Advent Reflections - Week 2 - Brandie Boaz
“Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind
with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us
to the glory of God.”
Romans 15: 5-7
Advent Season is a time when I reflect on the type of Christian I am. It really should be evaluated all
year, right? In studying Romans 15: 5-7 it became clear to me for the first time that perseverance
will need to play a role in my daily life as a Christian. It is so easy to lose focus, so like with any long-
term goal, we have to break it down into small daily activities to accomplish the task. That’s where
perseverance plays a role. We have to be intentional and stick with what we set out to do every single
day even when we are trying to do something as simple as “accept one another”. It can be challenging
to get along with other Catholics and Christians that don’t have the same opinions as we do. Just as
Christ made the ultimate self-sacrifice to bring us into his Glory, he asks us to step aside a little to leave
room for others. Paul tells us we have to work hard to not pre-judge people on how they look or what
they say, but instead show more compassion to our fellow followers of Christ. Paul told the Romans
that neither Gentiles nor Jews were better than the other and that they needed to be one in Christ and
yes, get along, no matter their view on Jewish law. We have to be intentional all year long, through
prayer, discussions, actions and Sunday service to be focused on having a Christ-like attitude that
demonstrates love and grace for others more than whether our interpretation of scripture is better than
someone else’s. It’s during this Advent season where we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ, that I am reminded that I have been given the gift of life. With Romans 15 in mind, I
will try to persevere and remain focused on living in harmony with other Christians who might not think
exactly like I do…go figure :-)
Brandie Boaz
