Is There Rest? Is There Love?

When two people are in love, they would cherish every moment that they get to spend together, simply resting in each other's embrace. There's no need for words, no need for elaborate activities, just being fully present in the here and now for each other.

God created us out of love and to love us. Flowing from that, He wills for us to respond to His love, to know Him and to serve Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength! The key to experiencing God's love and responding to His love is simple: rest. Take a step back and rest in His presence.

The world we live in is fast-paced, filled with tonnes of activities, running through of the motions, enriching one's self constantly so as to remain competitive but amidst all that the world surrounding us shouts at us, Jesus gently says unto us,

"Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest."

- Matthew 11:28

Jesus wants us to find rest in Him, to spend time with Him, to be in relationship with Him.

God made man on the 6th day and rested on the 7th day. The first day of Adam's existence was all about resting! God desires for us to find rest in Him as we encounter Him on the first day of each week. So, how do we do this? How do we rest and tap into His love as we prepare for Christmas in this last week of Advent.

1. Sit down and read Scriptures This is the season where many of us are running around and making sure everything is in place for Christmas Day - food&beverage preparations, decorations around the house, shopping for gifts and the list could go on and on. Just pause. Sit down and spend time reading Scripture. What is Jesus speaking to your heart? He is the reason for the season and there's really no point in you working so hard in the build up to Christmas day only to be burnt out on the actual day and succeeding days in the Octave of Christmas. Jesus wants us to be cheerful as we welcome Him into our lives once again!

2. Take a nap! Yup, you read that right. Just take a nap and not do anything at all. God works wonders in and through our resting. God made Eve from Adam's side as Adam rested and He formed the Church from Christ's side as He rested on the Cross. Jesus even took a nap amidst thunderstorms(to the disbelief of His apostles), Daniel napped in the lion's den, Peter slept in prison, St.Joseph received commands in his dreams. There is always time for sleep and God can work wonders in and through it. Sleep is an act of worship as we choose to trust in the Lord to see to every matter in our lives and just lay our heads to rest!

3. Connect with a friend Connect with a friend intentionally and do it with enthusiasm as if you are really meeting Jesus on His birthday and this shouldn't be that hard since we are all made in His image and likeness, eh?! Be authentic, genuine and intentional in meeting up for a meal, conversing, inspiring and exchanging hearts. Jesus is the center of it all and the standard of our relationships, if we let this meet up with a friend be a natural product of our relationship with Jesus and our 'resting in Him', we will see wondrous results and all glory goes to God! Connecting with a friend or a group of friends amidst the busy season can really go a long way especially in face of the global pandemic where majority of the people are naval-gazing. Let us find rest in Jesus and extend this experience to others!

4. Run to Holy Mass

While Adam's first day of existed consisted of resting and so does the first day of our every week, rest is also what we will be doing for all eternity once our Earthly pilgrimage is up which is why we pray, "Eternal rest grant unto them.."

Jesus not only wants us to rest in His embrace in Heaven but also in Heaven on Earth which is at every Holy Mass we attend. So, run to Mass on as many weekdays as you can in this final week of Advent or tune in for mass online and receive Jesus in Spiritual Communion. The Holy Mass is Heaven on Earth! Heaven is where we experience the fulfillment of all that we've been longing for throughout these weeks of advent namely, hope, peace, joy and above all, love!

Let's rest in the Spirit by taking these steps as well as other steps that the Lord inspires us to take as we sleep, sit, walk and run with God daily!

Jesus loves you and wants you to tap into His love by simply resting in His embrace!

Blessed 4th Week of Advent!!!