Our Lord is right beside you
Photo by Taisiia Shestopal on Unsplash
Christmas is fast approaching. It is a moment of deep joy because the incarnation (Jesus made flesh - as a tiny baby) shows us how much He loves each one of us. Happiness and pleasure of all things Christmassy is wonderful but deep joy cannot be bought or experienced in isolation, it is something that each one of us need to discover in our personal encounter with Jesus Christ.
His Embrace
I came across this lovely excerpt from Fr John Henry Hanson’s book, Home Again (which we have in the Beloved Shop :)
“Take your most embarrassing moment, your most regrettable sin, the thing that you wish you could take back and can’t, and imagine Jesus saying: I make myself responsible for that. I’ll answer for it. I’ll take it on myself as though it were mine from start to finish. We would say, But, Lord, I can’t let you do that. It’s not fair. You shouldn’t have to suffer for my failures. And we know exactly what he will say: “If I do not wash you, you have no part in me” (Jn 13:8). Why? Because Jesus must love his own to the end. His love does not stop at our sins, but embraces us and our sins all together, and it is in the nearness of that embrace that we are both encouraged and compelled to part with all that impedes deeper closeness with him, to do the first thing”
Christmas is a time when Jesus reminds us of the nearness of his embrace, and whatever happened during the past year, we can and should give it all to Him. Nothing is so big, so horrendous that He cannot take and cure it. His incarnation is what made this all possible.
His Nearness
Sometimes we wish our Lord was closer to us or if only He lived in our time. But people were physcially close to our Lord and they didn’t recognise Him for who He was. You can be so close to something so beautiful and not see it for what it is.
We probably can all recall an experience of being somewhere that is uniquely special. We sense its beauty and sacredness, and yet sometimes those around us don’t perceive it. They are caught up in other things.
Seeking that closeness of our Lord is a personal journey that is subtle and imperceptible. It doesn’t mean shining lights, great experiences… all it needs is a glance filled with meaning.
Making this Christmas Special
How can you make this Christmas special for yourself? What would help you take a step closer to our Lord? Here are some small suggestions which might help you along the way:
1. Pray at a Nativity Scene
It could be reciting the Rosary or spending 15 minutes in silent prayer contemplating the scene. If you don’t have a Nativity Scene in your house, you can always put a webcam of one on your laptop or phone. I know someone who does this when they want to pray in front the Blessed Sacrament and can’t make it to the Church, they simply log onto Perpetual Adoration on YouTube and contemplate Our Lord there. It’s not the same but at least it’s something!
2. Attend a carol service
The moment it hits December 1st, we often have the radio blaring at home with all the classic Christmas hits - not forgetting Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’… or, perhaps you’re playing some Christmas jazz while you work away at your desk. And this is lovely! It’s the only time of year for it. But let’s face it, these songs don’t exactly help us prepare our hearts for the Lord’s coming.
How about attending a carol service this year? Admittedly, Christmas carols and hymns have a different tone to those of your favourite festive tunes but that’s exactly the point! Popping into your local church and finding out if they have a special choir service for Advent is well worth the trouble. Even better, it’s an opportunity to invite friends and family to join along too.
3. Make a good confession
Although Lent / Easter is the time in the liturgical year when there is a focus on getting to confession and making reparations for our sins, Advent is also a great time to do so.
The first Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of the liturgical year. Many of us make resolutions come January 1, we like to start the year off right; do a bit of a tidy up of our homes and wardrobes, promise ourselves we’ll start eating healthier, and begin going to the gym. We like to begin the year well.
How about starting this new Church year with a fresh slate? The sacrament of reconciliation is our opportunity to start anew. Just like preparing our minds and bodies for the year ahead, we can also prep our souls for Our Lord’s arrival. Clearing away the ‘cobwebs’ of our souls, as it were, through confession, provides us with His mercy aswell as the grace we need to overcome the struggles that daily life brings. Preparing ourselves in this way for Christmas Day is another way to feel especially close to Our Lord during this time.