We cannot love nor serve unless we learn to ponder in our hearts

So first thanks to Nick for bringing “In His zone” into my life! Some of us received that book at a retreat early summer and I must admit it sat on my bookshelf, unread, until now. The first section I read pretty much summarized some of the keys to holiness God has been teaching me during Advent! He works in such beautiful ways!

The main point from the passage in Fr. Mark’s book was that it is hard for us to be in solitude because we have to face ourselves.  Our poverty, brokenness, weakness, sinfulness…  We resist being in silence because we don’t want to face ourselves – so we keep busy, distracting ourselves every moment of the day. In order to exist in solitude, we must accept who we are, and through that we will acquire the virtue of humility.

Fr. Mark put it beautifully here: “To be humble is to know the truth about oneself. Only the person who is able to face the reality of his own brokenness and poverty is able to allow the Lord to begin the arduous process of interior transformation”

“The proud cannot be healed because they are not willing to admit they are sick”

Pridefullness can be so subtle…

I think I walked around in complete ignorance (couldn’t see past my pride!) of these fundamental points for a long time, so thank God for revealing them to me. One day this Advent I said to myself, “I don’t think I have a pride problem.” And then I thought, well the fact that I don’t think I have one must mean I actually do! So before I could even see my pride, I persisted in asking Him to reveal it to me as well as asking for the virtue of humility.

Mother Teresa makes a crucial point: “Our Lady pondered His words in her heart… We too like Her must learn that silence which will enable us to ponder His words in our hearts and so grow in love. We cannot love nor serve unless we learn to ponder in our hearts.”

We need silence… so that we can be humble and receive this 
interior transformation, this healing, to become holy in order that we may 
love each other with Christ’s love...

The fruit of silence is prayer,

The fruit of prayer is faith,

The fruit of faith is love,

The fruit of love is service,

The fruit of service is peace.

This advent certainly has been a time of growth. It’s perfectly staged too – because Jesus is at the end! :D AND HEYYY It’s the last week of Advent so let’s really give Christ our all!! Let us ask for humility (another good friend recommends praying through this Scripture passage: Philippians 2:1-11) and for the strength to spend some time daily in silence with our Lord so that He may work in us! :)