Barb Spies, OFS, Director of Mission Services and Pastoral Care

The Second reading on the Second Sunday of Advent comes from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians. One verse notes, “And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.” And how does our love increase? Do we love others as God would have us love them?

St. Ambrose of Optina was a starets, a spiritual leader in the Eastern Orthodox Church. One day, a peasant woman who tended turkeys for a landowner went to see the starets. She was very sad because the turkeys were dying and the landowner was going to evict her. When the pilgrims at the monastery heard her crying, they laughed and told her not to bother the monk with such trivial nonsense. But Starets Ambrose listened to her very carefully and when she'd finished, he asked what she fed the turkeys. He advised her to change their feed and gave her his blessing. Once the woman had left, they asked the elder why he'd wasted his time over some turkeys. He said they were all blind if they couldn't see that those poor turkeys were the woman's whole life. Starets Ambrose didn't divide problems into big and small like everyone else does. He always said that angels are in the simple things. He believed that the small things are important. St. Ambrose’s wisdom and enlightenment led him to speak of what seemed like a trivial matter to others because it had a crucial meaning for this woman. He could have finished his conversation but he knew that it could wait. He made that choice not because God is secondary, but because God is love. 

When St. Paul prays that our love would increase, that we can discern what is of value, his guidance is clear in Starets Ambrose’s actions. May we love in that manner, giving our full attention to another in a way that shows we care for their well being.

Blessed Angela: “To be a saint should be the aim of every soul.”

The Second reading on the Second Sunday of Advent comes from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians. One verse notes, “And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.” And how does our love increase? Do we love others as God would have us love them?

St. Ambrose of Optina was a starets, a spiritual leader in the Eastern Orthodox Church. One day, a peasant woman who tended turkeys for a landowner went to see the starets. She was very sad because the turkeys were dying and the landowner was going to evict her. When the pilgrims at the monastery heard her crying, they laughed and told her not to bother the monk with such trivial nonsense. But Starets Ambrose listened to her very carefully and when she'd finished, he asked what she fed the turkeys. He advised her to change their feed and gave her his blessing. Once the woman had left, they asked the elder why he'd wasted his time over some turkeys. He said they were all blind if they couldn't see that those poor turkeys were the woman's whole life. Starets Ambrose didn't divide problems into big and small like everyone else does. He always said that angels are in the simple things. He believed that the small things are important. St. Ambrose’s wisdom and enlightenment led him to speak of what seemed like a trivial matter to others because it had a crucial meaning for this woman. He could have finished his conversation but he knew that it could wait. He made that choice not because God is secondary, but because God is love. 

When St. Paul prays that our love would increase, that we can discern what is of value, his guidance is clear in Starets Ambrose’s actions. May we love in that manner, giving our full attention to another in a way that shows we care for their well being.

Blessed Angela: “To be a saint should be the aim of every soul.”