A PREPARATION TIME

How we love celebrations! Our lives are punctuated by celebrations. We celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, feasts, promotions, success, and many other things. Last week was the Thanksgiving celebration. It is interesting to notice how seriously we take those celebrations. We prepare for and celebrate them well. Not just the celebrations, we also take great care to prepare for most of our day-to-day activities like work, school, sports, the winter, and summer seasons, etcetera.

What about Christmas? How do we prepare for the celebration of the coming of Christ in history? Advent season offers us the opportunity to do so but how do we go about it? We would probably think about the decorations, songs and music, shopping, and getting our travel plans ready. All these are okay, but if we only pay attention to the pomp and pageantry of the celebration, we miss its significance. The external or outward preparations should be the fruits of the internal—spiritual preparations for Christmas. Advent is a period to be at peace with our God and neighbors. It is a time to continue with our prayer life even as we wait in hope for the Lord’s coming.

Indeed, Christ comes in glory and advent prepares us for this glorious coming. As we prepare to celebrate his coming in history on Christmas day, we equally prepare for his coming in glory by remaining in the state of grace. We ought to pay attention to the words of the Lord in the gospel of today, “Watch and pray”. This is a call to prepare spiritually for his coming. We are urged to pay attention to our lives and discover where we are sleepy. We are to live as if his return were just around the corner. Watch, pray, and do not be found asleep when the Master comes! It is a call to moral and spiritual awakening. The church should not be somnolent. Moral slumber points to a lax conscience that cannot recognize sin and abstain from it, and a relativism that is antithetical to the principles of the gospel. Spiritual drowsiness refers to the inability to feel the presence of God in our lives and the lives of others especially the suffering and the needy.

In this season of preparation for celebrating his coming in history and awaiting his coming in glory, we live as people of hope in our joyful expectations. The hope to celebrate Christmas with family, friends, and loved ones is a great hope. There is another hope that surpasses all hope—that Jesus is coming in glory, and we shall meet him. That is the climax of all joyful expectation. The hope of all hope because when he comes and we meet him, our joy will be complete and there will be nothing greater than this encounter. But Jesus comes when we do not know. We have every day of our lives to prepare to receive him. Advent is only a special liturgical period the church sets aside for us to intensify this preparation for his glorious coming even as we commemorate his coming in history. The beautiful lines by Tr E. Caswall help get us spiritually alert, in wait for Christ’s coming: “Hear the herald voice resounding: Christ is near, it seems to say, cast away the dreams of darkness, welcome Christ, the light of day.” This song invites us to cast away the plans, dreams, ideas, thoughts, and acts of sin and evil. We can only welcome Christ with a pure, peaceful, loving, and faithful heart.

 Lastly, Christ also comes in mystery. We should strive to recognize his presence in the concrete events of our lives every day. He is present in the scriptures and sacraments. He is present in the needy and suffering. Recognizing him in all these aspects is responding well to the advent’s call for watchfulness.  The signs of his presence are here with us, though in mystery. We are called to be alert. We need to have it reaffirmed that God is present and acting in those personal and social apocalypses of our lives. As we plan to get our items and gifts for Christmas, we need to remember to get some for the sick, poor, homeless, hungry, and suffering. Again, spiritual watchfulness includes a life of personal prayer and praying with our loved ones.  Let us join the universal church in praying: Come Lord Jesus!

 Baby Bulldogs Registration- All are Welcome!

It's coming back! Baby Bulldogs will be back in January. Registration is now open. Baby Bulldogs Winter 2024 Registration  Also, there will be a free Christmas Baby Bulldogs Special Edition. Tell your friends and neighbors to come join us on Thursday, December 7 from 9:20am-10:05am in the gym. No registration is necessary for this day.  This is a great opportunity to try out Baby Bulldogs and have some great fun with your infants and toddlers and their caregivers. 

Applications are now open for 24-25! Do you have a friend or neighbor that is considering applying to the best school in Chicago? Sign up for a tour here: schedule a tour New student applications for the 24-25 can be found here: New Student Application