It seems to me that more and more, the
hustle and bustle of the Christmas season grows exponentially. I am guessing it seems that way because as children
we have nothing to do but wait for the day we get to open our Christmas
gifts. As we get older our
responsibilities become more. Now we
have to not only buy presents, but we have to clean and decorate the house,
possibly prepare a meal for family and friends, some might have to pick up
family and friends at the airport, etc.
Each year it appears that the Twelve Days of Christmas are quickly
becoming the Twelve Pains of Christmas.
Good news though, we have Advent, a time to prepare, a time to wait..
The four weeks before Christmas(Advent),
have so much symbolism from the materials the wreath are made of, to the color
of the candles, but the most important thing to remember is Advent is the time
set aside to help us prepare our hearts for the birth of our Lord and Savior. Lighting a candle per week symbolizes time
to pray. Purple candles, purple
vestments, remind us that we need to repent and prepare our hearts. Do you see a common theme? Repent and prepare.
In this week’s gospel from Mark, we are
even reminded to “Be watchful! Be Alert!
For we do not know when the time will come.”
In all the hustle and bustle of the Christmas Season, the last thing we
want to do is not be prepared for the master of the house.
As the craziness of the season
continues, which we all know it will be there whether or not we are prepared to
face it, it is important to take some time to prepare spiritually. During the forty days of Lent(another time
for purple) we are asked to fast or sacrifice something for the season. Let’s take this Advent season as a time to
prepare. Let’s spend the next 20 or so
days doing something to prepare ourselves spiritually for the birth of Christ,
get up an extra 10 minutes early and start the day off by reading scripture,
say a decade of the rosary with the kids in the car on the way to school,
actually have an advent wreath in your home and spend a couple of minutes in
the morning or evening, as a family, lighting each candle and praying
together.
Is all the hustle and bustle of the
Christmas season ever going to end?
Unfortunately, the answer is probably not. Would you enjoy the season more if it were
less chaotic? Yes!!! Do you think maybe, just maybe, if you
invited Jesus to join you this season, by preparing for the birth of our
Savior, it would help decrease the hustle and bustle? Absolutely!!!! Prepare for Him, invite Him.
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