Peace
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28
It is the Second Week of Advent, and, as we prepare our hearts for the Savior, our focal point is peace.
As we approach the holidays, it can get pretty chaotic. So many profane things are constantly begging for our attention. Life can get pretty overwhelming. The weight of the world can seem too heavy for us to bear. But even through the stresses of our everyday, Jesus is waiting for us with His arms open wide.
A few weeks ago, my five year old little brother was very upset. I decided that I wanted to try to help out my brother, so I went to his room. At first, I sat next to him on his bed and tried to talk things through with him. He still seemed super unhappy. I asked him if he wanted to say a special prayer with me, and he agreed.
After grabbing two rosaries from my room, I returned to sitting on his bed. I handed him a rosary, and I led him in praying it. After only two Hail Marys, my brother, Miles, had the biggest smile. Once we finished, he asked me if he could keep the rosary. He then proceeded to show it to our whole family, and he was genuinely so joyful as he displayed it to them.
Advent is the liturgical season in which we really focus on setting our priorities back toward Christ. Within struggle and pain, our Lord wants us to turn to Him before anyone or anything else. Jesus strives to embrace our hearts and heal our wounds.
No matter how heavy our crosses are, God is so very willing to lift the weight off of our shoulders. With His help and intimacy, we have the opportunity for rest.
Spend some time in prayer; really focus on finding peace from the Lord. Lay down your burdens and rest in Christ’s loving arms. We are called to reflect the Lord’s tranquility, but we cannot do that without experiencing it.
Sweet Jesus, help me to understand Your tender and merciful love. I ask that I can turn to You before anyone else in times of stress and anxiety. May I find peace and rest through You, and I pray that I will share Your serenity with others. Amen.
Prayer For Peace (Saint Francis of Assisi)
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is discord, union;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.