Come Away By Yourselves

Closing in on Christmas we contemplate the mystery of the Incarnation.  Mary's humility and openness to God's plan are inspiring and truly mysterious.  She offers us a recipe for our own life as Christians: attentiveness in prayer, humility based on contemplating God, and readiness to do His will. 

In the Incarnation, the Infinite God becomes finite, limited, even small.  The Word is made flesh and begins his earthly life as an infant, as a little thing.  In the spiritual life, little things are also a dwelling place of God.  Little deeds, ordinary tasks, and everyday moments are all opportunities for us "to seek Christ, to find Christ, to love Christ", who is present but hidden in each circumstance.  

Advent is essentially a time of preparation.  To prepare for Jesus is to make our souls and lives more welcoming places for him to arrive.  This entails conversion, confession, a real change of heart and mind.  The changes that Jesus can bring about in our lives and in the world are truly incredible.  To let him do this, we need to be on board with the program. 

Advent is a time of patience and hope.  Both of these virtues entail waiting.  Waiting for God is sometimes very difficult, especially in trying situations.  Our faith in Jesus, who is God with us and faithful to his promises, bolsters our ability to wait for him with joyful hope.  Our faith overcomes the tribulation of the world and even makes us peaceful in the face of possible persecution.  

Christ's supreme manifestation as King will come when he returns to judge the living and the dead.  Until then, we have to remain patient with his will for us.  Jesus uses his power to serve others and he hides his power in order to suffer for sin.  At times, we might naturally wish for him to establish his kingdom sooner, putting an end to evil and suffering.  But we should always trust in his plan for our holiness and redemption, which is that we follow the longer and slower path that he himself followed.