Rejoice in the Lord always.
I shall say it again:  rejoice!
Your kindness should be known to all.
The Lord is near (Phil 4:4,5).

 My Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

We rejoice in all circumstances over what God has done for us and what He will accomplish! Jesus Christ is yesterday, today, and forever! St. Paul also tells the community of Philippi to rejoice because “the Lord is near.” He encourages us as he does the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord, no matter the circumstance. St. Paul reminds us that as we praise God with thanksgiving, we are able to pray for ourselves and others, as our prayer to God bears the fruit of the Peace of God.

The season of Advent is a time of rejoicing for the Lord is near. It is also a time of our preparation to receive the Lord, especially as we approach Him in the Eucharist. The season of Advent brings forth our anticipation of “the eternal Son of God who, in his utter transcendence, chose to love each of us with a human heart” (Dilexit nos 60). It allows us to draw nearer to God and to bring Him forth in our every moment of daily living.

We may succumb to worry or fatigue or mistrust as we live in this secular world. Such was the case for all God’s people as we journey from the Old Testament to the New Testament. We reflect upon the effect of moving away from our triune God and choosing another. It may be easy to fall into this sinful path—purchasing the most popular gift item instead of making room in our budget for people in need or choosing to watch a football game instead of sitting with our family or missing the celebration of Mass because of something ‘more important.’ Advent is a time for refreshment; to reassess our priorities and right place them upon the throne of God.

Our Blessed Mother, Mary, is our example. She lets us see Jesus. She opens the doors to us. Our Blessed Mother never points to herself. She points to God as written on the tablet of our heart, not on stone as Moses did. In her fiat, our Blessed Mother offered herself as God’s instrument; she is the heart on which the love of God is written and shared.

Pope Francis said that Our Blessed Mother suggests “just two words that everyone, even the simplest, can say on occasion: “Eccomi” (Here I am) and “fiat” (Let it be done). Mary is the one who said “yes” to the Lord and with her example and by her intercession, she urges us to say our “yes” to Him too, whenever we are faced with an act of obedience or a trial to overcome.” Our Blessed Mother is docile to the inspirations of the Spirit, especially when He suggests to us to “arise in haste” and go to help someone who needs us, as Mary did after the angel left her to visit her cousin, Elizabeth.

Let us commit our whole being—our unique personality, thoughts, emotional reactions, strengths and weaknesses, everything that makes us who we are and that marks us extraordinarily made—to God.  In our global community, we have a lot of neighbors and Jesus asks us to offer ourselves to provide for them as they are a part of our family from God. Let us make haste and rejoice. Let us bring the joy of the Lord to one another.

During this season of Advent, let us nurture Jesus within the womb of our soul and deliver Him wholly all the days of our life.