I always enjoyed getting to use the computers that were at school because somebody would always have some pretty interesting games loaded upon them. Sim City was a true find during middle school and the Sims was the game of choice during high school. Sim City allowed you to take control of building your own city and properly running it so that the residents would have enough cops, teachers, water, electricity, hospital workers, and more. The Sims was a lot of fun because it gave you the opportunity to build your own home and place the furniture that you want into it. Plugging in a simple code would give you unlimited money and you were ready to build to your heart's content. With unlimited money the house could be as huge as possible and could have the most elaborate of furniture.
During this Advent season we have been preparing our own hearts and souls for the coming of Christ. For the past three weeks we have been preparing to come into contact with the light of Christ and invite Him into the home of our souls. If we still find that work needs to be done and room needs to still be made we still have one week to work with. May we use the remainder of this week making an innovatory of our lives and ask ourselves what we need to clean away from our souls if Christ is to come to dwell with us. This Tuesday will be the perfect opportunity for ourselves to prepare ourselves because on this day we will hold our Penance Service. We will have six priests who will be with us that evening and will be prepared to hear our Confession and to aid us in the building up of virtue within our lives.
In today's first reading from the second book of Samuel we encounter David wanting to build a house for God. For David this seemed to be the perfect plan, but God saw things otherwise. Instead of the building up of a physical home it was the desire of God to build up a home for the people of Israel. The line of David will be made as numerous as the stars of Heaven and will await the coming of the Messiah. This episode between God and David is not different from our everyday encounters with God. We often believe that we have everything figured out for ourselves and thus don't need to allow God into our lives. It is only when things begin to go horrible that we realize that God is all that we have to call upon. This lesson is perfect to carry over into our everyday life because it makes us realize that we are nothing without God.
Today's Gospel reading gives us the perfect example of how we can be made available to the will of God. Mary is the perfect example for us because the Angel Gabriel came to greet this humble woman and invite her to bear the Messiah. She was a young woman and was filled with fear. She voiced her opinion concerning how this could be possible seeing that she has not had any relations with a man, but remained open to the will of God. Despite the fear and mixed emotions that she might of had she was open to this invitation and accepted to enter into it by working alongside divine will. She is the perfect example of humility for each and every one of us. May we be inspired by this same act of humility and be willing to allow God to enter into the deepest spaces of our hearts, so that we may be transformed.
On the day that Mary gave her yes to the the angel Gabriel a home was prepared which is far superior to any temple that can be built. It is the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary that becomes the greatest palace that was ever built. It was through this humble acceptance of the Christ child into her womb that the death that was caused by original sin started to be overcome. Mary would have been content living a quiet and unknown life, but she was willing to be transformed through the actions of the Annunciation. We act in similar ways because our own plans are fragile compared to the will of God. This season of Advent therefore is the perfect time to prepare ourselves to hear God calling out to us wanting to grow closer and closer into relationship which each of us. May we be able to hear His cries and make room within our homes, so that we will be receptive to His will.
All of us live in a world that presents us with many challenges. When we turn on the news or open the newspaper we are left scratching our heads concerning what is going on in the world around us. At any moment our life can change for the better or for the worse. The only thing that we can be sure of is the love that Christ has for each of us. At this moment we may be happy and excited, we may be angry at someone, or scared for our future, but even among these different emotions Christ is present. He desires to extend his hand to us as Gabriel extended his hand to Mary. If we accept this hand that is extended to us we will welcome Christ into our hearts and homes. He will transform them and make them objects of great beauty because we have cast the darkness of sin away and have accepted the light of Christ into our lives.
Therefore my brothers and sisters in Christ may we allow "God to strengthen us" through the remainder of this Advent Season. May we be prepared to open the doors of our souls ridding ourselves of all evil inclinations in order to make room for the Christ child in our hearts and homes. No matter what struggle or joy that we may find ourselves in today Christ is present and desires to enter into our lives if we are willing to allow Him. With our desire to enter deeper into relationship with God we will begin to resemble the beauty that can only be found through this relationship. Through this relationship every crevice of our hearts and souls will resemble the beauty that was found inside of the dwelling place of Christ while He was in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Let us therefore fashion all that goes on inside of us after this great example, so that we may be strengthened through the Gospel and through the proclamation of Jesus Christ.
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