Aperuit! (It has Appeared)

Christ has appeared. The newborn King is made known. Throughout all of Advent, we focused on preparing for this moment, increased prayer, meditation, confession, reading Scripture, and whatever else you did on your own. Did you ever ask yourself, "why?" We do all these things every year, and some years we do them more often than others. By the time the next Advent roles around though, we often find ourselves back where we were the previous year. So why do we keep doing this? Why does it seem that Christmas never sticks? Why does it seem like the arrival of Christ and the change that Christ's Advent brings is never lasting? First it is a great reminder to us each year that the need to come home again into the fold. It is a reminder each year that we are not our own saviors and that we need a savior. It is a a reminder each year that Christ is continually coming to us and inviting us to come to Him. Yet, Christmas is much more than the repeated liturgical foci. Christmas is more than the lights, decorations, gifts, bows, feasts, and egg nog. Christmas is more than families gathering and familiar carols being sung. Christmas is more than nostalgic memories of Midnight Mass and Christmas morning sitting on the floor in front of the tree. Christmas is meant to be the day, and I know this sounds like a hallmark movie, that we fall in love. The reason that we spend so much focus on the preparation, the reason Catholics spend so much time and energy making sure that Christmas does not arrive early, is because we are looking not for an event or a holiday, but we are looking for a relationship. It is a sad reality that so many Christians do not share their Faith and are uncomfortable speaking of Jesus in public, sharing their stories and experiences of God in their lives with friends, family, and even strangers. It is a sad reality, not because we Christians have a sense of obligation to spread the Gospel, which we certainly do have. It is a sad reality that we do not share about the Lord, for a different purpose. You see, when people fall in love, they tend to announce it. When people fall in love, they become infatuated with their love. When people fall in love, they glow and cannot wait to share the things that cause them so much joy. Perhaps we Christians do not share the Faith, or talk about Jesus, because we need to fall in love again. I push confession, meditation, quite prayer, adoration during Advent, in the hopes that we fall in love and share that love. Continue these practices now that Advent is over. Continue to fall in Love with Love Himself, who for Love's sake created you.

Merry Christmas!