Advent Prayer: Come, Lord Jesus
Advent is a “peculiar” season. Its petition, “Come, Lord Jesus,” is the constant refrain throughout its four weeks. Those words pulse with a holy urgency. But an important question to ask ourselves is this: to whom are those words addressed? This is the question Genevieve Glen, OSB, raises in her new book, By Lamplight: A Book of Biblical Reflections. Is our “Come, Lord Jesus” addressed to a Christ born long ago in Bethlehem—and is now long gone? Or are they addressed to a Christ who will come in future glory at the end of time? Glen implies that the best answer might be “neither.” For the truth is, when we pray “Come, Lord Jesus,” we are mostly asking Jesus to come now… here… today… in this time… in this place… in this particular situation.
Heaven knows we need Jesus’ presence in our world today. Just glance at our headlines. Just think of the loved ones you are worried about. Just think of friends and acquaintances who have serious health issues. And just look into your own heart for those places you need Jesus’ love, mercy, and strength.
With this thought in mind, here is a short Advent prayer I wrote that can be prayed not only in Advent, but in other seasons as well. Maybe you’ll find yourself in some of these petitions.
Come, Lord Jesus
When we find ourselves anxious about many things… Come, Lord Jesus.
When we don’t know what to do next… Come, Lord Jesus.
When we feel overwhelmed by the demands being placed upon us… Come, Lord Jesus.
When we’re grieving the loss of a loved one… Come, Lord Jesus.
When family members are estranged from one another or are at odds with each other… Come, Lord Jesus.
When we feel lonely and left out… Come, Lord Jesus.
When we don’t feel like celebrating Christmas—or anything… Come, Lord Jesus.
When we’ve lost patience with others and with ourselves… Come, Lord Jesus.
When we’re petty and self-righteous… Come, Lord Jesus.
When we can’t bear to hear one more sad story… Come, Lord Jesus.
When we’re ready to give up all hope for a better world… Come, Lord Jesus.
And…
When we’re encouraged by the kindness of a stranger… Come, Lord Jesus.
When a loved one says “thank you” for our small favor… Come, Lord Jesus.
When our hearts are touched by one of the Advent readings… Come, Lord Jesus.
When we feel like making an angel in the newly fallen snow… Come, Lord Jesus.
When our cookies turn out well… Come, Lord Jesus.
When a child makes us laugh… Come, Lord Jesus.
When we spot a red cardinal against the white snow… Come, Lord Jesus.
When we’re moved to take some canned goods to our local food pantry… Come, Lord Jesus.
When the cat starts purring on our lap… Come, Lord Jesus.
When we’re warmed by the thought of seeing family and friends again… Come, Lord Jesus.
When we go to sleep counting our blessings… Come, Lord Jesus.
For reflection: I invite you to add a few petitions of your own to this prayer…
I wish you all a very blessed Advent!
PS: I am making my annual retreat November 27 to December 4. I ask for your prayers. I also promise to remember you, my “sunflower community,” in special prayer each day! Thank you!
Today’s song is “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” I was amazed at all the different versions of this 12th Century Hymn that are available on YouTube. You might want to check them out. This version is a traditional Choral hymn sung in English and the original Latin. The words are set against some lovely stained glass windows.
As always, I encourage you to comment on today’s reflection below.
What Are You Grateful for?
It is fitting to celebrate Thanksgiving Day not only with family, friends, and food, but also with taking a few minutes this week to name some of the things in our life that we are grateful for. This video might help. It is composed of stunning visuals, haunting music, and just a few printed words. It can be our prayer as we thank God for things such as color, the diversity of all the animals, architecture, art, laughter, and (most of all) love.
The video is called “Gratitude for God’s Creation”:
Name a few things or people you give thanks to God for… I invite you to share them in the comments below…
I wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving!
I thank God for each one of you!
And I thank you for following my blog!
Appreciating Your Heart
The other day I had an echocardiogram. (Don’t worry. My heart is fine.) This test is essentially an ultrasound of the heart. The whole procedure took only about 30 minutes. But the experience was something of a religious experience for me.
As some of you probably know, an echocardiogram is a non-invasive test that can provide a wealth of information about the heart: its size and shape, its pumping capacity, the condition of the valves and the heart tissue. You begin the test by stripping from the waist up and lying down on your left side on a gurney or bed. The technician applies electrodes on your chest and then some gel. Then she presses a device (transducer) firmly on your skin, aiming it at your heart. A computer converts the sound waves from the transducer into moving images on a screen.
As soon as I saw the images, I almost gasped aloud. There was MY heart, my REAL heart, beating in REAL TIME. The technician said, “Now we’ll go inside your heart.” Again, I was in awe of the images I was seeing. I think they were the valves opening and closing. Several times I also HEARD the actual swooshing of the blood through my heart! Amazing! And I wasn’t feeling a thing!
As I gazed with fascination at the images, I thought:
+ This is MY particular heart—not some theoretical heart. This is how it’s beating HERE and NOW.
+ And it has been beating like this ever since it was being formed in my mother’s womb over 78 years ago. It has been beating 24/7 without ever stopping or taking a day off.
+ And seldom have I ever been aware of my heart!
+ My beating heart has made it possible for me to be born, to grow, to enjoy my family and friends, to play, to get a great education, to pray, to become a Sister of Notre Dame, to teach, to enter into meaningful relationships, to enjoy nature, to endure struggles, to have fun, to write, to give retreats, to travel all over the world, and even to write this blog!
+ What a mystery and miracle the heart is!
Afterwards, I went online and read up on the human heart. Here are just five fascinating facts about the heart.
1) Your heart weighs about 11 ounces and is the size of your fist.
2) Your heart beats 100,000 times a day. That’s three billion times in a lifetime.
2) Your heart pumps 2,000 gallons of blood per day through more than 60,000 miles of blood vessels.
3) Your heart directly affects every part of your body except your corneas. They have no blood vessels.
4) A woman’s heart beats about 78 times per minute; a man’s, about 70.
We all can’t get echocardiograms. But we all can do this little prayer ritual to grow in our appreciation of our heart. Sit quietly in a chair for a few moments. Then take two fingers and find the jugular vein in your neck. When you feel the pulsing of that vein, press your fingers gently to that spot. Then just feel the steady pulsing of your heart.
You might want to say a few words to God. On every beat you could say a single word like: thank… you… God. Or I… love… you… God. Or Help… me… love… more. Or you might just want to sit in contemplative silence… Or you could feel the pulsing of your heart while you listen to the song below. No matter what you choose to do, you will be giving God thanks for the incredible gift of your heart—and your life!
For reflection:
Did anything strike you in today’s reflection?
Have you ever had an echocardiogram or other medical experience or health issue that was something of a religious experience for you?
I chose for today an old church hymn called “Near to the Heart of God.” The song was written by Cleland McAfee in the late 1800s after two of his nieces died of diphtheria. It is sung acapella here by the Sharon Mennonite Bible Institute Singers.
As usual, I encourage your comments below. We all love to hear from our readers!
November: A Time to Reflect on Death
November is the month the Church suggests we take time to reflect on death. For those of us living in the northern hemisphere and experiencing fall, this seems a fitting time to remember death. The leaves have fallen, the birds have flown south, the temperatures are dropping, and the days are getting shorter. Over the years I have written a lot about death. Today I’ll share a few excerpts from some of my writings about death.
From my book, Gracious Goodness:
Death can be a gift of the Holy Spirit. How? Death shows us the preciousness of our days. Time is made more valuable simply because it is finite. Death also shows us what’s important in life. It helps to put things in perspective. In the face of death a bruised ego is inconsequential, holding grudges is senseless, and working only to amass material goods is foolish. The poet Carlos Castaneda calls death a wise advisor. He says that when we have a difficult decision to make, the only sane thing to do is to “turn to your left and ask advice from your death.”
From Rummaging for God, reflection #95. This is about grief and the pain of loss:
Our pain of loss is often the measure of our love. It is the price we pay for love. Recently I came across a poem written by a little girl that captures beautifully what I am trying to say here:
When my third snail died, I said,
“I’m through with snails.”
But I didn’t mean it.
Our pain of loss may make us cry out, “I’m through with loving.” Hopefully, because of our faith in the life and teachings of Jesus, we won’t mean it.
From With the Dawn Rejoicing:
For Christians, any discussion about death must be anchored in the resurrection of Jesus, that earth-shaking event that is the cornerstone of our faith… We believe the resurrection was not an event for Jesus alone. We believe the resurrection guarantees the resurrection of all of us. Jesus died. Jesus rose. But he takes all of us with him. For us, death is not a terrifying passage into darkness; it is a glorious transition into eternal light. But we don’t need to wait until death to receive the power of the resurrection. That same power is given to us now, working in and through us to transform the world. Reverend Simon Perry explains this well: “If we believe in the resurrection, our hope is invested not only in a God who will bring us through death to live in his presence, but in a God whose living presence transforms our present living.”
Theology Professor Thomas Groome summarizes the impact of the resurrection in these words: “No oppression can hold us bound, no evil can finally triumph, no trouble can rob of us hope, no sin can enslave us, no dependency is beyond recovery, no hurt is beyond healing—if we truly believe that “Christ is risen, risen indeed.”
And finally, here is a consoling image of death I came up with many years ago when both of my parents were still living. This is from Everyday Epiphanies. It is reflection #63 in the 2003 edition and #41 in the 2013 edition.
Heaven is coming home…
On my way home from the meeting, I decide to stop and see Mom and Dad. It’s a cold, dark November evening. Suppertime. As I pull into the driveway I see lights on in the kitchen. Through the window I spot Dad in his red plaid flannel shirt, sitting at the table with his newspaper. Mom, aproned, is standing by the stove stirring something—homemade leek soup, perhaps. Dad, catching sight of me through the window stands up stiffly and slightly stooped. As I step up onto the back porch, Dad opens the door wide and announces cheerfully, “Well, look who’s here!” And I step into the warmth of that kitchen and into the warmth of their embraces.
That’s what it’s going to be like when I die and enter heaven. It will be like stepping out of the cold and darkness, into the warmth and brightness of a homey kitchen, with Mom and Dad there waiting for me. And they will both smile when they see me and open wide their arms. And Dad will announce cheerfully, “Well, look who’s here!”
Did anything stand out for you in today’s reflection.
Do you think about death or pray about death?
Do you have any thoughts about death that you’d like to share with us?
PS #1: Let us ask God’s blessing on the elections in the U.S. May we exercise our precious right to vote. And may the candidates who win be men and women of integrity, compassion, and have a willingness to work with others to promote the common good.
PS#2: November 11 is Veterans Day, a federal holiday honoring all military veterans who have served in the U. S. Armed Forces. November 11 also marks the day when the major hostilities of WW I ended. Today let us pray for all military veterans—especially those in special need. Let us also pray for an end to all hostilities in our world—especially in Ukraine.
Our song is “Christ Our Hope and Life in Death.” It is sung here by Keith and Kristyn Getty and Michael W. Smith.
I invite you to leave a comment below!
The Our Father
The Our Father might be the most prayed prayer in the world. We teach it to our little children, pray it at every Mass, and often recite it at the bedside of our beloved sick or dying. The German theologian, Gerhard Lohfink, has written a new book on the Our Father. It’s small but “meaty.” Today I will share five of his thoughts from chapter one.
First, there are two versions of the Our Father in scripture: Lk. 11:1-4 and Mt. 6:9-15. In Luke, the Our Father is Jesus’ answer to the disciples’ plea, “Lord, teach us to pray.” In Matthew, the prayer is part of the Sermon on the Mount. In his first chapter, Lohfink gives five general observations about the prayer.
The Our Father is pure petition. Some recitations of the Our Father end with this doxology: “for the kingdom and the power and the glory are yours, now and forever.” These words are not part of the original Our Father, but were added many years later. “The original Our Father was nothing but petition,” says Lohfink.
The Our Father is short. In English, the Our Father contains only 55 words. Luke’s version contains only 23 words. Why is it so short? Lohfink says the answer is in Mt. 6:7-8 where Jesus says, “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.” When it comes to prayer, Jesus seems to be saying, “Fewer words are better than many.”
The Our Father gets right to the point. There is a tradition is some Jewish prayers and other Near Eastern prayers to begin each prayer by addressing God the way you would address a King or other ruler—with many words of praise before expressing your needs. But the Our Father skips such highly ritualized words. It begins with only two words: Our Father. The language is familial, not solemn or courtly. In some ways, this is revolutionary.
God’s interest comes first. The petitions in the Our Father are divided into two parts. In Matthew’s version, there are three thou askings: Hallowed be thy name… thy kingdom come… thy will be done. Then there are four we petitions: Give us today our daily bread… forgive us our trespasses… lead us not into temptation… but deliver us from evil.
The first part, says Lohfink, deals with “the reign, name, and will of God.” The second part deals with the “disciples interests—concerning their food, their sinfulness, the crisis of temptations.” The structure of the Our Father matches Jesus’ admonition: “But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all things will be given to you as well” (Mt. 6:33).
God acts through people. The first three petitions “are oddly constructed: Hallowed be they name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done.” The construction raises the question, WHO is going to do this? God or us? Lohfink concludes that the correct answer to that question is BOTH God and us. He says the Our Father expresses “a fundamental theological insight: God takes the initiative. God acts. Everything comes from God. And yet, because of the independence and freedom God wills for human beings, God can do nothing in the world unless there are people who are prepared to make God’s will their own and thus make space for God to act.”
The very structure of the Our Father can give us a greater appreciation of this beloved prayer. Lohfink concludes this chapter with these vital words: “In the Our Father, Jesus summarized all he wanted and hoped for.” In future blogs, I will share a few more thoughts from this beautiful book.
For reflection:
What has been your experience praying the Our Father? Or what does this prayer mean for you?
Was there anything in this reflection that was new to you? that you appreciated? that challenged you?
Here are two versions of the Our Father for your prayer. The first is a recitation of the prayer with an unusual fall visual. The second is the Our Father sung in Aramaic, Jesus’ native language. Both versions include the doxology.
The Our Father recited:
Here is the Our Father sung in Aramaic:
I welcome your comments below!
