“…the winter is past, the rains are over and gone.  The flowers appear on the earth, the time of pruning the vines has come, and the song of the dove is heard in our land.”

Song of Songs 2:11-12

Wow!  Christmas is less than a week away.  Everyone is making final preparations for what their celebrations may look like this year.

Over the last three weeks, we have been preparing our heart to receive Jesus this Christmas season.  We started out hopeful of God’s promises.  We traveled through faith, filling our hearts with joy.  This week we focus on the peace within our hearts of all God’s blessings we’ve experience and those yet to come.

The reading from Song of Songs chapter 2 is filled with so much imagery. The scene is so fitting for us this week. 

The harsh winters are gone. Darkness has passed and new life springs forth.

Isn’t this a great imagery of our Advent journey.  God has taken us through the darkness, through the harsh winter of our hearts and filled it with hope, faith, love and joy.  And in four days, He will bring forth new birth.  He will fill the world with peace through the birth of this baby, His son, our savior. 

Through His son, He will prune each of us, preparing us for the day He calls us to our forever home.  What a great gift to receive this Christmas?

I invite you today to put aside your physical preparations for 15 minutes, an hour, or whatever you need and look within to ensure your heart is prepared to receive the greatest gift this Christmas, your Lord.

May His peace be with you always.

Categories: #Advent, #Christmas, Faith

Tags: #Advent, #Catholic, #Christian, #Christmas, #god, #journey, #joy, #life, #peace, Faith, Hope, Jesus, Love