Where will we find Christ this Christmas?

WHERE TO FIND CHRIST THIS CHRISTMAS

Lk. 3:1-6

We take our present road systems so much for granted that we forget how people in times past had to travel.  Today if we make a journey of a hundred miles or more by car, the least of our concerns is the condition of our roads, unless the roads are icy or covered in snow.  Travelling during the time of the Old Testament was so different.  The main mode of travelling was walking, the next common means was to ride a horse or donkey. A person on foot or horseback can cross ditches and go around trees, but dignitaries such as a king usually travelled in some kind of horse-drawn carriage, which made road conditions a major concern.  So, if a king planned to visit part of his kingdom, he would send a messenger in front of him to see that the roads were passable.  This flurry of activity also served to alert the people to the impending visit of royalty.

It was in those terms that John the Baptist viewed his ministry as the forerunner of the Messiah.  John uses the image of a road to show how we can either welcome or impede Christ's entrance into our lives.  John was comparing people's hearts to roads and was telling them to get ready for the coming of the Messiah.  We have a duty to level off our sharp peaks of pride, selfishness and blind ambitions, which have become mountain sized obstacles between Jesus and ourselves.  Valleys also slow the journey to our Saviour.  These are the low areas of fear and despair.  They obscure the warming sun and keep us wandering along the dark edge of night.

Once again this Advent we are preparing ourselves for the coming of Jesus.  The Church gives us John the Baptist to help us.  Each one of us is challenged to examine his or her way to the Lord.  John wants us to straighten out the hairpin curves of double standards, of lying, cheating and crookedness.  Our rough ways of acting and speaking can become more gentle, our outbursts of anger or impatience can be paved with self-control.

John, the herald of the Messiah, continues to shout, “Prepare the way of the Lord.”  With barriers removed, God is not far from us.  If obstacles remain on our way of life, we make contact or even communication with Him almost impossible.  If He does not come, we have not prepared.

Jesus, the Messiah, came for the first time as a baby in Bethlehem.  Almost no one expected Him to come on Earth in so humble a fashion.  Mary and Joseph had been alerted in advance.  They were overjoyed at His arrival.  Some local shepherds and astrologers from the East also knew of His coming.  Apart from them this long-awaited event among the Chosen People went almost unnoticed.  Although there were people who were expecting a Messiah, no one was expecting His coming in this fashion.

That was Jesus' first coming.  The New Testament speaks of a second coming of Christ.  The One who came first as a Baby has promised someday to return as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The early followers of Jesus clearly expected that event to happen during their lifetime.  As the years went by some became discouraged and were tempted to give up preparing for His coming.  Saint Peter explained the seeming delay by writing in his second letter that one day with the Lord is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day.

Two thousand years have gone and still the Lord has not returned.  In the face of that fact, we should keep in mind what Peter said about the reckoning of time.  The fact that He has not visibly and bodily returned to Earth does not mean that He is not coming.  I think I can say that none of us really expects His return to happen during this Advent.  So in what sense can we truly expect the coming of the Lord?

During this Advent we are preparing for His coming this Christmas.  Christ will certainly come this Christmas, but will He come to you and me?

At Christmas personal relationships loom large.  We think once more of how much we care for some people.  How empty life would be without them.  We are reminded that if there is anything worthwhile in our lives, it has come to us from such relationships. It is this visit of Christ at Christmas that makes us think like that. So, all of us through our relationships with people, particularly our loved ones, can look at Christmas as a personal visit of Christ to us.

Another place we can expect Christ’s coming is in the lives of the people who need us.  For some people Christmas is the loneliest season of the year.  Anyone who can enjoy an abundant Christmas and not be aware of the poor and needy do not deserve a visit from Christ and need not expect one.  If you have trouble finding Christ in your home this Christmas, seek Him out in the homes or in the streets of those who need you.  You are sure to find Him there.

Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending us John the Baptist to help us to prepare our hearts for the coming of Your Son, Jesus Christ, this Christmas.  May we all prepare well.

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