No matter what I do to prepare for Christmas, the coming of Christ still surprises me each year! Yet here are two takeaways to ponder in our hearts in these final hours of Advent.

First, in this Advent search for God, we are reminded of two women who pierced the universe with their strength and immense trust in God’s divine plan. Mary and Elizabeth are fierce and courageous. These sentiments of the spirit of Advent are poetically stated by Cameron Bellm below:

This is a reminder that we are in good company. We never encounter God alone. We go together. This Christmas, people like Mary and Elizabeth, Joseph and John the Baptist invite us into the mystery of God breaking into our time. We are more than spectators! We are the very people for whom Jesus came.

Second, in our search for God, we name God as Wisdom, Key, Dawning Day, and Emmanuel. Tonight, the culmination of all our waiting finally arrives. Look to the code in the O Antiphons.

If we take the first letter of each title of God, we find ERO CRAS. After all our pleas for God to come, God responds. God says, “Tomorrow I will come!”

Hearing ERO CRAS in our hearts, we look to the final prayer of the Advent Mass this morning. The Church prays:

Come quickly, we pray, Lord Jesus, and do not delay, that those who trust in your compassion may find solace and relief in your coming …

Jesus will be our solace, Jesus will be our relief. He is the answer to all our unanswered questions, the longing of every human heart. He speaks: Ero Cras.

Friends, Jesus is coming. Jesus is here.

Two Announcements:

1. If these meditations have opened your heart, I invite you to share your experience on the Testimonial Page found here. Your story helps this community flourish and inspires others to join us on this journey. I am deeply grateful for your presence.
2. As Advent draws to a close, I am immensely grateful to have my work featured by two wonderful communities. Earlier this month, I had the privilege of writing for Busted Halo. You’ll be able to read that piece here. Additionally, I am humbled to share that Catholic Artists Connection published a new article of mine today, available at this link.