Second Sunday of Advent – 04.12.2011

Listening to the words of this beautiful Advent's song

Come Lord, come Lord Jesus

Give your people hope

Come Lord, come Lord Jesus

and lead your people home

I am thinking actually how it is possible that being a Christian, a disciple of Christ, His servant and His follower I am very often miserable, unhappy, frustrated, disappointed, sad and depressed? Where from are coming all these awful feelings and sentiments of hopelessness, irritation, anger, sadness and dissatisfaction?

With a sincere and honest longing I am singing at the beginning of Advent this wonderful hymn:

O Lord of light, fill the night
Many have lost their way

O Rising Dawn, shine upon us,
darkness shall be no more

And then I read in the prophet Isaiah:

"Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her service is at an end,
her guilt is expiated; indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD
double for all her sins."

 Are they not comforting … these words? And yet there is still some kind of discomfort, grief and sorrow.

Where from does it come all this unhappiness and lack of deep, Christian joy?

And constantly is coming the refrain of this song:

Come Lord, come Lord Jesus

Give your people hope

Come Lord, come Lord Jesus

and lead your people home

And so, …. I am reading the Bible and searching what is wrong with humanity, why despite of all our achievements, scientific and technological successes we are constantly unhappy and depressed. Last week I read a shocking information that in USA every ten minutes a teenager is committing a suicide !!!

O Lord of light, fill the night
Many have lost their way

O Rising Dawn, shine upon us,
darkness shall be no more

And yet still it is … depressing and discouraging, hopeless and helpless, irritating and annoying …

And in this pain comes the question: "Why is He not coming? Why is He waiting and a why He abandoned me?

And then I read the Gospel of this Sunday with the clear words of courageous John the Baptist:

"Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths."

And I realized in an instant that the origin of my fear and desolation, unhappiness and misery is the fact that I am not ready to receive Him, that I didn't prepare my ways, the simple fact that I am still so strongly attached to my sins and my weaknesses, my habits and my caprices.

To sing –even very sincerely and devotedly:

Come Lord, come Lord Jesus

Give your people hope

Come Lord, come Lord Jesus

and lead your people home

is helpless because the problem is not on the side of Jesus, the problem lies in me  …

And on top of this comes –like a lightning of discovery- one simple sentence from Western Catholic Reporter, where for last few weeks Glen Argan is referring about the spiritual theology of St. Francis de Sales, who said in a very simple and yet strong and shocking way:

"The source of all your unhappiness and frustration is the fact that you don't love and don't follow the will of God". Following your own will and your caprices you are constantly fighting against the HOLY WILL OF GOD. Do you think that you will ever win? And this is why you are unhappy and sad, frustrated and disappointed, depressed and irritated.

Come Lord, come Lord Jesus

Give your people hope

And first help us to prepare the ways for you, make straight the paths of our crocked life …