Advent is a journey. As Pope Francis puts it: “Advent is a journey towards Bethlehem. May we ourselves be drawn by the light of God made man.” For us this journey is about to come to its conclusion. Very soon we will arrive at Christmas morning and there we will come to encounter this shining light which is God made man. This is the shining light which penetrates from the darkness of night, but are we truly prepared to encounter such a light or would we rather remain in the darkness?
We have seen Nativity plays and by now we should know the classical account of the Nativity by heart. In our mind should swirl stories of angels, shepherds, and kings who came to encounter this shining light. Angels who joyously sung, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased.” Shepherds who “went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.” Kings who when they went “into the house saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him.”
To think that what takes place is so important that angels worship and adore this shining light which is God made man. To think that shepherds were called out of the ordinary events of their daily life to encounter the extraordinary event of this shining light which is God made man. To think that kings came from their pagan roots and were converted to this shining light which is God made man which had called out to them.
Our Gospel accounts for us the Visitation where “Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the child leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” This child who leaps in the womb of Elizabeth is John the Baptist. He who would be “the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” came into his first encounter with the Savior of the World. Some hold that John the Baptist was freed from the stain of original sin through this first encounter with Christ. Indeed to come into an encounter with the shining light that is God made man is to be transformed.
As Mary went on her journey to visit Elizabeth, so too should we continue to undergo our own journey to encounter her Son. Our life does not have to be thrust into darkness because her Son desires to become our shining light. Christmas can be a difficult time for one has lost a loved one, but despite the darkness of loss we encounter the light of love which is encompasses us all. Who in their right mind would desire not to undergo this journey? Who in their right mind would desire to stay within the darkness?
The path of conversion is a difficult path for us to undergo, but it is a path that Advent calls us to undertake. We cannot kneel at the crib which holds our Blessed Lord and remain unchanged. To encounter that baby is to encounter the one who comes to us under the appearance of bread and wine. Bread and wine which has been transformed into the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ our Lord. Yet despite such a wondrous gift, such a shining light that is God made man, so many do not contemplate what they receive. They rush into Mass without preparation and they rush out the door without making an act of thanksgiving. They allow noise to penetrate into the Church as they lose sight of the one who dwells here with us. They fail to acknowledge that they are sinners who are in need of the mercy of God and thus need to be purified by His infinite mercy which endures forever in the Sacrament of Confession. This is the same Shining Light which angels, shepherds, and kings came to adore.
Let us not lose sight of the Eucharist, but instead conform our life to it. Let it become a way of life for the Eucharist is to rebuke the darkness and to instead invite the Shining Light which is God made man into our life.
