“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20).
Advent marks the beginning of a new liturgical year. Yet, we are not supposed to be off and running, we are implored to wait….and watch! The church begins the year with the season of Advent. A time when we are given some very clear instructions for how to prepare our hearts for the coming of our King. We are taught to dig deep into our soul and search for hope, peace, joy and love. We are asked to slow down and take a long look at where we are, who we are, how we love and who we care for. This is the perfect way to begin a new year; spend a lot of time with our God and feel the calming grace of His hope for each of us. However, because the world that most of us live in is a complicated mess of confusion, we begin to struggle. Our heart wishes to be reunited with our maker, but the expectations of work life, family life, bills, illness and uncertainty pull us in a completely different direction.
You haven’t started your Christmas shopping? Do you have a picture of your family for your Christmas cards? It is only the first week in December and we have already checked off the Christmas Cantata, Christmas parade, live nativity, visit from Santa and who knows what else. We have probably missed out on all of the discounts and free shipping. If we do not place our order soon, we may not even get our packages on time. Do you have your Christmas decorations up? Is it just me, or does this all seem a bit rushed? Especially when Jesus is weighing heavy on my heart that I should be waiting…and watching! But what am I waiting and watching for exactly?
We are meant to watch for little miracles, or take the time to listen to people who have hope in their hearts. We are meant to understand and to forgive even when there is no human way to understand. We are waiting for our time in Heaven and only through the hope, peace, joy and love of Advent will we get there. So we lean heavy against our Lord as we begin the new liturgical year. We simply cannot go through it alone, and because of Christmas, we never have to.
He is our savior! Our Lord was born in chaos. He came to us as a vulnerable baby, in a scary town far from home with no shelter. He understands our chaotic life! He understands that our children decide to have a meltdown during Mass. He understands that money gets tight just when we need it the most. He understands that we get overstimulated and can’t fight our frustration. He understands that we put too much pressure on others to act a certain way. He sees when your health is failing but you have hope for better days. He is very pleased with you! That is what makes our God a king. He has already proven his love for his kingdom. He is the ultimate ruler because he has already saved us from sin and death.
Happy Advent. Happy struggle through chaos. Jesus is right there with you!
God Bless, Anne Atkin, Principal
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