December 2016 – Page 4

Daily Advent Prayer Experiences for 2016 by DailyGraces.net

December 17, 2016 – O Antiphons

Published on December 16, 2016December 16, 2016 by KateLeave a comment

We are entering the darkest days of the year. Dec. 21 is the Winter solstice which is the longest night and shortest day of the whole year (in the Northern Hemisphere anyway). Over the past few days we have taken the opportunity to see how our prayer can lead to action. There are concrete and practical ways that our short 3 minutes of prayer each day can bring us closer to Jesus but also closer to creation and one another. I think we can definitively say that Advent is an appropriate time for action even while we anticipate Jesus’ coming.

From Dec. 17 – Dec 23 the Church has a beautiful tradition of singing/chanting/saying the O Antiphons. You all probably know them, or at least one of them. They are the what inspire the verses of the common, beautiful Advent hymn “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” (this is a slightly different rendition than you may have heard before, but it’s one of my favorites).

The O Antiphons date way back, some scholars believe the 8th Century way back. They are a walk through salvation history, looking at the Messianic promises God made to the Israelites throughout the Old Testament. After the promise we join in Israel’s longing for the Messiah to “Come” and save His people. Each day until Christmas we will join this ancient prayer of the Church and consider what these words mean for our daily life.

O Wisdom of our God Most High,
guiding creation with power and love:
come to teach us the path of knowledge!

O Wisdom, or O Sapientia in Latin, is the first O Antiphon. It brings us all the way back to the beginning, before the beginning actually. We recall that Jesus, the Savior, has always been the Savior even before there was a physical world that needed saving.

“In the beginning was the Word [Jesus] and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:1-5).

Before you and I were born, before our world was created, God was ready to save us. God He was “guiding creation” with almighty power and unending love to the very moment when Jesus was conceived within Mary. Is it so hard to believe that He continued to guide creation, continues to provide a path for us even now, while we await the 2nd coming of Jesus?

*** Please feel free to share your experience, thoughts and offer support to one another in the comments, on Twitter with the #DailyGraces or on the Facebook page.

December 16, 2016 – The Other

Published on December 15, 2016December 14, 2016 by Kate2 Comments

We’ve considered our individual relationships with creation, water and food and how they might change when we daily, intentionally invite Jesus into our everyday lives. These are things that humans cannot live without. We cannot live without creation around us, therefore the health of creation will directly impact our own health and wellbeing. We cannot live without water – it makes us 98% of our bodies! We cannot live without food, which fuels our body and gives us the sustenance necessary to function. There is one still more thing without which we will never to fully thrive:

Other People

When God made humans, well wait. Think about that. God made Adam – one human. But then, after naming all the animals, Adam still wasn’t satisfied. The companionship, the longing to share his life with another, could not be fulfilled by the animals. He needed an equal, a co-worker, to build a community with. Enter Eve.

This need to share life with another is found in the the one we are modeled after. We are made in the image and likeness of God. We know God is one God. But God is also three Persons, a unity or community in which no Person dominates over the others. Our desire for community finds its roots here.

Today, think about the communities you are a part of. If you are married, you and your spouse form a community. Add children, a larger community. Your parents and siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. Your work community, church community, craft community, volunteer community. All of these communities have a common point – you. So, while you pray today, pray for your communities. Ask God to show you what ways you can make your communities better and more life giving for all the members. Most importantly, make sure to ask God to show you who might be looking in on your communities, wishing to join or to be invited in. Your new coworker might enjoy a meal with your family. The new family down the street is looking for a church. Your uncle who you haven’t seen in awhile is able to make it to Christmas this year and you know that he is uncomfortable around x, y, or z family member (for whatever read). What can you do to ensure he feels welcome?

***Did you find anything interesting in your pantry? How has your shopping list changed, or has it? Please feel free to share your experience, thoughts and offer support to one another in the comments, on Twitter with the #DailyGraces or on the Facebook page.

December 15, 2016 – Considering Our Pantry

Published on December 14, 2016December 12, 2016 by Kate3 Comments

We’ve talked about creation and water. It probably isn’t surprising that next I would bring up food. According to Feeding America, approximately 70 billion pounds of food are wasted each year – and that’s just in America.

I’m not going to make this post very long, because so much of what was said the previous two days pertains to the issues of malnutrition, hunger and poverty. Today, I would like you to look in your pantry. I mean really look. What food do you have that you know you and your family are probably not going to eat? What is lurking in the back corners of your cupboards slowly expiring? What about those bananas that are overripe on the counter or the half an onion on the verge of molding in the refrigerator?

Now, what are you going to do about what you found? As you determine what to cook for dinner tonight, consider these quotes from Pope Francis:

Hunger is criminal; nourishment is an inalienable right. (10/28/14)

Consumerism has led us to become used to an excess and daily waste of food, to which, at times, we are no longer able to give a just value, which goes well beyond mere economic parameters. We should all remember, however, that throwing food away is like stealing from the tables of the poor, the hungry! (6/5/13, Environment)

***After reflecting on your perspective on the status of water, did you come up with any changes you would like to make in your life? Please feel free to share your experience, thoughts and offer support to one another in the comments, on Twitter with the #DailyGraces or on the Facebook page.