A Merry Christmas to you all! And this will certainly be a Merry Christmas when we have done our Spiritual (inner) shopping this Advent Season. Isn’t it wonderful to realize that the four weeks before Christmas are about preparing for a relationship and not an event? It takes all the pressure off when we are reminded that Christ was born over 2000 years ago but can be born anew in our hearts if we make room for him there.
So how did you do? Remember it wasn’t about making it through all the four blessings of Christmas preparation, but taking our time with each one and if we needed more time somewhere along the route, to go at a pace that is right for each individual on the journey.
The first week of Advent we lit the candle of HOPE. Taking stock of how hope filled you are then bringing that hope to others on the faith journey.
Then we lit the candle of PEACE. How peace-full are you? For many this is the bump in the road, recognizing stress and being overwhelmed by the lists we make, and the expectations media and others place on us. Recapturing that peace was and is and until we do we cannot practice the skill of being peacemakers in a world longing for that skill and gift.
We lit the pink candle of JOY to celebrate our journey being more than half over and closer to Christmas as the lights of our Advent Wreath get brighter each time we gather. Joy is a challenge when we find ourselves locked in self-made prisons that prevent us from seeing the joyful presence of Christ in the many acts of faith we together as a Catholic Community of faith perform as faithful Disciples. We often miss the joy that comes from being untied and set free by taking advantage of the sacrament of Penance.
Finally, we light the candle of LOVE! “For God so loved the world that he gave us his only son Jesus Christ, that we may have life, and have it to the fullest! Remember, the opposite of love, is not hate, it is selfishness; when we act and respond not out of love, but because of how it will make me look, or what is in it for me! When we act in love it is then that this Christmas Season we can officially light the Christ Candle in the center of our wreath, for Christ came as the light of the world to dispel the darkness!
So how did you do this Advent Season? Has your Spiritual (inner) shopping brought you closer to a new and wonderful rebirth in your relationship with Jesus Christ? Not to worry we will have many chances to grow deeper in the journey we make as we gather each weekend for worship.