WHAT IS THE RUSH
WHAT IS THE RUSH?
Entrusting My Words to the Holy Spirit
Linda Mary Liotino
Thanksgiving is now behind us if only the lingering of memories and the refrigerator with abundance of leftovers from the dinner. We are entering into the Christmas season and I say HALT…It is this time a year we find ourselves planning for December 25. It is days of endless shopping, making the non-budging budget to stretch and trying to obtain the wow gift for all on our list. By the time Christmas arrives, we are tired, exhausted, in two seconds gifts are opened and the toys are tossed aside by the disinterested little ones who we failed to please with the gift they so wanted. We want Christmas Day with all the decorations and the meal to be ‘Martha Stewart’ perfect. We lose site of the true meaning of Christmas and on December 26, we want the tree down and out of sight because frankly we Christmas burned out.
First, I am to tell you that the Celebration of the Birth of Our Blessed Lord [the reason for the season] is NOT one day. It begins today the First Sunday of Advent. I love Advent it is a spiritual time of contemplation of meditations during the first two weeks of the second coming of Our Lord. I like to use this time in conjunction with the meditations to take stock of Linda and my relationship with Our Lord. I look to trim the fat in my spiritual life. I am in a spiritual inventory. It is in these two weeks make the adjustments needed to get back on track, go confession and move forward in the Christmas season. The Second two weeks I spend meditating on the events leading up to the birth of Christ making this my focus and not gifts, decorations, and food my main focus. I look at it this way I may be called home before Christmas. Which makes all I am feverishly trying to accomplish a moot point.
I set up my Advent wreath on my desk to mark off the next four weeks it not only reminds me about the spiritual beauty of the season but serves to remind anyone to sees it that Christmas is more than just a day. It also keeps the true meaning of Christmas in focus for the children. They become enchanted by the lit candles and are naturally inquisitive to why candles and why now. It is a great time to give spiritual teachings on Our Lord and the beginning of His life, all directed at the level a child can understand depending on their age.
It is well to remember my dear Catholic brothers and sisters that the start of Advent marks the beginning of a new Liturgical Year in essence our New Year 
It is also well to note that the Christmas season begins with Advent to the Epiphany. It does not start on December 25 and end December 25 after
Therefore, relax and enjoy the beauty, wonderment and meditations of Advent. This is a time of reawakening our hearts to the love of a Blessed Father who sent to His children His only begotten Son a gift to us. WOW! How loved and blessed are we…Thank you Papa…thank you so much…I love you.
Meditation comes from Mark 13: 33-37:
Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.
It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.
Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at
May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.
What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’”
May the Hearts of Jesus and Mary Bless You.
DEDICATED: In Thanksgiving for the gift of Our Beloved Jesus from our loving Papa.
PS: Information about Advent is found at these sites:
http://www.mahalo.com/Advent_Prayers,_Liturgies,_Readings,_Poems_and_Devotions
Copyright Linda Mary Liotino