In the gospel for today Jesus tells the Pharisees: "... for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham." (Mtt 3: 9) He is warning them against presumption and entitlement. Given that in the gospels a Pharisee often indicates a misguided disciple, with the original Pharisees having passed into history with the destruction of the Temple before Matthew wrote his gospel, we can apply this to ourselves. St Paul also tells us, in the second reading: "What ever was written in former days was written for our instruction..." (Rm 15: 4) Therefore, it is good for us to ask: Do we take pride in belonging to the Catholic Church or being Christian and think that makes us righteous by definition? Do we excuse ourselves for our sins while pointing out the shortcomings of others? Do we presume forgiveness and take God's love and forbearance for granted? As a penitential season Advent should be an antidote for such erroneous thinking and attitudes. By pondering the readings and mysteries of this season we can strive for harmony and peace both interiorly and within our families. Rather than being stressed by expectations and commercial ideas of Christmas we will be able to see God's grace for what it truly is and why the Incarnation o our Lord Jesus Christ is the greatest gift the world can receive.
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