"Are you ready for Christmas?" You might have heard this question as much as I have during the past few days. Nothing wrong with the question, certainly, but what does it mean? It is not the same as the question, "are you ready for Church?" which parents might ask their children as they are getting ready to leave the house. That question refers primarily to one's attire and such. "Are you ready for Christmas?" refers to whether you have bought gifts and other things that pertain to a household celebration of the day.
Yet, it can also refer to one's personal and spiritual readiness for the Christmas celebration (which is the point of Advent!). As in, "are you prepared to give yourself, body and soul, to the Lord in your Christmas celebration?" How many people do you think mean that when the question is asked? Right; probably not many. Yet, of all the things that we as Catholics need to get ready for Christmas, our soul is definitely the most significant; is it not?
So here we are on the last day before Christmas; Advent is about to end. Did you do what you were supposed to do? If someone asks you "are you ready for Christmas?" can you answer "yes" in regard to the spiritual dimension of that question? The best way to determine your answer is to ask ourselves how we are supposed to give ourselves to the Lord at Christmas. Do you know how? Have you spent some time asking about it, or trying to study it (just to make sure you are getting it right)?
There are two ways that we are able to "give ourselves" to the Lord at Christmas: liturgically and personally. When we give ourselves liturgically to the Lord, it is done firstly in the entire Mass, just by being present. Yet, it is also done at a certain point in the Mass. When the priest says "Lift up your hearts" that is the technical point when the people offer themselves to Christ. They "lift up their hearts" as a representative act of lifting up their whole selves to Him. Knowing that Christ will not accept us if we come to Him cherishing our sin and refusing to repent of it, we have to make sure that is not the case. Therefore, what we offer to Him must be pure and holy.
If someone comes to the Lord who refuses to turn away from sinful behavior, and willingly avoids the sacrament of confession, then his "offering" is not going to be accepted by God. Similarly, if someone goes to confession, but is "fudging" by not really planning on stopping whatever sin was confessed, then he is not truly penitent, and thus is also not in a state of grace. Those who come to the Lord outside of a state of grace are not in proper communion with Him (this is why they should not receive the Eucharist until they properly go to confession).
There is also a second way in which we are to give ourselves to the Lord at Christmas. This is done in a personal manner, and is primarily (though not exclusively) done in a family celebration of Christmas (i.e. when the family gathers to enjoy a special feast and open gifts). At that time you can participate in these things entirely for a selfish reason, or for a godly reason. The selfish reason would say, "I like this, so I'm doing it"; the godly reason would say, "God wants me to celebrate Christmas and enjoy doing so, therefore I will enjoy this for His glory".
What will you be doing in your Christmas celebration this year? Will it be for your personal benefit alone? Will you go to Mass because the Church says you have to (and it does say that, in case you did not know it!) and then head home to enjoy the "real fun"? If so, then you are not truly giving yourself, in holiness, to the Lord. Make this Christmas the best ever. Make this Christmas a time where you can truly be concerned--before all else--on the gift of yourself to our Divine Savior. Make this Christmas all about Christ; then you can really enjoy it.
