Pregnancy and the Advent of Christmas

We are currently in preparation for the Advent of our newest child. Pitou is due on April 11, 2006. As the due date gets closer, we will begin the process of getting the crib ready for its new occupant, get all of the newborn items that we have put away ready, and so on.

We were in the same place with our pregnancy with Anne-Marie. That is, celebrating the season of Advent truly preparing for the arrival of our first child.

It leads one to consider what Advent and the preparation for the coming of the Lord is all about.

For our first child, we were unsure of just what we were in for. We tried to prepare as best as possible for all possibilities: boy or girl, healthy or not; getting the crib, cloths and car seat; and the restructuring of our personal schedules. There are so many aspects to try and get a handle on. We eventually tried to get the basics together and then cover whatever was needed once the little one was born.

Now, with our second pregnancy, we are a little more in the know as far as what we will need and just how much of an upheaval of our lives the new little one will be.

There are a number of neat things about this whole process, the joy of preparing for a new child, the anticipation of finally meeting the little one who began to make their presence known in the womb around 20 weeks by movement and kicking, the excitement of making changes to our living accommodations, the welcoming of a new gift into the family, and finally the realization that the little one is the physical manifestation of our love.

Jesus is the ultimate gift and manifestation of God's Love. The efforts we put into preparing for a child in pregnancy should be similar to our efforts to prepare our heart for His coming at Christmas.

Will our heart be prepared and warm to His coming? Will we be receptive, or will our heart be as cold and dark as that winter night that He was born? Will we be ready to make the necessary sacrifices for His needs? Will we be prepared to nurture His presence within?

Mary, our Mother, help us to prepare for the coming of your Son. Help us to make our heart supple to the preparations of the Holy Spirit. Help us to be open to receiving Jesus. Thank you for saying yes.

Pax vobis,

J.E.