• Home
  • About
    • Monastic Life
    • Gallery
    • History
      • Holy Cross Abbey
      • Cistercian Order
      • Property and Battlefield
    • FAQs
    • Videos
  • Take Part
    • Pray with us
    • Visit
      • Service Times
      • Directions
    • Vocation
    • Lay Members
  • Vocation
  • Retreat House
    • Testimonials
  • Cemetery
    • Overview
    • Stones
    • Rules Overview
    • Pricing
  • Store
    • Gift Shop / Porter’s Cottage
    • Bakery Products
    • Webstore
  • Updates
    • News
    • Liturgy
    • Abbot’s Lectio Post
  • Contact

Holy Cross Abbey

901 Cool Spring Lane Berryville, Virginia 22611

  • Facebook
  • YouTube

Reflection for Thursday of the First Week of Advent

December 6, 2018 by James

Readings: Isaiah 26:1-6; Matthew 7:21, 24-27

Isaiah’s triumphant vision portrays a God who turns upside down what most societies value, and a God with a predilection for the poor and powerless. If many of the themes at the beginning of Advent give us pause, this prophecy should really have us worried. These are not the values contemporary Americans cherish.

Things get no better when we hear the Gospel: Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord, ” will enter the Kingdom of heaven.

We’ve already seen the Roman Catholic Church humiliated from its abuse of power and lack of accountability. What of any church that calls itself Christian, while exalting prosperity, ignoring the poor through exclusive social and economic systems, protecting male prerogatives, depleting natural resources or denying basic rights according to racial bias–among other expressions of complacency and self-interest?

It is not unreasonable to be fearful about our future. In fact, it’s irreligious to trust ourselves rather than be questioned by what God asks of us. What God commands is not arbitrary but a call to our greatest good, for the fulfillment of God’s creation. It is to our ruin to settle for less.

Share

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Related

Filed Under: Liturgy

Documentary Trailer

Watch the full-length documentary on the videos page.

More Video

Support Us with a Donation

Contact Us

Newsletter Signup

Holy Cross Abbey

901 Cool Spring Lane
Berryville, Virginia 22611-2700
Phone: (540) 955-4383

  • Facebook
  • YouTube

Quicklinks

  • Cemetery
  • Retreats
  • Directions
  • Links
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Get Involved

  • Pray with us
  • Visit
  • Vocation
  • Support Us

Copyright © Holy Cross Abbey - All Rights Reserved
Website Development and Management by MarketSpark
Maintenance Log -  Webmail -  Admin