It is said that Christmas is for children. There is truth in that statement. It is also said that Christmas is the celebration of family. There is truth in that statement as well, however, we should not overlook that fact that the celebration of Christ’s birth is for each of us, young and old, personally and individually as well as for community.
The wood of the crib will eventually be the wood of the cross. It is because of Christmas that we will have a Good Friday and an Easter Sunday, the ultimate celebration of God coming to us in his Son’s body and blood in the Eucharist.
Advent is a time when we pay attention to the fact that God came to us in Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary in the wonder of stars and angels over Jerusalem. And Advent likewise looks for the coming of God to us at the end of the world when the elements of the universe will be shaken, the stars will fall from heaven, and the sun and moon will no longer give us light.
Advent is a time where we need some major reconstruction, not just re-decoration, even though they do go together. What are we doing in our individual lives to prepare for Christ’s birth? Are we simply getting presents, buying and decorating a Christmas tree and sending out Christmas cards? Of course all these are good in themselves. But aren’t we facing something that is much more important, namely the absence of God in our lives? It is a question of making room, giving a place for God to enter into our space and time.
It is hard, or is it? We might think that our jobs, our family schedules of shopping for dinner or buying clothing or even attending our children’s football game or some other sport, or even a music lesson is reason for no time. Are these real reasons why we fail to make room for God on a daily basis? If we do not make room for God on a daily basis how can we expect Jesus to be our mentor, our guide, our protector?
Israel’s exile in Babylon, as we hear in our first reading from Baruch, left them hopeless, questioning their very identity! Then we hear of the assurance that God is their guardian, their protector, their hope. He will lead the way guiding them through the obstacles that would keep them from their destiny. You see what happens if we do not make room for God in our very lives? We have no hope, we cannot see the glory that is to be revealed and offered to us.
Our second reading from St. Paul to the Philippians tells us what we must do. We hear, “because of your partnership with the gospel from the first day until now!” Every day of our lives is a day until now. We are all on a journey and so we move forward with the gospel which brings insight and courage to open ourselves to grow in our faith and moving us ever closer to God. So, when you get home tonight, go to the closet, reach high on the top shelf, grab your bible, blow the dust from its cover, and get inspired by the words in it.
How can we grow without hearing His words daily? The words of Holy Scripture open up our minds and hearts to receive God through Jesus Christ. What then happens is Jesus becomes our guide, our mentor, our protector, our very hope! We are open to join with others to continue the work of spreading the Good News found in the very words of Scripture.
This reminds me of a short story. “A blizzard hit the Kansas prairie. Two feet of snow drifted to five and six feet in places. The telephone rang in the doctor’s home. The time had come for John Lang’s wife to have her baby. It was impossible for the doctor to get through those drifts. John Lang called his neighbors: “Can you help the doc get through those snow drifts?” In no time from all directions, came people with plows and shovels. They labored with all their might for about two hours until finally the old doc was able to make it, just in time to deliver the baby.”
Today, to all of us, comes a call from another father. Our Father in heaven: Make ready the way of the lord. We celebrate in a couple of weeks, the birth of His Son in a special way. The call comes through God’s messenger John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin and forerunner for him, who calls out to us, “Prepare the way of the Lord.” We are also called, not to remove piles of snow, but to remove the piles of thoughtlessness, piles of neglect, piles of sins, and all that make it difficult and often impossible for the Divine child to come into our hearts.
To prepare the way we must think of what Advent and Christmas means. We must open ourselves to receive Jesus in our hearts and we must do what pleases Him—to be kind to one another, reaching out to the needy, going out of our way to make someone more comfortable, happy, more appreciated. As we wait in hope we share that hope with others.
Yes, there is much material preparation for the coming of Christ, gifts, cards, decorations, food planning and preparation for family celebrations. All this is good and brings us together but there must be more! We must clear the way to our hearts.
Even more, we must prepare His way as a group. That gathering of neighbors in our story who cleared the way for doc gives us an idea of how we can clear the way for the Babe of Bethlehem to come into our world AND INTO OUR HEARTS. As they did, we must work together.
Christmas is a group celebration. For most of us, and I hope all of us, it will be a family celebration. The entire family needs to be involved, needs to help prepare, needs to contribute to the group effort.
Just as necessary is it that we work together in the family of the parish. Each one of us should take some part in the public ceremonies of Christ’s birthday: Servers, Lectors, greeters, Eucharistic Ministers, those who assemble the creche, decorate the church and all of us by joining in the singing and praying of this sacred season.
Notice in the prayers we hear in mass how often we hear the words we and us; we offer you, we thank you, we praise you, make us worthy and especially in the prayer taught us by Jesus himself; Our Father, our bread, as we forgive, lead us not, deliver us!
Every one of us is precious to God. We become even more precious when we
pray together, sing together, offer the Mass together, we receive communion together, work together for the betterment of others; for we are the body of Christ.
May all of us, together, make ready His way into our hearts, as a family at home, as a parish family, and as a worldwide family of God! Today we need to pay attention to the coming Jesus to us in the here and now, not just in the past and in the future.
Today, in God’s everlasting NOW, we need to pay attention to what Advent brings us – those beautiful moments when we can, right now, make space and time for God to enter into our lives, our time, our hearts and our souls there to tell us the only truth that really matters, that He loves us!