What shall we celebrate?

What do you anticipate celebrating at Christmas? The joy of the birth of Christ? Joy of the season? The love of God, family, and friends? Christmas is a special time of the year which evokes many special things in all of us. One of the things that can get lost amidst the hustle and bustle of the season and often goes unsung is the celebration of the incarnation of Christ in all of us! With everything that goes on during the Christmas season, it is definitely hard to focus on the very fact that Christ is within us! The gospel of the 4th Sunday of Advent calls us to do just that; that is: to celebrate the incarnation of Christ within. However, it is at times, hard to take hold of this realization. In fact, sometimes it is easier to image far off sci-fy lands of Avatar then it is to increase an awareness of the Christ in each of us. Us who bear the image of Christ, who as Christians, are called to be little Christs!

The previous weeks of Advent have been preparing us to deepen our awareness of the incarnation Christ within; let us note the pattern! First week of Advent: Vigilance - cleaning out the junk in our lives, aware of what needs to change. Second week of Advent - make straight the paths, putting aside the twisted muck we place in our lives that draw us away from Christ. Third week of Advent: a renewal of the call to faith and duty as children of God that we called to fulfill daily! NOW, the 4th Sunday of Advent show us through Mary and Elizabeth that if we are completely open to God's will that God will work with us and be incarnated within. Mary by way of her yes literally incarnated Christ into her very being; we do spiritually. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit because of her openness.

If we desire the same for us then we too must seek to grow in giving ourselves completely to God and being completely open to His will. Amen.