Monday of 2nd Week of Advent
Isa 35:1-10
Lk 5:17-26
They will come to Zion shouting for joy…
I was taking the subway recently and noticed the faces of the commuters. I could count only two or three smiling faces and they all came from the younger children. They were all playing with each other and having a great time. Sometimes I wonder whether adults have lost a sense of joy which children possess. The readings of today remind us of the need to remain joyful in the season of Advent.
The first reading reminds us of the great joy of the Israelites who were about to return to the kingdom of Israel. In such a situation, everybody looked forward to the joy of going home. This feeling of joy is indescribable and which is missing today. The world is full of bad news and people do not have a spirit of hope. What is causing this? It is the fear of the unknown. There is no anticipation of the future and this is causing people to not look forward to what is coming before them.
The season of Advent reminds of the need to have hope. This hope is due to the coming of Jesus Christ before us. The good Lord came down to save us from our sins. A deep reflection on this would be important will allow us to discover what it means to be a hopeful people. With a hopeful anticipation of the future, we can then take every step of our life with joy and looking forward to the challenges in life. The steps we can take is to offer to the Lord our fears and concerns in prayer.
Prayer is a conversation with God and in this conversation, we will be able to discover the importance of surrendering our fears and allowing the peace of the Lord to enter into our lives.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)
Prayer: Dear Lord, give us the courage to surrender our faults and melt our hardness of heart to welcome you this Christmas.
Thanksgiving: We give thanks for all who have shown us what it means to experience joy.
OXYGEN 
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