Matthew 24:44
So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.
Readings for Sunday: Isaiah, Romans, Matthew
Reflection:
At first glance, the idea of “canceling Christmas” sounds outrageous, but perhaps it invites us to ask a deeper question: Why do we celebrate Christmas at all? For many people, the holiday has lost its meaning—becoming little more than parties, shopping, decorating, and baking. If Christmas is meant to honor Jesus, then celebrating it while having no desire to speak with Him or welcome Him into our lives is an empty gesture. Maybe what needs canceling is not Christmas itself, but the way we have come to observe it.
The Church teaches that the most important celebration of the year is actually Easter. The Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil commemorates the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Thes are the center of our salvation. But this raises a question: if Jesus is truly God made man, how did He enter our world? This brings us to Christmas, the second most important feast. It commemorates not only His birth in Bethlehem two thousand years ago, but also His promised return. As St. Paul says, “The night is advanced, the day is at hand.” By celebrating His first coming, we anticipate and hope for His second.
Advent, therefore, is a season of preparation not just for December 25, but for the moment Jesus returns in glory. Jesus warns us that many will be unprepared, living ordinary lives with no thought for eternity. St. Paul urges us to “throw off the works of darkness” and “put on the armor of light.” Advent calls us to repentance, virtue, and intentional readiness.
This season, we should choose one area in which to grow (patience, prayer, righteousness) offering it as a birthday gift to Christ. Then, should He knock on our door on Christmas morning, we will joyfully say, “I was hoping you would come. Maranatha; come, Lord Jesus.”
Reflection Questions
- In what ways has Christmas become routine or superficial for me, and how might I refocus it on Christ’s coming—both His first and His promised return?
- What “works of darkness” or habits do I need to cast aside this Advent so I can truly “put on the armor of light”?
- What is one concrete virtue or spiritual practice I can offer to Jesus as a birthday gift by intentionally growing in it this season?