The Gospel for the First Sunday of Advent carries the direct and clear warning of Jesus, "Be watchful! Be alert!...What I say to you, I say to all: Watch!" (Mk 13: 33, 37). Watch for what? Watch for the signs of God's love as we prepare for the birth of Jesus. Watch for Jesus himself...how is he speaking to us? Through the purple passages of Isaiah? Through friends, events, our prayer, even through our mistakes and sins? Nothing like the shame of a misdeed to wake us up and remind us of our vulnernability and need for the forgiveness of Jesus.
An action plan for getting more out of Advent and for a better celebration of Christmas comes from the Advent Conspiracy, a global movement dedicated to counteracting the commercialism of Christmas and restoring it to its proper religious significance. It's four pillars are 1) Worship fully, 2) Give less, 3) Give more, and 4) Love all. (See www.adventconspiracy.org). If we take spend more time in prayer, prepare for Mass by reflecting on the readings before and after attending; if we give less gifts (or less expensive) and more of ourselves, and if we use our "savings" to help those who have less...we will more fully participate in the gift that Jesus brings us and be ourselves a sign to others of the real meaning of the Advent-Christmas season.
Bro. Rene
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