27/11/2022

Today we begin the Little Lent of the Orthodox that we call Advent. Of all the interventions by God in the  history of the World this is the time of preparation for the most visibly important, for the Word will be born a defenceless infant. His birthplace is not even a human dwelling but a shelter for the animals that too are his creatures, but destined for slaughter as he also is. The babe in the manger is the Author of Life, the Victor over sin, the Sacrifice on the Cross. He is the evergreater, Father, Son and Holy Spirit without whom our lives would be aimless wanderings enclosed in ourselves without the Love that enables us to know, love and serve.

God is with us and we can prepare our unworthiness to welcome him at the Nativity by a sincere effort to cleanse ourselves of the sins that we know to be in our lives. St Paul knows that his first converts live in the same world full of temptations as we do and insists that we avoid all of them. We all know that we should choose righteousness over wrongdoing in a loving response to God's command, "be holy for I am Holy", but some of us are still in need of the spur that is the fear of death.

St Paul and all the first-generation Christians were expecting Jesus to return in their lifetimes and so he emphasises that "The end is nigh". Although it is literally true for all of us to say that we are nearer to the end than when we were first converted for that is the nature of human time. Jesus too warns of the danger of not being ready. Even as I type this, I have no idea whether I will live to the sentence's full-stop.

We have to live in hope. This can be easy if we place all our trust in the Love that is the Holy Spirit but a total mess if we make ourselves the centres of our lives.

Dear Lord, you who know everything, know the needs of the whole world and by your incarnation, life, death and Resurrection have prepared the way for us to live in holiness here on earth. Help all of us to avoid the attractions of the world and be open to the Holy Spirit who brings love for all to share. May Mary in whose arms you are the very welcomed baby and the horror of your lifeless corpse, continue to lead the Saints in their supplications to send the grace of mercy to your Holy Souls and we the sinful on this earth.