1 DEC
December 3
Letting Go: Making Room for Christ
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
Psalm 51:10
Reflection
An advantage of old age is to know what our own distractions and attachments are. Jane Austen-esque, Mary and Joseph are right on the threshold of their married lives together, but the critical part of their relationship is only just beginning. Both show an amazing ability to imagine outside themselves and their culture, to take a risk for the benefit of everyone except themselves, all based on their trust in God and – we may judge – in each other, in contravention of the social norms of the time.
Francis likewise, rather later and after many reversals and missteps performed a total turnaround which set him at odds with his upwardly mobile family and community. So, for Francis his reversal of his attachment to fixed address, money and possessions liberated him and his communities to “follow naked, the naked Christ.” This enabled Francis to found communities “without boundaries” of wealth, of social status, of education, or – eventually in the Third Order – of gender. These communities were instead based on love – for God, for each other to a remarkable degree and for the poor and the outcast. Having no possessions to defend Francis and the Franciscans were accepted as heralds of peace.
Pat Mossoff TSSF
European Province
Reflective Action
Silent Sweep a space where you are living.
As you clean or tidy a space today, do it in silence.
Let each movement – folding, sweeping, dusting – become a breath of prayer.
With each item you release or return to its place, whisper inwardly: “Prepare the way of the Lord.”
Notice what inner clutter surfaces, old regrets, fears, or attachments, and gently offer them to God.
Franciscan Quote
“Holy hope, in you the soul will persevere
and reach the joy of eternal life.”
St. Francis of Assisi
(Salutation of the Virtues)
Prayer
Lord of Light,
As I make space around me,
make space within me.
Clear away fear and heaviness,
and prepare my heart for your joy.
CULTURAL insight
At the end of each year, I join my family in Oosouji – the Big Clean-Up. It’s more than sweeping floors or sorting drawers.
As we dust corners and air out closets, I feel something shift inside me.
I let go of what no longer serves: grudges, clutter, even worn-out dreams.
Each act of cleaning becomes a quiet prayer for renewal.
The scent of fresh tatami, the sound of brooms – these mark the turning of the year.
By the time we finish, the house feels lighter, and so do I.
Oosouji prepares not just our home, but my heart, for a fresh beginning.
Forming in the Silence
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”
Psalm 51:10
developmental markers
week 5
In the womb
- About 1.0–1.5 mm in size (a sesame seed);
- Beginning to curve into a “C” shape; the head and tail ends start to form;
- The neural tube (which becomes the brain and spinal cord) begins forming;
- The heart starts to form and may begin to beat toward the end of this week;
- Small buds appear that will later become arms and legs; early eyes and ears are starting to develop;
- The placenta and yolk sac are developing to nourish and protect the embryo.
in the mother
- Rising levels of HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) confirm pregnancy;
- Fatigue, breast tenderness, nausea, emotional sensitivity may begin or intensify; There is likely no outward sign of pregnancy, but inwardly, the body is rapidly adjusting;
- Spiritually and emotionally, this may be a time of awe, uncertainty, or quiet anticipation.
reflection
In week five of pregnancy, the embryo is just the size of a sesame seed.The heart is beginning to form: soft, hidden, and miraculous. Most women don’t even know they are carrying life yet. But already, transformation is underway.
In the same way, Advent calls us into the mystery of hidden beginnings. We may not feel ready, not feeling Christmasy some would say! But through our Advent Preparation of creating space something sacred is being formed.
The Christ-child comes to us not in full light, but in the quiet shadows: woven in hope, vulnerability, and grace.
St Francis understood this. He saw Christ not in power, but in the fragile: the leper, the manger, the overlooked.
The Franciscan charism in Advent is to make space for the unnoticed work of God, especially where the world sees nothing of value.
wonderings:
I wonder what it feels like to carry something holy without knowing it
I wonder where God might be growing in your life, even if you can’t see it yet
I wonder how we can help others feel safe enough to grow
Journaling Prompts
If you keep an Advent Journal, here are some ideas you could write about;
Take time today to reflect prayerfully and write: What am I holding onto that God may be inviting me to release—status, comfort, possessions, control, or old narratives?
What would it mean for me to live with fewer boundaries—between me and others, between me and God?
Where might letting go create new space for love, for peace, for freedom?
Japan
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