With this Sunday we begin our new liturgical year and also the season of Advent. It was last Sunday where we came to profess Christ to be our King and thus now as we look ahead towards that little town of Bethlehem we profess that it is Christ the King of Peace who will come to dwell here in a manger. We thankfully have the opportunity to know where we are headed and therefore we should not waste the days that lay ahead to not allow ourself to be drawn towards the peace that will be ushered into the world through the birth of Christ. With the days that have been set before us in this Advent season we must feel compelled to be transformed to match the peace that Christ brings into the world on Christmas day.
But where is this peace to be found? We can think of countless examples within the world where a lack of peace is found. We know of ISIS and people being beheaded due to their religion or nationality. Even here in our own country we can think of Ferguson, MO where cop cars have been set on fire and a war seems to ensue on a nightly basis between protesters and police. Even on the local basis many people struggle with finding a home or even having food to eat. You only have to head to Saint Joseph's food pantry on a Wednesday morning to see that this is so. There is war against the unborn because children are not given the rite to life. There is war against women because there are those whose human dignity has been diminished to the point where they are not loved, but instead are trapped in the selling of their body as a object. Indeed through these injustices that exist and the many that go unnamed we can ask where is the peace of Christ to be found?
Now for the hard part which is to point the finger inward to ourself and ask in what ways we have led towards this lack of peace that is found within the world. Thus to ask ourself where it is that we are torn apart on the inside through a lack of peace. Maybe we turn the other way at the sight of the poor and judge them with our thoughts. Maybe we have become so delusioned with pride that we always find ourself judging everything and thus treating others as if they are always lesser then us. Maybe we have a poor practice of faith where besides this hour spent at Mass we never find ourself entering into the silence of prayer. Maybe we have become trapped in a fantasy reality through the use of the internet, where through the media that we consume, we fail to serve God who is found within each human person. These are all manifestations that show a lack of peace that is present within our life and thus we are left to ask ourself once more; if these manifestations are present how can we ever claim to know the peace of Christ?
From Saint Paul's Letter to the Corinthians we are extended the peace of Jesus Christ. During this season of Advent this is the peace that we are preparing to receive on Christmas morning. Christ ushers peace into the world because He is God who took on human flesh and was willing to die upon the cross in order to set us free from our enslavement towards sin. For this very reason we must always remain on watch. We do not want to be caught off guard through our lack of preparation because if we are our found lacking peace in our heart we have already come to banish Christ from our midst instead of actually inviting Him in to come and to dwell with us. In the days following Thanksgiving we have a lot we prepared for: Black Friday and Christmas decorations, but instead of placing so much effort into this we must prepare for Christmas and remember that we are in Advent and therefore are not there yet.
The gatekeeper was left on watch because He had to only let the master in and nothing that could be found harmful. We to must remain on watch because we should only allow the peace of Christ to enter in and to never allow in anything that impedes upon this peace. Advent is a time that has been side aside to truly give us the assistance that we need in order to discover the peace that we desire. May we during this season not forget to stay on watch, but instead may we remember Christ the King of Peace who desires to enter into our life. To prepare for His coming one could attend one of the daily Masses through the week, one should go to Confession, one could pray with their family each day before an Advent wreath, one could volunteer to give assistance to Saint Joseph's Food Pantry or the White Elephant, parents could give their children Advent calendars, and of course we need to pray and fast in order that we may be found faithfully on watch for Christ's coming. May we truly allow Christ the King of Peace to come and to bring us comfort!
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