The Gospel of Yes Daily Reflection for Dec. 23, 2023
DECEMBER 23, 2023
SATURDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF ADVENT
A YES OF FAITH, NOT OF FEELINGS
OPENING PRAYER:
COME, HOLY SPIRIT. I welcome you into my heart as Mary did. Come with power. Help me to offer my own yes to God the Father, saying with trust: “May it be done unto me according to your word.”
TODAY’S THOUGHT:
A week ago, on December 16, we looked at a passage from St. Augustine that described our yes to God not as one of obligation but of delight. While it would be wonderful if every yes was one of delight, we know that it is not always that way. There are times when our yes is one of faith, not feelings. In these moments, it is difficult to say yes to God; the more comfortable thing would be to say no, but our faith urges us to say yes, to do the right thing regardless of our feelings.
Jesus spoke to his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemani about this very struggle: "Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41)
St. Paul experienced this same thing in himself: "For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh. The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not. For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want." (Romans 7:18-19)
It is comforting to know that we are not alone in this battle when we hear St. Paul talking about the same struggle. So what do we do? The answer is not to become too enslaved to our feelings. We need to remain free enough and strong enough to choose something other than what our feelings want. Little acts of penance and self-denial help with this, which is why we still perform acts of penance on Fridays throughout the year, not just in Lent. But as we've seen elsewhere in our Advent reflections, it's never just a matter of human strength. By ourselves, we are too weak. But the Lord supplies grace and mercy to help us along!
TODAY’S PRAYER:
Offer the litany below as we pray to remain free enough and strong enough to choose a yes to God even when our feelings and comforts lead us in a different direction:
Lord Jesus,
Give me the virtue of temperance,
To govern my desire for pleasure and keep it in check in a healthy way.
Give me the virtue of temperance,
To ensure that earthly pleasures do not become idols in my life.
Give me the virtue of temperance,
Not to overindulge in pleasure or comfort.
Give me the virtue of courage,
To choose self-sacrifice in the pursuit of what is truly good.
Give me the virtue of courage,
To do what is good even when it is hard.
Give me the virtue of fortitude and strength,
To face exterior obstacles, difficulties, and discomfort to attain what is truly good.
Give me the virtue of fortitude and strength,
To do what is good even when it costs me something.
Give me the virtue of perseverance,
To love you, O God, and my neighbor, even when the struggles and discomfort last a long time.
Give me the virtue of discipline,
To do what is right not because it is easy but for the sake of my love for you, Christ.
Give me the virtue of focus,
To free me from the distractions of comfort, pleasures, and escapes.
Give me the virtue of focus,
To strive to keep my heart and mind fixed on loving you, O God, and my neighbor.
Give me the virtue of focus,
To fight against the unhelpful daydreams and fantasies that distract me.
Give me the virtue of self-denial,
To say no to unhealthy earthly comforts.
Give me the virtue of self-denial,
To cultivate a spirit of living sacrifice for others.
Give me the virtue of self-denial,
To fast and sacrifice as part of my spiritual life.
Give me the virtue of hope,
To remember that you, O God, are going to be victorious!
Give me the virtue of purity,
So that the desires of the flesh do not dominate me.
FOR YOUR REFLECTION:
Simon de Vos, Mary and Joseph seeking refuge in Bethlehem. 1664.
This painting of Mary and Joseph seeking refuge in Bethlehem by the Flemish painter Simon de Vos depicts a very pregnant Mary. This image fits well with our reflection theme today: "A Yes of Faith, Not of Feelings." It's hard to imagine how uncomfortable the journey was to Bethlehem for the Blessed Mother. So many of the comforts we take for granted in our lives now weren't even a reality two thousand years ago. On this journey, how often did Mary need to keep offering a yes of faith, overcoming countless feelings of discomfort? How many times did she wish they were already in Bethlehem? And how did her heart fall when, over and over, Joseph was unable to find comfortable lodging for them once they arrived?
In the painting, we see that Joseph is barefoot, a sign of his own discomfort on the journey. Each step required him to offer a yes of faith not of feelings. Here. Joseph looks up hopefully toward the innkeeper, who seems to gesture, "I'm so sorry…" Meanwhile, Mary's eyes are cast down in humility, more focused on the divine child in her womb than on her own discomfort. It is that focus that we want to pray and ask for ourselves. To be so focused on Jesus, welcoming him into our lives with a generous yes, that we are undisturbed by our lack of comfort and whatever our feelings may crave in the moment.
Surrounding the innkeeper are food and drink that Mary and Joseph won't be able to enjoy.
Whatever our discomforts might be, whatever our feelings may want and crave other than saying yes to God, let us ask the Lord to give us grace to offer him our yes as we draw closer to Christmas.
For your continued prayer, spend some time thinking about Mary in the painting above, ask her to intercede for you, and then offer one of the Prayers of Surrender and Abandonment as you offer a yes of faith, not of feelings.