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 Here is an Advent-themed devotion from the writings of Henri Nouwen for today.

Deep In Our Hearts

The ransomed of the Lord shall return,
    and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
    they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
                Isaiah 35:10

Joy and sadness are as close to each other as the splendid coloured leaves of a New England fall to the soberness of barren trees.  When you touch the hand of a returning friend, you already know that he will have to leave you again. When you are moved by the quiet vastness of a sun-coloured ocean, you miss the friend who cannot see the same.  Joy and sadness are born at the same time, both arising from such deep places in your heart that you can’t find words to capture your complex emotions.

But this intimate experience in which every bit of life is touched by a bit of death can point us beyond the limits of our existence.  It can do so by making us look forward in expectation to the day when our hearts will be filled with perfect joy, a joy that no one shall take from us.

Reflection
Christians celebrate the human birth of the infant Jesus knowing full well that he grew to be a man, gave himself up to death for our sake and was raised from the dead to new life.  The mystery of death and life is part of the celebration of Christmas, a celebration that proclaims the victory of life over death.  We have not been promised a life free from sorrow, but one in which joy will have the last word.

Taken from: “The Lord Is Near: Advent Meditations From The Works of Henri J. M. Nouwen.” p. 11.

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