Advent Daily Devotionals: Building Faithful Hearts in the Dark: 6th Dec

BUILDING FAITHFUL HEARTS IN THE DARK

Thursday December 6, 2018

Daily Readings:

First Reading: Isaiah 26:1-6
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 118:1, 8-9, 19-21, 25-27
Gospel: Matthew 7:21, 24-27

Reading 1, Isaiah 26:1-6

That day, this song will be sung in Judah: 'We have a fortress city, the walls and ramparts provide safety.

Open the gates! Let the upright nation come in, the nation that keeps faith!

This is the plan decreed: you will guarantee peace, the peace entrusted to you.

Trust in Yahweh for ever, for Yahweh is a rock for ever.

He has brought low the dwellers on the heights, the lofty citadel; he lays it low, brings it to the ground, flings it down in the dust.

It will be trodden under foot, by the feet of the needy, the steps of the weak.'

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 118:1, 8-9, 19-21, 25-27

It is better to take refuge in Yahweh than to rely on human beings;

better to take refuge in Yahweh than to rely on princes.

Open for me the gates of saving justice, I shall go in and thank Yahweh.

This is the gate of Yahweh, where the upright go in.

I thank you for hearing me, and making yourself my Saviour.

We beg you, Yahweh, save us, we beg you, Yahweh, give us victory!

Blessed in the name of Yahweh is he who is coming! We bless you from the house of Yahweh.

Yahweh is God, he gives us light. Link your processions, branches in hand, up to the horns of the altar.

Gospel, Matthew 7:21, 24-27

'It is not anyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," who will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven.

'Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock.

Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: it was founded on rock.

But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand.

Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell; and what a fall it had!'

Writer’s reflection:

“I thank you for hearing me and making yourself my Saviour”.

Vulnerability. This word can inspire mixed feelings in us all; fear, disgust, weakness, humiliation. I’m a passionate advocate of Dr Brene Brown’s research on vulnerability. She has shown that vulnerability is often experienced as shame – the feeling that, because of a certain aspect of myself, I believe “I am not enough”. As if what we do or have had happen to us; what we possess or lack; what we desire or shy away from doing, are tied to the fundamental truth about our ‘self’.

Shame can corrode our self-esteem; lead us to lie or hide parts of our self from others; distrust those who let us down, and stop us from genuinely pursuing projects, relationships and initiatives we desire. Shame can make us feel as if we are excluded from God’s love because we don’t fit the “good Christian” prototype. It can drive us to try and perfect other aspects of our faith because we don’t know how to deal with the aspects of our lives that contradict our faith. It can leave us feeling spiritually exhausted and in the dark.

Shame can also make vulnerability intolerable, so that instead of letting ourselves be seen for who we really are we protect ourselves with the mask we think others and God want to see – we either people please or live for ourselves. Without bringing our shame to Jesus we withhold ourselves from the only person who is able to sooth us with his love and compassion – to love God with all our being is recognise our need for his love. Hiding ourselves from others also withholds the healing that comes from their empathy and acceptance. Vulnerability is “the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy… hope, accountability, and authenticity.”[1]

Vulnerability is the courage to be faithful to your true self despite the inevitable consequences. I consciously struggle with perfectionism. In the past I’ve told myself that if I am not a prodigy in my academic work, am not physically fit or beautiful, not constantly making others feel good – then I am not worthy of love or relationships with others. I often tried to make up for my spiritual weaknesses through a “perfect prayer life” or theological knowledge. In real difficulty I succumbed to the darkness of faith. I slowly realised that there is version of myself I would be without faith, and a version I could be if I were shame resilient accepted my inherent worthiness to be loved. I have found that rather than no faith or perfect faith, we must be like “a sensible man who built his house on rock” that we are reminded of in today’s Gospel– that means building hearts of hope. Faith is not the result of chaining yourself to perfection but is born of vulnerability. Why? Because vulnerability leads to self-acceptance, which leads to hope. Hope – trust in God’s eternal goodness even in darkness – is how we learn resilience. Practising resilience over time is faithfulness.

“It is not anyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," who will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven”. Today, Jesus calls us to live vulnerably – to let our true selves be seen and loved as we are, so that we can believe our self-worth. He is not rebuking those who praise him but is asking ‘why do you praise me?’ Gratitude and praise are the response of one who knows he is loved as he is and delights in that love. But if we wear a mask and shield ourselves how can God’s love penetrate us totally? It’s saying ‘Jesus I PRAISE you’ aloud but ‘love this part of me, don’t go near that part’ in our hearts. If we don’t allow Jesus to know us, are we really doing the will of the father?

So, I urge you, please be honest about the parts of yourself you withhold and bring these to prayer without shame. Honestly ask yourself:

What makes me feel vulnerable?

How do I respond to feeling vulnerable? 

Prayer intention:

Lord, you who made yourself most vulnerable as the child Jesus, help me to be courageous and be deeply honest about my own source of shame and vulnerability. Help me to believe that you, who sees all of who we are, love me deeply.

Open my hearts to those around me so they too may know loved they are and can let themselves be seen.

Amen

[1] Brené Brown, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead

Writer's Bio: Kirsten Marys Brown

Hey guys - I’m Kirsten! You’ll always catch me with a book to hand (currently I’m reading Brene Brown’s ‘Daring Greatly’ and JPII’s ‘Love and Responsibility’) and a big ol’ smile! I love all things absurd, surreal and everything to do with the brain. I could eat pistachio ice-cream all dang year and I write poetry about mental health and identity (IG @kirsten_marys). I’m an anthropologist and neuroscientist, though when I’m not doing either of those I’m probably watching The Office…

My message? Living life with purity of intention and deep vulnerability means I’m going to get my butt kicked, face pain and disappointment, but I’m also going to experience joy and deep love in my relationships and a sense of worthiness before God. Go read/watch Brene Brown now!

“[Real] doesn’t happen all at once” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

(The Velveteen Rabbit)