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Saint Paul
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Third Sunday of Advent — A deep place of prayer

Scripture

• Isaiah 35:1–6a, 10

• James 5:7–10

• Matthew 11:2–11

“John said, ‘I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord,” as the prophet Isaiah said. I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.’”

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John 1:23, 26–27

Reflection

Did you ever see Pope John Paul II pray? Each morning, he celebrated Mass in his private chapel with about 20 guests. Perhaps you were fortunate enough to attend. If not, perhaps you saw television footage of these Masses. When this man knelt down to pray after Communion, he would close his eyes and go to a place deep within himself. Once he was there, nothing and no one could distract him. He would go to that place deep within himself, and from that place he brought forth the fruit of his life: wisdom, compassion, generosity, understanding, patience, courage, insight, forgiveness, humility and a love so apparent you could almost touch it.

The amazing thing is, if you put this same man in a football stadium with a hundred thousand people and a million more distractions, he still knelt down after Communion, closed his eyes, and went to that place deep within him where he connected with God. He allowed nothing to distract him from his prayer. It was from that place that he lived his life. Find that place within you. If you do nothing else in your life, find that place and start to live your life from there. I pray I can visit that place within me and go there more and more frequently.

— Matthew Kelly

Meditation

Do I make time for prayer each day? What are some ways I can focus more on God and deepen my prayer?

Prayer

The prayer for this week is based on 1 Thessalonians 5:16–22: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.”

Clearly, the theme is joy, and as we await the celebration of the birth of Jesus, our hearts are filled with hope and expectation for the coming of the Word made flesh.

“God of joy, during these sometimes busy days of Advent, I keep your presence before my eyes. My heart is filled with joy for all you have done. You know the very depths of my soul, yet you love me with a tenderness that is beyond compare.”

“Rediscover Advent” features reflections and meditations for every day of the Advent season and can be used by individuals as well as groups. To order the book, visit http://www.franciscanmedia.org, click on “online catalog” and type “Rediscover Advent” in the search box.

 


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