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The whole world is getting ready for Christmas, together with the Church. We are all planning about how we use these weeks before Christmas – which we call Advent. Now many people are already busy getting things ready for Christmas. Thinking about sending cards or messages, buying presents, planning meals and trips or get-togethers, and that’s all fine. But let’s think about how we get ourselves ready, our minds, our hearts, our spirits, ready to find real joy and hope in Christmas spiritually.

To differentiate the season, we see sometimes the colors of the decorations in the churches change to violet or to blue. Each Sunday in advent we light a candle on a special Wreath to remember God’s Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. But most importantly we remember how the Savior of the whole world came to earth as a baby, and all of this because God loves us so much that He gave His only Son. So Advent is the season when we take time amidst all the other things that are happening before Christmas to remember all of that.

I’d love for everyone’s spirits to be raised at this time by being caught up and enthralled by the big story of Christmas. And so, we need and can use this Advent time to get ready to be part of God’s Christmas. First by pausing long enough to ponder at some depth those things that men and women have always longed for, that are the most important things to find in life. Secondly by grasping that these things are possible; the peace with people near and far is possible, that love is possible, that forgiveness and new beginnings are possible, and the way of Jesus has shown us they’re possible. Then we get ready for our part in God’s Christmas by planning ways to reach out across old quarrels; by planning how to bring some joy to people we know and needing it; by planning to step outside the usual social conventions and do some random kindness, just because it’s Christmas as we say.

In Advent we can plan, maybe as families, to be part of the big Christmas story; part of the changing of the world that began with Jesus coming. And may I wish you God’s grace that will help you and yours truly share in the joy of a very happy Christmas when it comes.

The Rosarian Fathers