Several years ago my friend Fr. Bob and I discovered an abandoned bird’s nest in the tree in our front yard. After making sure it was truly abandoned, we took it down. Ever since it has become an annual Advent decoration which comes out each December.

What does a bird’s nest have to do with Advent, you might be asking? Actually it is the perfect symbol for this season. Just think about what a bird’s nest is. It is the place a mother bird creates for her eggs. (Our nest has a wide variety of elements, including pieces of scotch tape!) There they rest until the day they hatch and new life begins. She is attentive and expectant, protecting them and caring for them until that eventful day arrives. Then the babies stay there, being fed and nurtured by her until she urges them out of the nest and they fly on their own.

During the Advent season, our hearts become that place of waiting. Just as the mother bird does not know when the chicks will hatch, neither do we know when Jesus will come to life within us. So we too need to be attentive and expectant. The Lord promises that He will come to make His dwelling within us. We must make our hearts a warm, welcoming place for Him.

This weekend we celebrate the Third Sunday in this wonderful season of Advent. We are quickly approaching Christmas Day, But rushing toward that day will necessarily wipe out the beauty of longing, yearning and preparing for His coming.

These December days are colder and the nights are longer. Hence we anticipate the warmth and the brightness of the coming Nativity.

Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus Come!