Christmas Is Calling…
Scripture:
Isaiah 63: 16-17,
Isaiah 63:19,
Isaiah 64: 2-7,
1 Corinthians 1: 3-9,
Mark 13: 33-37.
Reflection
Dear sisters and brothers,
Advent is a wonderful opportunity.
It comes every year, and we let it slide by without noticing it.
It is the time when we need to prepare ourselves to receive Christ and not just gifts, food and other social things.
Advent, a preparation for the coming of the Lord.
Jesus has already come into this world, but promised His people that He will come again, when we do not know.
Therefore, the Church sets aside a time every year to commemorate His first coming, to prepare ourselves for the time of His return.
The best way to prepare ourselves to welcome Infant Jesus is to repent.
It is an opportunity to look back at the year and turn away from those things that lead us away from God especially the times when we did not make the right choices or the times when we got distracted and turned our back on the Lord due to the pandemic.
This preparation further takes us to confess our sins and reconcile with the people we have hurt in this part year.
Let us also apologise for our bad behaviour to every human and creation of God on this earth so that we not only change our bad ways to good ways but also have a deeper conversion to receive Christ in our hearts and lives.
This will help us to restore our relationships and give us the courage to build bridges with people whom we have hurt.
If we really want to prepare for the coming of the Lord, we have much to do, repent and reconcile.
Can I be a good disciple/instrument to heal the wounds of a broken relationship between God, man and woman?
We cannot give others what we do not possess.
If we have experienced satisfaction and the joy of salvation then only we can bring it to others.
When we prepare, we experience the Messiah in our uncertainties.
He did not believe in power and supremacy rather in healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, raising the dead to life and restoring us to wholeness in our relationship with God.
As we prepare to welcome the coming of our Lord Jesus, He is offering us these miracles as our Christmas gifts.
With these gifts, we will be able to carry out our responsibilities, to fulfil the purpose for which we have been placed here on earth and to work for the glory of His Kingdom.
This was the mission for which Jesus Christ was send into the world, to redeem those in slavery to sin.
In sending the Messiah, God has made a gracious visit to His people to redeem us.
Are we the one who are open to redeem from sinful status in our daily lives?
Let us during this Advent that the Holy Spirit may inspire us and fill us with joy and boldness to proclaim the message of the Lord’s visitation and redemption in our lives.
How does the Church understand the Advent?
The Church wants us to understand that every gathering in the name of Christ Jesus and praise and worship, is an advent of the Lord.
He who came in the flesh, born of the Virgin, the same who will come in great glory at the time of Corona, at the end of time upon the clouds of heaven, comes to us in every way as real as was His advent in the flesh, and as well as His advent in majesty that will be at end of time.
Jesus’ words are very clear in the Scripture that entry into the kingdom is determined by doing the Father’s will and not merely uttering sweet sounding empty words.
In our daily lives, we need to become the one who reach out to the reality of the broken world as Christ’s hands.
It means that we need to question ourselves whether our values are built on rock or sand or a solid foundation that will withstand the storms of life like a house that is built on the rock.
We have to take the time to wait, watch and prepare, to appreciate all that has come our way.
Let us not to be carried away by the difficult times of the pandemic.
Let us meditate on our gifts of life, of the people around us and of our faith during these days of the Advent Season.
Questions for our reflections may be:
Am I preparing to welcome Christ with joy?
Will I be spiritually alert this Advent Season?
If it is so, we can proudly say that we are ready to receive the Messiah in our hearts, minds and souls.
May the Heart of Jesus live in the hearts of all. Amen…
