Advent is a time for preparation, prayer, and new beginnings. It is a time to open our hearts, minds, and spirits to the nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ at Christmas. All too often, however, our worldly preparations during Advent overwhelm our spiritual preparations. We decorate our homes. We listen to holiday music. We brave the malls and the traffic to buy presents. We bake cookies and cook lavish meals. But what about prayers? What about our spiritual lives? All of these other activities can be good. They can be tangible expressions of our love for family, friends, and neighbors. They can convey our generosity, love, and service to others. But again, what about prayer? What about our love for God? What about preparing ourselves for the greatest gift of all, the birth of Jesus? These are very challenging questions! And believe me, I still don’t have all the answers. I still struggle (and often fail) to balance my ministry and work with my personal need for prayer and spiritual preparation.

Given the ever-increasing hustle and bustle of the holiday season, how can we prayerfully prepare for the coming of our Savior? A friend of mine, who is a good spiritual director, suggests that we should “pause” in the midst of our busy lives and “take a deep spiritual breath.” My friend counsels that we cannot reconcile our practical preparations for Christmas with our spiritual preparations for Christmas without recognizing the need to pause, slow down, and reflect deeply on what is about to happen to us and to our world. A poor young maiden named Mary will soon embrace the gift of motherhood through God’s astonishing grace. A poor laborer named Joseph will answer God’s call to care for this mother and her unborn baby. And finally, after a frantic search for lodging, their poor child, who is both Son of God and Savior of the World, will be born poor in a stable.

The miracle of Advent is not found in our ability to somehow find the time to cook all the meals, bake all the pies, or wrap all the presents. The true miracle of Advent is found in our ability to pause, breathe, and reflect again upon the awesome blessings that are given to us through a young woman’s openness to God’s grace, a young couple’s summons to love, a child of light born at the darkest time of year, and a world changed forever by the coming of its Savior. The miraculous gift of Advent is unwrapped when we pause in the midst of our busy lives to begin again our relationship with Jesus, who is true light in the darkness, true love in a land divided by bigotry and suspicion, and true peace in a world wracked by hatred and violence.

As we begin this Holy Season of Advent, let us beg for the grace to pause, breathe, and reflect on the joyful mysteries of our faith. Let us “walk in the light of the Lord (Isaiah 2:5)” and become true instruments of the Lord’s peace in our homes, neighborhoods, parishes, and offices. Let us journey hand-in-hand as brothers and sisters united in prayer, fellowship, and service. And let us pray heart-to-heart for each other, that all of us, no matter who we are or where we are on the journey of faith, will find the courage and humility to set aside what seems most important and to answer the Father’s call to renew our relationship with Jesus. In short, let us pause, breathe, and reflect! And let us begin again!

Peace and blessings to all,
Father Jim

Reverend James M. Achadinha, Pastor
Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport
Contact: frjim@ccgronline.com

CCGR Weekly Newsletter (11-27-16)
Bringing Home the Word (11-27-16)

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