Friday, December 19

Friday, December 19
Third Week of Advent

You come in peace and meekness and lowly will your cradle be; all clothed in human weakness shall we your Godhead see.

Most Nativity scenes enshrine the Holy Family in light and peaceful wonder. The soft glow emanating from the manger where the baby Jesus lay tells us of the consolation of God’s nearness, but the night of Jesus’s birth must have felt out of control for Mary. It’s not hard to imagine Mary’s exhaustion and Joseph’s worries. Jesus almost certainly cried.

This hymn reminds us that Christ still comes “clothed in human weakness” and that we can see his divinity in poverty—our own and our world’s. With the eyes of faith, we can find Jesus reaching for us in all those who are impoverished and in our own weakness.

Prayer for Morning
Jesus, our Savior, you reveal the Father’s tender mercy and compassion. When I feel out of control or powerless, you are by my side. Help me turn to you when I am weak, to rely on your love as the foundation of my life. Jesus, my brother, you are my strength.

Ponder Today
Where will I encounter vulnerability today, and how will I find Jesus there?

Prayer for Evening
Jesus, our Savior, you came into the most broken parts of our humanity
to raise us to the splendor of divine life. Increase my faith so that I look to
you and cling to you when that divine life feels far away. Jesus, my brother,
hold me close.