Reflections from the Heart – December 1, 2024

First Sunday of Advent
by Fr. Ivan Olmo

“Brothers and sisters: May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all.” One of the most profound statements and acknowledgements in sacred scripture occurs when Saint John the Baptist is hit and faced with the reality that he must decrease so that Jesus can increase in the lives of others. It is our call, our duty, our salvation as fellow Christians that we also must, not should or could or maybe, but rather must decrease so that God can increase his Son’s ministries in us; so that our truest identity as Christians may rise from the darkness of error and sin into the glorious freedom of the Children of Light. Light must increase so that darkness and evil can scatter. Love must increase so indifference and hate can leave this world. A desire for life must increase in our lives and hearts so that sin and death can be no more. You must decrease in order for the Kingdom of God to manifest itself and rid itself of the sinful evil kingdom and its destructive desire to destroy all of God’s children. You must decrease; Christ must increase in you so that the Kingdom of God here, there, and everywhere in your life, in your heart, in your family, in your Christian ministries and duties can be visible, accessible and present to all, for the good of all but more perfectly for love of Christ and for love of one another. In order for something to increase, something must decrease. In order to add; we must subtract. We cannot not be of the mindset that we can keep remodeling our hearts, expanding the space, adding to it by building a shed or attaching more garage space or by adding a new addition. We cannot continue to occupy more storage space but must empty ourselves, free ourselves of what is displacing God. We must make more room for Christ who has made you his home, his dwelling place, his house of prayer. We simply cannot keep stuffing our hearts like stocking stuffers but must make room, more room and more space in our hearts for Christ to live, to move, to breathe and minister in, through and with us throughout our lives. Can we have a little less anger and abound more in Christ’s love? Can we temper down our bad attitudes and increase more in faith, hope, love and trust? Can we decrease in sinful activities so that the Lord can increase in us his virtue, holiness, grace?