O, Wisdom, O holy Word of God,[1] you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care.[2] Come and show your people the way to salvation.[3]
In this ancient antiphon the Church cries out to Christ, as the Wisdom of the Father, the eternal Word proclaimed by John in his prologue,[4] who was with the Father in the beginning of the creation of the world which he continues to govern. We, the Church cry “Come,” the most primordial of all prayers, because we know we’ve “messed up” the wonderful order of creation with human sin and manipulation and need God’s Wisdom, whose “thoughts are not our thoughts.”[5] Only he can show us his Son who is the way to Salvation; to saving us from ourselves and leading us to righteousness in thought and action, which the term salvation implies.
It is part of God’s plan for us that Christ shall come to us in everyone; it is in their particular role that we must learn to know him. He may come as a little child, making enormous demands, giving enormous consolation. He may come as a stranger, so that we must give the hospitality to a stranger that we should like to give to Christ.
Commentary:Caryll Houselander beautifully reminds us that Christ often comes to us through other people, inviting us to recognize His presence in each person’s unique role. He may appear in the form of a child who requires our patience and love, or a stranger who calls us to show hospitality and generosity. This teaching echoes Christ’s words in the Gospels, where He says that whatever we do for the least of His brothers, we do for Him. For Catholics, this perspective challenges us to approach each encounter with the reverence we would give to Christ Himself, recognizing His face in those around us.
Personal Reflection: Today, be mindful of seeing Christ in each person you meet. How can you respond to others—as children, strangers, or friends—with the same love and attention you would offer to Christ Himself?
“A Child in Winter: Advent, Christmas and Epiphany with Caryll Houselander”.
O Lord, infant Jesus, grant us great humility! You gave us the model of perfect humility in your incarnation, life, and death. We pray for a greater Humility this Christmas.
Divine Infant,
after the wonders of Your birth in Bethlehem,
You wished to extend Your infinite mercy to the whole world
by calling the Wise Men by heavenly inspiration to Your crib,
which was in this way changed into a royal throne.
You graciously received those holy men
who were obedient to the Divine call
and hastened to Your feet.
They recognized and worshipped You as Prince of Peace,
the Redeemer of mankind,
and the very Son of God.
Show us also Your goodness and almighty power.
Enlighten our minds,
strengthen our wills,
and inflame our hearts to know You,
to serve You,
and to love You in this life,
that we may merit to find our joy in You eternally in the life to come.
Jesus, most powerful Child,
We implore You again to help us
with the intentions we hold in the depths of our hearts.
Divine Child, great omnipotent God,
I implore through Your most Holy Mother’s most powerful intercession,
and through the boundless mercy of Your omnipotence as God,
for a favorable answer to my prayer during this Novena.
Grant us the grace of possessing You eternally
with Mary and Joseph
and of adoring You with Your holy angels and saints.
An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart:
Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening.
Part Three: Listening Through Trials, Weakness, and Silence
DAY 18 – Fear
“When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.”
Psalm 56:3 RSV
Fear touches every human heart. We long for security, assurance, and answers. We want to know that we are safe and that there is a solution waiting for what troubles us. Yet fear, when left unchecked, can cripple the very movement of faith that would lead us toward those things. It narrows our vision, boxes us into what we know, and blinds us to the new and unexpected ways God desires to act in our lives.
There is a fear that protects, the kind that keeps us from danger or awakens the conscience to sin. This holy fear is the beginning of wisdom. But there is also a fear that confines. It is the fear that doubts God’s goodness, hesitates to trust His timing, and clings to control. That fear keeps us from receiving grace.
The discerning heart must learn to recognize both kinds. Christ calls us not to eliminate fear but to bring it to Him, where love can transform it. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” (1 John 4:18) The love of God does not always remove uncertainty. It fills it with His presence. Faith grows when we choose to move toward Him even when the outcome is unclear.
Advent reveals this mystery: divine love enters the world where human fear reigns, and through Christ, teaches the heart to trust again. In Him, we learn that faith is not the denial of fear, but the act of bringing our fear into His presence. When the heart surrenders its need for control, grace restores peace and confidence. God does not remove every uncertainty, but He remains with us in it, guiding and protecting us with His love.
Journey with the Saints –
St. Pio of Pietrelcina
“Pray, hope, and don’t worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer.” St. Pio of Pietrelcina, Letters, Vol. III
For St. Padre Pio, fear was not something to wrestle with alone but something to entrust to God. He taught that peace begins when we stop trying to manage everything by our own strength. The things that belong to God—the outcome of events, the timing of answers, the care of those we love—must be placed back in His hands.
Pio endured misunderstanding, illness, persecution, and interior trial, yet his words remained steady: “Fear nothing. God is with you, and He is more powerful than all the evil in the world.” His calm came from knowing that God’s providence governs every circumstance.
He shows the discerning heart that faith does not erase fear. It transforms it. When fear is lifted to God in prayer, grace renews strength and trust begins to grow again.
Reflection for the Listening Heart
Where am I clinging to certainty or control?
Where do I demand answers rather than trust God’s unfolding?
Fear often disguises itself as the desire for safety. But when it leads me to shrink from grace, it becomes a chain that holds me back from the very assurance I seek. God does not want to silence our fears as much as He wants to meet us within them.
The discerning heart learns to tell the difference between the fear that protects and the fear that confines. Faith listens for God’s invitation to move toward love, even when the path is uncertain.
Ask yourself: What fear keeps me boxed into the possible I can imagine, instead of the endless possibilities God can bring?
A Simple Practice for Today
Choose one verse from today’s Scripture, perhaps “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.”
Sit with it for one quiet minute and say, “Speak, Lord, I am listening.”
Later in the day, pause and take a slow breath. Say, “Lord, free me from the fear that limits Your work in me.”
Let both moments open your heart to the greater possibilities of faith.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, You know my longing for certainty and control.
When I am afraid, teach me to trust You more than my own plans.
Through the witness of St. Padre Pio, help me to pray with confidence, to hope with peace,
and to believe that Your love holds possibilities beyond what I can imagine.
Let Your perfect love cast out fear and make my heart ready for Your coming.
Come Lord Jesus.
Amen.
Wednesday of the 3rd Week of Advent – An Advent Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart
From the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew 1:18-24
This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfil the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son
and they will call him Emmanuel,
a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.’ When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home.
What word made this passage come alive for you?
What did you sense the Lord saying to you?
Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:
This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfil the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son
and they will call him Emmanuel,
a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.’ When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home.
What did your heart feel as you listened?
What did you sense the Lord saying to you?
Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:
This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfil the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son
and they will call him Emmanuel,
a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.’ When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home.
What did your heart feel as you prayed?
What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
May the Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen
Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.
The Gift of Grace – The Way of Mystery with Deacon James Keating
Deacon James Keating describes the spiritual journey from attachment to sin into a life shaped by Christ’s light. This shift usually begins through pain or restlessness that awakens a desire for something deeper. As a person moves away from sin and leans into virtue, the presence of Christ becomes clearer, forming the mind and heart through prayer, scripture, worship, and especially the Eucharist. Over time, a person stops acting in isolation and instead makes choices with Christ dwelling within, seeking His guidance in every moral question. This inner communion brings freedom, joy, and clarity, not constraint, because the Christian life becomes a relationship of deepening love rather than instant transformation.
Worship shapes moral life because it immerses the soul in Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. Practical discernment includes immediately handing temptations over to Christ before they take root in the imagination and lead the will astray. All ethical questions are to be placed within the mystery of Christ rather than secular ideologies. A well-formed conscience draws from scripture, the Eucharist, and the Church’s teaching authority, which safeguards doctrine and prevents confusion born from private theories or theological trends. True renewal in the Church arises where Catholics rediscover authentic teaching, which challenges one toward holiness and aligns life with Christ rather than cultural pressures.
Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions
How has Christ begun to bring light into areas of your life where you once felt restless or dissatisfied?
In what ways does your participation in the Eucharist shape the choices you make throughout the week?
Where do you still rely on your own independence rather than inviting Christ into your decisions?
How quickly do you turn to Christ when you notice temptation arising within you?
What helps you enter worship not as a routine, but as a living encounter with God?
How do you place your daily moral questions within the mystery of Christ rather than cultural or personal preferences?
In what ways could your conscience be more deeply formed by scripture and the Church’s teaching?
How does your relationship with Christ affect the way you evaluate what is truly good or meaningful?
What practices help you remain attentive to Christ dwelling within you throughout the day?
How is God inviting you to grow in humility when receiving teaching or correction within the Church?
Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., is a professor of Spiritual Theology and serves as a spiritual director at Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, MO.
O Lord, infant Jesus, fill us with Joy! The birth of any child is a cause for joy and so much more is the birth of You our Savior. We pray in union with Mary, Your mother, for a greater joy this Christmas.
Divine Infant,
after the wonders of Your birth in Bethlehem,
You wished to extend Your infinite mercy to the whole world
by calling the Wise Men by heavenly inspiration to Your crib,
which was in this way changed into a royal throne.
You graciously received those holy men
who were obedient to the Divine call
and hastened to Your feet.
They recognized and worshipped You as Prince of Peace,
the Redeemer of mankind,
and the very Son of God.
Show us also Your goodness and almighty power.
Enlighten our minds,
strengthen our wills,
and inflame our hearts to know You,
to serve You,
and to love You in this life,
that we may merit to find our joy in You eternally in the life to come.
Jesus, most powerful Child,
We implore You again to help us
with the intentions we hold in the depths of our hearts.
Divine Child, great omnipotent God,
I implore through Your most Holy Mother’s most powerful intercession,
and through the boundless mercy of Your omnipotence as God,
for a favorable answer to my prayer during this Novena.
Grant us the grace of possessing You eternally
with Mary and Joseph
and of adoring You with Your holy angels and saints.
Caryll Houselander Icon used with permission from TRINITY ICONS
Day 16: Trusting Christ’s Quiet Growth in Us
It is only necessary to give ourselves to that life, all that we are, to pray without ceasing, not by a continual effort to concentrate our minds but by a growing awareness that Christ is being formed in our lives from what we are. We must trust Him for this, because it is not a time to see His face, we must possess Him secretly and in darkness, as the earth possesses the seed. We must not try to force Christ’s growth in us, but with a deep gratitude for the light burning secretly in our darkness, we must fold our concentrated love upon Him like earth, surrounding, holding, and nourishing the seed.
Commentary:Caryll Houselander invites us into a deeply contemplative attitude, one where we allow Christ to grow within us naturally, without forcing or striving. She reminds us that prayer is not always a focused effort of concentration but a quiet awareness that He is forming Himself within us, even in darkness. Like the earth holding a seed, we are called to embrace Christ’s presence within, trusting that He is quietly working in the hidden places of our lives. For Catholics, this reflects the contemplative tradition of silent prayer and trust in God’s unseen work within our souls.
Personal Reflection: In moments of prayer today, try to simply rest in God’s presence without striving. Imagine yourself as the earth surrounding and nourishing the growth of Christ within you. How can you deepen your trust in His quiet work, even when you don’t see immediate results?
Houselander quote from: Caryll Houselander, The Reed of God, Sheed & Ward, 1944
An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart:
Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening.
Part Three: Listening Through Trials, Weakness, and Silence
DAY 17 – Suffering
“For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.”
2 Corinthians 1.5 RSV
Suffering is one of the most difficult interior places for a listening heart. It can come through physical pain, emotional wounds, grief, loss, or the heavy silence that settles during spiritual darkness. Suffering makes prayer feel harder. It can shake confidence and tempt the soul to ask whether God has withdrawn.
Yet Advent reveals something tender and astonishing. Christ enters human suffering not from the outside, but from within. He takes on our poverty, our fragility, and our sorrow so that nothing we endure is ever faced alone. Suffering becomes a place of encounter because it reveals where we need God most.
Suffering is not a sign of God’s distance. It is often the place where His presence begins to deepen. When the heart suffers, distraction falls away. The cry of the soul becomes more honest. The heart reaches toward God with a sincerity that only pain can uncover. Grace often moves quietly here, hidden beneath the weight of the cross.
The discerning heart does not deny suffering. It brings it before Christ. When suffering is surrendered to Him, even imperfectly, it becomes a channel where His love begins to work from the inside.
Journey with the Saints –
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
“The accidents of life separate us from our dearest friends; but let us not despond. God is like a looking-glass in which souls see each other. The more we are united to him by love, the nearer we are to those who belong to him.”
St. Elizabeth Anne Bayley Seton, Collected Writings, Vol. 3B, p. 42
Today invites you to bring your suffering honestly before Christ. Not the idea of suffering, but the real places that ache. The places that feel heavy or unresolved. The places where you long for healing, clarity, or comfort.
Christ meets you there. Your suffering is not unseen. He holds what feels overwhelming and gathers every tear into His heart. When suffering is offered to Him, it begins to change from within. It becomes a place of communion rather than isolation.
Ask yourself: What suffering weighs on me today. How is Christ inviting me to let Him enter this place.
Reflection for the Listening Heart
Today invites you to notice the places where you feel uncertain or unclear. Confusion can make us want to rush, fix, or force an answer. Yet spiritual wisdom teaches the opposite. Confusion invites us to slow down and let God lead.
Listening becomes deeper in confusion. It is here that the heart learns to be patient. It is here that the soul learns to trust without seeing. Confusion teaches humility, because it shows us that only God can direct our steps.
Ask yourself: Where do I feel confused today. What would it look like to let Christ hold this confusion instead of trying to solve it alone.
A Simple Practice for Today
Choose one real suffering you are carrying and name it before Christ. Say, “Jesus, be with me here.” Return to this phrase throughout the day whenever the ache rises in your heart.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, enter the suffering I carry. Hold what is heavy and heal what is wounded. Help me to feel Your nearness in every sorrow. Teach me to trust that no pain is wasted when it is placed in Your hands. Let my suffering become a place where Your love deepens within me. Amen.
Day 1 – Joy
O Lord, infant Jesus, fill us with Joy! The birth of any child is a cause for joy and so much more is the birth of You our Savior. We pray in union with Mary, Your mother, for a greater joy this Christmas.
Divine Infant,
after the wonders of Your birth in Bethlehem,
You wished to extend Your infinite mercy to the whole world
by calling the Wise Men by heavenly inspiration to Your crib,
which was in this way changed into a royal throne.
You graciously received those holy men
who were obedient to the Divine call
and hastened to Your feet.
They recognized and worshipped You as Prince of Peace,
the Redeemer of mankind,
and the very Son of God.
Show us also Your goodness and almighty power.
Enlighten our minds,
strengthen our wills,
and inflame our hearts to know You,
to serve You,
and to love You in this life,
that we may merit to find our joy in You eternally in the life to come.
Jesus, most powerful Child,
We implore You again to help us
with the intentions we hold in the depths of our hearts.
Divine Child, great omnipotent God,
I implore through Your most Holy Mother’s most powerful intercession,
and through the boundless mercy of Your omnipotence as God,
for a favorable answer to my prayer during this Novena.
Grant us the grace of possessing You eternally
with Mary and Joseph
and of adoring You with Your holy angels and saints.
Amen.
DAY 18 – Fear
From the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew 1:18-24
O Lord, infant Jesus, fill us with Joy! The birth of any child is a cause for joy and so much more is the birth of You our Savior. We pray in union with Mary, Your mother, for a greater joy this Christmas.
DAY 17 – Suffering