Greetings to all of our parish parishioners, school families, teachers, and students on the occasion of this special Mass offered during our Advent season. For some time now we have all been anticipating the coming of the Word made flesh. We have signs that have been placed before our eyes; such as this Advent wreath which slowly gets filled with light. At times it may seem that reality will not come soon enough. For our children I am sure that presents have begun to be wrapped and placed under a tree for you. At times the anticipation of having to wait to open these can seem like too much to bare. For those of us who have offered continuous litanies of prayers and in return have not visibly received an answer can also attest to how hard it can be to persevere in our life of faith when we have so much anticipation for change. With Christmas set so closely before our eyes we continue to anticipate with great joy the coming of the Christ child and also continue to persevere in our movement towards that manger. This final week of Advent that has been placed before us can indeed help each of us to be strengthened in our faith and to truly make room in the inn of our hearts for the Messiah.
Elizabeth and Zechariah can easily attest to the anticipation that all of us have and will feel inside of our lives. They prayed and prayed, and yet it had to of seemed at times as if nothing would ever take place. As we all know from our experiences at a Doctor's office; that waiting can feel like an eternity. Despite how long they had to wait Elizabeth and Zechariah would endure in their faith, like the parents of Samson who have come before them, and in time were given the response of such a great honor as being the parents of Saint John the Baptist. Sometimes we allow our own anticipation to overcome us and due to that we miss the very thing that we had anticipated towards. In "The Great Divorce" by CS Lewis he takes the reader on a journey via a bus that leads from Hell into Heaven. The first image given inside of this book is a massive line at a bus station. It is observed here that so many people get restless or lose hope that they could possibly get onto the bus that they decide to leave the line and thus chose to so easily abandon their journey towards Heaven.
As we continue our own journey here on earth may we not allow the anticipation of our hearts to get the best of us. Instead may we realize the importance that lies behind perseverance, because through perseverance, we indeed will discover great rewards. As we look east towards the manger of Christ may we realize that in that little crib came the greatest gift that would ever be given to the world. Due to this great gift, we gather together in this Mass to enter into the sacrifice of Calvary where we give due worship towards God and very soon we will gather together in our school gym where our various classes will offer hymns of great joy towards the gift that is the Word made flesh. As we continue our own journey towards the manger in this Advent season may we not allow our anticipation to overcome us, but instead may each of us persevere in our preparation. In our life of faith may we not allow the anticipation of our needs to overcome us, but instead may we persevere with great joy. Through our perseverance we indeed will be able to sing the glory of God as we continue to make straight our path towards the Lord.
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