True peace cannot exist without forgiveness and reconciliation. Peace is vital in our hearts and lives, marriages and families, communities and societies, the Church and the world. Indeed, Advent and Christmas cannot be whole if we do not reconcile with God and our brothers and sisters.
The Season of Advent is a moment of repentance, reparation and reconciliation with God, ourselves and our brothers and sisters. These are the “3Rs” of the Advent Season. It is a moment of peace that comes from giving and receiving forgiveness from God and others. The theme of our celebration this second Sunday is peace through reconciliation.
Honestly, we cannot prepare and celebrate Christmas without reconciliation and peace with God, others and ourselves.
This Sunday, we have the theme of peace through repentance and reconciliation with God, others and oneself in loving preparation for Christ’s birth at Christmas.
The most fundamental spiritual reality of Advent is that there is no Christmas without spiritual preparation of our hearts and reconciliation or peace with God or our brothers and sisters. Hence, Advent is a season of grace that God gives us through His Church to prepare us spiritually for the birth of Jesus Christ. This birth is not in the celebrations, traditions, decorations or symbols of Christmas but our hearts. The befitting dwelling place of God in our lives.