Daily Reading for December 11
Advent is about waiting and wanting. All of the Advent people are waiting: Zechariah and Elizabeth are waiting, Mary and Joseph are waiting, Simeon and Anna are waiting. We are invited to wait, to want. We are invited to get in touch with our longing for someone or something to come along and bring new meaning into our lives. Jesus, God made man, was born in ordinary surroundings so there is no need to look for the extraordinary, the spectacular, or the miraculous during Advent. God can be found where we live; in our kitchens, at our tables, in our places of work, in each others’ faces. There was no prior publicity regarding his coming, no expensive advertising, no claim to privilege, just a silent, humble entry. Jesus’ coming into any life will be similar. Be ready to be surprised. We tend to look for Jesus everywhere, except in the place where the incarnation took place: our flesh. Incarnation means taking flesh, and by taking flesh, Christ entered into ordinary life and invited us to meet Him there.
From Sacred Space for Advent and the Christmas Season 2009-2010 by the Jesuit Communication Centre, Ireland; http://www.sacredspace.ie.