1 DEC
December 19
Simplifying for Christ.
“But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing.
Luke 10:41–42a
Reflection
Having been a Franciscan for more than 40 years I know how important it is to ‘making’ time for prayer. Not just ‘arrow prayers’ and intercessions but time to be with Christ – yet that can seem just another thing to do. ‘Clearing the clutter’ means taking time to consider our days and how we might prevent them becoming overloaded. One way to do this is to look at our Rule of Life and see what’s important: the work we must do, sleeping and relationships that need attention, yes, but so does the prayer of the Divine Office and silence in the presence of God.
In the end we need to develop a still and open heart about which I wrote in Heart of My Own Heart (Canterbury Press, 2024) for that is the place to which we can always withdraw.
This was the pattern of Francis who spent time in solitude and in the marketplace – yet even there he could commune with God as we can do waiting in the queue at Tesco. Perhaps Abbess Osyth of Malling got it right when she wrote:
Be silent
still, aware,
for there in your own heart
the Spirit is at prayer.
Listen and learn,
open and find
Heart-wisdom.
Christ.
John-Francis Friendship TSSF
European Province
Reflective Action
SIMPLIFY YOUR CELEBRATION
Today, set aside something you might usually keep for yourself
– a small treat, a little time, an item of comfort – and offer it freely to another.
Perhaps it’s a neighbour, a visitor, a stranger, or someone you’ve overlooked.
As you do, hold this question in your heart:
How am I welcoming Christ through this act of giving?
Let the sharing be quiet, generous, and without expectation.
Franciscan Quote
“The Lord revealed to me that we must be brothers to all, especially to the poor, who are the image of Christ.”
St. Francis of Assisi
(Testament)
Prayer
God of every doorstep,
you come not in grandeur
but in the hungry guest,
the knock at the door,
the face we might not recognise.
Teach us to welcome with joy,
to give without counting,
and to find you
not only in the feast,
but in the simplicity
of bread shared.
May we see your light
in all who come our way.
CULTURAL insight
UGANDA
This northern part of Uganda was evangelized by Protestants – mainly Church Mission Society, and Roman Catholics in the early twentieth century.
The Protestant church is not used to images, or a rich use of the liturgical year.
Christmas is celebrated with a new clothes and a good feast with plenty of meat.
There are no carol services or midnight mass.
The celebration is stripped down to the bare proclamation of the word through reading the Scriptures for the day.
Christmas however is a time to visit one’s neighbours and share whatever food is in the house freely with whoever comes to the door.
This ministry of hospitality reminds us to welcome Christ in whatever guise He comes to us, seeing in each visitor something of the light and love of God.
Sarah Cordell TSSF
Africa
CREATING SPACE FOR Mystery
“You will go before the Lord to prepare his ways.”
Luke 10:41–42a
developmental markers
week 28
In the womb
- 37.5 cm (14.8 in), 1 kg (2.2 lbs);
- strong brain activity;
- begins to dream (REM sleep);
- hearing continues to improve
in the mother
- greater physical strain;
- deepening awareness of birth ahead;
- emotional and spiritual preparation increases
reflection
At 28 weeks, there is no hiding Mary’s pregnancy now. The weight of carrying Christ is visible to all.
For some, this might have stirred wonder and reverence. For others, suspicion, fear, or judgment. How could this young woman possibly bear the Holy One?
Many likely whispered, doubted, or distanced themselves. Yet Mary keeps making space, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, for the life growing within her.
This is sacred gestation, an embodied waiting. God is forming salvation in hidden places, even when others cannot see or believe.
Like an ultrasound revealing the unseen, Mary carries the mystery before it is fully visible to the world. She bears the cost, the joy, and the risk of hope.
wonderings:
I wonder how I might make space for mystery, even when others do not understand.
I wonder how I respond when God’s work appears hidden, slow, or uncertain.
Journaling Prompts
If you keep an Advent Journal, here are some ideas you could write about;
What does your inner clutter look like?
Take time today to notice the distractions, external and internal, that pull your attention from what truly matters.
What do you cling to that keeps your heart from stillness?
How might your Rule of Life or your daily rhythm help you clear space for silence, presence, and prayer?
What would it take to simplify not to do less, but to be more fully with Christ?
Write about one small change you can make to create space for God in the everyday.
Begin there.
December 1, 2025
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