Daily Pastoral #65
The Kingdom of God
is not God reigning over all of creation like a tyrant
with ‘his’ boot on the necks of all who acted against his will.
In Jesus, we see that the Kingdom of God
is God’s journey into every living soul.
But most importantly, your soul.
In the midst of your darkest night.
This is Advent.
In Advent, we await the arrival
of the Incarnate Word.
We cannot see this happening when it does.
It is only in hindsight
that you can see the arrival of God.
In this arrival, God interrupts you
in your self-chosen exile.
Christ breaks in on you
not like a warrior king
but with the vulnerability of an infant messiah.
This Adventtide, may you hold fast
as you await the Christ light
that extends into the shadows of your heart
and mine.
In Comfort + Joy,
Jonas
an excerpt from an essay of byzantine spirituality in regards to the nativity (thought you might enjoy):
The theme that runs through the whole celebration is this: the inner journey of the soul is cosmic and existential. It is realized in the Union of heaven and earth, in the Union of matter in spirit. The journey of the soul to God is an eternal process of change, of becoming and a movement to final perfection. Christian optimism has its roots in this mystery. Through Christ man will always find his way from error to wisdom, from evil to good. Man will attain deification by his union with God and will enjoy forever the sweetness of paradise. The festivity of the appearance of the Lord in the flesh, the nativity, is the first song of paradise regained