Time flies so fast, and before we know it, we are already near the Christmas celebration and the end of the year. The Christmas spirit is becoming stronger and people worldwide, particularly Christians, are filled with excitement as they prepare and wait for these precious celebrations to come by decorating their homes with Christmas ornament, choosing Christmas gifts, playing Christmas songs, and planning parties to celebrate Christmas and the New Year meaningfully.
This spirit extends to our Loyola community in Taibessi, Cina Rate, where we are eagerly preparing for the incarnation of our Lord, Jesus Christ at Christmas. We have started decorating our homes with Christmas ornaments and preparing a beautiful nativity scene. However, while these external preparations are important, I find myself asking: how can I prepare internally to welcome Christ more meaningfully this Christmas on a personal level?
This preparation for the Christmas celebration takes place during Advent, which offers a precious opportunity for me to prepare myself emotionally and spiritually to welcome Christ at Christmas more meaningfully. The Advent season is not merely a countdown to Christmas; it is also an opportunity for a great transformation for me to deepen my relationship and love for Jesus by embracing, reflecting, incarnating, and deepening the four key values of Advent such as love, hope, joy, and peace. Therefore, it is essential for both myself and everyone engage in thoughtful preparation for Christmas because Christmas is not merely about commemorating the birth of Christ but is serves as a witness of the unconditional love of God who humbly took on human form to save us from darkness.
As a Jesuit who professed my first vows eight months ago, I find this Advent season more meaningful and different from previous ones. This Advent has been greatly influenced by significant events in my life, such as the joy of professing my first vows and the excitement of welcoming the Pope two months ago. These two events have profoundly impacted me, deepening my commitment to God. Reflecting on these experiences during this Advent season fills me with gratitude for the blessings I have received. This feeling inspires me to prepare my heart properly so that Jesus can be born within me and transform my life to be more like Him this Christmas.
Therefore, this Advent, I do not have magnificent or extraordinary preparations to welcome Christ, my Lord and Savior. While many people are busy creating beautiful Christmas cribs in their homes and churches, I am also eagerly preparing my interior crib for Christ to be born and transformed. This crib is made neither of stone nor wood but of love, hope, joy, and peace. It will be built through my personal prayers that help me incarnate the values of the Gospel in my heart.
However, this crib does not remain silently within me; it must be expressed outwardly through my daily life. This means that the people around me should feel and sense the real presence of love, hope, joy, and peace in everything I do. It does not require me to do great things; rather as Mother Teresa said, “Do small things with great love.”. Moreover, these feelings of love, hope, joy, and peace are not meant to draw attention to myself but to help others see Jesus, who is the deeper reason for everything I do.
Therefore, I hope that everyone is not only busy with Christmas decorations in this Advent season but also takes this time as a precious opportunity to decorate their hearts with a crib of love, hope, joy, and peace so that Christ can also be born in their hearts and transform them to be more like Him. I wish you all a wonderful preparation for this Advent season. Merry Christmas 2024 and Happy New Year 2025 to everyone! May this Christmas bring you immense joy and inspire transformations that help us grow and become more Christlike.
By: Sch. Félix Fernandes Coutinho, SJ