Every event, small or big, has to be seen and understood in faith: We will find strength and guidance, enlightenment and clarity in order to live through those events and situations.
We know that not always we are able to understand or take things in the light of faith, listening to what God is saying as a message or giving guidance. Because we think that we have to take personal responsibility and search for ways and means to face the situations in daily life; patience or readiness to see from the point of view of faith or to seek the will of God may not be there.
The situations are not always easy but we should not put aside our faith and our daily connection or relationship with God! The living God with whom we are connected through faith is not absent but present when events or experiences other than the routine ones occur! We can either try to understand and cope with them all by ourselves or with the help and guidance from God and His Revelation, directly or through mediators or through the mediation of the Word of God! This would mean that our faith is leading us in daily life and not just human thinking prompted by the trends in the world around us!
Personal preparation through prayer and contemplation on the Mystery of Incarnation should happen: So many things are done in Advent as expressions of our preparation to welcome Christ into our lives, Christmas. Many things are done at homes and in the Churches as expressions of our joy over the birth our Saviour and Lord! Our Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph should help us to meditate and contemplate, “to ponder in our hearts,” the Mystery of Incarnation and our relationship with Jesus Christ who is born among us for our sake and for the humanity. Not that we do not do this at all but the externals that can be so dominant in the entire celebrations that they take away the dimension of personal interior disposition to relate to the Mystery of Incarnation.
If our joyful and merry making celebration do not also touch and renew our lives, then we can be missing the opportunity of receiving. “grace and blessing,” “light and life,” from Jesus Christ who is “the grace of God” that appeared for the salvation of all men (Titus 2:11ff.).
Actually, this experience of receiving afresh this “grace and blessing,” and “light and life” would or should remain with us to take us into the New Year that commences soon! Individually and as Communities we have to yield to the appeal of the Word of God in the Advent season, especially the call of the prophets and the call of John the Baptist.
Repentance and conversion do not happen if we do not “listen to the Word of God” that is being addressed to us, individually and as a community. Invitation from the Lord has to be taken personally in order to receive what is being offered:” “to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become Children of God: who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor the will of man, but of God” (Jn 1:12-13).
Conclusion:
I want to wish all of you a personal experience of listening and responding to the invitation of the Lord our God at this time of Advent and Christmas, spending these days with faith and hope for a fresh encounter with the Lord who is born among us. Gifts received or given are signs of our sharing of Christmas Joy with others, especially with our near and dear ones.
Jesus Christ should be the cause of our joy and that experience should prompt us to share it with others. Taking time to pray and contemplate our relationship with “Jesus Christ” and what he means for our life will enable us to experience the renewed joy and peace he brings to us! This joy is an “interior joy”! We should not miss this opportunity because of all the external expressions diverting and distracting us! Praying the Angelus meditatively will be of great help to contemplate the Mystery of the Incarnation. If it is a neglected prayer, Advent and Christmas is the best time to revive the practice of praying the Angelus regularly!