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The Gospel for the First Sunday of Advent (Mt 24: 37-44) calls us to be alert to the coming of The Lord.  We do not know when He will return for the final Judgement, or if we will first experience our personal judgement at our own death, but we do know that Christ is coming at Christmas.  As we move forward with buying gifts for our families and friends, have we considered the birthday gift we want to offer Jesus?

We certainly can’t buy Him stuff because everything we have is really on loan to us by Him while we are here.  So what can we give Him that is truly ours to give?  The gift of our hearts is what He desires most, and while it is the simplest gift to give, it is paradoxically the hardest to give.  A heart worthy of being a gift to God takes a good deal of work on our part.  Advent is a call to do two things: turn away from being the innkeepers and turn toward being the shepherds.

The innkeepers had no room for Jesus and thus missed out on the precious gift of welcoming Him.  Their hearts were completely closed to Him, and this happens to us when we choose not to forgive. After starting with a good Confession, we must make room in our hearts for Him to dwell and this means dispelling the resentments, grudges, and stones of unforgiveness that are taking up room there.  The real challenge is to see that these things do not keep our enemies trapped and bound by our wrath – they keep us trapped.  Forgiveness does not mean that others “get away with” their wrongs, it means that we let God do God’s job and free up our time to build His Kingdom.  Forgiveness releases us, gives us peace, and prepares our hearts to receive numerous graces including the indwelling of Jesus who longs to be one with us. 

One of our most heroic saints, St. Stephen, the first martyr of the Church, demonstrates the power of forgiveness.  While he is being stoned to death, he prays for those who participate in the stoning, including Saul of Tarsus, who later becomes St. Paul.  Had it not been for Stephen’s prayers, there would have been no Paul and a great deal of the New Testament would have been absent.  Forgiveness goes well beyond healing our own souls; it brings graces that the entire world desperately needs.

Advent invites us to renew our commitment to the Gospel message, and to do the good that St. Paul exhorts us to do (Heb 13:16). Volunteering in a soup kitchen, putting up Christmas lights for an elderly neighbor, buying gifts for needy children, offering our musical or vocal talents in retirement homes, sending care packages to soldiers, or joining the Christmas choir at church are some ways we can reach out and bring Christ to the lonely and the poor. These gifts offered with love fill up our hearts so much more than they drain our wallets.  Our own loneliness is overcome by immersing ourselves in reaching out to others. Our sacrifice of praise (Heb 13:15) given to Him in the sacred music of Advent and Christmas fills us with His peace.  It is in the act of bringing Jesus to others that our souls recognize Him in them. This is how we transform ourselves into shepherds.  And like the shepherds who longed to see Him, He will reveal Himself to us and fill us with Christmas joy.