鈥楶resent鈥 of 鈥楶resence鈥
鈥淏eloved: May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all鈥..鈥
(1 Thessalonians 3:12) Reading from 1st Sunday in Advent
God sent a 鈥榩resent鈥 into the world, the gift of a loving presence named Jesus. The Gospel stories indicate that Jesus gave few material things to people. What he gave most was his personal presence, gifts that were treasures of the heart: belief in self, inner healing, peace of mind, compassion, forgiveness, dignity, and justice. This loving presence lives on in us and is the central focus of Christmas gift-giving.
The following are suggestions for 鈥渂eing with鈥 others during Advent, one for each of the twenty-five days before Christmas. We may think of other ways to share our presence in order to deliberately choose 鈥渂eing鈥 over 鈥渄oing.鈥 When the feast of Christmas arrives may we be more aware of the power of Emmanuel鈥檚 presence within us and our ability to warm the lives of others because of this Gift of Love.
Suggestions for Giving the Present of Presence
Be physically present with another or present 鈥渋n spirit鈥 by deliberately sending prayer, compassionate thoughts, and kind feelings toward another person or group.