Reflection
O branch of Jesse’s stem, you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples; kings stand silent in your presence;
the nations bow down in worship before you. Come let nothing keep you from coming to our aid.
The branch is a biblical sign of newness out of discouragement. The Israelites had forgotten God, and also forgotten the call of God to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly “. We too have reason to be discouraged this Advent. We grieve over where we have strayed as a nation from justice, love and unity. There is a darkness in our society that needs a sign of newness to encourage us to change. Within our own lives many are grieving and there is a darkness that hinders us from embracing the new vision of life revealed in Jesus. A living tree is the symbol of life and of the ever green love and faithfulness of God.
Prayer
Help us to recognize in the events that shape our lives the possibility of new life and new beginnings.
Action
Reflect on the prophet’s call to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly before God and try to let it shape your actions as we approach the end of Advent.
Suggested Reading
But thou, Bethlehem, Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth that is to be ruler in Israel.
Micah 5:2.
Saints are people who lived with their feet on the ground; they experienced the daily toil of existence with its successes and failures, finding in the Lord the strength to rise again and again, and to continue on their journey.
Pope Francis
Sometimes it’s the smallest decisions that can change your life forever.
Keri Russell
The visionary starts with a clean sheet of paper, and re-imagines the world.
Malcolm Gladwell
The life you have led doesn’t need to be the only life you have.
Anna Quindlen
Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go. They merely determine where you start.
Nido Qubein
In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can’t build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery and death.
Anne Frank
Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls;
the most massive characters are seared with scars.
Khalil Gibran
When obstacles arise, you change your direction to reach your goal; you do not change your decision to get there.
Zig Ziglar
When the world says, “Give up,” Hope whispers, “Try it one more time.”
Author Unknown
God helps those who persevere.
The Koran
We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope,
Martin Luther King
Fall seven times, stand up eight.
Japanese Proverb
Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.
Thich Nhat Hanh
Tough times never last, but tough people do.
Robert H Schuller