Tuesday, December 7

2 Peter 1:2-10

“May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything needed for life…”

When thinking of Advent, it helps us to understand the importance of the meaning of the mystery of Christmas. It is not just remembering the historical event which happened some 2,000 years ago in a little village of Judea. Instead, we must understand that our whole life should be an ‘advent’ in watchful expectation of Christ’s final coming. We must prepare our hearts to welcome the Lord who, as we say in the creed, will come one day to judge the living and the dead, and we must learn to recognize his presence in the events of our daily life.

Advent is then a period of learning that leads us precisely to the one who has already come and who will come once again. Advent calls us to look joyfully to God, who is coming to complete His salvation. Advent is a season of joy and hope. Advent is also a reminder that there is more to come. That we are on a journey toward a new reality, a new way of being. Jesus’ promise assures us that we can just focus on doing what He wants us to do without worrying about things we cannot do. Jesus said he will be with us and we can be sure of that. So we turn again to God’s grace, for we can never ourselves be ready.

-Yo