My Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
We begin our Advent season in wonder and awe of the Gift of the Christ Child. St. Paul sums up God’s purpose simply, “Love is the fulfillment of the law.” Throughout salvation history, from the beginning of time, God was, is and will ever be perfect love. He pilgrims with us age to age offering this love as fulfillment of the law, that we might also love one another. He asks each one of us to participate in salvation history by living as His own. He gifts us His only begotten Son, leaves us the nourishment of the Bread Come Down from Heaven that we become Who we believe.
Advent is a holy season of preparation. It is a time to assess our readiness for the coming of God, through all ages and to eternity. It is a period of prayer, a time to prepare. We make ready for the coming of a baby within our family by checking what we have and what we need, both within our family and within the physicality of our daily life. We do so in preparation for the Nativity of our Lord. We are ever aware of the greatness of the name of the Lord and wish to exalt Him by our prayer to prosper the work of our hands, yielding God’s goodness upon the earth. As Moses prays in Psalm 90, “Teach us to count our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart.”
As the baby grows within the womb, so does our anticipation and joy! Our love for this person to be born grows exponentially as the day of the birth nears. This love is born of God and God shares His love with us throughout all creation. Our prayer during Advent is one of movement; it is the charity of reaching out to one another. The movement is toward God, a pilgrimage to open our arms and hold those mourning; to take all that we are and offer food and clothing and gifts for those less fortunate; to smile at a stranger and nod an hello; to swaddle another’s coldness with the warmth of the spirit; to brighten a co-worker’s or fellow student’s day with a thank you; to make room in our heart for the immigrant, Jesus, whose birth declared all the people God’s own.
Pope Leo XIV tells us, “God’s will is the law of life that the Father himself was the first to follow, by loving us unconditionally in his Son, Jesus. Brothers and sisters, let us look to Jesus! He shows us the meaning of authentic love for God and for others. It is a love that is generous, not possessive; a love that forgives without question; a love that reaches out and never abandons others. In Christ, God made himself a neighbor to each and every man and woman. That is why each of us can and should become a neighbor to all whom we meet. Imitating the example of Jesus, the Savior of the world, we too are called to bring consolation and hope, above all to those who are experiencing discouragement and disappointment.”
In this way, we shine in the darkness as God’s light. When the sun first blossoms a space, we see the space in a different way; its beauty becomes more vivid. We also notice things which need repair. When we shine as God’s light, we repair or repent from what is broken. Isaiah proclaims, “Walk in the light of the Lord.”
As we draw near to December 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we are reminded of our Blessed Mother’s beautiful fiat spreading God’s light, she who opened her heart to God’s will, a will of saving love. This holy season of Advent, let us open our hearts to God’s will, that we deliver His Peace all the days of our life.