The only thing left is the living torture housewives feel when they decorate the house with a number of colors and make a batch of recipes, and fix a number of invitations, and send a number of cards, and eventually are exhausted.
I've found a couple of articles in the papers recently, where moms have declared, "I do not do that external decorating anymore, I will not do anything in my house or front yard."
Some people are opting-especially where there is money to be made-to shut down the house and go to another country, go to a hotel to spend two or three weeks, "there the hotel decorates as they like, so I'm not going to do all the usual stuff: cards, lights and gifts. "
Can you imagine a party where THE guest does not arrive? It would be boring unless one did not care if THE guest came or not. If one reads the kinds of articles that I just shared, they are bored because THE greatest guest, Jesus, is the one who is missing.
If Advent and Christmas means only "we will change these yellow lights for red or green lights and putting up a tree, or we can remove this or that, then we will send cards to people that we never see or care about during the year"; it all sounds very silly and empty. Jesus is missing in our hearts and in our homes if this is the way we think.
The center of the Christian life is Christ, the center of Christmas is Christ and without Christ Christmas is a sterile exercise and a lie, it's silly, it is as if we all say, "Now everyone is happy, everyone is happy. Well, happiness is over, now back to reality, "back to work." That is not the way a Catholic talks, we are happy because we have Christ.
There comes a time when you get bored. A time when you are told that you have to become happy. Instead, Jesus comes to conquer our hearts, to captivate us, to love us, this Child must bring joy to you and me, He must bring us good news. This Child is coming to break the things that hurt us, especially arrogance, selfishness and resentment. Those things, when broken, will turn into the new Spirit that He brings. The Spirit of Christmas is not that we say words just to say them, like "Well, let's be good people for a few days," that is more or less what one sees in the world of commerce or in the movies.
The spirit of Christmas is not, "Well, we are good people for a few days, let us put on a brave face and eat more or less". That is very little and it is like a social farce, the real Spirit of Christmas is that Jesus is coming. That is the excitement that we should all feel.
And the wonderful thing about John the Baptist is that for him the center of his life was Jesus Christ, what he did was to proclaim Jesus Christ. So, basically, this is what we have to learn in Advent. That Jesus is the center. It is so very beautiful when the human heart begins to feel longings for Jesus: "Come, Jesus, come into my life, take away what is disturbing me"
Lord, you have given me a new day. You have given me a new opportunity to prepare myself for your coming. I believe that you will be with me as I continue my preparation for your coming. My heart is too often divided and pulled in many directions, but I wish to set my heart totally on you so that I may love you above all else. Here I am, Lord, to know you and love you more. Help me to embrace the proper means to prepare myself for your birth.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, often I fall into the ways of the world, letting myself get caught up in its comforts and vanities. Teach me that only one thing matters: you and the life you promised us. Help me to use this Advent to prepare for your coming by detaching myself from the ways of the world and by being an example of Christian living for those whom I encounter. Help me to be always faithful to my frequent confession.
Here you have a link with resourses to improve this Second Week of Advent
Here you have a link with resourses to improve this Second Week of Advent
No comments:
Post a Comment