LOVE - PRAY - HOPE

“Whether we suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, or whether we are afraid of “things that go bump in the night,” or whether we simply feel that we’re “in the dark” about the unfolding of our own life, we crave light and enlightenment.”

In the second sermon in a series on the O Antiphons, Br. Curtis Almquist encourages us to face into the radiant and loving light of God.

“What’s gets in the way between you and God? What do you not want seen? What do you hide? Preparing the way means opening the door and letting God in to see us as we are.”

Br. Luke Ditewig invites us to radical honesty, to letting ourselves be loved even when all is revealed, in all our messiness and brokenness.

“We come before Jesus in our seasons of darkness and sightlessness, reaching forth our hands in faith for the fresh vision of Christ’s promise.”

Br. Sean Glenn encourages us with words from Isaiah, “Out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see.”

“When it comes down to it, none of us are ‘self-made’ people. We did not choose to come into the world on our own. We did not choose our families of origin, our ethnicity, or our sexuality. We did not arrive fully assembled nor did we come with instructions. The only instinct we had once our lungs were clear was to cry out for help as loudly as we could.”

In the first sermon of an Advent series on the O Antiphons, Br. Jim Woodrum ponders what it means to ask Jesus, our true Wisdom, to come and teach us the way of prudence.

“If you find yourself overwhelmed today, if you are tempted to despair because of the circumstances of your life or the state of the world, lift up your eyes and fix them on God.  Trust in the goodness and mercy of God.  Stand up and look despair in the face and say, ‘I will not be afraid.’”

For all who feel overwhelmed by the state of the world, Br. David Vryhof offers a word of empowering hope.