Special to The B.C. Catholic
It's time to slow down. There is only one full day between the last Sunday of Advent and Christmas Day - that's right, Christmas Eve! Don't let Christmas Day catch you by surprise.
Take that slow donkey ride from Nazareth to Bethlehem with Mary and Joseph. Think about what Mary was doing as she made that uncomfortable ride. No doubt she was praying.
How are we filling the hours before we celebrate Christ's birth? Wrapping presents? Baking? Running around, frantically wondering if we've remembered all the things we're supposed to do?
What about praying? Are we taking the time to pray and reflect on our Advent journey, ready to give our hearts over to that Infant King?
The last section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is "Christian Prayer." Prayer is essential. Prayer is to the soul what food is to the body; it is life-sustaining.
If we are not in constant conversation with the One Who made us, then we are still wandering in the desert searching blindly for our way. But the readings for Advent up to this point tell us that our wandering should be over because the "time is at hand."
The Catechism, in paragraph 2558, quotes, "'Great is the mystery of faith!'" It goes on to say, "This mystery, then, requires that the faithful believe in it, that they celebrate it, and that they live from it in a vital and personal relationship with the living and true God. This relationship is prayer."
Consider the Blessed Virgin. Prayer is second nature to her, much like breathing. The Son she bears will be the greatest teacher of prayer the world has ever known. Not only will He teach the world how to pray, to talk to His Father, He will, singlehanded, take us to Him by shedding His Own blood for our salvation.
In a very real way, His prayer life on earth began when he was tucked snug in the womb of His mother. The Catechism's paragraph 2599 talks about how Jesus teaches us to pray from the moment of His conception.
"The Son of God Who became Son of the Virgin learned to pray in his human heart. He learns to pray from His mother, who kept all the great things the Almighty had done and treasured them in her heart.
"He learns to pray in the words and rhythms of the prayer of his people, in the synagogue at Nazareth and the Temple at Jerusalem. But his prayer springs from an otherwise secret source, as he intimates at the age of 12: 'I must be in my Father's house.'
"Here the newness of prayer in the fullness of time begins to be revealed: His filial prayer, which the Father awaits from His children, is finally going to be lived out by the only Son in his humanity, with and for men."
The Gospel reading for the final Sunday of Advent describes the scene of the Visitation. Luke tells us that "Mary set out and went with haste" to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who would soon give birth to John the Baptist.
Mary already knows that she has been chosen to bear God's Son, but she remains humble. She is ready to serve Elizabeth in her time of need.
This young woman who will someday become queen of heaven and earth takes the time to make this long journey out of love.
As Mary's actions prove and the Catechism points out in paragraph 2559, "humility is the foundation of prayer."
Take a cue from Mary. In these last days of Advent visit someone who needs company. Share some holiday treats with a neighbour who lives alone. Drop off some goodies at your nearest convent or monastery and stay and pray for awhile. Volunteer to help a busy mom with her baking, cleaning, or wrapping. Find a way to serve humbly, as Mary did.
The Catechism concludes with a detailed reflection on the "Our Father," the prayer Jesus taught His disciples when they asked Him to teach them how to pray.
There is so much contained in this prayer that the Catechism calls "the summary of the whole Gospel" and "the most perfect of prayers."
As we prepare to exchange gifts around the Christmas tree, consider these words from paragraph 2767 of the Catechism: "This indivisible gift of the Lord's words and of the Holy Spirit Who gives life to them in the hearts of believers has been received and lived by the Church from the beginning."
Talk about the gift that keeps on giving! Treat yourself to a better understanding of this wonderful gift given by the Lord Himself and unwrap it slowly with the help of the Catechism.
Christmas will soon be here. Be ready to celebrate the feast in the way it was meant to be celebrated: with a prayerful, humble heart. Let the example of the Virgin Mary and the teachings of her Son be our constant guide.
I hope, as this Year of the Faith continues to unfold, the Catechism, labelled by Pope Benedict XVI "a precious and indispensable tool," will continue to be every Catholic's treasured gift.
Clare Lazzuri writes from Nova Scotia; [email protected].