We are one week away from Christmas day. For several weeks now, we have been journeying in the midst of the Advent in this holy season of preparation. When I was getting ready for the Advent season, I came across a brochure issued by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops entitled: “Advent: Joy and Hope – We look forward with joy to the coming of Jesus.” Joy and hope are important themes of our Advent season, although perhaps somewhat neglected and overlooked. Advent is a solemn and serious season where we are called to repentance and renewal. However, it is a joyful season as well. The situation Joseph was faced with in today’s Gospel was very serious. I cannot imagine the anxiety, concern, and tension that he and his wife Mary felt in their hearts.
Advent is a time where we not only prepare for the coming of the Lord, but it is also a time in which we contemplate the way God is with us, recalling how Matthew’s Gospel tells us how this child would fulfill what the prophet foretold. We need to remember that Emmanuel means “God is with us” – not “God will soon be with us” or “God is on the way.” Sometimes, with what is going on in our lives and what we see going on in the world, it is easy to forget that “God is with us.” We are indeed connected with God, but sometimes that connection can seem far away, can’t it? God comes to us through Jesus’ nativity, but God is always with us and he is present throughout human history in many different ways. As we are only a week away from Christmas, I pray that all of us may be aware of the ways God is with us, the ways God is working in our lives.
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