Happy Advent! Last week I cautioned us about the tendency to skip over Advent and jump right into Christmas. I made the rookie mistake of thinking that everyone knows what Advent is. So here is a brief definition of this holy season in Christianity. In the Christian calendar Advent is the first season of the church year, and is a period of 4 weeks of preparation for the birth of Jesus and His Second Coming. The origin of Advent is lost to history, but it was observed as early as the 6th century. It is often celebrated with popular customs such as the lighting of Advent candles.
Some people are a bit reticent in sharing their faith. They say they "don't want to force our faith on others." This is a false argument. Jesus knows what makes the human heart wise, strong and joyful because He created the human heart. He knows the way to heaven because it belongs to Him and His Father.
Imagine a mechanic being afraid to tell the owner of a car how to take care of the car's engine because he was afraid to "force his opinions". Imagine a master violinist being afraid to show his students how to place their fingers on the strings because he was afraid of "offending their sensibilities." A Christian afraid of sharing with others the rich wisdom of Christ, the secrets to happiness and salvation that Jesus died to give us, is just as ridiculous. Get the message out. Share the Love. Introduce your Friend, Jesus, to others. They can decide if they want to be friends with Him or not, but if they are never introduce they never have the opportunity!
Finally, I say share Him in every season. Share Him "in season and out of season". Begin now.
Prayerfully,
Father Mike