Wednesday of the Second Week of Advent

Today's Readings

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." – Psalm 103:2

I like to think I have a pretty good memory. I still know many of the birthdays of my classmates from elementary school, I remember my Student ID number from college, and I know all fifty states in alphabetical order – I can recite them in under twenty seconds, too. I can remember these trivial bits of information, yet I often forget all of the benefits that the Lord has given to me. When I think of these benefits, I certainly think of the blessings God has given to me in the past and is supplying to me in the present, but, even more so, I am thinking about God's "very great and precious promises" (2 Peter 1:4) for the future.

Life is truly difficult. However, God's promises keep me going in the face of confusion, heartbreak, sorrow - every obstacle. When I remember all His benefits, and trust in His promises, I can keep going. God is my light when I can hardly see enough ground in front of me to take another step. God is my Shepherd when I wander off. God is my mighty fortress when I am feeling the pressure of the world's demands. When I put my faith in these specific promises, I gain more and more hope. Throughout the Psalms, David so often finds himself down and out with no lifelines left. His enemies surround him, they have traps set for him, and he cannot see a way out. Each time he is in these situations, there is one option left - to trust that God will save him. God saves David time and time again, and this gives David great confidence. We, too, can have this same confidence. Even when we see no way out or no way forward, we always have our God making a way and leading the way. We walk by faith and not by sight.

We call God the Author of Salvation, yet, even when our lives seem to make no sense, it is not because God has writer’s block. In this Advent season, we anticipate the greatest promise, and we reflect upon the series of circumstances that led up to Jesus' birth. A long journey to Bethlehem for the census? The appearances of angels? A baby out of wedlock? No room in the inn? Mary and Joseph were undoubtedly desperately clinging to God's promises. We are called to do the same. In our own Franciscan tradition, we have the lives of St. Francis and St. Clare illustrating the same theme. Their lives of poverty and radical trust in God were built upon God's promises. We are called to build our lives on these same promises. I invite you to join me in taking some time to consider all of God's promises so that, just like David, Mary, Joseph, Francis, and Clare, we can be confident in the steadfast character of God.

Timothy Nagy

Assistant Director of Mission, Ministry & Interfaith Dialogue