Reflection for Thursday of the 1st Week of Advent
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” Mt 7:21
In the quote from today’s gospel passage, I think this is Jesus’ way of saying ‘actions speak louder than words’. At first blush, the ‘will of the Father’ seems rather imposing, too far beyond my reach. Today is the memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, one of the founders of the Jesuits, who followed the will of the Father and spent most of his life doing missionary work in Asia. I’m probably not going to be doing that.
But in reality, doing the ‘will of the Father’ can be the little things in life that have a cumulative affect on me and others. Little acts of surrender that take me closer to the person God wants me to be. Little acts of kindness that make the world a better place, albeit one little thank-you at a time.
With the restrictions brought about by the pandemic, it’s become a little harder to bring to the world these little spontaneous acts of kindness, or come in contact with situations that bring about these little acts of surrender. With a mask, it’s hard to let people see you smile, a small gesture that can quickly change the mood in a room. With social distancing, it’s hard to achieve the usual types of interaction that brings people closer. There is now a part of my brain that is actively maintaining a six foot cone of safety. In Star Trek lingo, when someone comes close, my brain issues the command, “Shields up!”, and prompts a behavior in former times that might have been considered a little standoffish.
But there are little things we can do to bring about a better world even in the midst of this time of isolation. During Advent, consider:
- Writing a text or email to someone you have seen since the pandemic
- Giving to a charity you haven’t given to before
- Sending a hand-written thank-you note
- Make a little sacrifice and offer it up for the well-being of another
- Spend a moment in prayer listening to the will of the Father and ask, “Lord, what is that one new thing I need to do today?” Don’t move on until you get an answer.
I’m sure you can think of others. The point is Advent is a time to get our hearts ready for the coming of the Lord. Doing one new little “Advent Act of Kindness” a day would be a great way to start.