Kaukauna Catholic Parishes

Who Is “Coming” Into Your Life?

The word “Advent” means “coming”, and for the Christian community this time of year, that means the coming of Jesus into our world. This year, perhaps more than any other year, focusing on Jesus in our world is both timely and necessary.

Our world seems to be in great turmoil. We have lived with the pandemic for over 20 months, and it does not seem like an end is in sight. We are a nation divided, conflicted, and hurting. We feel as though we live in a time of great uncertainty - that we never know what is “coming” next.

Perhaps you are among the many people who feel that way. If so, then Advent is the perfect time to focus on someone who wants to “come” into your life – JESUS! In the Gospel, John the Baptist tells us to “Prepare the way of the Lord” and that if we do, the peaks and valleys of our life will be made smooth, and we “shall see the salvation of the Lord.”

What John is saying is that even if we don’t know what is “coming” and are filled with anxiety and uncertainty, if we allow Jesus to “come” into our lives, He will lead us through those times. When you think about it, that makes a lot of sense. The truth is none of us really know what is “coming” next. Certainly, none of us could have foreseen the pandemic, the changes and upheaval in our lives it caused, continues to cause, or how long it will go on. Those are things beyond our control.

What we can control is our relationship with Jesus. Each one of us has the opportunity to build our own personal relationship with Jesus. That’s what John is teaching us – that the one who is looking to “come” into our lives will lead us through the challenges we face, but we have to give Him the chance to do that. That takes faith and trust.

In the song “Jesus Take the Wheel”, Carrie Underwood sings about a young mother driving home who loses control of her car and is about to crash. The mother realizes that both her car and her life are out of control and she says: “Jesus take the wheel, take it from my hands. ‘Cause I can’t do this on my own. I’m letting go.”

That can be our focus this Advent – of working for Jesus to “come” into our lives, of letting go. It doesn’t mean that all the challenges will disappear. It will mean we can stop worrying about what is “coming” because we have faith that Jesus is going to take us through whatever “comes” our way!

Blessings,
Deacon Randy