Tuesday the Third Week of Advent
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"I will make your name to be remembered from one generation to another; therefore nations will praise you for ever and ever." -Psalm 45:18
Prayer
God of the dawn, God of the day,
God of the dusk, God of the dark,
your presence is balm along every journey.
Go with us, we pray, to the manger and beyond,
so that with hearts fixed securely on you, we may welcome Emmanuel. Amen.
Reflection: A NEW DAWN
There's an often-told Jewish tale about a rabbi asking his students how they can tell a new day has dawned upon the earth. One crafty student said, "Well, you can tell it is a new day when there is enough light to see the difference between an apple tree and a pear tree." It was a good answer but not the right answer. Another student said, "Rabbi, you can tell it's a new day when you can look down the road and tell whether or not the animal up ahead is a fox or a dog."
Again, a good answer but not the right answer. The rabbi then looked at his students, paused for a long time, and finally he said: "It's a new day when there is enough light that allows you to see the face of another human being, and looking upon that face, you see your brother or sister. Until that happens... it is still night."
We are each one of us seeking the dawning of a new day. We are sitting with the prophets and poets, with sages and soothsayers, waiting expectantly for glimmers of a new dawn. But for a new dawn to break we must be willing to seek and show the One whose coming we look for, long for, and ultimately live for. For a new dawn to break we must learn to heal like Jesus, we must lean into compassion, hope, courage, and boldness like Jesus. A new dawn is breaking.
Action
Kind time. Set an alarm on your phone to go off at three different times during the day. In those moments, do something kind for someone else.
Tags: Advent 2023