Rejoice: the Lord is near.
We hear these words as Mass begins today. Gaudete in Domino! Rejoice in the Lord! The Lord is near to us! This isn’t just because Christmas is drawing closer and closer every day, though. Even now, the Lord is near to us! We are and Easter people, a people of joy, a people in whom God has made his dwelling. How can we not rejoice in the fact that the Lord has chosen to make his dwelling within us?
We now enter our third week of Advent, our third week of preparation. We may be starting to lose heart, to grow tired of preparing, to think “enough already, let’s just get Christmas over with!” But the Church instead proposes that we rejoice in our preparations. To rejoice that the Lord is simply near.
This time of year, this time of late fall and the dawning of winter, is a fascinating time. As the weather cools, everything starts moving slower. The sounds of animals face away. The earth becomes more silent and still. It is in this time, this time of Advent, where we can focus on the mystery before us in a way that is impossible the rest of year, because the rest of the year is just not quite still. Because right now, if I allow myself to become more still, as the world is, and I focus on the mystery that is coming–the Nativity of our Lord–then everything else begins to fade away. The hustle and bustle of parties and gift buying and carols and everything slowly fades into the background as the extraordinary mystery of God’s birth as a human being comes into focus.
When that happens, it is a moment of profound joy, because truly, the Lord is near!
If you are at the breaking point of holiday preparations, or even if you’re not, today is the day to take a step back. For the next 10 days, try to allow yourself to become more still. Sure, we may need to go buy some food for Christmas dinner. Sure, we may need to get some last minute gifts. Sure, we may need to go find a tree and decorate it.
But don’t let these things distract you or take away your peace, your stillness. Because it is in that stillness that the Lord appears, and we rejoice!