are you prepared to be loved?
"Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God." —Luke 1:64
Many people are getting toward the end of their Christmas season. They have been to a few Christmas parties and have had their homes decorated for Christmas since Thanksgiving Day. Many people, even Catholics, have pre-empted Advent for Christmas.
The reason so many have moved up Christmas and ignored Advent is because they don't understand Christmas and Christ. Christ is incarnate. He became a human being, despite knowing He would be rejected by us (see Jn 1:11). Christ humbles Himself to the extent that He runs after us and almost begs us to love Him. Because the Lord is this way, we know for sure that He wants to embrace us with His love in ever deeper ways this Christmas.
This incarnate, pursuing God, Who is Love (see 1 Jn 4:8, 16), scares us. "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb 10:31), "for our God is a consuming Fire" (Heb 12:29). He is so on fire with love for us, while we are so frigid and unresponsive. We need to be prepared, purified (see Mal 3:3), and freed (see Lk 1:64) to meet God this Christmas in all His passionate love. We need Advent — every precious day and moment of Advent.
Prayer: Father, may I let You love me freely (see Hos 14:5).
Promise: "Turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with doom." —Mal 3:24
Praise: "Come, Emmanuel, God's presence among us, our King, our Judge: save us, Lord our God!"
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our tape on Divine Love on audio AV 52-3 or video V-52.)
Nihil Obstat: Reverend David L. Zink, June 12, 2002
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, June 13, 2002