Preparation for the Sacred Season
(12-06-2009)
The following is a story I heard; not certain how factual, but certainly applicable to us all. I paraphrase:
A man caused quite a commotion among those doing their Christmas shopping in a very pricy mall—he would sit near a beautifully decorated Holiday fountain near the mall’s food court and talk to people who would relax on the benches next to him. There was a certain kindness and sincerity about him that drew people to him.
But he was not good for business. He would ask people why they spent so much money for Christmas, and why they allowed themselves to become so obsessed and stressed over this tinseled holiday. Some of his comments that people noted included:
“We like our Christmas with a lot of sugar on it, don’t we?”
“Christmas is about hope and love--the best gifts we can give are kindness and compassion.”
“Why don’t you forgive or reconcile with family or friends you’ve lost over the years?”
“The Spirit of the Christ child should embrace the entire year, not just Christmas.”
Many of the people who listened to him would nod in agreement. Some decided to quit shopping for the time being and go home to be with their families. Others went and bought an extra toy or some clothes for charity. Some even left the mall to find a quiet place for a few moments of prayer.
He would spend hours on his mission of truth in advertising. Soon, word got out to the store managers about him. Allegedly, they had security escort him from the premises for loitering--he had to go, they said--he was ruining everyone’s Christmas.
How easily we can fall into the temptations of commercializing Jesus and his birth into our lives. If John the Baptist were to appear here and now, he probably would go to a mall and say the same type of things as the man sitting near the fountain. He would talk about the coming of Christ and about God loving us so much and becoming one of us. He would shake us out of those commercialized Christmas routines that can dry out the real Spirit of the season. Our patron would want, instead for us to live with the notion that peace on earth to all people of good will means forgiving those who have offended us. It also means our asking for forgiveness from anyone we may have offended. Repentance.
John probably would remind us that when we say “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,” in the Lord’s Prayer that we are called to truly mean it—and more challenging at times—truly live those words of reconciliation..
The preaching of John the Baptist would not be conducive to the Christmas spirit of commercialism. Just like he does in this week’s gospel-- and will do again in the gospel next week, he tells us that our obligation is to prepare the way for the Savior—that includes forgiveness and sharing what we have with persons in need—not luxuriating in excess or envy.
The cousin of Jesus would warn us that all the other things that we may tend to busy our lives with, especially at Christmas, are sometimes not related to the reason for the celebration.
Let’s make the reason for this sacred season matter this year.
If you want to be Reconciled in Preparation, please join us this Tuesday evening in our church at 7PM for our Communal Penance Service, individual Confession, and the beautiful music of Taize Advent meditations.
Prepare the way, Fr. Gordon
Back to Discipleship Readings
| 