This weekend begins the season of Advent and opens the new liturgical year. On most Sundays, we will hear the gospel of Matthew.  Along with the gospel of Luke, Matthew provides most of the source material for telling the story of the birth of Christ, including the events related to the mission of John the Baptist, the conception of Jesus, the motherhood of Mary, the birth of Jesus, and the immediate events surrounding His birth. 

The First Sunday of Advent always places the idea of “preparation” before us.  For many of us, preparation is challenging because of the rapid pace of life.  We find ourselves multi-tasking  just to keep up with the pace.  This is not how we ought to be celebrating Advent and Christmas! As we reflect on the story of Mary’s preparation for the miraculous conception and pending birth of her Son, we see a different response; Mary focuses on the spiritual. She was moved to set out on a difficult journey to the hill country near Jerusalem –so that she could encounter her cousin Elizabeth – who had also miraculously conceived John the Baptist.  Elizabeth and Mary receive confirmation of the miraculous message they each have heard from Gabriel, the Archangel. Their meeting, in which the infants leapt in their wombs, was a spiritual encounter which Mary sought.

Do we ever realize that every time we alter our routine and celebrate Eucharist, even virtually, we are doing the exact same thing Mary and Elizabeth were doing two thousand years ago?  The historical events surrounding the conception and birth of Jesus are mystically recalled and made present every time in the consecration of the Eucharist.  In the beautiful first Eucharistic prayer, the Roman Canon, the priest prays aloud that the angel takes this sacrifice to heaven.  Eucharist is always a convergence of the Divine and the human, the eternal and the present.  We should prepare our hearts and minds the same way Mary and Elizabeth did every time we prepare to offer the Eucharist, by welcoming the Divine into our lives.

The weeks before Christmas have increasingly become fraught with secular and unnecessary concerns – distractions that keep us from being focused on the spiritual miracle of the Incarnation. We must resist the temptation to multi-task and be consumed by busyness. Much like Mary and Elizabeth, Advent bids to wait in “joyful hope” –the true meaning of Christmas.                        Fr. Gary