The True Source of Our Peace | #1501

Advent, 1st Sunday (C) A felt sense of safety and security is necessary for us to find peace. When peace is missing, there are many ways we might try to manufacture it. Perhaps you surround yourself only with like-minded people. Try to control everything, get angry, or run and hide. Maybe you numb yourself or pretend that it doesn't matter. God desires to make his people safe and secure. We receive this safety through knowledge of God's unconditional love and trust in his ongoing providence. The rest of the world may be terrified but Christians can continue to experience peace. We need to keep our eyes on our eternal goal. We need to remember that only God's opinion matters. Lastly, we need to stay vigilant, expecting tribulations. Make time each week in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Share with Jesus whatever is burdening you and weighing on you. Then keep your eyes open for all the little ways that God is caring for you. Advent is not about God appearing when you are finally ready to receive him. Rather, God is already with you right now. Advent is the gradual opening of our eyes to realize his humble presence. It is the presence of Jesus that is the true source of our peace. (1 Dec 2024) Going Deeper: Welcome to Season 15 of the Pilgrim Priest Podcast! This year's album is titled, A Spirit of Power and Love and Self-Control. I know that is a mouthful. It is taken from 2 Timothy 1:6-7, "Hence I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control." I picked this because it feels like the next logical step on my own personal journey of healing. We can try and draw life from many sources. I had been trying to draw life from others' affirmation, from my own sense of accomplishment, from Mass attendance numbers and podcast downloads and many other externals. As I became more Rooted in Jesus Christ (2023), I experienced a lot of Freedom and Peace (2024). My relationship with Him was giving me the love and meaning that I needed, so I had the freedom to let the people around me be who they are and not who I needed them to be for me. In the course of writing my series on chastity, I realized that power, love, and self-control all go together. Self-control is not about flexing my ability to refuse things, but more about letting go of unimportant things so that my energy can go towards loving God and loving my neighbor. When we do this, we start to experience the incredible power that comes from genuine love. I now understand why St. Paul put these three things together in one spirit. We have been given this Spirit, but we need to rekindle it. This year will be about rekindling the spirit of power, love, and self-control. What would your life look like of this spirit were blazing? AdobeStock_388097031 | Over 13 years of homily episodes available at PilgrimPriest.us/podcast | Like, subscribe, and share us with your enemies. | Find me on Facebook and Twitter | Powered by Patrons | give through PayPal or leave a nice review on your favorite podcast platform.