Christ is here! Rejoice!

When Advent started, I received my annual Advent greeting from the Nada hermitage.  It quoted Thomas Merton – “Into this world, in which there is absolutely no room for him at all, Christ comes uninvited.”  In a little manger scene, Jesus arrived – out to change the world.

In Matthew 5:14-15, Jesus says, “You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Jesus gives us direction to be that light – to make our Lord invited.  How?  We do this through love.  “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:10) was Jesus’ commandment to us.  So, in our encounters with neighbors, fellow workers, and strangers, we are commanded to love.  As the light in this world, that is our task.