Advent

Advent is a period of spiritual preparation in which many Christians make themselves ready for the coming, or birth of the Lord, Jesus Christ. During this time, Christians observe a season of prayer, fasting and repentance, followed by anticipation, hope and joy.

Many Christians celebrate Advent not only by thanking God for Christ’s first coming to Earth as a baby, but also for his presence among us today through the Holy Spirit, and in preparation and anticipation of his final coming at the end of time.

Yesterday my Mother and I attended Holy Rosary’s Advent Tea…..it was even more amazing than last year. The “theme” of the advent tea was “Fear Not….Have Faith”. As we arrived the pianist and singers where welcoming everyone with beautiful sounds of Christmas. They started the afternoon with a Christmas story from Joseph’s perspective. It was a unique look into what Joseph must have felt and thought at the time when Mary came to him and told him that she was with child. The story followed Joseph and Mary all the way to Jesus’ birth. It was really beautiful, filled with pictures and music.

Then after we enjoyed refreshments and fellowship they had a second program called “Mama Bella”. Rosemary was the narrator and several women acted out the parts……

It was a Christmas Story about an old dressmaker who lived in a one room house in a small village. She spent her days mending villager’s clothes or making quilts. Christmas was coming and she was to spend it alone as her family lived far away. The night before Christmas she fell asleep in her rocking chair reading the Christmas Story in her Bible. While sleeping, God spoke to her and said that Jesus would be in the village on Christmas Day and that she was to look for Him. She would have to recognize Him. She didn’t sleep at all that night and when morning came she looked out her window onto the village street and saw the street sweeper passing by shivering from the cold. Even though she was on a mission to locate Jesus, she felt bad for the man to be working in the cold on Christmas Day, so she invited him inside for some hot tea. After he left, Mama Bella kept looking out the window for Jesus to appear when she saw a young Mother walking by carrying her tiny baby. She opened her door and invited the young Mother inside and offered her some soup and tea. The young Mother gave the baby to Mama Bella while she warmed her hands by the fire and sipped her tea. Mama Bella noticed the baby did not have booties, mittens or a cap to help protect her from the cold on their long journey to the next village where they were headed to live with family. The young Mother explained that she couldn’t afford much for her baby so Mama Bella outfitted the child with a sweater and cap that she had knitted and was saving for a special occasion. As the day went on and on, Mama Bella was discouraged that she had not found Jesus yet and was afraid she had missed him while she was tending to others. Throughout the day she passed out homemade bread to the hungry and a few coins to the poor. When the day ended, Mama Bella was exhausted and sat in her rocking chair……very tired and sad. Again, she started reading her Bible and fell fast asleep. Mama Bella was startled from her sleep when she heard the voice of God again, but He assured her that she had seen Jesus. “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me…..I assure you, as often as you did it for one of my least brothers, you did it for me.” Matthew 25:35

What a great message to keep in mind all through the year, but especially at Christmas time when so many are struggling. We need to keep our hearts open to those less fortunate and share our blessings with them. I hope you enjoy your advent season, too, preparing for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. God Bless……..