no expectations in return?
Myopic, extremist, resentful and aggressive nationalism are on the rise. Goodness, together withLove, Justice and Solidarity, are not achieved once and for all; they have to be realized each day. (See FT#11)
Repentance must be manifested in visible actions or else it will remain a mere dream,a rainbow, or a concept. Genuine repentance/conversion is bound to lead to genuine actions,resulting in genuine joy.
Dr (Sr) Mudita Menona Sodder rscj
Province of India
JPIC LEARNING HUB
2021
