Conversion is not a single moment. It is a continual turning toward God. Advent teaches this ongoing movement of the heart. Conversion is the steady, daily action of choosing God again and again. It is the refusal to remain still in spiritual life. It is the willingness to move toward the One who is constantly drawing near.

Conversion is not dramatic for most people. It is usually quiet. It is the moment when you realign your heart after noticing you have drifted. It is the instant you choose truth over distraction, love over indifference, prayer over noise. Every turn toward God, no matter how small, becomes a doorway for grace to enter.

True conversion is active. It responds to God’s initiative. God always makes the first movement. Conversion is our movement back. The discerning heart knows this is a lifelong rhythm. We turn toward Him again in moments of light, in times of weakness, in days of clarity, and in seasons of confusion.

Conversion prepares the heart for deeper listening. It keeps the soul awake, open, and progressing toward Christ.

“Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire.”
Attributed to St. Catherine of Siena

St. Catherine understood conversion as a continual rising into the fullness of who God created you to be. She teaches that conversion is not a narrowing of the spiritual life. It is the steady work of grace that expands the heart. As the heart expands, it becomes more capable of receiving God’s love and more available to give that love to others.

For St. Catherine, this expansion happens through humility and surrender. When the soul releases fear, pride, or self-reliance, the heart opens wider to God’s action. Every movement toward Him increases the heart’s capacity for charity, courage, and truth. Conversion stretches the heart so it can hold more of God and give more of God.

St. Catherine reminds us that conversion unfolds gradually. It is a lifelong process of allowing God to shape, widen, and mature the heart until Christ’s life becomes the center of everything.

Today invites you to reflect on where your heart is turned. Conversion is not about perfection. It is about direction. You may drift at times. You may feel distracted. You may recognize places where you have resisted God. Conversion turns you back, even gently, even quietly.

Ask God to show you where He is inviting you to turn toward Him again. Perhaps in a relationship. Perhaps in prayer. Perhaps in a place where fear holds you back. Every turn toward God strengthens the listening heart.

Ask yourself: Where is Christ calling me to turn toward Him today. What step of conversion is He inviting me to take.

Take one moment today and say, “Lord, turn my heart toward You.” Then choose one concrete act of love, forgiveness, or faith that reflects that turning. Later in the day, repeat the simple prayer as a way of renewing your direction.

Lord Jesus, turn my heart toward You again. Draw me away from anything that leads me from Your love and strengthen every desire that leads me closer to You. Teach me to live conversion as a daily movement of grace. Help me to turn, and turn again, until my heart rests fully in You. Amen.

Psalm 46.10 RSV
St. Teresa of Avila, Poem “Nada te turbe,” line 1

Stillness is the interior calm that allows the soul to recognize God’s presence. It is different from silence. Silence quiets the environment. Stillness settles the heart. Advent invites us into stillness so the deeper truth of God’s nearness can be known rather than merely thought about.

Stillness is not inactivity. It is the freedom from interior agitation. It gathers the scattered heart into one place and brings the mind and soul together before God. When the heart is restless, God feels far away. When the heart becomes still, His presence becomes gently perceptible.

Stillness requires trust. It asks the soul to rest without striving and to set aside the inner rush that pushes toward the next thing. The discerning heart learns to recognize that God often speaks when the heart rests rather than when it works. God moves in the quiet center of the soul.

Advent teaches us this stillness so we can know, in the depth of our being, that He is God and He is here.

“Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing frighten you. All things pass away. God never changes.”
St. Teresa of Avila, Poem “Nada te turbe,” line 1

St. Teresa knew the power of a still heart. Her teaching and her life remind us that interior stillness is not found by force. It is found by grounding the heart in God’s faithfulness. When the heart remembers who God is and how He loves, fear loosens and rest becomes possible.

For St. Teresa, stillness is rooted in trust. As long as the soul tries to control every outcome, the interior life will stay restless. But when the soul yields to God and remembers His constancy, a deep stillness forms that no circumstance can disrupt. This stillness allows the soul to hear God with clarity.

St. Teresa teaches us that stillness is both gift and discipline. We make space for it, and God fills that space with His peace.

Today invites you to notice where you feel restless, tense, or scattered. Stillness begins when you acknowledge those places and let them soften in the presence of God. You do not need to force peace. You only need to stop resisting His nearness.

Listening grows in a still heart. When agitation quiets, even slightly, the presence of God becomes more recognizable. Stillness allows the heart to know what noise often hides.

Ask yourself: What steals my stillness today. What might God be asking me to release so my heart can rest in Him.

Choose one moment today to sit quietly and breathe slowly. Say, “You are God, and You are here.” Let your heart settle. Later in the day, pause again for one slow breath and place your hand over your heart as a gesture of stillness before God.

Lord Jesus, draw my heart into stillness. Quiet the restlessness that distracts me from Your presence. Teach me to rest in You with trust and peace. Help me to know, deep within, that You are God and that I am held in Your love. Amen.

Psalm 46.10 RSV
St. Teresa of Avila, Poem “Nada te turbe,” line 1

Openness is the willingness of the heart to receive what God desires to give. It is the posture that says yes before knowing the details. Advent teaches this openness by inviting us to welcome Christ in ways we may not expect and through moments we may not choose.

Openness does not mean passivity. It is an active readiness that springs from trust. It allows the heart to become spacious, uncluttered, and free enough to respond to God’s movements. When the heart closes, grace cannot enter. When the heart opens, even slightly, God works.

Openness also means loosening our grip on expectations. God often arrives in forms we do not recognize. The discerning heart learns to say, “Lord, whatever You desire to do in me today, I receive.” This is the openness that made room for Christ in Mary. It is the openness that prepares the soul for His coming now.

Advent invites you to open the door of your heart so Christ may enter more deeply.

“What a person is before God, that he is, and no more.”
St. Francis of Assisi, Admonition 19

St. Francis of Assisi lived with a heart wide open to God. His openness flowed from humility. He accepted his smallness before God, and because of this, his heart remained available to whatever God wished to give or reveal.

For St. Francis, openness meant letting go of self-protection and allowing God to reshape his desires and priorities. He did not cling to security, success, or control. His openness created space for joy, charity, and trust. He welcomed God in poverty, in simplicity, and in every person he encountered.

St. Francis teaches us that openness is the fruit of humility. When we stand before God honestly, without masks or defenses, the heart can finally open. God fills that openness with His presence.

Today invites you to look for places within your heart that feel tight, guarded, or closed. Sometimes the heart closes because of fear. Sometimes because of disappointment. Sometimes because we simply want things to go our way. Openness asks us to soften those places so God can enter.

Listening becomes deeper when the heart stops resisting what God is offering. Openness makes room for grace to surprise us. It prepares us to receive something new or unexpected.

Ask yourself: Where is God inviting me to open my heart today. What do I need to release so Christ can come closer.

Take a quiet moment and say, “Lord, I open my heart to You.” Notice any resistance and gently release it. Later in the day, repeat the same prayer while opening your hands in a simple gesture of surrender. Let this be an intentional act of openness.

Lord Jesus, open my heart to Your presence. Remove whatever keeps me closed or guarded. Give me the grace to welcome You in the ways You desire to come. Teach me the humility that creates space for Your love, and draw me into deeper trust. I open the door of my heart to You today. Amen.

Revelation 3.20 RSV
St. Francis of Assisi, Admonition 19