Advent Reflection - Day 3 - The First Tuesday of Advent

Your Daily Advent Reflection - Day 3 - First Tuesday of Advent

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Highlights

By Marshall Connolly (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
Advent Reflections (https://www.catholic.org/advent/reflections.php)
12/5/2023 (5 months ago)

Published in Christmas / Advent

Keywords: Advent, Reflection, Catholic, prayer, Christmas, Jesus, Christian, candle

For many people, Advent hardly exists. The whole season is the "Christmas season," and it is a period spent in a succession of parties, shopping excursions, gift exchanges and feasting. But this is not what Advent always was.

The Church has long observed Advent as a period of abstinence, repentance, and preparation. The daily readings at Mass all reflect the Old Testament prophesies in which God promised He would send a savior. We are called to fast, to abstain, and to seek reconciliation.

Why?

Consider the preparations we make before we receive a guest into our home. The days or hours before the guests arrive are often frantic periods of cleaning, organizing, and making sure everything is in stock to feed and entertain them. If we are traveling, we pack our bags, plan the route, and set the time, waking early if we must.

It is logical that we prepare just as carefully for the arrival of Christ, who is our Lord! But Christ is not concerned with how our homes are decorated, or how our feast is prepared. After all, He was born in a manger, without decorations or a feast of any kind. Christ is concerned with how we prepare ourselves.

For reflection, let us consider what preparations we can make on the inside, in our hearts and in our minds, so we will be ready to receive Jesus with a spirit of joy and gratitude on Christmas Day.

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