Advent – a Call to Open Wide the Door
Sunday 27 November 2016
At the conclusion of Year of Mercy, Pope Francis in his letter Misericordia et Misera (Mercy and Misery) reminded, "the Jubilee now ends and the Holy Door is closed. But the door of mercy of our heart continues to remain wide open." As we enter into the holy season of Advent, it is time to open our hearts wide. It is time of grace and hope letting Jesus come to us. Our call is to keep the door of our hearts wide open in order to welcome Him when he comes. When will He come, where will He meet us and how will He appear – no one knows! Ours is to stay awake and be prepared!
The light of the World is a beautiful painting by the famous artist, William Holman Hunt. In the picture, Christ is seen standing in a garden holding a lantern in one hand and with the other, knocking on a door. A friend of the artist said to him, “Holman, you have made a mistake. The door you have painted does not have a handle." "It is not a mistake", answered the artist, "for that is the door of the human heart and it can only opened from the inside."
Jesus standing outside and knocking conveys a central message: "Open up! Let me enter your life. Each part of it, I will guide you to what benefits your growth". Teilhard de Chardin understood the necessity of opening the door inward to find and claim the inner beauty and goodness. Reflecting on his spiritual growth, he observed this truth – the deeper I descend myself, the deeper I find God at the heart of my being. Opening the door of our heart means to enter into the vast treasure of who we are and to the divine within us.
Shall we make humble efforts during this season of advent, to open the door our hearts to Him who is knocking and meet Him who is seated inside? The choice is ours – to open or not to open, to meet or not to meet.
Wish you all a grace filled and fruitful season of Advent.
Shibu Joseph sac