"Your heart is the inn."

On Thursday afternoon, I had the privilege of sitting down with Fr. Juan in our school chapel to ask him my questions about the third Joyful Mystery of the Rosary, the Nativity.  With this being a week of Advent so full of joy, he was the perfect spiritual guide to seek out.

It might seem a bit early in our Advent journey to already be discussing the Nativity--why talk about the birth of Jesus almost two weeks before Christmas?  Well, two reasons.  The first is that we have set out to get to know Mary through the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary this Advent and the Nativity just happens to be the third mystery.  And the second reason, how many times has it happened in our lives that what was set as a due date...changed?

His message, as always, is compassionate, simple, and hopeful.  Taking from our Scripture reading in Luke 2: 1-7, he shares that the "inn" is simply our hearts.  All of the rejection faced by Mary and Joseph in a crowded Bethlehem was due to hearts being closed, unwilling to make a place for Jesus to dwell. 

And that's the question he poses to us--where are our hearts at this moment?  Are we seeing Jesus in our daily interactions and in all people?  Are we giving each other grace, seeing that every person is a dwelling place of God?

My hour with Fr. Juan was a gift and one that I want to share with each of you.  It always makes me smile when I think of how he says that God is simple.  Mary is simple.  Getting to heaven is simple--love and say the name of Jesus and that you need Him.

We don't know when Jesus will come again.  We have no sign.  We have only hope, a promise, and a call to be prepared--prepared with room in our hearts for Him.  May we all accept the challenge that Fr. Juan proposes to us in this hour of Advent reflection:

Look for Jesus in every person and at the end of the day, let His Name be the last word you speak.

I imagine that Mary understood this simplicity very well.  Isn't it a beautiful thought to think of her putting a young Jesus to bed, sitting close to Him, holding His little hand while he fell asleep, possibly dozing off herself as many parents do, and her last word every evening being, "Jesus".

Let's be simple together this week...and REJOICE!

In Him through her,

Angela