2nd Advent 2011, Soul Bridge

2^nd Advent

Philippians 4:1, 4:4-9

Therefore my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and my crown of glory, stand firm in the power of the Lord.

Rejoice in the nearness of the Lord at all times! And I say it again: Rejoice!

Let a gentle kindliness be evident toward all human beings you encounter. The Lord is near! Let not worry have power over you; let your concerns in all things be known to God by sending your supplication and prayer upward in thankful thoughts. And the peace of God, which transcends anything that the intellect can grasp, will keep your hearts and thoughts safe in the Being of Christ….

Sulamith Wulfing

And lastly dear brothers I say to you:

all that is true,

all that is worthy of reverence,

all that is good and holy,

all that is lovely to look at and beautiful to hear,

all that has virtue and deserves praise:

let these be the content of your conversations and thoughts. All that you have had handed on to you, what you have heard from me and seen in me—put all this into practice; then the God of Peace will be with you!

2^nd Advent Sunday

December 4, 2011

Philippians 4:1 and 4:9

Rainbows appear amid storms. They inspire within us an awed delight, for the great arch bridges heaven and earth. God set the rainbow in the sky after the great Flood, as a promise that he would never again destroy the earth by water.

 

The seasonal prayer heard during the Act of Consecration of Man during Advent speaks of a bow of color that spans the sky. It is a picture of God’s Word.

In the Gospel reading, Paul’s letter provides us with another rainbow—a rainbow of qualities. These are qualities of our human souls, qualities that shine with the radiance of the rainbow bridge: gentle kindliness, truth, reverence, goodness, wholeness, beauty and praiseworthy virtue. They form a rainbow that the human soul engenders.

This soul rainbow is the bridge that the Christ being seeks as He once again draws near. It is His bridge into our hearts, His bridge onto the earth. When we cultivate the building of the soul’s rainbow bridge, then the God of Peace will be with us.

So as the poet says,

May the light of your soul bless your work

with love and warmth of heart

May you see in what you do the beauty of your soul.

May the sacredness of your work bring light and renewal to those

who work with you

and to those who see and receive your work.[1]

www.thechristiancommunity.org

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[1] John O’Donohue, “The Light of Your Soul” in To Bless the Space Between Us, p. 146.