The Best Gift Ever

     I was so looking forward to Advent this year! I was tired of straddling the fence in several areas in my life, and saw Advent as a perfect opportunity to rid my heart of clutter. I intended to work hard to purify and cleanse my heart, making it ready to receive Jesus on Christmas morning.

     But as we lit the pink candle on our Advent wreath last Sunday, I quietly cringed inwardly. On some fronts, I was doing very well, but in one area in particular, I was ashamed.

Live the Song in Your Heart

     “A FRIEND is someone who knows the song in your heart

 and

 sings it back to you when you have forgotten how it goes.”

     We have all experienced times when life has beaten us down. When we don’t have the initiative to take the next step or even know what the next step is. The road ahead seems endless with no oasis in sight. We feel like we are a failure and don’t believe we are up for any task.

Poison for the Soul

     “The recollection of an injury is a rusty arrow and poison for the soul.”                                       St. Francis of Paola


     How the Evil One relishes in his ability to engage our memory by recalling a hurt or injury that was afflicted upon us. He will tempt us time and time again, to play it over and over in our minds, until it is once again festering and the pain is acute.