Fourth Week of Advent: Peace
Light the Advent Candle of Peace
On the fourth week of Advent, we light the final purple candle to mark the final week as we wait for the birth of our Savior. This final candle, the “Angel’s Candle,” symbolizes peace. It reminds us of the message of the angels: “Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men.”
First Movement
Light the Advent candle, pause and quiet yourself to remember that God is, even in this very moment, present to you.
Let us remember that we are in the holy presence of God
Optional Centering Song
Play it for the amount of time that you determine for your personal prayer experience.
Second Movement
Contemplate the Mystery of God’s love at work in the world.
Read Sunday’s Gospel a few times slowly, then consider one or more of the reflective questions that follow.
A Reading from Mt 1:18-24
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,
which means “God is with us.”
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.
Founder’s Voice
“May God continue what he has begun in you.”
(Letter 46 – to Brother Robert in 1709)
Third Movement
What “gifts” from your Advent Spiritual journey are your bringing to Christmas?
Closing Prayer
Eternal and majestic God, I praise you for your faithfulness in your accompaniment of me! You have set me on a path and have gifted me with a peace found only in You. As I continue my spiritual journey, I pray that in times when my spirit is unsettled, when I am anxious or afraid, when I am not sure of the next step on my journey, that I stop, breath, and remember the peace that is you give is your gift to the world. I open my heart and mind to that peace, may it inspire and animate all that I do. Amen!
Reflection for Week Four
Ms. Susan Major, Christian Brothers Academy, Syracuse, NY
Focus: “listen to your inner angels…the promptings of the Holy Spirit…to stay spiritually awake”
Scripture:
15 years ago I was preparing for a women’s conference entitled, “Awaken”. As I prepared, my 5-year old asked, “Mommy, what are you doing?” I told her I was trying to put together a talk to help other moms wake up to the presence of God in their day. She thought for a moment and said, “ If these moms can’t stay awake, maybe you should just give them some coffee.” If it were only this easy.
When we speak about being spiritually awake, we are ultimately talking about awareness and presence. The stirring of God in our lives is often overshadowed by practicality and logistics. How often do we think logically about an event only to fall asleep to the message before us? Joseph was spiritually awake enough to understand the angel’s message. He wasn’t dissecting it, discussing it in the center of the village or mulling it over in his mind for days. Instead “Joseph awoke…and took his wife into his home.”
We are not being asked to take the mother of God’s child into our home, or are we? We are being asked to be more aware of the presence of God in our daily lives. This is a request that is often overshadowed by a pace of action and words that can distract us from our goal. Consider one change to your daily routine this Advent season: take a 90 second stop! I read once about a practice of the British Navy. When there was imminent danger, everyone aboard a British submarine or ship would stop and wait 90 seconds before acting. It was in these seconds that they could take a breath and consider their options.
Could this be helpful for us In these final days of Advent? Could we take a 90 second stop and think about how to spend the next moments? Could we see how we might be more spiritually awake to recognize God’s presence in our day? Advent is a perfect time to become more aware of how we can see the presence of God in our daily lives. The birth of Jesus today in our lives! How could that not wake you up?
Optional Contemporary Reflections
PEACE
Peace is a very common word in English, that means different things to different people. It’s also a very important word in the Bible that refers not only to the absence of conflict but also to the presence of something else. In this video, we’ll explore the core meaning of biblical peace, or Shalom, and how it all leads to Jesus.