This night of mystery had its origins on the darkened hills of Judea. In the dark of night, an angel proclaimed to the shepherds, “Do not be afraid. For behold, I proclaim to you good news of a great joy to be shared by all. Today in David’s city, a Savior has been born to you who is Christ and Lord. And this will be a sign for you; you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” In a manger, in a town far away, among shepherds, and in the dark of night, Jesus is born. Our salvation is dawned with messiness, poverty, and weakness of ordinary human life. This hardly seems a very auspicious beginning of the dawn of salvation. We have hope not because we are perfect, but because Jesus was born into the house and family of our humanity. That message echoes through the centuries to us this day bringing light and love to overcome fears. In this Christmas season of wonder, may we treasure more deeply the giftedness of our lives. May we love more recklessly the people who surround us. The meaning of Christmas is to be found in the presence of Jesus among us and in our love for one another. The mystery of Christmas is when we can connect the story of our own lives with the story of Christmas. The Christmas message is the story of God’s unconditional love for us. As his disciples we are called to fill this world with many other stories that mirror and give witness to God’s love for us. That is the meaning and the wonder of the Incarnation. ou may be sure that to whatever area of our life we allow the Christ child to enter, the darkness recedes. The mystery of Christmas is allowing the person of Jesus to enter the inn of our hearts. It is an invitation to look at our present moment through a different lens, the mystery of the nativity of Jesus, the wonder of the Incarnation. This new lens enables us to see a new and radiant vision, a light for people who walk in darkness.
On Gaudete Sunday, the joy of Christmas begins to invade the Advent Season with the lighting of the pink candle of the Advent wreath and wearing of the pink vestments. From today’s Gospel, John the Baptist: “Are you the one who is to come or should we look for another? Jesus said to them in reply, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.’” Instead of emphasizing the wrath of God and the punishment soon to come, Jesus saw everything in the context of God’s great, infinite mercy. The Advent Season raises our awareness of God’s promises to us and our promises to God. Our promise to God can be found in our parish Advent theme: STAY AWAKE – staying awake to God in everyday life. In fact, Jesus introduced a whole new language about God. He agreed with John that the people needed conversion. But what he wanted people to see first was not the wrath of God so much as his incredible compassion for all. In our parish life, do people experience healing, liberation, hope, and is the Good News of the love of Jesus preached to one and all?
Our parish Advent theme is STAY AWAKE – staying awake to God in everyday life. To stay awake is to stay awake to the spiritual center that is within each one of us. To stay awake is to pay attention to that which matters in life, paying attention to the relationships of our lives, paying attention to our relationship with God. Within us, there is a deeper longing that never goes away. It is the longing for love. It is the longing to experience the mystery of God’s love in our life. In the Gospel, the evangelist Matthew sharpens our awareness that if we live our daily lives actively waiting for the Lord, we will not be caught off-guard when Jesus makes his appearance. “For at the hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” We are to say awake – not just for the next crisis that may or may not appear in our lives. We are to stay awake to the God who is relentlessly pursuing us in every situation and in every relationship of our lives. May we as a parish family help each other stay awake to the presence of God in our everyday life. What time is it? Time for us to get ready, stay awake, time for us to be in touch with our spiritual home, time to be aware that the joy and the hopefulness of our true home is found immersed in the mystery of God’s love.