READY OR NOT — HERE HE COMES

“Who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” —Luke 1:43

Are you ready to meet Christ in a new, deep, personal, intimate, life-changing way this Christmas season? How do you know whether you have let the Lord prepare you this Advent for the real Christmas?

If you can truthfully say that you come to each day and each circumstance of life not to do your will but the Lord’s will (see Heb 10:9; Ps 40:8-9; Jn 6:38; Mt 26:39), then you are ready for Christ’s coming, Christmas, and life. If you are doing your own thing, then you’re not ready.

If you are like Mary, visiting others to share Christ and the Holy Spirit (see Lk 1:39ff), you are ready for Christ this Christmas. But if you’re keeping Christ to yourself, do you love Him? How can you fail to speak of someone you love?

If you’re not ready for Christ this Christmas, there is hope. There are five more days of Advent. In these precious days, you can receive the grace to repent, forgive, love, and obey. You can have Christmas, but you must first live to serve Him and to share His love.

Prayer: Father, send the Holy Spirit to make me like Mary, who will help me to be like Jesus.

Promise: “Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne.” —Mi 5:2

Praise: “O Flower of Jesse’s stem, You have been raised up as a Sign for all peoples; kings stand silent in Your presence; the nations bow down in worship before You. Come, let nothing keep You from coming to our aid.”