Christ the Savior

“For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.” Luke 2:11

December is upon us and we are all busy preparing for Christmas on December 25^th. There’s the gifts to buy, gifts to wrap, Christmas Dinner to plan and prepare, getting in touch with family and friends that we may not have seen all year, going to those Christmas parties that seem to be more about food and drinking than anything else!  It’s a hectic time of year! To me, with all this activity, I wonder if people really understand what they are celebrating on December 25^th?

The weeks leading up to Christmas is known as Advent. Advent helps us to focus on what the true meaning of Christmas is: the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ, into the world. Throughout all this activity of preparation for the celebration of Christmas, we must remember the Reason for the Season: Jesus Christ. During Advent I would like to suggest that you take time each day, maybe 15 minutes in the morning or night (or whatever time you can find to be alone with the Lord), and read the Scripture readings assigned for the Daily Mass. This will help you to focus on the events leading up to the birth of Jesus on December 25^th. This time of reading scripture will help you focus and realize that Christmas is more than time for family and friends to get together to celebrate! It’s not a secular holiday, but rather a Holy Day, time to celebrate the fact that Jesus Christ came into the world to help us grow closer to God and to turn away from our sins. During this time, you may also write a spiritual journal with your thoughts and concerns to present them to God to help you through whatever concerns you may have in your life. With all our families coming together, with all that entails, Christmas can be very stressful. Present these family concerns to the Lord to give you the gift of love and patience towards those we will meet this month.

Finally, if it’s been a while since you went to confession, make time during Advent to go to confession. This will help us to become spiritually ready for the celebration of the birthday of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Remember to keep Christ in all your activity during December and remember on December 25^th: “…a savior has been born for YOU who is Christ and Lord.”