Anyone with a heartbeat knows that anxiety is just a part of life, but St. Paul tells us to rejoice always and to have no anxiety at all! He's not suggesting that we run away from the cross, but that we embrace Christ in the midst of our suffering. Here are two concrete things that we can do when we are anxious: a prayer of petition and a prayer of thanksgiving.

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Advent is about embracing John the Baptist's desire to decrease so that Christ can increase in us. Here are three concrete ways to die to your ego so that you would have more room in your life for Jesus Christ. 

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Our hearts become weak and weary from overindulgence and all of our worries. Advent is a time to reset. Since Jesus tells us to pray for strength, we will strengthen our hearts these next 24 days. 

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Most of us have a few smaller fears that, although they aren’t debilitating, they tend to influence the way that we see the world and make decisions. Sometimes those smaller fears can prevent us from seeing Jesus in front of us. Today we surrender our fears, big and small, to Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.

The apocalyptic passages in scripture are not meant to scare us, but to motivate us. Everything in this world is passing away, except the Word of God. Be not afraid to live for his Kingdom. 

We tend to feel good when we give our time, energy, and money to a good cause… until it starts to hurt. Resentment can creep in when we give beyond our surplus. The story of the poor widow’s coin reminds us that the primary reason we give is not for our personal fulfillment, nor for economic benefit. The fundamental reason we give is to die to our ego so that we may learn the art of love. 

Since American politics is often an emotional rollercoaster, we can be tempted toward one of two extremes: total disengagement or over engagement. Instead, Jesus gives us the commandment of charity, which is love of God and neighbor. The law of charity serves as our guiding light in everything, including our political engagement. 

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We tend to hold on to things, even if we know they aren’t good for us, because it’s what we know. But these things prevent us from approaching Jesus. The gospel demands a responds, and Jesus invites us to “throw our cloak aside” and follow him. Be not afraid. It’s time to be set free.

Most would agree that if something is important to us, it’s worth making sacrifices in order to achieve it or obtain it. But there’s a difference between making a sacrifice for personal gain and offering a sacrifice for God & for others. Jesus calls us beyond self-interest. 

When push comes to shove, most of us place our trust in our financial stability. We all want to trust Jesus, but our finances tend to have more of an impact on our sense of peace. But no matter how much wealth we have, putting our trust in material possessions ultimately gives us a false sense of security.