Wednesday of the First Week in Advent BONUS

Today I am happy to introduce you to the first of occaisional meditations which will be written by Diane Bayne. Many of you know her from Cursillo, parish and retreat work.

Diane joins the over-paid staff of Your Daily Tripod with meditations every other week to start. Of course your positive feeback will bring her and you the blessing of more frequent contributions. Here is a wonderful meditation she offers to us this week.

Is the Holy Spirit inspiring you to join our team of readers and writers?


On this mountain the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples
A feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy rich food and pure, choice wines. . .
On that day it will be said: Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us;
This is the Lord for whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us.”
Isaiah 25: 6, 9

The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. Psalm 23: 1

Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way”. . . He took the seven loaves and the fish, and after giving thanks, he broke them. . . The people who were fed numbered 4,000.
Matthew 15: 32-38


By Diane Bayne

The readings for this day speak clearly of God’s providence and beneficence. Jesus taught us that the heart of his Father delights in providing for us. Yet how often we react as though we do not really believe in this providence. Instead we believe in scarcity. And we believe that making provision for our lives and the lives of our loved ones depends entirely on us. From there it is a short step to believing that the strong, not the meek, will inherit the earth, and our focus becomes our strength, not God’s and we begin to operate not from love, but from fear. Will we be able to meet all our responsibilities? And–since it all depends on us–what will happen if we fail? In Garrison Keilor’s Lake Woebegone, the Catholics all belong to the parish of “Our Lady of Perpetual Responsibility.” Do we belong to that parish too?

Piety

Father, give me the trust of a little child. Help me to know that as I hold on to your hand each day, I have nothing to fear. You ask nothing of me that I am not able to do. And for what you do ask of me, You give me all I need in abundance. Help me to abandon my self-focused search for security and instead focus on your abundance–and on your love.


Study

Jesus, eternal Word of the Father, help me to understand more clearly that the thoughts I think and the words I say help to create my present as well as my future. Whatever I focus on will get bigger. If I focus on my fear, my fear will grow. If I focus on your providence, that providence will become more and more manifest in my life. Help me to remember that you are indeed my good shepherd and that I can rely on you to supply all my needs–and that your promise is to supply my needs, not my wants.


Action

There is a phrase in the computer profession that says “Garbage in, Garbage out.” Spirit, help me to pay more attention to what I put into my mental computer. For a couple of days, help me to keep a notebook and pencil handy to jot down negative thoughts as they pass through my mind. Help me to find some small way to contradict those thoughts by affirming your providence with a concrete action: emptying my purse into the Salvation Army bucket outside a local store; responding to a Christmas appeal I had not planned on answering; writing a letter to my congressman or local official about an issue of social justice; volunteering to help in a local shelter during the holidays; buying a Christmas present for someone outside my family; supplying a family in need with a Christmas turkey. Lord, during this Advent, keep me focused on the NOW–on this day, this moment, so I am be aware of your presence and be alert to all the opportunities offered me to advance your kingdom. Thank you, Lord, for hearing my prayer and for your help and guidance this day.

On that day it will be said: “Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us;
This is the Lord for whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us;
For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain." Isaiah 25: 9-10

HAPPY ST. NICHOLAS DAY