In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

My Lord and my God, I firmly believe that you are here, that you see me, that you hear me.

I adore you with profound reverence.

I ask your pardon for my sins and the grace to make this time of prayer fruitful.

My immaculate mother, St. Joseph, my Father and Lord.

My guardian angel enterseed for me.

On this first Sunday of Advent, we enter into a special time of preparation.

We know from experience how much it helps us to prepare for important events.

Just think of the world of movies.

When a film studio wants to signal to the world that an important film will soon hit the screens,

they begin to release a series of teaser videos to increase our desire

to see that movie. Their main message is, don't miss it.

Well, we find ourselves today with only four weeks to get ready for that central moment in history

when God took on our flesh and began to walk among us.

The last thing we want is to be tourists of the Nativity,

vaguely interested in the true meaning of Christmas, but

distracted by shopping and parties. It can help us to place ourselves with our imagination

in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago and to try to imagine how we would have responded to the sudden arrival

of that young couple from Nazareth, Mary and Joseph.

We see so many people wandering around downtown Bethlehem, totally unaware of the momentous event

taking place in the nearby hillside.

But all those people 2,000 years ago had a good excuse.

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