The Blessing of Obedience: Penance

The Lord offers a rich and beautiful blessing in the reading from Isaiah today.  It is one that is given with the condition that we hearken to his commandments.  In my view what we receive from God, before we receive abundant blessing, is a challenge to live a penitential lifestyle.  Furthermore, I believe that our living a lifestyle that reflects penance is not something that we need understand as negative in any way.

Advent offers us a beautiful time of year to turn our hearts toward God.  As we anticipate the joy of Christmas in our celebration of the birth of our salvation, the inner movement of our lives toward God is made possible.  All of my life I have loved the Christmas season above all others.  From my childhood into my adult years my fondest and clearest memories center around Christmastime.  It was only natural, it seems, that upon my conversion to the Catholic faith that Chistmas would take on a new and deeper spiritual sense.

Thus, each year since my conversion I have noticed the interesting phenomenon that during the Advent season my heart grows closer to God in prayer and longing for holy and spiritual things--the truest Christmas gifts.  Also, we can see the truest meaning of penance--not self-inflicted punishment, but a natural and genuine turning of the heart within.

Many ways exist for us to hearken to the commandments of God, and with the blessing pronounced by Isaiah in mind, it makes sense for us to think of those who may be without blessing at this time of year.  In choosing to give of ourselves we show our obedience.  In choosing to stand for those without we often find ourselves not fitting in with preconceived molds of spirituality.  We may find ouselves being political outsiders.  We could find our timidity being challenged or our boldness put in a more humble place.  This is all penance too, and it comes with blessing to balance whatever affliction that comes, and for sure there will be moments to do without.

It is clear to me that God does indeed bless my life as I offer myself to his little ones.  Sure, there are difficulties--I couldn't begin to mention--and certainly there are risks involved in love, that is, in giving ourselves.  Yet here is something to consider: perfect love casts out fear.  So, go ahead risk giving, risk loving, risk offering something special, and above everything, be open to the kind of penance that is the inner turning of the heart toward God.

Comments

[forget me not]

Your post is exactly what the Pope talked about yesterday. He said gift giving is legitimate at Christmas time but in reflecting on the greatest gift of all, given to us by the Father: Jesus,we should let our hearts grow "closer to God in prayer and longing for holy and spiritual things--the truest Christmas gifts."

[Honora]

We can put a candle (electric) in the window, as they do in Ireland, to invite the Holy Family. That is what the candles all mean, tho' not everyone knows. But most importantly, we put the candle in the house of our soul, and say, "There is room here." It is a prayer of welcome. As for those who still wander, like A.B., a lovely young Pakistani college student looking for a country in which he does not need to hide his new Christianity upon pain of persecution and or death, or for the aging nurse who was homeless but for 1/2 a room for her and her cat, the welcoming candle of prayer will help light the way, even if there's no room in our inn.