Christmas is so close this year because Advent was only three weeks and one day. Children can hardly contain their excitement while adults panic about all they still need to do. But for now, let us consider Mary and Joseph just days before she would give birth, struggling to make their way up an unfamiliar and dangerous road, hoping to make it to a warm comfortable place to stay in the city of David. In Bethlehem, as we well know, nice warm places were no longer available, but it all worked out, even if not exactly as they had hoped. May we keep that in mind during these final two days of preparing our hearts and our homes for Jesus’ birth.
In our Gospel we have the account of the visitation. Consider the way both Elizabeth and her unborn son reacted when they first encountered Jesus, though he was still in Mary’s womb. Elizabeth cried out with praise and John did somersaults in his mother’s womb. Is that how we react when we encounter Jesus in the Eucharist? In our assembly? Or in each other? Probably not, but maybe inside we would if we took the time to realize how close He is.
Love, Peace, Joy,
Fr. Bob
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