For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

Happy Christmas Eve!  On this day, the readings really serve to glorify God.  In the first reading from 2 Samuel, the Lord gives Nathan a message for King David about his question of building a house for the Lord.  The Lord says that instead, He would build a house for David, a dynasty that would last forever.  This shows the immense power of God and the plans He has for us.  And then in the Gospel, we hear Zechariah’s canticle of praise after his son, John the Baptist, is born and he receives his voice back.  He hadn’t believed in what the angel of the Lord told him, but now he has faith in the power of God and praises His mercy.

But sometimes it is hard to have this faith, and to see the plans God has for us.  Instead of glorifying God, we complain and question.  Instead of looking at the big picture, we dwell on little things and put them between us and God.  On this last day of Advent, I pray that we all may become full of joy and anticipation for the Lord’s coming.  We may not understand the mystery, and we may have things going on in our lives and we don’t understand how they could be part of God’s plan, but that is why Jesus comes into the world tomorrow, to remind us all that He really is present with us—always!—and can sympathize with our human struggles.  A couple of years ago, a priest told me to imagine that Jesus was coming into the world through me—being born in my heart and shown through my actions.  I urge you all to pray for His presence within you, that tomorrow He may become something more in your life, a presence brought into the world that cannot be hidden.  Whether we’re surrounded by loved ones or are left with the memories of those who aren’t with us anymore, today we can take joy and comfort in the fact that God as Christ Jesus is coming into the world, being born in our hearts, and will never leave us.

In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.