1 Advent: Nov. 30/Dec. 1, 2024

Why does a teenage boy, given to one word answers and careless dress, suddenly become concerned about his appearance and sound a bit more civilized — after a certain young woman smiles at him?
Why is it that the birth of a grandchild can turn grumpy, distracted adults into euphoric grandparents?
Why do memories of certain places stir glad feelings within us?
Why does the concern of a friend during a time of trial lighten our burden?
Why do all of these things happen if not because just even a hint of LOVE –  arms us against our need always to be on guard, or fearful of a loss of self. . .
Yes, love is the answer. . .

        But how is it that people come to love us, or we to love them?  How do people fall in love??

Manuel, age 9 says, “I think you are supposed to get shot with an arrow or something, but the rest of it isn’t supposed to be so painful.”
7 year old Mae has this perspective:  “no one is sure why love  happens, but I heard it has something to do with how you smell.  That’s why perfume and deodorant are so popular.”


And Glen, age 6, says “if falling in love is anything like learning how to spell – I don’t want any part of it  - because it takes too much effort.”  I think Glen will remain unmarried for a VERY long time if he thinks love is easy. . . 

Even though we might not be so sure of how people fall in love –  LOVE is what the Kingdom of God is all about. . .

About a month ago, we heard the story in St. Mark’s Gospel about a scribe asking Jesus “which is the first of all the commandments?”
And Jesus responded by saying to love God-   with all you heart, mind, and soul – and to love your neighbor as yourself.

Yes, love is what the kingdom of God is all about.

That’s why Jesus talks about love 71 times in the Gospel – saying such things as “Love one another as I have loved you.” Or “there is no greater love than this:  to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
We know that love is pretty important when it comes to living our faith:  which is why the word love is used an additional 245 times in the rest of the New Testament – such as St. Paul’s saying love is patient –  love is kind in his letter to the Corinthians.
Or St. John’s first letter where he writes:  God is love, and the one who abides in love, abides in God, and God in them.

    Yes love is important.  And love is powerful.  And love motivates us to do things we might not naturally do:
  
LOVE – allows human hearts to be moved so that enemies speak to one another, adversaries join hands, and people seek the way of peace together.



Love empowers us to use our hands to help others.  To use our feet to hasten to the poor and needy.  To use our eyes to see misery and want.  To use our ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of others. . .
When we are in love, we don’t allow our hearts to become drowsy – but we remain alert and ready to respond to those in need and those we love.
When we are in love, we keep our promises - just like God has always done.
And when we are in love, we are stretched out of our comfort zones to become the best version of ourselves:  blameless and holy before God.

And we are able to do all of these things we do in love – because God has first loved us.
As St. John tells us in his first of 3 letters:  “In this is love:  not that we loved God, but that God loved us.”
Yes, “God so loved the world that in the fullness of time, God sent God’s only begotten Son to be our Savior.  Made incarnate by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, who shared our human nature is all things but sin.”
This is the love we prepare our hearts to receive anew at Christmas.  This is why we use this season of Advent as a time of preparation – to make room in our hearts for Christ to come and dwell – so we can become more and more like Christ ->
Something we might not naturally do – but through the GRACE of God – becomes possible.
Because sometimes our hearts and lives and schedules are so full – there is no room in them for Jesus – much like the inns of Bethlehem were too full to welcome the new born king.
We need God’s grace to be at work in us – to make room in our hearts and lives – so that Chirst can do his work in and through us.
Yes, as Jeremiah told us – the days are coming when God will fulfill the promise made.  The Lord of justice is coming: but are we ready to receive him?
This is the work of Advent that we have to do – preparing our hearts to receive the Lord — all because God so loved the world. . .

  

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