Catholics are trying to keep Advent as a time for prayer and reflection as we wait for the coming of Christ. We aren’t just worrying about all the decorations or checklists, but we are using this time to pray and reflect on Christ. This Beatitude reminds us that following Christ often means standing firm in our values, even when it’s uncomfortable or unpopular.

Love is palpable this time of year, but it is often intertwined in the occasions of visiting, decorating, gift giving, baking, and other activities that we often look forward to because they are comforting, nostalgic, and bring us cheer. This Christmas, let us accept the challenge of stepping out of this place of contentment to practice sacrificial love.

This Third Week of Advent, known as Gaudete Sunday, we are rejoicing because of the anticipation of the long-awaited Messiah. Advent, a season of preparation, is coming to an end, and Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior will be coming into the world just as the Scriptures foretold. We need to continue to prepare for His arrival in our hearts, minds, and actions.

In his newest book, “Eight Promises of God: Discovering Hope Through the Beatitudes,” Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, CFR, invites us to see the Beatitudes not as distant ideals or abstract teachings but as living promises.

How do we find peace in a culture that never stops talking? How do we hold onto stillness in our work, our homes, and our hearts? This Advent, Catholic Women in Businesses encourages you to turn to the Beatitudes.

This Advent, we are reflecting on the Beatitudes. The third Beatitude is, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.” (Matthew 5:5).  Meekness is the ability to moderate anger according to right reason. What land is the land we will inherit? Heaven.