Christ, come enter through the door of the past:
into the remembered and the forgotten,
into the joys and sorrows,
into the recording room of memories,
into the secret room of sin,
into the hidden room of shame,
into the mourning room of sorrow,
into the bright room of love,
into the joyful room of achievement.
Come, Christ.

(David Adam)

As we light the third Advent candle let us take time to remember. Remember the moments in your life when light shone most brightly, moments that showed you very clearly that God cares, that He is near, that “His word is a lamp for your feet, a light on your path” (Psalm 119:105). It may have been a happy time when blessings overflowed, or a time of distress through which God lit his light in the midst of confusion and brought peace in the midst of anxiety. You might recall a time when someone showed you hospitality and compassion when you least expected it, or a time when you were there for someone else and you felt blessed in return.

There are probably many light-filled events that you keep in the storehouse of your memory. Do not force yourself to remember any of them, rather let a situation from your recent or distant past emerge from within you and remind you of God’s work in your life. And then, still yourself before God and take time to savour the memory. Our memories, good or bad, carry a power to evoke again what they signify. As we remember God’s love, His goodness shown to us, we can feel its power growing in us again, anew. We can sense His light growing within us.

Let this memory which at one time brought you God’s blessings be like a gold you found in the river of your life, among the stones and rubble of everyday events. Allow it to evoke gratitude within you. Let this light-filled-memory remind you that Jesus’ coming at Christmas is for your own good and wellbeing, let it prepare the way for the Lord within you. May it be a gold from your past which you can bring to Christ on Christmas Eve with prayers of thanksgiving.

Through the centuries people waited on the Messiah, trusting the promises the prophets proclaimed. Their Advent was lengthy; they had to wait a long time. Our Advent is, on the other hand, an opportunity to deepen our gratitude for the love that God has shown us in Jesus’ birth. Our Advent has a fragrance of expectancy for we know that Messiah has already arrived. You may have noticed that in many churches the third Advent candle is pink, which stands for joy. We are expecting God’s love to shower the Earth with its goodness on Christmas, and therefore we have reasons to rejoice. The memory of the first Christmas is one of the most significant memories for humankind. God came into our world to heal us and our history. This recollection of God’s love has a power to produce an oil of gladness within our souls, an ‘inner myrrh’ that we can bring to Christ on Christmas Eve.

In the dark nights of Advent, let us remember that Christ has already come, and He will come again, on Christmas, as we make room for Him in our hearts.

In the shadow of the night
When the dawn
Is but a ghost
Unknown and hidden
In the dark
A long forgotten
Promise that brings light
God whispers again
To our hearts
Treasures from your past are
A bridge between the times
Remember
(Iva Beranek, from the poem “In the Night, Remember”)

Iva Beranek
Dr Iva Beranek is the Ministry Facilitator for the CMH: Ireland

Grant us a vision, Lord
To see what we can achieve
To reach out beyond ourselves
To share our lives with others
To stretch our capabilities
To increase our sense of purpose
To be aware of where we can help
To be sensitive to your Presence
To give heed to your constant call.

 (David Adam)

A very meaningful way to journey through Advent is by finding time for reflection, creating prayerful moments in our days, moments of stillness, where we wish to direct our attention to God and allow Christ to enter our reality, to light our inner candles and bring light in areas of our lives where we most need it. But it might also be good and even Christ-like if we could find opportunities to step out of ourselves and encourage someone who we think needs light lit in their lives. When we can find balance between a reflective and active preparation for the coming of Christ at Christmas, our Advent journey becomes more wholesome.

Take time to notice someone: a friend, a family member or a child who might benefit from your company, greet strangers with a smile, talk to a man or a woman who is homeless, clean your wardrobe and bring things you no longer use to a charity shop, visit an elderly person who might be lonely at this time, say a prayer for people that no one prays for or see what situation moves your heart and respond to it according to your means. Do not take these suggestions as a burden on yourself in what is most likely already a busy season for you. Rather know that in the moments in which we affirm another person’s dignity, moments when we encounter others heart to heart, we meet God in them as well. When we light someone else’s inner candle, our own inner light is relit too.

In the song Be Thou my Vision there is a verse in which we sing,  “Be Thou my dignity, be Thou my delight”. As we bring Christ’s light to each other, sometimes merely by our presence, let us be clothed in His light, robed in His dignity, aware of His delight, knowing that ‘together’ we journey through Advent, together we walk this walk of light.

Iva Beranek
Dr Iva Beranek is the Ministry Facilitator for the CMH: Ireland