Even though we are in the third week of Advent, Christmas is only a handful of days away. No matter how much we’ve prepared, we are called to rejoice in the commemoration of God becoming Man.

Many of the ornaments on my Christmas tree have sentimental value and my mind goes down memory lane as I decorate. When you stop and ponder the twists and turns of life, sometimes you can see one experience or event that prepared you for another, and which in turn prepared you for another. It’s like we’re in a constant state of preparation, but we’re unaware of it. Or maybe it’s the thought that whatever challenge you’re going through at the moment is preparing you for something in the future; giving you the strength to see you through that difficulty. The same perspective could be used to describe salvation history. The whole purpose of the Old Testament was to prepare the people of one nation to be the bearers of salvation to all the world. Generation after generation, God instructed the Israelites about who He is through the various prophets and holy people of the Old Testament. 

When we think of the New Testament, we think of Jesus and consider all the preparation of the prophets were achieved. Even though John the Baptist is in the New Testament, he is still a prophet of God preparing the people for Jesus. Perhaps his intensive methods correspond to his knowledge that all the preparation was about to meet the expectation: the Messiah. We should take comfort that even up to when Jesus started the very beginning of his ministry, John was still calling people to repent and prepare. For us, God is asking us to prepare up to the final minutes to Christmas, as we celebrate the fourth Sunday in Advent on Christmas eve. In our modern age of instantaneous, our inclination may be to gloss over the fourth Sunday in Advent and go straight into the Christmas festivities. However we only do ourselves a disservice when we rush through the opportunities to practice patience and how to wait. 

When we take the time to prepare, our ability to rejoice seems to be directly affected. When we feel prepared for anything — an exam, an interview, or even Christmas — the more confident we are and the better outcome.  At the same time, our hope in our salvation causes us to rejoice in the preparation. We know God’s love and mercy through the sacraments of penance and Eucharist. By celebrating these sacraments during our preparation we deepen our relationship with God. Year after year, Advent after Advent, we become closer to God, which prepares us for our ultimate purpose: to live in God’s presence forever in heaven. 

In these final days of Advent, let us prepare and rejoice. Jesus, our Savior, was born so He could conquer death by rising from the grave. Even Jesus knows what it’s like to wait; He had to wait 30 years to begin His ministry and complete the purpose God gave HIm. The Advent and Christmas season is the perfect time to lean on God to help us practice waiting while rejoicing in the hope of our salvation.