In Sunday’s gospel Matthew quotes the prophet Isaiah:

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,
which means “God is with us.”

Monsignor Pope has an Advent reflection posted. He reminds us that it is not enough to passively wait for the Lord to come. We should be running to meet him!

Excerpt:

“It is not just that the Lord is coming to us but we are also journeying to him. In fact we are running to meet him.

There is an image of the Prodigal Son that comes to mind. His Father saw him and ran toward him, but he too was hastening to his Father with contrition and hope. Yes, in Advent we do look for the Lord’s coming. But the Lord also looks for us as we come to him by faith.  We, like the prodigal son, consider our need for salvation, and with contrition, (did you get to confession this advent?), hasten to meet our Lord, whom we know by faith is coming to us.”

Run to the Lord. He is near. He is waiting. Too often I run away from Christ instead of towards him.

God is with us. Jesus is present in his word and in his body and blood. Yet I struggle. I run in the wrong direction.

You see if I really accept in my heart that Jesus is near, I will have to change. Transform. Go through the painful process of repentance and continual conversion.

That is the only way that I will become conformed to Christ.

Monsignor Pope reminds us that St. Paul speaks of running too:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I discipline my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize (1 Cor 9:24-27).

We need to keep our eyes fixed on the finish line: Heaven. We need to make the first move. The only way that we can receive our victory crown of glory is to turn away from sin and turn towards the Lord.

Turn towards the Lord. Set our sights on God’s heavenly kingdom—our true home. Then start running!

Do take the time to read Monsignor Pope’s reflection On Running to Meet God

BTW. I am a very slow runner. It is a good thing that the last shall be first. Heh.