As we begin Advent, I would like to share with you an excerpt from a meditation by Joyce Rupp.
The Present of Presence
God sent a present into the world, the gift of a loving presence named Jesus. The gospel stories indicate that Jesus gave few material things to people. What he gave most was his personal presence, gifts that were treasures of the heart': belief in self, inner healing, peace of mind, compassion, forgiveness, dignity, and justice. This loving presence lives on in us and is the central focus of Christmas gift-giving.
Sharing the gift of personal presence means that we see ourselves as a gift holding the goodness of Jesus who is Emmanuel, God-with-us. Like Jesus, we can give from our inner abundance, gifts from the heart. Moments lovingly spent with another through prayer or through personal presence carry more beauty and have more endurance than anything material we could give.
When I think of my hurried pace of life, I see myself as deeply entrenched in my western culture. I look at how Advent gets lost in "the Christmas rush." The messages are all around me: "Buy this and you will be happy; buy that and you will prove your love." When we are busy, rushed, and pressed it is easy to miss awareness and union with those around us and with those in our larger world. Advent is a good season to be more deliberate in sharing the present of our presence every day.
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