Advent Week 4 - Peace
Good day to all and to all a good day! “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!” (Ps 118:24) Is your mood, attitude, disposition based upon circumstances and situations that may be unpleasant and incompatible with your particular desires? We enter into the 4th week of Advent by lighting the last of the purple candles for Peace and also known as the Angels candle.
Peace is a gift of God. The call and gifts of God are irrevocable. (Rom 11:29) “The thief comes but to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come to give you life and that abundantly.” (John 10:10) Time is so precious and priceless. It is non-apoplectic. Time moves forward towards the 2nd coming of Christ Jesus. It cannot be replenished nor bought with money. Yet how many of us take time for granted until we come to the realization of its worth. The most precious gift we can give is that of our time. To take each moment of our lives and live life to the fullest in appreciation and gratitude for what we have.
We allow time to pressure us and measure our life by it, yet time is subject to God not God to time. Satan is under the pressure of time, “Woe to you earth and sea for the Devil has come down upon you and his fury knows no limit for he knows his time is short.” (Rev 12:12) By faith in Christ Jesus we are eternally alive now. Why worry! Anxiety is the antonym of Peace. Satan’s tactic is to divert our focus off of Jesus and His promises towards our problems. Every worry, every care, every concern is based in this world and this world is passing away. In time, all will be resolved, maybe not to your liking, but nonetheless it will be resolved. “In the fullness of time, God brought forth His only begotten son.” (Gal 4:4-7)
Angels were created by God to serve. Satan said he would not serve but rather desired worship for himself. He himself is a creature created by God. “The nature of angels is that of “spirit” while angel is the name of their ‘office’: from what they are, ‘spirit,’ from what they do, ‘angel.’” (CCC 329) “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear (love) Him.” (Ps 34:8) “Are not all angles ministering spirits sent to serve the heirs of salvation.” (Heb 1:14) It is not those who pray that impress God but those to whom believe in their prayers! We should utilize our time for God’s glory revealed in our lives. By the witness of our testimony of faith and behavior, we inspire others by God’s grace to place their lives in perspective and with priority. Do we truly believe in angels and their help in our lives?
“Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I say rejoice! Everyone should see how unselfish you are. The Lord is near. Dismiss all anxiety from your minds. Present your needs to God in every form of prayer and in petitions full of gratitude. Then God’s own peace, which is beyond all understanding, will stand guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:4-7) Finally, the degree in which we trust God will expand our capacity to experience joy and peace in this mortal life and in eternity.