The Beginning of Something New

 
Well, ladies and gentleman, brothers and sisters.....the Liturgical year has ended.

(For anyone scratching their heads right now, I am referring to the cycle of the seasons and official yearly celebrations in the Catholic/Christian church). 
So... Happy Advent! Welcome to the beginning of something new!

Not just new sales and new gadgets and new wrapping paper to put on new gifts. No. We are called to become something new through our participation in the life of Christ. That beautiful moment that we remember, when our Lord Jesus Christ took on our human flesh, is made present to us. We can give it a fleeting thought as we hurry past a manger scene in a crowded shopping mall, or we can choose to enter the mystery, to rediscover the origin, the heart of Christmas....and be changed, and become something new.

It's great that God timed this all so perfectly (okay, maybe it was the other way around), because this series of blog posts has been all about rediscovery.... and this blog, like the Liturgical year, is coming to its end. (I will allow for a brief moment of silence so you can mourn.)

 

This past year, we have explored together the origins and heart of our humanity, a little bit of what it means to be truly human in this confused and sometimes callous world.

At the start, I said that one of the main reasons I was writing these blogs is because without a proper understanding of our identity, we lack a sense of mission, of purpose. In other words, when we do not know who we are, we do not know where to go. Instead, we run in circles chasing things that leave us unfulfilled, or run in circles when we need not run at all.....

 

But once we know who we are, what is left for us is to be and to become. At the end of my life, I should have become more myself. My mission in life should spring from, be intertwined with, and confirm my identity. And if there are serious conflicts, I should raise my eyebrows.

 

 
 
Before I say anything more about mission, here is a little "year in review", especially for those who may just be joining the fun now! This is a recap of some of the basic commonalities we all share as members of the human family.....

We were all created by God, made in His image and likeness with an indelible dignity. Your true identity comes from Him, and you are unique in all of creation. You were made as a man or a woman, with great intention and with a beautiful heart, to express God's love as you express yourself through your body and your human sexuality. God loves you unconditionally, even in your imperfection and He calls you to communion with others, to experience that love and to be a gift to others as you grow together in union with Him. You are meant to live out that communion in a unique way through a particular vocation: marriage or celibate life. You are a beggar before God; that is, everything you have is a gift from him. But so as not to become attached to temporal things, you must live with your final end in mind, because you will not live forever. Your life is not meant to be lived for you alone, but for God and others, because you are not your own.

There you have it: The essence of humanity in eight sentences. :)
 
In the process, we also discussed a plethora of exciting and relevant social topics!
Evolution, Freedom, Same-sex unions, Loving yourself, Sin, Marriage, Patience in waiting, Knowing your gifts, Salvation, Suffering, Christian witness, True Love, Voluntary poverty, and Abortion.   
 
As you can clearly see, it was an eventful year! 

Read up. You have all of Advent. Then you'll have plenty to discuss with your estranged relatives when they show up on your doorstep this Christmas inquiring about the meaning of this thing we call life. (Estranged relatives tend to do that.) So don't change the subject or start up an argument. Offer them something new this year: Return to where it all began.