Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I am going to visit an elderly woman today who was separated from her husband for more than twenty years and by returning to the Church in a more serious way she heard that she should go look for him. It was a miracle that she even found him. She asked his forgiveness and took him home and cared for him until he died of dementia ten years later. This is hope. God can give you a spirit like this to give your life for your family without worrying about your self. What are you hoping for this Christmas? Don’t be afraid to hope for something truly great. And work at it, pray for it, lean on God for it.
Advent is a season of hope, of waiting for the Lord. Hope is an essential habit or virtue if we are going to follow Jesus Christ. Hope means that I am not there yet. Inside of us there is a desire for something eternal that I cannot give to myself. St. Paul reminded us to accept and welcome others as they are and this helps us to grow in hope. After all God loves us and continues to love us as we are, even when we sin. Use this time of year to speak to others and invite them to come with you for a Christmas Mass. For sure God wants to reach certain people through you! Don’t be afraid. God will help you.
The readings last week reminded us that hope implies patience, and waiting. Today it is important for a Christian to learn how to wait, to not act impulsively, and wait for the appropriate time. Everything today is calling us to act quickly, to rush and Advent calls us to wait, joyfully. Complaining and grumbling are the opposite of patience; they slow you down and you miss the occasion to pray, and to wait.
Due to the disobedience of our first parents we lost friendship with God and he promised us a savior. God told the snake in the Garden of Eden that she (or he) will crush your head. It was the first announcement of a redeemer, the first gospel or good news as it is called in church world.
The coming of our Savior is almost upon us as we hear in the gospel this week Matthew 1: 18-24). Mary and Joseph are betrothed which is more than our engagement but they are not living together. And Mary is in a difficult situation since she is pregnant and Joseph is not the father. Joseph shows his holiness by planning to divorce Mary quietly. One theory is that he did not find himself worthy to be part of what God was doing with Mary and this is why he planned to quietly divorce her. While he was sleeping an angel appears to him and reveals to him that the Holy Spirit is the father and this is part of God’s plan.
“Don’t be afraid,” the angel tells him, and to you. Follow God’s plan. Don’t go off on your own. He will do great things for you. Out of a great darkness for St. Joseph God brought a huge light. Joseph was plunged into the greatest mystery of all time. When you find yourself in a dark place or alone, that is when God acts. He pours his gifts on his beloved while they sleep the psalmist tell us.
All of this took place to fulfill promises made long ago. Christmas gives us hope because God is always true to his word. This is not just a story from long ago but it is about you: Christ is coming to save you. He wants to be born in you and save you from some sadness or loneliness or anxiety or your marriage or some problem with your kids. Emmanuel, God with us, brings us hope. He is the only one who can save us from our messiness, our selfishness. Don’t let the busyness of this time distract you from him. Make time for his this week and for Christmas!