Memorial of Saint John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church
“Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and
we shall be saved.”
The Responsorial Psalm
for today reminds me of what the Advent season is really about. It is about
preparation for the birth of Jesus and sharing special moments with your
family. By keeping God as our main
focus, we are saved from falling into weakness. The weakness is only focusing
on the commercialized aspect of Christmas. Often people focus on what they
should buy their family members, rather than why their family is so meaningful
to them. Sure, it is wonderful to share your appreciation to someone; however,
you should not turn away from God and forget the reason you are blessed with
such wonderful people in your life.
This Advent season, I
hope to not only show my love through gift giving, but also appreciation. I,
too, have fallen into the trap of only worrying about gift giving. Working in
retail has made it a challenge to steer my thoughts onto the true reasons of
Christmas. I hope that people appreciate those who have done so much for them
in a similar way that Joseph and Mary did so much for the preparation of the
birth of Jesus. They sacrificed for the one that they love unconditionally. The
size of the sacrifice is not as important as why you are willing to make the
sacrifice. Is it because you feel like you have to or because you genuinely
want to? Do not fall for those things
that bring you temporary happiness - a new jacket, an iPad, or concert tickets;
instead, cherish the things that bring you eternal happiness. As a result, turn to the Lord this Advent
season and rejoice in his blessings. I hope you enjoy this season and that you
make many memories with those who are special to you.
My name is Abbey
McErlean and I am a sophomore Physical Therapy major/Psychology minor. I am a
member of Kappa Delta sorority. I am the fundraising chair for Students For
Life which is SLU’s pro-life club here on campus. I enjoy being a part of the
recruitment team for Relay For Life, as well as serving as an RA in Walsh. I
enjoy working with such a vast group of people. The advantage to spending time
with a wide variety of students and faculty is that I get to listen to
different views on things. It has not only made me value my beliefs so much
more, but also, appreciate the visions that others bring to this campus. SLU
has helped shape me into the person that I am today and I hope it can do the
same for you.
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