Enlarging the vision

Mosaic icon of St John the Baptist

Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!

Some thoughts for Advent 2. 9th December 2012

These penitential seasons before the great festivals

Particularly this one of Advent

and the other one before Easter..LENT

Inevitably, and always invite us to take stock.

Of course as a year ends, too, 

we naturally reflect about what has happened uring the course of the year.

What went well?

What went badly?

What would I do differently?

It gives us much pause of thought.

We call this process Repentance

and at its root it means 

• making some assesment
• deciding what to do
• taking action

Commentators always remind us that repentance means “turning around”

I like to say it means turn round and walk towards God rather than run in the opposite direction!

Can I suggest three things we might do?

1.Take time to think about what we are doing with our lives.

It is easy to say “I don’t need to do that, everything’s OK”

But this is perhaps inviting us to say that even the best of us should take stock:

• Do I take those close to me for granted?
• Am I hurtful, spiteful at the expense of others?
• Am I grateful for what others do for me?

Am I caught up doing things that I know are wrong?

What can I do about it?

What am I going to do about it?

When?

What’s my relationship with God like?

Could I care less?

Is there one thing I could do that would strengthen that relationship?

What am I going to do about it?

When?

2. Do I need to go to Confession?

We don’t talk much about this. And there has been a lot of hysterical stuff around in the last few weeks. But maybe there is a reminder here that maybe sometimes we need to seek out confidential advice, prayer, and counsel to shift a long-term problem

Hard to do, but maybe important, even essential.

3. What about people?

Now that I am older and wiser! I realise that sometimes we are careless about other people.

We hurt people, we feel hurt, and then we think 

“It’s all too hard to do anything about”

We are chastened by death often.

When we realise that so often that what we were indignant about pales into insignificance.

I sometimes remember that I am upset with someone ....but have forgotten what it is that I am cross about..what does that say

ADVENT says the time is short

NOW is the time to turn back to God

GOD welcomes all those who come back