Making Room for Jesus

From the Desk of Father David

Dear Parishioners and Friends in Christ,

The real preparation for Christmas
is the same this year as it has always been,
“Let every heart prepare Him room.” – George Coulter

             Children are filled with wonderful expectations as they wait for their birthday, Christmas, or some special event.  What are we waiting for?  The answer lies deep within you.  Are you waiting for Jesus to ease your sadness, calm the storm within, heal you, bring home your children or something else?  How will you allow Jesus to enter your life and begin fulfilling your dreams and hopes?   He definitely will do it, so let us make room for Him to be a part of all we do this Advent and Christmas.  Here are some concrete ideas taken from the book Prepare Him Room: Advent for Busy Christians by Mary E. Latela to help you generate your answer to the previous questions.

The excerpt is in the second chapter entitled “Making Room for Jesus,” she writes:

First, we can try to make time for Jesus: “Whisper a prayer in the morning, whisper a prayer at night.”  We can make our priorities clear, and place time with the Lord at the top of our list of things to do, knowing that even a few moments here and there will help. 

Second, we can open our hearts to emotional healing.  For many of us, this season is bitter sweet.  We may be far from our families, or we may be mourning the death of a loved one and feel that loss more acutely at this season. We may be dealing with unpleasant memories of Christmases past…Now, we may not experience a miracle that will free us from all that, but we can be open to a little bit of healing, a little bit of comfort, from the only One who really understands what we’re going through.

Third, we can open our hearts to spiritual healing. Most of us have doubts about our faith from time to time, and the Christmas season is no exception. We may feel that our relationship with God is too sporadic to count on now…God will take us as we are, and work in us as long as we are open to this spiritual healing.  And will life be different? ABSOLUTELY!… When Christmas morning comes, it’s not over!  If we “do Advent well” – if we lead with our hearts, if we open our hearts and make room for Jesus, not just on the surface, but within – life will be really different.

Holy Trinity You are the God of surprises.  Help us to keep our hearts open so we can experience the wonderful ways You come to us each day in humble things.  Let us be like Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, Simeon, Anna, the wise men who experienced You in simple actions and signs.  Please quiet our souls so we can hear Your gentle voice speaking to us in love.  Amen

In Advent joy,

Fr. David