Devotion for Monday of the second week of Advent, December 7
“Prayer is the wing wherewith the soul flies to heaven, and mediation the eye wherewith we see God”
- St. Ambrose of Milan
It is my honor and privilege to begin this series of devotionals on our journey through the Advent and Christmas seasons. It is the hope of the All Saints’ clergy that these daily devotionals will be a source of strength, a respite from an often chaotic world, and a time in which we might meet God wherever we are. As St. Ambrose, whose feast we keep today, has stated so beautifully in the quote above, the more we engage with meditation and prayer, the more we are likely to see God in the world around us.
-Reverend Michael Sahdev
Advent is often called a “little Lent.” It was traditionally a season of penitence and fasting, and shared the color purple in our liturgies. Over the years, this liturgical season seems to have been supplanted by the secular holiday season and lost many of the spiritual practices associated with it. However, if Lent is a time in which we fast and give up, perhaps we might make the remainder of the Advent and Christmas seasons a time in which we take on a practice aiming to grow our spiritual lives each day. An easy practice is to begin each morning with this devotion, and then take a moment to pray for the rest of the day to come.
Regardless of how we live out this spiritual exercise, we would do well to follow the example of St. Ambrose. Considered a “Doctor of the Church,” his ministry was one of incredible influence, particularly for his preaching and the spiritual practices he introduced. Ambrose is credited for bringing congregational singing to the Western Church, writing several hymns, including the “Te Deum,” and leaves a legacy of the Ambrosian chant. While signing seems like an obvious spiritual practice, there was a time when it was not. As we journey together throughout these seasons, perhaps you will find a spiritual practice, coupled with this devotional, that will as St. Ambrose prayed, allow our souls to fly and our eyes to see God. Whatever way we worship, may we do so with the same innovation, openness, and excitement as St. Ambrose.
Let us pray:
O God, you gave your servant Ambrose grace eloquently to proclaim your righteousness in the great congregation, and fearlessly to bear reproach for the honor of your Name: Mercifully grant to all bishops and pastors such excellence in preaching and faithfulness in ministering your Word, that your people may be partakers with them of the glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.