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« Love during Advent » (John 3: 16-19)

Many Christians take Lent seriously but neglect Advent, forgetting that all liturgical periods are given to nourish us and for our spiritual growth. If I neglect Advent, I will live it as a pagan, emphasizing the material or the social and forgetting the spiritual aspect. It is difficult not to be influenced by the cultural, social and material aspects of Christmas and New Year celebrations: wishes, gifts, gatherings with friends and families, decoration and festivities. It is true that even while willing to live well this period, there are many who may not know what to do to better prepare the coming of Christ, especially in this 20th Anniversary year of the Incarnation Movement.

Jesus is the gift of the Father to us. He is the gift of the Father to mankind, because he loved them so much (John 3: 16-18). Advent is therefore a time when I can work to grow in love for God and for others. What is the state of my love for Jesus? Can I say that I grew up in my love for him this year? To prepare the way of the Lord in this Advent, I can decide to do the 'Novena for the difficulties of the members', to begin a good life of sacraments, to double the visit to the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, to begin a good life of prayer, to avoid sin.

We could also perform some acts of love towards our neighbors. These gestures can be of several kinds: to make a list of the people to whom I particularly want to show love and to act accordingly, to love those whom I don’t want to contact, to pay more visit to others, to make donation, or to help a poor man. If we live Advent in love, we would give pleasure to God who is true love.

Brice Tiomo