Category: Scripture

Advent, Catholicism, Christmas, Gratitude, Jesus, Love, Prayer, Saints, Scripture

Good to Be Here – Advent Reflection, December 21st

Carrie Sue Barnes

Week 3, Thursday – December 21st

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”

Luke 1:41-43

I write this from a seat in my local parish church, putting my pen to the page in between gazes at my Lord in the Eucharist. There are a dozen or more others scattered through the pews, each in quiet prayer of adoration. I see only Him though, held in a shining, golden monstrance on the altar. The words of St. Peter on the mountain of Christ’s transfiguration keep repeating in my ears.

Lord, it is good for us to be here. It is good for us to be here.

After some time, the Holy Spirit shifts the words in my mind.

How good it is of you, Lord, to be here with us.

With the Incarnation of the Son on the first Christmas, God came to live among us. In baptism, He makes our souls His dwelling place. In the Eucharist, He becomes the Bread of Life to sustain us.

What goodness, what generosity, what love there is in the Lord’s choice to be here. How kind and merciful. How marvelous. When the Lord came to her, Elizabeth’s soul and even the child within her recognized His presence. She responded with joy and awe, speaking in grateful praise. I pray that my soul responds similarly to Christ’s presence.

How good it is that He comes to us. How good it is of Him to be Emmanuel, God With Us.

Advent, Catholicism, Christmas, Jesus, Prayer, Saints, Scripture

The Pieces He Put Together – Advent Reflection, December 20th

Carrie Sue Barnes

Week 3, Wednesday – December 20th

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.

Luke 1:26-27

The Old Testament has more than twice the number of pages than the New Testament. The arrival of the savior through Mary of Nazareth was not a sudden, unexpected development in God’s almighty plans. It was the culmination of centuries of Him carrying out those plans.

All the details the gospel writers included are like pieces sliding into place in the puzzle of salvation. Anyone listening to these details in the earliest days of Christianity heard the clicks of piece after piece joining together, each one offering more certainty of what God was doing.

This is it! This what we’ve been waiting for!

Luke’s gospel sets the scene in “the 6th month” of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, and identifies Gabriel as the visiting angel – the same angel that visited Zechariah to promise the coming of John the Baptist, who would be the forerunner to the savior’s arrival.

Click.

Who does Gabriel visit? A virgin, betrothed to Joseph of the house of David. She is a person spoken of hundreds of years prior by the prophet Isaiah, when the Lord declared He would send the sign His people needed in the form of a son, born of a virgin and called Emmanuel, God With Us.

Click.

This is it. This is God carrying out His plans. With great intention, He acts to save us, to make Himself known to us, and to be with us. He put it all together in perfect wisdom and perfect timing, as only He could do.

Now, here – where I am and where you are – He continues to do the same. My life is not born of happenstance. My life is chosen intentionally by my creator. As He did for Mary, for Joseph, for Elizabeth, Zechariah, and John, He loved me before I existed and carved out a spot for me in His glorious kingdom. My heart thanks Him and eagerly asks that He show me how to fill that place I am meant to have in His plans.

Advent, Christmas, Jesus, Prayer, Scripture

Fill It With Praise – Advent Reflection, December 19th

Carrie Sue Barnes

Week 3, Tuesday – December 19th

My mouth shall be filled with your praise, shall sing your glory every day.

Psalm 71:8, NAB

When I can’t find the words to pray, I turn to the Psalms. When I am low with hardship, I turn to the Psalms. And when I am bursting with desire to give glory to God, I turn to the Psalms.

In a fallen world riddled with rampant desire to be praised, I must not overlook the deep well of reasons to give praise. The Book of Psalms has long helped me do that. The poetic words inevitably resonate with my heart, no matter the state it is in that day, and soon my mouth is filled with praises of my God. The verses are brimming with all that there is to glorify in Him.

Refuge. Stronghold. ~ I praise the God whom I run to and hunker down with through all turmoil.

Rock. Fortress. ~ I praise the God I stand firm upon. He is unmoved and undefeated through every battle.

Rescuer. Hope. ~ I praise the God who pulls me from the pit and shows me the way to a home in the light of His glory.

Trust. Strength. ~ I praise the God who fulfills His promises and fortifies me with His own Spirit.

In the Incarnation of Jesus, the Son of God departed from glory to dwell amongst us here. How magnificent that even the feeblest utterance of praise from my heart and lips brings Him glory in return. May He fill my mouth with praise through every day and every night that brings me nearer to Christmas.

Advent, Catholicism, Christmas, Faith, Holiness, Jesus, Prayer, Saints, Scripture

Like Joseph Did – Advent Reflection, December 18th

Carrie Sue Barnes

Week 3, Monday – December 18th

When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.

Matthew 1:24

Each time I read a gospel passage involving Joseph, I wish he’d speak up. This man lived with Jesus and Mary! He was the human father figure for the Son of God! Imagining his experiences fascinates me. For goodness’ sake, I want to hear from him!

Sorry, didn’t mean to get so worked up there.

Having no record of Joseph’s words does not mean he didn’t say anything. That’s a silly notion. So, why are there no statements or dialogue from him? Believing in the divine inspiration of sacred scripture, I come to one conclusion: what I read of Joseph is what God wanted me to get from Joseph.

Matthew writes that Joseph is a righteous man, and from this righteousness comes his planned course of action: to divorce Mary quietly after he found out about her pregnancy. For though they had already entered a marriage bond by Jewish betrothal, they did not yet live together or have relations as husband and wife. A righteous man among the Jewish people was one who followed God’s laws and commandments. Joseph would have been lawful to not only divorce Mary for her assumed infidelity but also to publicly shame her and even call for her to be stoned to death.

Joseph’s righteousness, however, is clearly coupled with compassion. He does not wish to associate himself with apparent sin and scandal but he also does not desire to publicly punish Mary. A quiet divorce was an act of mercy when Joseph’s possible choices are considered.

I am certain Joseph, being prone to righteousness and mercy, took such serious matters to prayer. I expect he sought out God for guidance. No record of his prayers are in the pages of scripture. What is recorded is God’s answer, and Joseph’s response to it.

God sent an angel while Joseph was asleep. Joseph went to bed that night with a decision made, then awoke with that decision trumped by God’s explanations and instructions. There, at that awakening, is where I am most eager to emulate Joseph.

He did not wake up and write off God’s message as irrational to follow. He didn’t hem and haw, mulling over doubts about what would happen if he did as God said to do.

Joseph awoke and did as God commanded. Once God made the way clear, Joseph stepped into it and no longer considered the other ways he could go, even though they likely felt safer and more reasonable.

From Joseph, I learn of faith producing the necessary fortitude to be who God calls me to be in the grand story of salvation. Joseph’s faith told him to listen to God and to trust in what he heard. It does not take a single word from Joseph for him to tell me likewise. That’s the might of authentic faith. That’s the fruit such faith bears.

Joseph’s piece in the story demonstrates that complex situations reach their best outcomes when submitted to God’s will. Like Joseph, I am not necessarily called to figure it all out and determine the best course of action by my reasoning alone. I am called to seek the guidance of God, and respond with trusting obedience to Him. It is encouraging that, in practicing this, that reasoning of mine can grow little by little to resemble the wisdom of God.

No matter the gap between my answers and the Lord’s, I pray that any time I am awakened to the instructions of God, I will rise and obey with a heart full of faith. Like Joseph did.

Advent, Christmas, Faith, Jesus, Prayer, Saints, Scripture

The Soul’s Joy – Advent Reflection, December 17th

Carrie Sue Barnes

Week 3, Sunday – December 17th

I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul.

Isaiah 61:10a, NAB

During my last conversation with my oldest sister, she lie in bed sapped of physical strength, enduring pain without pause, and speaking to me of joy. Joy. She held my hand and told me how important joy was to life. She begged me to guard and grow joy for myself and my children. My spirit was weighed down with grief. There was no cheerfulness in that room. Sadness saturated my heart. And still we spoke of joy.

I’m not sure anything could have been more effective in deepening my understanding of joy; of what it is and what it is not.

Mary had joy in her soul while she waited to know if Joseph would marry her or call for her to be stoned for her pregnancy. Paul had joy in his soul while he endured prison. Pope John Paul II had joy while he hid his priestly ministries from the communist authorities in Poland. Mother Teresa had joy while she was surrounded by endless, unquenchable needs of the ill and impoverished in Calcutta. My sister had joy while cancer stole away the years we all expected her to have on this earth.

God plants joy in the soul, and nurtures it there through the work of the Holy Spirit. Moments of goodness strengthen it, but only God is its true source. It is not an emotion or a state of mind dependent on circumstances.

Joy stands alongside the hope of salvation and the peace of Christ as the pillars of the temple of my soul. It is the condition I can exist in through every storm of suffering. Then in the shining times of happiness, it is the spotlight of perspective. Whether in shadow or sunshine, I have Jesus. I have eternity in the presence of God waiting for me. Therein lies lasting joy.

This third week of Advent is traditionally dedicated to joy. The arrival of Jesus is the arrival of joy in a brand new way. All the many and varied bits of joyfulness God provides are surpassed by the gift of His Son.

When I am exhausted by the work of this season, Lord, anchor me in the abundant joy of Christmas.

When I have reason to smile, Lord, spread the roots of Your joy in my soul.

When my mouth and ears fill with laughter, Lord, let it water the fruit of joy.

When suffering comes my way, Lord, sustain me with the joy of Your promises.

When I am mistreated or rejected, Lord, remind me I am secure in the joy of knowing You.

When I encounter others’ need for You, Lord, make my soul’s joy into a light leading them to You.

Advent, Catholicism, Christmas, Faith, Jesus, Prayer, Scripture

When I See His Face – Advent Reflection, December 16th

Carrie Sue Barnes

Week 3, Saturday – December 16th

O God, restore us; light up your face and we shall be saved.

Psalm 80:4, NAB

In younger years, I had a lot of fun playing hide and seek, the age old childhood game that had us all crouching in dark spaces and wedging ourselves into cupboards and closets. What a victory it was to hear a sibling or friend shout when they’d given up. “Olly, olly, oxen free! You can come out now!” Then came the brief praise for your clever hiding spot and disbelief that they hadn’t thought to check there. This was quickly followed by a shout of whose turn it was to hide and whose to seek as the next round began.

It can feel sometimes like God likes a good game of hide and seek. I’d run out of fingers and toes before I finish counting how many times I’ve begged God to show Himself to me. When I give it any extra thought though, I know God never takes a turn at being the one to hide.

God is perpetually seeking me. He is always showing Himself to me. In the occasions when I cannot detect the light of His face, eventually I discover it was because of an obstacle between me and Him. Whether I or circumstances outside of my control created it, God consistently provides a means to remove any obstacle once I recognize that it’s in the way.

Unlike the fair turns that must be taken in a kids’ game, God never tires of being the seeker of our souls. He does not run out of patience with me. I beg to see Him as if He hasn’t shown Himself to me already, and still He shows up. God does not keep count of all the obstacles I throw in between us, or all the times I walk right past without recognizing His presence on the spot. He will turn the light of his face upon me as many times as it takes, until we are not only face to face but I am held by Him too, never to leave His light again.

On the first Christmas night, God shone His saving light through the face of Jesus Christ. He came, knowing He would be unrecognized by most, rejected by many, and would suffer for all.

Here in the middle of Advent, I ask the Holy Spirit to prompt me to look harder. May I see Him waiting for me in the Eucharist and hear Him calling to me from every page of the scriptures. I pray I will turn to God more often and with eyes open to what stands between us. And I ask that when I see His face, I will recognize the love that leads Him to seek me without fail.

Advent, Christmas, Faith, Holiness, Jesus, Prayer, Scripture

The Author Takes the Lead – Advent Reflection, December 15th

Carrie Sue Barnes

Week 2, Friday – December 15th

I, the Lord, your God, teach you what is for your good and lead you on the way you should go.

Isaiah 48:17

A fun author experience that I’ve occasionally had is when someone tells me what should have happened in my story, or what my characters should have done. I’m not talking about hearing a reader’s opinion on a story, which is a genuine thrill every time, or about receiving constructive feedback from a fellow writer or editor. I’m talking about when someone essentially declares that they know better how to tell the story. The story that only exists because I imagined it. The story that is filled with characters who are my own creations.

Fun might not be the right word for this experience, but there is something laughable about it.

I wonder if God laughs sometimes when I assume I know better how to carry out His story.

We’re not fictional characters, but we are created by an author. We are created by the author; the author of the universe and of each individual life that has ever existed.

My experiences of God aside, simple logic suggests that the creator of my life knows better than anyone how that life ought to play out. He knows how I will get through the crisis points and how I’ll be blessed through the twists and turns. He knows best because He knows me, His creation, best.

If I follow His pen rather than take the pen in my own hand, God will write me a greater story than anything I could aspire to create. He is my true author, the one who determines what is for my good and what is the way I should go.

All the messages, marketing, opinions and ideologies, as well as peers, superiors, friends, and family, and even my own thoughts… there are so many voices willing to tell me how it all should go. Some with good intentions and some with evil in their minds, these voices speak. They shout. They whisper. They overlap and contradict, bringing confusion in their wake. There is only one effective test to determine which voices should have any influence: how do they hold up alongside the voice of my Lord, the author of my life?

It takes practice to listen to Him first and above the others. I’m rebuilding the habit myself. The more time spent tuning in to Him though, the more recognizable His voice becomes. Increasingly often, I find I can pick up on that voice no matter the volume of the rest.

Lord, I pray the remaining days of Advent will be a season of listening for Your voice. You spoke the fullness of truth in the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Speak truth into my story. I submit to You as the author of the greatest story of all, the one that brought salvation.