How to love Christ with greater intensity & depth?

The days of this Advent Season are upon us. It has traditionally been a time of spiritual preparation for the coming of Christ at Christmas and of anticipation and preparation for Christ’s second coming in the fullness of time. Spiritually it is to be a time of waiting, expectation, and hope which should mark our lives as Christians each and every day. Although this year admittedly seems different, it should not overshadow or take away from the purpose of these sacred seasons.

Much is said about the challenges we are facing in this pandemic, however, the pandemic has also impacted us in ways that can potentially invite us to grow in patience and hope – especially during Advent. Patience as we await a vaccine and a cure, and hope as we long for the post pandemic days.

It seems unlikely that we will be able to enjoy large family gatherings with members outside of the immediate household, visits with friends, shopping in crowded malls, carolling, travelling, and other festive traditions. Despite the recent limits on social gatherings and commercial venues, the trajectory of COVID-19 infections in this second wave is a matter of concern. And while the pandemic will change many of the Christmas traditions, there may be a need to peel away such cultural trappings and discover a Christmas with a renewed authenticity of faith. If the busy hustle and bustle at Christmas disappears, this could lead to a more intensive focus on the significance of the Solemnity and allows us to enter into the stillness of that holy event. 

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Switzerland captured such changes in the following statement, “This year we cannot celebrate Christmas where and how we would like: in church, with our families — large or small — with friends and relatives. Many of us will be in quarantine or self-isolating and could feel excluded; others must work over the Christmas holidays to provide essential services. However, no matter how adverse the circumstances are, Jesus comes into the world as light and takes his place among us.”  (Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Switzerland, November 17, 2020)

Although this statement describes many states of life and faith, what has not changed is that over 2000 years ago, a child was born through the grace of God to Mary and Joseph and this child was named Jesus who was the Christ, the Son of God. And His birth brought great joy to the angels who heralded his birth and to the shepherds and magi who followed the dawning of this transcendent light.  To a people who walked in darkness, He brought light; to those in despair, He brought hope.

Scripture speaks of how the coming of Christ changed the lives of the shepherds, the magi and in Jesus’ lifetime – all those who encountered Him. Today, how is Jesus Christ changing our lives and calling us to love Him with greater intensity and depth?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church invites us to contemplate Jesus’ coming among us in a significant and personally transformative way: “To become a child in relation to God is the condition for entering the kingdom. For this, we must humble ourselves and become little. Even more: to become "children of God" we must be "born from above" or "born of God". Only when Christ is formed in us will the mystery of Christmas be fulfilled in us. Christmas is the mystery of this marvelous exchange" (CCC 526)

Christ comes to us today—in His Holy Sacraments, in His Word, and in our encounters with one another. The spirit of the Incarnation is ongoing as Christ is gradually formed in us. That holy night in Bethlehem was a beginning of Christ being present to and with us.

Each of us is created to know Jesus Christ and to have a close, personal and loving relationship with Him–a life-changing relationship that transforms every aspect of living and sows the seeds of hope, mission, deep peace and joy within us.  

There are things we can and need to do to nurture this relationship and personal encounter with Christ. 

• Setting aside a regular time for prayer to sustain this relationship with Christ.     
• Asking Jesus to reveal to us His plan for our lives and discerning the choices that we make prayerfully so that we might be more responsive to His promptings and that of the Spirit.  
• Recognizing the times when we have strayed from Jesus and asking Him to lead us through the Sacrament of Reconciliation so that we might humbly ask for forgiveness and resolve to walk the path of faithfulness.
• Receiving fruitfully the holy sacraments – especially the Eucharist when we receive the real presence of Christ.
• Contemplating the Word of God and learning about the teachings of the Church as it informs the life we live. ​
• Serving those who are vulnerable or in need while recognizing the face of Christ in the poorest of the poor.

There are many ways that Jesus Christ is present among us and that we are blessed. This year once again in the midst of the second wave of the pandemic we are promoting the I am Blessed campaign to remind us that through prayer, acts of service and in sacrificial giving, Christ is still being born in each one of us and in the lives of others. Through the Blessed Virgin Mary, we are called to welcome Christ into our lives and to bring the presence of Christ as a blessing to our neighbours and the world. ​

Written by Bishop William T. McGrattan, Bishop of Calgary
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November 24, 2020