Fear not, I will help you (Isaiah 41:13). God's promise, echoed by the Prophet, was entirely fulfilled in the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. In him, God became one of us! For this reason, we need not fear; the season we are living of Advent encourages us to hope - John Paul II
The text above copied from my devotional reminds me that Advent is (also) a time of hope. I'm quick to forget that particular virtue, quick to run out of steam at the first sight of obstacles on my well-laid plans. The noise of the world is not hopeful. The state of my soul is not hopeful. My Christmas to-do list is not hopeful! Right there in the humble manger is the reason for our hope no matter the state of the world, no matter that I have only one present bought so far, no matter the state of my soul before I seek the Sacrament of Penance. I pray everyday for the virtue of enduring hope (and that Amazon will ease my Christmas shopping plans!)
Lest I give the impression I am sitting in ashes and have lost all Advent joy, here are photos to prove otherwise:
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| on our way to the Christmas tree farm, since there's no snow we'll settle for fog! |
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| my tribe |
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| the One tree |
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| the annual "put the tree over your head" photo |
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| despite not being frozen over the lake is still a beauty |
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| homage to basketball season |
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| two kids asked for basketball related ornament this year |
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| the Baking Girl is also a book nerd |
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| slowing down with a cup of hot cocoa |
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| signing his Consecration paper on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception |
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