We are already at the 3rd Sunday of Advent.  No doubt you all noticed that we lit the pink candle this week, the color pink signifying Joy.  We experience Joy this week because we are a little more than half way to Christmas.  Although the experience of waiting for Christ seems long in coming, the Church reminds us, through our Liturgy, that we must not give us.  We have something worthwhile coming and it is all worth the pain, the anxiety, and all other emotions we experience when we wait.  The color pink reminds us that we must not give up having Hope. 

    While we wait during this time of Advent we must take advantage of the season to prepare.  It is all well and good to wait but we must ask ourselves, ‘What exactly are we waiting for?’  Are we simply waiting to celebrate a birthday party for Jesus?  Are we waiting to attend a special Mass where the crowds will be larger and singing a little more exhilarating?  Or maybe we are waiting to witness a still re-enactment of the first Christmas.  Why does the church make so much hoop-la about Advent anyway? 

    The whole notion behind Advent is to give us a time to Wait in quiet and in peace.  This sounds a bit paradoxical since it happens precisely at the same time as our commercial preparation for Christmas.  If there is something we do not usually experience at this time of year, its peace and quiet.  And that is precisely the whole point. This season is given to us to help us counteract all the hustle and bustle of the “other” Christmas we are preparing for.  We cannot, we must not forget why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. 

    As we prepare for the coming of Christ we must take the time to prepare our  inner selves.  What we do during this Advent season is prepare for a birth of Christ within us.  Jesus will not be reborn in the manger this year.  However, he does want to be reborn in us, in the depths of our being.  Jesus must come alive in the world once again and it will only happen through us.  This is a very tall order for us.  If we take it seriously, it can be a bit intimidating.

    How can we “give birth” to Jesus?  Well, it is not a difficult as it sounds.  We now have two weeks to prepare.  The most important thing is to make room for Him in our lives.  All too often we carry too much extra baggage that is not necessary.  Why don’t we take a few minutes each day to reflect on our lives and to take a serious look at the baggage we are carrying for nothing? Everyone’s baggage is different but it all has the same effect.  It takes too much room and there is no room for Jesus.  When we read the Christmas story and we hear that there was no room for Mary and Joseph in the Inn we have very strong feeling about that.  Do we have the same negative feelings about our own “crowded inn”? 

    Some of us can prepare through a little more prayer.  Others might want to take advantage of the sacrament of Reconciliation.  That’s a great way to clean ourselves out.  Whatever you choose to do, do it with heart and Joy.  Jesus is coming, Can he come to us?               
                                Lorette P. Nault