It's that time again. Time for Advent; time to prepare for Christmas. This time in the liturgical year is probably more concerned with time than any other time of the year. Advent and Christmas are about the fullness of time, in which God sent his Son, born of the holy Virgin in the flesh, as our Savior and Redeemer. Advent is about that time we call "salvation history" as well, the time in which God patiently prepared his people to expect their Messiah and gave some veiled indications of what He meant to do in the fullness of time.

Matthew the Poor, in his excellent book The Communion of Love, writes of this plan of God begun in Old Testament times. The life (political and spiritual) and worship of the Israelites were guided by kings, priests, and prophets, as the history of Israel clearly manifests. These offices were all to be fulfilled in the person of the Messiah, and in fact Jesus Christ is the perfect fulfillment of all three, though perhaps not precisely in the way the people expected the Messiah to be. Matthew the Poor writes:

During Advent, we reflect on the mystery of prophecy and fulfillment, on the loving designs of God for the salvation of the human race. The Byzantine Liturgy celebrates the feast days of several of the prophets during these weeks, in order to put us in the awareness of the coming of Christ as the fulfillment of prophecy. Oddly, though, for all its richness and full celebrations of the Mysteries throughout the liturgical year, the Byzantine tradition offers very little liturgical support for this time of Advent. There is an ascetical dimension of preparation, the 40-day "Fast of St Philip" (whose feast is the day before the fast begins and the origin of its name), but the Sundays after Pentecost continue as in ordinary time right up until the second Sunday before Christmas, and there are no other liturgical services or texts for our reflection and preparation until just a short time before the Feast itself. This is something of an anomaly, given the usual long and careful preparations before major feasts that we usually find in the liturgical year, especially during Lent.

There are other Eastern Christian traditions, however, notably the ancient Syrian liturgies (where, according to the research of Archimandrite Boniface, the Advent liturgy most probably originated), that offer a fuller preparation for this great mystery of God becoming man in the fullness of time. The approach here is not only a reflection upon the prophecies of the coming Messiah, but also upon the immediate historical events which preceded the birth of Christ: the conception and birth of the Forerunner of the Messiah, John the Baptizer; the annunciation of the Incarnation to the Virgin Mary, and her subsequent sharing of the good news with Elizabeth, which also serves to link the Forerunner to the Lord. (Here at Mt Tabor we follow the readings and general liturgical set-up of the Byzantine tradition, but we add a little from the above-described tradition to enhance our spiritual preparation.) After reflection upon these mysteries, we are ready to pick up the thread of salvation history where the Byzantine tradition finally enters the time of preparation: the commemoration of the ancestors of Christ according to the flesh and the revelation of the mystery of the Incarnation to St Joseph.

All this talk of the long time of careful preparation for the Coming One through salvation history should remind us that we have to spend substantial time in our own personal and communal preparations for the celebration of the Nativity of Christ. "Advent" means "coming toward," and this can be interpreted several ways. It refers primarily to God's "coming toward" us in the person of the Incarnate Word, to save us from our sins and to inaugurate not only the "year of grace of the Lord," but also the "last times," those which are between Jesus' first coming and his second. This leads us to another meaning of "coming toward": we reflect not only upon what happened in the fullness of time 2000 years ago, but on the ultimate fullness of time, which will mark the end of time, when Jesus returns in the glory of the Father and the holy angels. A heavenly choir announced the birth of Jesus, and the Lord said that when He returns in glory to judge the living and the dead, He will return "with the holy angels" (Mark 8:38).

But there is one more meaning of the "coming toward" that is Advent. We have to do some coming toward; we must come toward God, through our prayer and fasting and other spiritual efforts. We have to be keeping vigil for Jesus, or we will miss Him as did most of the drowsy residents of Bethlehem the first time He came. "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you," says the Apostle (James 4:8). "You must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming…" says our Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 12:40). There's a song by the contemporary evangelical group Casting Crowns entitled, "While You Were Sleeping." It begins with Bethlehem:

You don't have to like contemporary Christian soft-rock to get the point of this song and to reflect on its message. Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God and Savior of the world, was a "sign of contradiction" that was rejected or ignored by many in his day. "He came to his own, and his own received him not. But to all who did receive him, he gave power to become children of God" (John 1:11-12). The shepherds, the magi, a few friends of Mary and Joseph—these were the ones who received Him. The rest were oblivious to Him—or worse.

Now it's your turn. Will you be sleeping when He comes? That is, will you be busy with other things, distracted by worldly cares or pleasures, more concerned with Christmas parties than with Christmas prayers? Will He have to pass you by, finding no room in your heart, no time in your day that He could spend with you? For the most part, Bethlehem missed Him the first time. Will you come toward Him as He comes toward you this Advent and Christmas? We cannot turn a blind eye to Him with impunity. Let us not be deceived: no one will miss his Second Coming, for "every eye will see him" (Revelation 1:7). But if we haven't already been "coming toward" Him, watching and waiting for Him, and living in such a way that clearly demonstrates where our priorities lie—then that day will be a day of weeping and not a day of rejoicing.

In these "last days," the time between the first fullness and the final fullness of time, we are given opportunities—and Advent is a special and particularly appropriate one—to examine and to manifest where our treasure is, and hence where our hearts are. Let us reflect on both salvation history and our own personal history, so that we will not only understand the mystery of God's interventions in this world in ages past, but also his presence in our lives here and now. We are alive at this moment in the ongoing salvation history, and we can "make history" by our love for God and our fidelity to Him, by giving our time and energy to prayer and to works of charity toward those who may be lonely, hungry, or sick during these holy days.

No one is going to write a book about our humble faithfulness to God. Our righteous deeds will go unnoticed by virtually everyone. But the Lord is writing a book; He calls it The Book of Life. If your name is written in it, you have made history. You are among Who's Who in Heaven, and that is the only place in which we ought to desire to be found.

Use your time wisely, before it is all used up. This Advent, come toward the Lord, who is coming toward you. Make your heart a welcome dwelling-place for Jesus, and this Christmas encounter will be the stuff of angels' hymns, who sing of glory in Heaven and peace on Earth, bringing glad tidings of blessing and salvation for those on whom God's favor rests.

—Abbot Joseph

The past few months have given me plenty of opportunity for meditation on death. If you read our last issue, you know my good friend Laura died. Several other acquaintances and friends-of-good-friends have recently died as well. As I write, my Aunt Peggy is dying of cancer, and by time you read this she may very well have left this world. It is worthwhile, then, to reflect a bit on the final article of faith of the Nicene Creed, which is the title of this present article of our newsletter.

Before I take it for granted, though, I should ask: Do you believe in the life of the world to come? I think that if that question were asked 50 years ago in Western countries, there would have been a high percentage of affirmative replies. But in our present "post-modern" age and society, everything seems to be subject to doubt or disbelief. Books by atheists are making the best-seller lists, and traditional beliefs are almost universally scoffed at in the media and in academic and other "sophisticated" circles. Man is the measure of all things, God is a quaint relic of an irrelevant past—tolerated, if at all, with a curious mixture of amusement and contempt. God is a concept which may be left to the realm of one's subjective self-medication, as long as it is excluded from all serious public discourse and policy making.

Since God has been run out of town, all beliefs and silly mythologies (like eternal life) must depart along with Him. All that's left is the City of Man, the earthly project which history demonstrates is doomed to repeated collapse and rebuilding and collapse. Cutting ourselves loose from God, the secular prophets tell us, we have finally evolved. We have seen the light and have left the Dark Ages behind, no longer dependent upon the superstitious props of religion and its pie-in-the-sky hopes. The new Tower of Babel is under construction. We can design our future, re-design our own species, and create more refined and effective means of obliterating that species from the face of the Earth.

Let's hear what we can expect after a life of human accomplishment in this brave new godless world, from one of the most famous and outspoken atheists of the past century, Madalyn Murray O'Hair: "There is no God. There's no heaven. There's no hell. There are no angels. When you die, you go in the ground, the worms eat you…" A deceased human being, O'Hair wrote, was nothing more than "a fallen leaf from a tree, a dog killed on the highway, a fish caught in a net." That is the glorious conclusion to our bright and wonderfully evolved existence. I beg to differ with Ms O'Hair, who, after having been brutally murdered in a act of revenge toward her unlimited (and well-documented) spite and hatefulness, must see things quite differently now, for better or worse.

So what has humanity gained, liberated from faith in, and hence obedience to, God? Are we really free, unrestrained, unrestricted now? Are we securing a life of earthly happiness, without enslavement to fear of some future judgment concerning eternal destinies? No, today's enlightened and "free" unbelievers are nothing more than "the loose-jointed marionettes of contemporaneity," to use Thomas Howard's phrase. As for me, I believe in the life of the world to come.

The falling away from faith has a long and complex history (and there have been unbelievers in every time and place), but its current manifestations probably can be traced to the advent of "Modernism" in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Pope St Pius X, who formally condemned Modernism as "the synthesis of all heresies" said that it was philosophically rooted in agnosticism. Man is at the center, religion is merely a vehicle for man's subjective desire for the divine (understood merely as inner experience or "religious consciousness"), and all religions are true to the extent they reflect the human psyche.

As for the future of the Church in such a Spirit-less context, the Modernist position can perhaps be summed up by the excommunicated ex-priest Alfred Loisy: "another Catholicism will have to come into being… in no way conditioned by the pontifical institution or the traditional forms of Roman Catholicism." Catholicism in no way conditioned by traditional Catholicism? Uh, why then do they still want to call it Catholicism? If that is their idea of the Church, then the dogmas of our Faith—Eucharist, Resurrection, Virgin Birth, Heaven and Hell, etc—have no place in this new enlightened religion, which ends up as little more than an emotional appendage to the ever-changing "truths" of modern science, psychology, and politics. It is not hard to see how these ideas are even today firmly entrenched in liberal and progressive agendas. So they concentrate on perfecting man in man's own image and leave the heavenly fantasies to the uneducated masses.

I will not attempt to demonstrate that there is life in a world to come, for I didn't say that I have proven it, only that I believe in it. In so doing, I am joining billions of people who have for millennia also believed, among whom are numbered many of the greatest intellectuals the world has ever known. The only reason I specify intellectuals here is that in these days they are among the greatest and most vocal doubters and scoffers. For me, the testimony of the Scriptures (which include eyewitness accounts of Jesus' death, resurrection, and ascension), the combined testimony of countless saints and mystics, as well as my own limited personal experience, are enough to convince me that there is indeed a world to come: the Kingdom of Heaven, to which we have been explicitly directed ever since John the Baptizer preached his first fiery sermon on the banks of the Jordan.

The sainted seer of the Apocalypse described his vision of the Heavenly Jerusalem, and this has been handed down to us as divine revelation. Though this vision is symbolic (for example, we don't have to check, should we be found worthy of entering therein, if the courses of precious stones in the walls line up with the biblical account), it is nonetheless true, that is, it speaks of a reality that is, and that will be manifested for every eye to see when the appointed time comes.

Recent decades have witnessed the phenomenon of "near-death experiences," which claim to give evidence of the reality of the afterlife. Many people who have had these experiences say they have been taken to Heaven; a few say they have been taken to Hell. It is very difficult to judge these experiences—and they are quite numerous—but if even one vision of Heaven really is true, then the life of the world to come is true. Personally, I can't believe them all, but neither can I categorically say that they are all some sort of psychic deception. If we believe in God, we must believe in what He has revealed, which includes the reality of Heaven and Hell. So if some people's experiences verify these revelations, I think we should be open enough to give them serious consideration.

We sell God short if we think He has created us—and sent his only Son to suffer and die to take away our sins—merely so that we could eke out a few decades of anxiety-ridden life in this world marked by endless sorrow and suffering. It wouldn't have been worth it, for Him or for us. And we sell ourselves short if we live as if that were the case. St Paul agrees: "If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable of men" (1Cor. 15:19).

We have in fact been created for an eminently noble and glorious purpose, one that exceeds all possible hopes for happiness in this world. The breathtaking beauty of much of God's creation is but a faint intimation of what God has prepared for those who love Him. Being created in the image of God, we shall not perish like insects or grass or Ms O'Hair's roadkill. God created and redeemed us out of love, "so that whoever believes in him might not perish but have eternal life" (Jn 3:16). Eternal life, unending life with the One who loved us into being, who breathed life into us, creating our immortal souls at the moment of our conception. He also put into us an irrepressible desire for life—true, full, deathless life. For the most part, human beings spontaneously recoil at the thought of permanent personal dissolution, and most people will go to great lengths to preserve their lives. An immortal soul naturally resists the idea of annihilation and will secretly do so even if a person does not believe he is in possession of one.

What the God of life has revealed to us is far greater than the relatively brief span of our earthly lives. He created us to live forever, spiritually to survive bodily death and ultimately to recover—in an eternally vibrant and glorious state—the body/soul unity which fully constitutes our human nature. In short, God has created us for Heaven, for the life of the world to come. This present life is but a preparation, a test, to see if we are willing to embrace what God has revealed and to follow his "directions" to his Kingdom of everlasting life and joy.

If, then, human beings don't merely die like flies but rather have an eternal destiny, we ought to pay close attention to what our Creator says about it. Indeed, though all souls will endure forever, there are divergent destinies. We ought to make every effort to secure our place in the abode of happiness—and not discover all too late that, by our choices in this life, we have made reservations in the abode of torment. The great gift of immortality is not given lightly. Part of what it means to be created in the image of God is to have free will. God gives us the necessary grace to choose Him and his ways, and He also gives sufficient freedom to reject Him, if we wish be so tragically foolish.

God is love and has created beings capable of love. One can truly love only in freedom, so God took the risk of making us free so that we would have the opportunity to love Him and each other, learning what it means to give ourselves in service to God and to other people. God's Heaven is the place where love reaches its fullest and eternal expression, which is why it is a place of joy and peace as well. Hell is the place of torment because it is the place of hate, of radical selfishness and the rejection of all that is holy and good. Using freedom to love as Jesus loves and to live for God carries us to Heaven, while using freedom to serve our own desires and to rebel against God drives us to the slavery of Hell.

Holy Scripture repeatedly calls us to live in such a way that we are well-prepared for the life of the world to come. St Paul calls us to seek the things of Heaven, to set our minds and hearts where Jesus reigns with his Father, so that when He comes in his glory, we too will be glorified with Him. Read Colossians 3—the whole chapter will give some practical advice on what to do and what not to do if we are to attain our goal. We see this in other places as well: what not to do (1Cor. 6:9-10; 1Tim. 1:9-10) and what to do (Rom. 12:9-21); how not to be (Gal. 5:19-21) and how to be (Gal. 5:22-26). This is all for the sake of entering the Kingdom of God, the only thing that ultimately matters.

The Letter to the Hebrews urges us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus (12:1-2), and to go to Him—even to the point of suffering for Him—for He has suffered and died to sanctify us by his own blood (13:12-13). In the next verse we are given the reason: "For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city which is to come." And what kind of place is that? It is "a better country, that is, a heavenly one" (11:16). We're not asked to believe in Heaven as if it were just one more piece of information that we are to include with other things which we know or believe. It is really a highly practical and urgently serious matter, for here we have no lasting city. We are going to die, all things are eventually going to decompose, even the Earth itself will not last forever. What is left when we are faced with the indisputable fact that our "city" (our present life, possessions, etc) will not last? We must have faith in the lasting "city," the heavenly one, the ultimate goal of our lives, the reason why God created us in the first place.

But to believe in the life of the world to come is not like taking out some sort of insurance policy that will guarantee our salvation while we go on with our carnal indulgences in the meantime. We have to live our whole life with our eyes on Heaven, and allow the reality of Heaven to be that which conditions the way we live on Earth. If we are living for this present life instead of the life to come, we will be consumed with self-interest, we'll order our lives according to our desire for comfort or personal advantage—and we will flee all sacrifice, suffering, and self-denial as being detrimental to our immediate happiness.

You might say that all believers really do want to go to Heaven—especially when we consider the alternative. But is that general wish manifested in practical ways in our daily lives? And is Heaven so important to us that we are willing to forsake everything else to attain it? How do we know that we are really living for Heaven and not for this passing world?

Here are a few practical points to ponder. (We may be unpleasantly surprised to discover that in fact Heaven is just a peripheral point in our basically Earth-centered, self-centered lives.) If you get disappointed because things don't go your way, you are living for Earth and not for Heaven. If you get upset, indignant, and defensive when someone points out a fault of yours—rather than being grateful for the opportunity to repent of it before you have to carry it to the judgment seat of God—you are living for Earth and not for Heaven. If you resist or complain about the demands of your state in life, you are living for Earth and not for Heaven. If you refuse to accept sufferings, hardships, and even occasional ill-treatment, refuse to accommodate another's wishes, or if you return evil for evil, or hold grudges or refuse to forgive, or in any way insist on your own ideas or opinions, you are living for Earth and not for Heaven.

Why is this? It is simply because you thus manifest in practice—despite what you might say or think—that your own present comfort, self-esteem, personal vindication or preferences in life are the most important things to you. If you don't act like you are living for Heaven, then you aren't living for Heaven. But if you are living for Heaven, all these selfish things that belong to this passing life will be of little concern to you, for your eyes are fixed on Jesus and the fulfillment of his promises in you. You will be equally content if things go your way or if they don't. For this is not your home, this is not your destiny. Heaven is your home and destiny, and if you really live for Heaven, you will not respond inappropriately to the insignificant irritations of this life. This is a tall order, but Heaven is a tall place, so to speak.

To have our eyes and hearts fixed on Heaven does not mean that we don't take seriously our earthly responsibilities—for our fidelity and obedience on Earth will decide whether or not we will go to Heaven—but it does mean that we won't take ourselves too seriously, we won't be touchy, easily offended, judgmental or suspicious of others. People who are going to Heaven don't act as if it is of utmost importance to get their way on Earth.

In several places in his first epistle, St Peter describes Christians as strangers, sojourners, and exiles in this world, who are expected to "set [our] hope fully upon the grace that is coming at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1Peter 1:13), that is, at his Second Coming. That's when it will be finally manifested that this world is "no lasting city," and that the only lasting "cities" will be the heavenly one and the infernal one.

Believe in the life of the world to come. The present life is relatively short and is often marked by sorrow and pain. But lo, a day is coming in which those who believe in God and his revelation will enter his marvelous and joy-giving presence forever. God "will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away" (Rev. 21:3-4). Everything that makes up this present life, all that we tend to cling to or put our hope in, will soon be referred to as "the former things that have passed away." Let us not cling to passing things, but rather be free and unattached, looking to the yet unseen eternal things, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, setting our hearts on Heaven, as we await the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

—Abbot Joseph

Abbot Joseph has been quite busy lately, not only writing articles for Gladsome Light and reflections for Word Incarnate, but he's been writing more books as well. The latest is entitled, How Lovely is Your Dwelling Place: Lifting the Veils on the Presence of God. What is it about, you ask? Here's the description from the back cover:

The great quest of man is to discover God. The great desire of God is to reveal Himself to man. This quest and this desire meet in the human recognition of the divine presence—and in the life of blessed communion that flows from this encounter. Or rather, from these encounters, for a life of faith and love for God is characterized by an endless series of revelations and discoveries, of calls and responses, both major and minor. In How Lovely is Your Dwelling Place, Abbot Joseph helps the reader "lift the veils" that tend to conceal the mysteries of God, so that it is easier to recognize and enjoy his presence. Since God is Creator, He can be found in the beauty and wonders of his creation. Since God has created man in his own image and likeness, his presence can be experienced through human beings. And since God has sent his Son Jesus Christ to save us from our sins and to bring us to the fullness of life, He can also be known and experienced in the life of faith, prayer and worship offered through his Church. Once you learn how to "lift the veils," you will receive a foretaste of the great riches and profound joys of what God has prepared for those who love Him. You will begin to perceive the God who is "everywhere present and filling all things."

The second book is actually by our friend Laura Grossman, who as you know recently died. She published an online journal of her reflections upon her approaching death, which Abbot Joseph took over when she became too ill to write. He also added his own reflections and commentary, so the book is kind of a collaboration: one author on Earth and the other now in Heaven! It is entitled, Prepare for the Kingdom: A Journal of Hope in the Face of Death. We believe that this book will help people who are preparing for death or who have loved ones who will soon cross that threshold. (At this writing, Prepare for the Kingdom is not quite ready, but we expect it to be in stock by the time you receive this newsletter.) Here is the description:

You are going to die. And I am going to die. This is an indisputable and inescapable fact of the human condition. While our eventual (and perhaps imminent) death is inevitable, there are some things not yet decided. Where will your soul go when it departs your body at the hour of death? How will you approach and prepare for death so that your soul will find everlasting peace and blessing? How will you assist a dying loved one? In Prepare for the Kingdom, Laura Grossman shines a light for us on that obscure path which all must walk, yet from which no one returns. After being diagnosed with cancer, she had three years to prepare her soul to meet her Creator and Lord. For ten months of the last year of her life, she wrote down her thoughts and reflections, her hopes and fears, concerning her approaching death. This unique book is her journal, with some added commentary, of her courageous walk toward the final frontier of life, supported by divine grace and the prayers of her loved ones. Also included is some helpful information about the grieving process which follows the loss of loved ones. Since you must one day make this journey—perhaps sooner than you think—you may wish to gain the insight and wisdom of one who has gone before you, who has written of her hope for the Life that is beyond death. Preparing yourself to die in God's grace is the most important thing you will ever do.

How Lovely is Your Dwelling Place is 282 pages and costs $14.95 (CA residents add $1.08 sales tax). Prepare for the Kingdom is 158 pages and costs $11.95 (CA residents add $0.87 sales tax). Buy them both for a total of only $23.95 ($1.74 sales tax). For shipping and handling, add $3 if you want it sent media mail, or $6 if you want it sent priority. If you are ordering multiple copies, add $1 per extra copy to the above shipping rates.

Need we remind you that Christmas is quickly approaching? These would make great gifts and would have two added benefits: spiritual nourishment for those who read them, and needed support for us who write and sell them! We are grateful for your support of Mt Tabor, and we hope you'll spread the word about these books. Thank you, and God bless you!

"In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth…" The angel's name is "God's-Power," and famous is Galilee for her beautiful countryside: especially in the springtime, when so many wildflowers bloom—the "lilies of the field" whose splendor was greater than that of Solomon's. Perhaps Gabriel proclaimed his message to Mary then, in flowery spring, for nine months later she gave birth to the Messiah, our Savior, true Son of God, receiving as visitors the shepherds who would hear an entire host of angels singing glorious paeans of heavenly music from on high, in the season for grazing sheep—late summer or early autumn, in beautiful Galilee.

This is the "sixth month" in pregnancy of Elizabeth, Mary's kinswoman, already in seclusion for five months, carrying in her own womb the child to be named John, the one who will baptize Jesus in the Jordan River. Mary hastens to visit Elizabeth in her time of need, and stays with her three more months until Elizabeth, in her old age, gives birth to John.

Gabriel is called simply an "angel"—an ambiguous term that covers all nine choirs of angels, and not only the specific kind that we also call "angels," such as our guardian angels. (Have you ever had a brush with an angel? They do marvelously good things, though discreetly.) Gabriel is an archangel, though, who conveys the Annunciation message to one who will become the Mother of our Savoir, the Son of God—a message of deep importance.

We, too, receive the word of God: arriving in our Bible readings, our pastors' sermons, and sometimes while praying—conversing with God. When thoughtful, we may find the word of God unfolding in conversations, relationships, and in the simple events of our lives. Like Mary, most of us are in ordinary circumstances when we receive the word of God. She had a way of pondering the things that happened with her, that spoke of God: the angel's message, the shepherds' arrival and words, the magi's visit and gifts, and finding Jesus in the Temple, "about his Father's business." We, too, may ponder God's ways in our lives, our conversations, our relationships, and the unfolding of events round about us. If we do so, we can draw closer to God.

Though the world around us go to wrack and ruin, let's draw closer to God, especially in his Son, Jesus. So did the patriarchs, and so did the psalmist. So did the prophets, and all the saints. So did Mary, and so may we. There are no circumstances when it would not be good, and helpful for our souls, to draw closer to God, and closer still, for the high aim of our lives and souls, and of all there is, is the Creator God, the alpha and omega of all that is.

Christmas is a wonderful time for remembering that, and for doing something about it, however simple or small it may be. After all, we do want our next life to be the best. In our humble contrition and repentance, our prayer, and our generous helpfulness to our neighbors, we prepare the way for God to grant us the best "Christmas present" of all—our everlasting blessedness in Heaven—and ours to Him: the gift of our selfless selves, given over to His holy and loving will. May God bless us all!

—Brother Seraphim

For many people living in southeastern New England, the time between Thanksgiving night and January 6^th often includes a trip to a shrine dedicated to Our Lady of La Salette in South Attleboro, Massachusetts. It is a sacred place where prayer and joy embrace and drift among the people. Having lived in Rhode Island until I was twenty-five years old, I always enjoyed my Advent pilgrimage to this shrine. The spectacular and renowned display of Christmas lights and decorations drew large crowds of people.

The life-sized crèche was my favorite scene to visit. It has been many years since I have last seen this Nativity setting, but in my memory, I can still visualize its cozy, dim lighting and the generous heaping of hay on the ground. It is a scene of charity and gratitude as you look at the enthralled, simple-hearted shepherds who found their Lamb, and the stately and vividly arrayed wise men who followed the star and found Wisdom. St. Joseph stands protectively near the All-Holy Theotokos. With her arms opened as if inviting us to draw closer to her little Son, she, who is the Cause of Our Joy, is a mother eager to share God's precious Gift of Mercy with us. Let us draw closer. There He is, Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Son of God, the Light of the world, born and laid in a manger for our salvation. Children's lives, and yes, many adults' lives, have been changed forever while they gaze upon the Divine Infant in the manger, and humbly realize what God the Father has given them. It is a profound moment in their lives. They humbly and gratefully accept God's Gift and spiritually take the Babe out of the manger and invite Him into their hearts. It is a moment of great joy!

When Christ was born, a multitude of the heavenly host could not withhold their joy as they burst forth in jubilation, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will." (Lk 2:14) Yes, "...on earth peace to men of good will." God wants to give us His Peace. We find this peace while embracing His Will for our respective lives. Have we opened our hearts to His Peace? "If we wish to have true peace," the late Pope Paul VI once said, "we must give it a soul. The soul of peace is love, which for us believers comes from the love of God and expresses itself in love for men."

My favorite time in our liturgical year is from November 15^th until January 1^st. It is a special time of anticipation and joyful prayer. I keep a special place in my heart for the decorating of our Christmas tree, the colorful lights and ornaments, and caroling with the brothers and our friends on Christmas Eve as we rejoice in Our Beloved Savior's birth. For the love of mankind, the Omnipotent Creator of the universe took on our flesh and became a helpless Infant. It might send shivers through your body or bring tears to your eyes, but all that's left to do is fall to your knees in silent, joyful thanksgiving.

Christ's Nativity brings His Light into our lives. He has told us, "He who follows Me will not walk in darkness." (Jn 8:12) He gives His Light and asks us to share it with others. Through prayer and a sacramental life, we acquire this Light and can give It to other people. Can others see Christ's Light in your life? The French have a saying, "A good example is like a candle, which lights others in consuming itself."

Advent is that perfect time to ask yourself if you are dying to self every day so Our Lord can work through you. Is there more of Christ in your life today than there was yesterday? Dying to self allows Christ to live and work through us, and hence the ability to draw souls to Him. It can be a painful process, but remember, God is with you. (Phil 3:8) God is glorified and we are abundantly blessed both now and in the hereafter. "We have our hope set on the living God, Who is the Savior of all men. (1Tim 4:10)

Yes, Christmas is a beautiful time to thank God for His gifts of Light and Truth. They are precious gifts that give meaning to our lives. As C. T. Whitmell once said, "In darkness there is no choice. It is light that enables us to see the differences between things; and it is Christ Who gives us light."

—Brother James

Our Hand-Made 100% Pure Beeswax Candles:

12 ½" Votive Tapers — burning time approx. 3-4 hours

  Orders under 20 lbs: $12.95 per pound (a pound is approx. 20 standard candles).

  Orders 20 lbs. and over: $9.95 per pound.

  Add $1.00 per pound if you would like to receive your candles in a "Clear Vision" box for Votive Tapers (ideal for gift-giving). Each box holds about one pound of candles.

12 ½" Taper Candles — Burning time approx. 8 hours

  $2.75 per candle / $4.95 per pair.

  Add $1.00 per each 2 candles if you would like to receive your candles in a "Clear Vision" box for Taper Candles (ideal for gift-giving). Each box holds two Taper Candles.

Beeswax Votives — Burning time approx. 8 hours

  $1 each.

  For 30 or more: $.80 each.

"Tea Light" Candles — Burning time approx. 3 hours

  $5.95 per set of twelve.

Fireproof Containers must contain Beeswax votive and tea lights. (We have 2-inch colored glass containers @ $2.00 each. Specify red, blue, or green.)

Fr Abbot's books:

Joy Comes With Dawn ($14.95).

How Lovely is Your Dwelling Place ($14.95).

Prepare for the Kingdom ($11.95).

Tax and Shipping:
California residents only: add 7.25% sales tax.
Shipping costs are too varied to print here. Please contact us about shipping costs, or just wildly overestimate and include it with your payment!

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