942 Hopmeadow St. Simsbury, CT 06070
Mailing Address: PO Box 575
860.658.7627
Mailing Address: PO Box 575
860.658.7627
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November 28, 2021Most people at this time of year are counting down to Christmas – the number of shopping days that remain. In the Church this time of year we are just starting up – beginning a new liturgical year of grace with the arrival of Advent. It is so easy for us to get wrapped up in the frenetic pace of Christmas preparations, sending Christmas cards, decorating hearth and home, gift shopping, Christmas parties and planning holiday menus. As necessary and worthwhile as all these things are, the Church invites us to take some time to step back and contemplate the meaning of the coming of our Savior into the world, so we may more fully appreciate and celebrate his coming on Christmas. Carving out some quiet space to reflect more deeply upon this mystery we call the “Incarnation” – God taking on human flesh in the person of Jesus – is so critical during the hustle and bustle of December. I would encourage us all to be sure we save a little space this Advent season for more focused prayer and reflection in preparation for the celebration of Christ’s coming.
Use the Advent Daily Reflection Book that we are making available to you to guide this reflection time. Each day, the booklet provides the Scripture citations for the readings proclaimed at Mass on that day, a reflection on the Scriptures themselves, some practical suggestions on how to apply the message in our lives, and concluding with a prayer. Make an Advent wreath for your dining room table to light each night at dinnertime or to use in a little prayer corner in your home as your prayer place. (Wreath rings and candles are available for purchase in the Magowan Center. Or attend the family Advent Wreath making activity on Saturday, Dec. 4).
Advent is also a time of expectation and longing. Think of the many centuries the Israelite people awaited the coming of the Savior. Think of Mary’s nine-month wait for the birth of Jesus. We also wait in joyful expectation for the Second Coming of Christ at the end of time. In light of this expectant waiting, consider holding back on displaying all of your Christmas decorations at once. Instead, add a little more each week of Advent and slowly add lights to your display, increasing them as you approach Christmas. Some families have the tradition of setting up the Christmas creche during Advent, while leaving the manger empty of the child Jesus. Some will even make the effort to add a piece of straw to the manger for each good deed done during Advent, making a softer bed for the baby Jesus. All of this speaks of “creating space” for Jesus in our homes and in our lives. Little things like these can help set this Advent time apart for us and remind us that this is sacred time and sacred space.
This Advent also, I will be offering a three part reflection series on the meaning of the Incarnation – What is it? What does it mean that God would become human? What does this mean for our own humanity? Each of the first three Sundays in December, I will feature one aspect of the Incarnation, and offer a repeat of those reflections the following morning after morning Mass. We will also have prayer and discussion around these themes. Let us take one or more of these opportunities to prepare ourselves to delve more fully into Christmas, to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the greatest gift we could ever imagine or receive!
