Using Advent as a time of Preparation

(Modified from a column originally written for my Church bulletin)

The Advent season is like that of the of the Lenten season, both seasons can have a penitential feel to them. Advent is the time for us to reassess the state of our spiritual life with the knowledge that Christ will return. We are not only to examine our spiritual readiness for the coming of Christ, but we are to make the necessary changes based on that spiritual examination.

There are numerous ways to prepare spiritually for the coming of Christ. One way is a personal sacrifice, giving up something we enjoy. This self-denial can be a reminder of the sacrifice Jesus made for us.  A second way to prepare for the coming of Christ is to start or increase our own prayer life. Adding some of the beautiful traditions that have been passed down through generations is a good way to quickly increase our prayer life.

I would describe tradition as an action or a belief that is passed on from one generation to the next. It must be worthy of being continued from one generation to the next or it will stop and be forgotten. No one will continue a tradition if it does not have a deeper and desirable meaning. Each family probably has its own Advent and Christmas traditions already. It could be a certain day the Christmas tree is decorated, the use of an advent wreath or a Christmas calendar with Bible verses.  Usually family traditions have been tested by time so do not discard some of your family or Church traditions too quickly.

Whichever way you choose to prepare for Christmas make sure there is time for the spiritual side of your life.  You could be the one that starts a new tradition in your family. May this Advent season bring you many blessings as you prepare for the coming of Christ.

When Christmas comes, are you ready?

(Updated version of column for church bulletin)

I enjoy reading, so much that I remember having to be told not to bring books to the dinner table when I was a child. Today my reading interest varies depending on the mood I am in. Subjects can range from history, religious and biographies to best selling fiction.  Sometimes I will let the book I read effect my mood. I remember the first time I read the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I was so sad when I finished the last book. The characters of the books had entered my imagination and become real. We shared grand adventure, become friends; protected each other and now all at once and very quickly they were gone, never to live again unless I read the books again.

Our holidays can be like that sometimes. The memories become alive just like the characters in the books we have read. We may feel that with each passing Advent and Christmas season something has been lost. Memories and feeling have been made that we may never have again. Luckily the unique sights and smells of the holidays draw us back to our own memories. The sweets that are baked and the scented candles we burn all help us remember our own family memories. We recall our childhood and the excitement we felt at this time of the year. We want to remember our past but also create new memories with our own family and friends. We recall the past and use those memories to build on the future.

This is what Advent should be for all of us. We should be looking back at the birth of Jesus, recalling all the events surrounding it and also looking forward to the opportunity the birth of Jesus will bring to us. It is fitting that today’s Collect helps us to look both in the past and to the future. We pray that through the Incarnation of the Son of God, made known to us through the message of the Angel, God’s grace may be poured forth into our hearts. This grace will help us prepare for our own eternal salvation that is shown to us by the passion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel tells us that the child Elizabeth was carrying leaped for joy when hearing the voice of Mary, causing Elizabeth to cry out: “And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” We too must be ready to leap for joy when the birth of Christ comes. Our savior wants us to say “Yes” to the salvation he will one day offer to us which begins with his birth. This is not just something from the past, a memory that only lives when we read or think about but an offer of a future eternal life. Advent has helped us to recall the past and to prepare for the future. When Christmas comes may you too be blessed for having believed the message spoken to Mary “the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.”

The Epiphany of the Lord

Ebenezer Scrooge with Tiny Tim

This Sunday is The Epiphany of the Lord. We read of the magi that followed a star to worship a newborn King. These magi are very important to us and to the world. They represent more than just learned men that have studied the ancient prophets; they represent each one of us. The revelation that comes through the magi is that God is not just calling a chosen few but the whole world. The epiphany is that Christ’s kingship extends to all nations.

The magi gave the baby Jesus gifts. Each gift was probably carefully thought out as befitting a king. Recall the Christmas gifts you gave to those you love. You used time, thought and even expense in considering the gift. It did not matter; the gifts were given out of love. The Christmas season is ending but do not forget those gifts you gave. Remember the effort they required and the love you put into them. We should use that same effort and love to shed the message of the newborn King to everyone we meet. Be the light that shows that Christ’s kingship truly does extend to the whole world and that it does not stop with the end of the Christmas season.

You still have gifts to give. Reach out to others and share the gifts God has given you. Be as it was said of Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol: “And it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us!”--(This post is also on my Facebook page)

Advent Reflection, Second Sunday, 2016

Have you been told that Christmas has become too commercialized? Have you been told to keep Christ in Christmas? You probably have.  Sadly this too has become part of our Christmas tradition just like using an Advent wreath, watching the Charlie Brown Christmas Special or mailing out Christmas cards. You may have been told Christmas is too commercialized or Christ has been lost in Christmas as an attempt by someone to help you get through this time of the year or out of their own feelings of frustration. My thought is that if you do feel this way; it is your own fault! The main focus of businesses, including the television industry, is to make money. They will only sell what people buy and watch.

We make the choices of how we prepare for Christmas. The Advent season is one of the many things I believe the Church got absolutely correct. Advent reminds us we are on a journey. The end of this journey should find us prepared to properly celebrate the birth of Christ. The buying of Christmas presents, the listening to Christmas music and the watching of Christmas specials are not inherently bad. It is how we let these commercialized things affect us that can lead us to the possibility of a bankrupted spirituality at Christmas.

The first week of Advent is over. Take a few minutes to reflect on this first week. Consider what you have done in preparing for Christmas. You may have brought some presents, attended a party or watched a few Christmas shows. Are you humming Christmas songs throughout the day?  You may have also been frustrated by traffic around the stores you shop or the lack of service you received at a busy eatery.  If you keep all these things in the proper perspective none of them should affect your preparations for the coming of Jesus.  The Collect for the Second Sunday of Advent reminds us to let “no earthly undertaking hinder those who set out in haste to meet your Son.” 

We should all know that traffic jams, busy stores, Christmas music and our own frustrations are just part of this time of the year. They will not go away.  So we must do as the Prayer after Communion tells us; we must “judge wisely things on earth”. We are to remain focused on those things that are important as an aid to our spiritual growth and let go of those things that are too distracting. We must seek the “heavenly wisdom” for making the right decisions during Advent.

Enjoy this time of the year but never forget that Christmas does not start until the birth of Jesus. Now it is Advent, the time to prepare. If you feel the distractions of the world are beginning to overwhelm you, sit with God in prayer for a few minutes. Recall the opening prayer of today’s Mass. It reminds us of the real reason for Christmas; the Word became flesh so that we may gain the heavenly kingdom.

Almighty and merciful God,
may no earthly undertaking hinder those
who set out in haste to meet your Son,
but may our learning of heavenly wisdom
gain us admittance to his company.

Tears of Joy or Regret

On December 8, I assisted at the Mass of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. While I was distributing the Host, the body of Christ,  I had a vision and a thought.  I envisioned Holy Mary holding the body of Jesus.  It was in the form of the Pietà, the great sculpture by Michelangelo.  I felt a sense of awe, honor and humbleness as I realized I was holding the body of Jesus just as Mary held her Son so many times over His life.  This time it was different though.   As I distributed Holy Communion I could not stopping thinking that I was holding the risen Jesus in my hand.  The Jesus that became fully human then died for our sins so we might have salvation.  I could not fathom the pain Mary must have felt while holding her crucified son in her arms.  I know that Mary as the mother of Jesus had to suffer.  She had to suffer as only a parent does when their child dies.  I can imagine though the gentleness in which Mary held her Son as her tears washed over Him.

While assisting at the Christmas Mass during the Night, the image of Mary holding Jesus returned to me.  This time is was different.  I envisioned Mary holding her newborn baby.  There would be tears but they would be the tears of a mother’s joy at the birth of her Son.  While distributing Holy Communion I felt the great miracle that had taken place.  I felt the baby that was born in a world that had no room for him.  I felt the love that is shown through the sacrifice of the cross and I felt the presence of Jesus Christ, our risen Lord.

Are we worthy of the sacrifice Jesus made for us?  Will the tears we shed at the end of our life be tears of joy or tears of regret?  Live every day of your life as if it is Christmas.  Be full of joy that a Savior has been born unto us.  May your final tears be those that come from the joy of knowing that by death you will be born into eternal salvation.