This upcoming week is quite special. We celebrate the 4th Sunday of Advent this weekend and, of course, Christmas. This Advent has been an interesting Journey and I hope yours has been just as fruitful.
Preparing for Christmas means to be ready to make room for Jesus in our lives, into our homes, into our society; but it’s not as easy as it may seems. His presence always creates uncomfortable situations. This weekend, we hear the difficulties that Joseph faced when he learned that God was doing something unexpected.
What do to when this happens to us? When we open ourselves to welcome Christ into our lives but we may be afraid of the unexpected? God repeats to us what He said to Joseph: Do not be afraid! The Holy Spirit is at work! Joseph then trusts God and acts on the words of the Angel: listening and acting on the Word of God is a choice that we must make every day. When we do, we can see truly what God has prepared for us. The blessing of blessings: God-with-us.
Christmas, with all its fascination expressed with lights, music and gifts, focuses on this: allow Christ to be born in you. The best wish and prayer that I want to offer for you this year is simply this: Be Christmas, Be the Manger where Christ continues to be reborn in our midst.
God is closer to us than we can imagine. Let’s not just celebrate Christmas this year: let’s be involved in it, becoming part of it: the adventure that began more than two thousand years ago. How? How about we allow ourselves to be joyous these days? How about we wave and greet people while we are waiting in line at the store, or at the red light? How about going the extra mile and say some extra “Thank you” or “You’re welcome.”
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and I want you to know that I will be praying for you and your family throughout these holy days.