Second Sunday of Advent - Year C - 6th December 2009

Preparing for Christ

Since Advent is a season of hope, then perhaps this would be a good time to ask God to help us put aside any obstacles in our lives that prevent us from fully welcoming His presence. The Psalmist says: '"Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap ". We need to have a vision of what could be. We know that when we are looking forward to something it can help to change the present difficult situation that we live in. Hope can dramatically affect the life that we are now living.

When we are around hopeful people then life is different. Isolation is a trap that we have to avoid. If we cut ourselves off from people that see differently, we may become very narrow minded and lose the ability to imagine that things could be different. Advent is a season when we are encouraged to dream and hope... to imagine what could be.

The two words, presents and presence, sound the same but they are very different. Which would you prefer: that your best friend comes to visit you? Or that your best friend sends you a gift? Which do you think Jesus prefers? Clearly he wants our "presence", and we may ask how we can do so?

Remember what he said, "Whatever you do to the least of my brothers you do to me". Do we know people who may find Christmas difficult this year? How might our "presence" help? We do not have to look too far, the people who are asking our presence instead of a present are often within our own family circle or within our parish community. Can we be generous and give of ourselves to them this Christmas?

When we begin to understand that God loves us so much that he would level mountains and valleys for our safe passage we can begin to understand our own call to generosity. We have nothing to fear. We will have enough resources to accomplish God's work if only because it is God himself who will "carry it through to completion, right up to the day of Christ Jesus." We have only to follow in his steps.

If we begin to give of ourselves generously, the Lord will increase our love and help us to make progress in the kind of life we are meant to live. We will be ready to greet Him when he comes to call us to the eternal life.