Advent

2020 / acrylic on canvas / 12” x 12”

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‘Advent’ indicates an arrival. In the liturgical season of Advent, we recall the First Coming of Jesus in the Incarnation of the Word Made Flesh. We are also reminded to prepare for His Second Coming. How does this look in our own lives? What is it we are actually called to do?

Let us look to Mary as she lived the First Advent. As she prepared for the birth of Jesus, she did not do so without Him. Already she had conceived Him in her heart and in her body. For nine months, He was present within her, transforming her internally, and making Himself known through her.

Our personal preparation is also primarily one of receptivity. We are invited to welcome Jesus into our hearts, homes, and actions. True receptivity requires attentiveness. Let us look at another arrival of Jesus—to the home of Martha and Mary (Luke 10: 38-42). Martha welcomes Jesus into her home, but while He is there, she becomes distracted by her many tasks. Rather than receiving from the One she has received, she busies herself with doing things for Him. The problem is not in her serving, but in how she focuses on her service rather than the One she is serving.

Looking back to the Blessed Mother, Mary did not sit around after the Angel Gabriel departed from her, but "she set out and went with haste” (Luke 1: 39) to visit her cousin Elizabeth, to serve her. When we receive Jesus, we are transformed by Him. It is not our doing, but His. If we remain attentive to what He is doing in us, we are able to respond and allow Him to move through us. Our receptivity bears fruit.

What prevents you from receiving Jesus into your heart, home, and actions? What inhibits you from acknowledging His Presence within you and around you? How does He move you to serve through your unique gift of self?