This is Cardinal Francis George. I invite you to join me for the next two minutes to reflect

with Father Robert Barron on the Word of God, which is the Word on Fire. Word on Fire Catholic

Ministries is a non-profit ministry at the forefront of Catholic evangelization, using

new media to spread the faith and every continent. Father Barron challenges us to open our hearts

to the Word on Fire, which is God's Word of Love for each of us. If our hearts are open,

the Lord can change and transform us so that we might speak with love about the one who is

love. The global benefactors of Word on Fire with the support of the Archdiocese of Chicago

now present Word on Fire. Peace be with you. Friends, I've always loved the season of Advent,

which we commence this weekend. Waiting, expecting, hoping, anticipating, somehow these speak to

the deepest heart, don't they? Probably because our whole existence here below is characterized

precisely by this attitude year round. In some ways, Advent speaks for what's always true.

The world we know is filled with wonderful things and experiences, deep joys and

satisfaction, but we all know at the same time that nothing here below finally satisfies us.

Nothing here below finally gives us the joy that we ultimately want. In fact,

it's usually the best times in life, rather than the worst, that awaken in us most fully

this sense of longing and searching. Isn't that true? The dark times, yes and

d, but even the best times, you have this aching sense that somehow even this beautiful thing is

but an anticipation of the truly beautiful that I want. No matter how much we know, we want to

know more. No matter how much we love, we want greater love. No matter how much beauty we attain,

we sense that there is a perfect beauty that we haven't seen, that we cannot even in principle in

this world see. I spoke before about Jacques Derrida, who is one of the greatest philosophers,

just died a few years ago. He characterized the heart of his philosophy as vian, we, we, come, yes,

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