We often get so caught up in everything we do to prepare for Christmas that we forget Advent altogether. The readings remind us that despite the stress we may feel thinking about how close Christmas is, we are called to rejoice, for the Lord is near.
The stress we feel may be from fear. But did you ever notice how much easier it is to have someone to shop with you, write the Christmas cards, or decorate the tree? “Shout for joy…fear not!” says the prophet Zephaniah in the first reading. (Zeph 3:14) He tells us the Lord is not coming to punish us for waiting till the last minute to put up the tree. The prophet says the Lord is in our midst, we are not alone. “He has turned away your enemies.” (Zeph 3:15)
And as if that wasn’t good enough, he says that the Lord rejoices over us! How many times have you wondered if you could ask the Lord for help? Zephaniah reminds us that the Lord is happy to help. St. Paul says the same thing in the second reading: “Have no anxiety at all…make your requests known to God.” (Phil 4:6). That is where Advent comes in. We can look forward to the Lord’s presence in our lives. That is why faith and hope are central to the theme of Advent. Our faith in God’s love for us gives us hope that he will support us in our weakness and fill us with the joy he has over us.
Tom Schmidt, Diocesan Publications