At one time or another, you may have found yourself in this situation: as you approach the house or a person you intend to visit, you detect a movement at the window: a curtain is pulled slightly and you can recognize the person you hope to meet.

You ring the bell, or knock at the door but… no answer. You try again, but again your ringing or knocking obtains no reply. Yet, the person is there, no doubt about it. You may feel disappointed, even annoyed. You may ask yourself questions…

I believe the Lord knows from experience how this feels.At one time or another, you may have found yourself in this situation: as you approach the house or a person you intend to visit, you detect a movement at the window: a curtain is pulled slightly and you can recognize the person you hope to meet.

I believe the Lord knows from experience how this feels.
For him, it started over 2,000 years ago when people would not open their door for his mother to give birth to him – “There was no place for them at the inn….” (Lk.2:8).
Later on, some people would not even allow him to pass through their village… (Lk.9:54).

And this experience may repeat itself for him in our own time when people – when we – do not open the door of our lives to him…
He knocks and may keep on knocking, but… he is still standing at the door, waiting… waiting for us.
We say that Advent time is a period of waiting – could it be that it is so for Him too?…

The response to the Psalm (Ps.97) of this Sunday (4th Advent, year A) says: “Let the Lord enter…”
Simply this: to allow him to come in, to welcome him to share our day-to-day experiences.
We know that his name is “God-with-us”, this is what he wants to be for each one of us.

When welcoming people to their homes, people often say: “Come in, come in, make yourself at home!”
Perhaps these are the very words the Lord is waiting to hear from us…
‘Welcome, Lord, make yourself at home!’
This could be the best Christmas prayer we can make!

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