The light that is Christ calls us to reject darkness, love one another
During this season of Christmas, as 2021 draws to a close, we know all too well that these past couple of years have been a time of trial and sorrow. Yet through the difficulties and darkness, the light of kindness, generosity and self-sacrificing love has shown among many.
In such times of trial as we have experienced, and which we still experience, having a gracious and grateful heart may be the key to our ability not only to survive but to create a better world. A grateful heart is a hopeful heart, and hope is the virtue which our whole society and culture needs in this time.
During Advent, we prepare our hearts and our lives for the arrival of Jesus. Our God is the giver of all good gifts.
It is easy for us to be anxious and fearful about many things today. It is very easy to cross boundaries in our daily lives, dominating others, pursuing freedom without responsibility, competing to acquire more and more “stuff ” while so many people are poor and needy.
Pope Francis has identified ours as a “throwaway” culture in which we discard, for example, unborn children and the elderly as easily as we dispose of food that has become rancid or moldy.
We have a lot to be anxious about — we have much to fear.
We have been dealing with the pandemic and its consequences for almost two years. Now we are told about the omicron variant, and no one knows for sure how effective the vaccines available will remain.
We have experienced sorrow, mourning and misery during the pandemic. But even in the midst of grief and desolation, the glory of God is manifested. He works in history, restoring the fortunes of his people and the world, forever. We prepare for Christmas seeking the peace of justice, the glory of God’s worship, cheering and hoping. God has power over all the powers in this world and in this life.
Awaiting the coming of the Lord does not mean remaining in expectation for catastrophe but being united to the Lord and in the Lord by love. Jesus Christ is the prospect of justice for the world.
The joy of Christ helps us overcome all adversity.
Jesus invites us to unite ourselves with him, to allow ourselves to be rescued from futility, to find the truth, and to receive the full and eternally happy life that consists in loving. The same Jesus announced by John the Baptist 2,000 years ago, is alive today and is speaking to us. He wants to be born into our world.
We live in a land devastated by falsehood, division and selfishness. Our world seems like a prison of deceptions and vices. But we must invite others to share in joy. With gratitude, let us be proud to be united to the Lord and to each other with the bond of the Holy Spirit, which no one can break. Let us strengthen that bond.
We prepare the way of the Lord — who comes into the world through his mother Mary — straightening our paths and manifesting our joy with acts of love, which strip us of any attachment.
May your Christmas Day be a day of joy — celebrated safely — as you gather with your families and loved ones.