In this episode, we begin our Advent journey in Eden, a place of freedom, communion, and life without shame. Eden is not only a moment in history, but also an interior garden within each of our hearts. We talk about the deep ache we all feel for union, rest, and peace, and how this longing reveals our original design for communion with God. We also reflect on the shame that often accompanies this desire for communion with others, especially when our desires are left unmet, and how bringing these places of poverty to Jesus opens us up to real, lived communion with Him.

 

Heather's One Thing - The Renew Conference in Toronto

Heather's Other One Thing - Her Advent Worship Playlist

Sister Miriam's One Thing - Sacred Anchor Artisans (Catholic Etsy!) founded by Tim and Molly Olsen

Michelle's One Thing - The Inspired Living and this Chrism Candle

Michelle's Other One Thing - Fr. Innocent Montgomery, CFR

 

Welcome, dear friends…

to this Advent journey,

a pilgrimage of the heart,

through four sacred spaces

where heaven once touched the earth.

 

These are the places of Advent.

Eden.

Loreto.

Elizabeth's home.

And a stable under starlight.

 

Each one holds a mystery…

a whisper of God's coming,

a rhythm of waiting,

a quiet invitation to abide.

 

We begin… in Eden —

the garden of beginnings and original designs,

Here, everything was whole once,

every breath in attunement with God's own.

But even in the ache of what was lost,

something sacred remains,

a longing, a promise,

a memory of shalom harmony still written in our bones.

 

Eden reminds us:

our waiting is not empty.

It is the remembering of love

that has never stopped pursuing us.

 

Journal Questions:

• What are the unique gifts that God has placed inside of you?
• When do I experience shame in the ache for communion?
• When have I recently experienced a rupture from Eden?
• Who in your life allows you to feel at home and at ease?
• How can I return to Eden through a daily practice?

 

Discussion Questions:

• How have you experienced yourself as a gift?
• When have you experienced an ache for Eden in your life?
• When do you feel exiled from Eden?
• What glimpses of Eden have you seen in your life recently?

 

Quote to Ponder:

"We all long for Eden, and we are constantly glimpsing it: our whole nature at its best and least corrupted, its gentlest and most human, is still soaked with the sense of exile." (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien)

 

Scripture for Lectio:

"Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame." (Genesis 2:25)

 

Sponsor - Altar + Home:

Altar and Home by Conception Abbey exists to bring the beauty of Benedictine spirituality into your domestic church. The way we as Benedictine monks punctuate our days with prayer. The way we balance prayer and work (ora et labora). The way we pray with scripture in lectio divina. The way we live in community to support one another. Incorporating these treasures into your daily lives can draw you and your domestic church into Christ one day – one prayer – at a time.

Our online store offers intentionally Catholic products for every occasion and every season. Lectio Divina rosary guides, daily journals, greeting cards, sacrament gifts, icons, and prints, along with books, bibles, and everything you need to make your home a sacred space. 

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Through this Altar + Home ministry, the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey share the prayer God calls us to at the altar into the domestic church of our customers as we seek to cultivate one holy, apostolic, Catholic Church.

We invite you shop with us at www.altarandhome.org. Use the discount code ABIDE to get 20% off your order.

 

Chapters: 

00:00 Altar + Home

01:25 Intro

02:17 Welcome to Eden

09:38 Our Heart is a Garden and Place of Communion

11:18 We are Made as a Gift

13:32 Healing from Shame in Our Ache

17:57 Homesickness and Exile

20:23 God is Longing for Us

22:16 Imaginative Prayer

24:13 The Goodness of Our Bodies

26:06 Inviting the Lord into Communion

27:47 Advent is a Time of Preparation

29:32 One Things

 

Music used under license i94Cr0