When you ask people today are they looking forward to Christmas you will get many different answers. There are many people in Ireland today and indeed in our families and communities who are not looking forward to celebrating Christmas. After all, for years now, the festive season has been marketed as a time to buy, buy, buy, leading many to feel they have no option but to spend, spend, spend. Christ has been stripped out of Christmas, replaced by excess and consumerism, panic and pressure. The guiding star that came to rest over the stable in Bethlehem has been completely outshone by the bright lights of commercialism. I remember the story of this woman who was out Christmas shopping with her two children. After many hours of looking at row after row of toys and everything else imaginable and after hearing both her children asking for everything they saw on those many shelves, she finally made it to the elevator with her two children. She was feeling what so many of us feel during this time of the year, overwhelming pressure and stress. Finally the elevator doors opened and there was already a crowd in the elevator. She pushed her way in and dragged her two children in with her and all the bags of shopping. When the doors closed she couldn’t take it anymore and stated, “Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be found, strung up and shot” From the back of the elevator everyone heard a quiet calm voice respond, “Don’t worry we already crucified him.” For the rest of the trip down the elevator it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. As we prepare to celebrate Christmas we have a wonderful opportunity to reinstate the baby born in the manger, to redefine the good news. In many countries, Christmas is now just a holiday with people wishing each other a ‘happy holiday’. Removing Christ from Christmas has contributed to a gradual and subtle lessening of the season’s spiritual aspects. The season of Advent invites us to return to the basics, it invites us to ask ourselves what is important to us; it invites us to look at our priorities in life. Above all it asks us if Jesus is the number one priority in our life. The readings in our Mass today invite us to return to the basics. There is a phrase in the gospel today, which says: ‘Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight’. It is not the Lord’s paths that need to be straightened but our paths. In this time of winter darkness let’s focus on the light and hope that Christ wants to bring to our lives because his light and hope can dispel the darkness depression and fear that overwhelms us. Some of the practical ways we can do this is putting our family first, sharing the good news, setting aside time to pray, donating to charitable causes. Perhaps it’s time to reset the balance between feeding our shopping addictions and feeding our souls. Don’t forget this year to keep the One who is the reason for Christmas in your every thought, deed, purchase, and word. Let us bring the true meaning of Christmas into our homes.

When I was a child I laughed and wept and then time crept

When I was a youth I became more bold and then I strolled.

When I grew up I became a man and then time ran.

Finally into ripe old age I grew and then time flew

Soon I will be passing on and then time will be gone.

O Jesus, when death comes nothing will matter but you.