Fourth Sunday of Advent

Today is the Fourth Sunday of Advent with only a few days left until Christmas. I’m sure, we are all in the last second, hyper-active mode of getting ready for Christmas. But remember, Advent is not just a time of preparing, but also a time of waiting. Our preparations take on the mode of decorations, gift buying and wrapping, meal preparations, card sending and dinner invitations, just to name a few. And all that’s fine. But when we describe the waiting time, this is more important. It doesn’t mean sitting around and twiddling our thumbs. It doesn’t mean getting on the phones, laptops, tablets and playing games waiting to party. But it is a spiritual waiting. It is a time to reflect on how we have accepted Jesus into our lives, shown through, compassion, kindness, generosity and love. It is also how Jesus will accept us into His life and heavenly kingdom, especially through a Sacrament that reconciles us with God and each other. As we have been forgiven of our sins, have we reached out to forgive others of their sins? We have been blessed with many graces, have we made use of the opportunities to share those blessings through friendship and a concern for each other? The prophet Isaiah tells us that the signs of the season are all around us. We only need to open the windows and doors of our lives and find what we have been patiently waiting for.