As we continue these Advent reflections, I would like to address one of the particular reasons WHY God led His people into the desert.
Throughout the ups and downs of the desert journey, the questions “Who will you rely on? Who can you trust?” come into sharp focus for the Hebrew people. Will they sulk back to Egypt, rely on their own provision, or trust in God?
After experiencing His power and might in their deliverance, God now reveals His loving provision – He gives direction in their wanderings, He forgives their sins and provides food and water when they need it - and the people slowly learn that the answer to these questions are “God alone is reliable”, “God alone is trustworthy”.
He is reliable and trustworthy not because the people deserve or merit it, He is reliable and trustworthy because of His steadfast love.
In the Brotherhood of Hope we tap into this idea through our specific charism, which we say is to experience and proclaim Jesus’ “All Sufficiency.” By this we state that Jesus Christ—fully human, fully divine— is “the only one able to meet the deepest needs of the human heart.”
We brothers witness to this charism in a special way through our total consecration of chastity, poverty and obedience, but the graces of this charism are available to everyone. We can all experience Jesus become more and more our “All Sufficiency.”
So in this Advent season let us take some time to consider the parts of our lives where we are self-reliant or trust in other people or things. Let us lay these before the Lord, trusting in His provision, for He is faithful and reliable. But most importantly let us bring our very selves, all that we are, before the Lord knowing that He alone can fill the deepest needs of the human heart, because He loves us personally and desires us to be with Him forever in glory.