# Preparing to Receive Christ on Christmas Eve
*2016-12-23*

> Bill Young reflects on the final days of Advent, exploring how deep prayer and total surrender prepare our hearts for the mystery of Christ’s birth.

## The Call to Deep Prayer

Father Henry J.M. Newman reminds us that the days before Christmas must be days of deep prayer, so that we are truly ready to receive Christ. He warns that songs, decorations, and good feelings alone do not make Christmas. The season calls us to say “yes” to a hope that goes beyond our emotions—a hope rooted in God’s work of salvation, not in our own efforts. In a broken world, the Child{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{ {unclear}}}}

## Total Surrender

St. Mother Teresa teaches that total surrender means giving ourselves completely to God because He has given Himself to us. If God owes us nothing, we should respond with a fraction of ourselves. To possess God, we must allow God to possess our souls. Surrender is not a loss but a richness: the more we surrender, the more we love God and our neighbor, taking on their sins and suffering. This deep, naked faith lets us see Christ in the broken bodies and dirty clothes of those around us, and to extend His healing hands to them.

## Advent Prayer of Pope Francis

Pope Francis invites us to open our hearts to the grace of Advent, where Christ is revealed to the world. Hope, peace, and mercy are born where God is born. He urges us to welcome God’s mercy, to show that mercy to others, and thereby to make peace grow.

## The Nativity Reading

Luke 2:1‑7 tells us that, in the time of Caesar Augustus, a decree for a census sent Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem, the city of David. While they were there, Mary gave birth to her firstborn son, wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger because there was no room in the inn.

We pray: “O God, Savior of the world, Redeemer of all people, who became flesh and dwelt among us, we adore Your two natures. May we sing hymns of honor and faith to You, who lives and reigns forever. Amen.”

We also pray the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Gloria Patri, asking for peace, forgiveness, and protection for all families this Christmas.

*A Christmas rooted in deep prayer and total surrender allows us to receive Christ’s mystery beyond feelings and festivities.*