The Lord is coming. He is near.
Advent is a time when we prepare our hearts to celebrate the
Birth of Christ, when God took upon himself our humanity and entered into human
history. In His Love, He willed to come down to dwell with us. What is amazing
is that this did not end with the single act 2000 years ago that we remember.
He desires to draw near to each of us today.
Pope Francis speaks often of this intimacy. He says that it
begins with an encounter, a look, a gaze that reaches into the core of the
person and this encounter must be founded on Mercy. “Only one who has been
embraced by the tenderness of Mercy truly knows the Lord. The privileged place
of encounter is the embrace of Jesus’ Mercy regarding my sin.”
Here lies the great struggle. I want to present to God
something worthy of His greatness. My imperfections, weaknesses and
shortcomings just don’t fit. And yet there is this paradox: He wants to enter
into my weakness too, because for Mercy to be present, there must first be a
brokenness in need of Love, in need of healing.
God greatly desires to draw close to us, but we must be
willing to allow Him in, to meet His gaze, to be lost in the embrace of His
Mercy, and not just a part of us, but all of us.
As we enter into this Year of Mercy, may God give us this
grace.
- Sister Mary Francis, FSGM
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