Reflections of Caritas

“If we walk in the light as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another…” – 1 John 1:7

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“She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” – Matthew 1:21

Do you know the meaning of your name? If not, I encourage you to look it up. You might be surprised by what you find! For what it’s worth, mine is a derivative of “Nicholas” which means “People’s Victory” (from the Greek nike – victory, laos – people). Many parents-to-be spend a good deal of time searching and thinking about what name to give their child. For Mary and Joseph the task was made a bit easier because they received the help of an angel.

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“Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you.” – Isaiah 35:4

Have you ever been misunderstood? Have you ever made a very carefully constructed statement, only to have your words be twisted and interpreted the wrong way? It is a frustrating feeling. Even if we try our best to be precise, we often cannot control how people receive and react to our words.

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“Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.” – Matthew 3:8

During Advent we all eagerly await the coming of Christmas – exchanging gifts, decorating the tree with lights, singing carols, drinking eggnog… the list goes on. None of these things appear to be the least bit penitential (except, perhaps, the annual struggle of unwinding the Christmas lights!). Most people would say that joy and penance are contradictory, but that is not the case. The Advent season can help us understand how joy is actually a fruit of penance.

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