All Is in Readiness

Probably not many people read meditations on Christmas Eve morning, so I congratulate you for taking time to do so when I know there must be so many exciting and anticipatory things to do today. All is in readiness. There is probably no day of the year which has so much expectation as December 24. It is really more Christmas than Christmas Day itself because it holds the full energy of Advent. Time has come to its fullness (Luke 2:6). Hardly anybody comes to church this morning. It is all about tonight for some wonderful reason. The first reading of today’s morning Mass is especially poignant, and actually one of my favorites, but hardly anyone hears it today. The reading is a wonderful dialogue between the prophet Nathan and King David, part of which we read above. This changing of sides is the great turnaround, which henceforth becomes the central biblical theme of grace, election and Divine initiative. We set out, like David, thinking we have to do something to prove ourselves to God, “build God a house” is the metaphor. And as always, God turns it around and says, “No, David, let me build you a house!” (If you wish, read all of 2 Samuel 7, as it is quite lovely.) It is time to let that story soak into our unconscious. It will prepare us fully for the day ahead, much more than anything I could say.

—from the book Preparing for Christmas: Daily Meditations for Advent
by Richard Rohr