December 2025
Dear Graduates of Chaminade and Kellenberg Memorial,
Well, we have made it to another Advent season, with the wonderful Feast of Christmas soon to follow.
Of course, we are all encouraged to stay focused on “the reason for the season,” despite the ever-growing distractions of the “Holidays.” And, yes, we know that all of this is because Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God and Savior of us all, was born a man like us, so that we could become more and more like Him.
If we take the time to contemplate this real meaning of the Incarnation, and all its implications, it can be overwhelming indeed: that God, the creator and sustainer of everything should choose to take on our human condition; that the fingers which fashioned the stars would soon reach out to be held by two weary travelers, Mary and Joseph, who still did not fully understand their own role in this magnificent plan for salvation; that the very life we will celebrate, will be taken, rather, surrendered, so that we may have everlasting life.
And how are we supposed to respond? How can we respond? How must we respond? The answers to these three questions would require much more time and space than this short letter. And to be honest, most of us already know what they are. Yet, we continue to be challenged, personally, as a Church and even as a society, to discern and actually and consistently engage in what might be called a fitting response – dedicating our lives, in all ways, to imitating the Prince of Peace, the Good Shepherd, the Good Samaritan and the Lamb of God.
Advent, this sacred time of preparation, gives us a special opportunity to work on our response to the gift of the Incarnation. We need not wait until Christmas. The attitudes that we need, the willing choices that we must make, are all part of this important season. Let me explain…
Many years ago, Bro. Tim Driscoll made a set of banners for our Chapel during Advent. If you have been in the Chaminade Chapel during Advent, you may have seen them. They were four simple strips of quilted fabric, each with a word sewn into it, one for each of the four weeks. When I lived at Chaminade, those four words were the source of many and varied meditations inspired by these four key words: Watch, Prepare, Rejoice, Behold.
You may remember that Advent is the season to watch for the Lord. We wait and we watch, in an active way, with eager anticipation. But for what are we looking? For whom? Surely, it is the Lord. We look for the coming of the Lord, this time not only in Bethlehem, but here and now, in our own world, in our own life, in our own hearts. Like the little child who waits at the airport or at the window for his soldier-dad to return from deployment, we await the coming of the Lord. In many ways, that soldier-dad’s return is not only about his physical presence, but even more acutely about the connection of one heart with another, about not being alone or “abandoned,” about a feeling of completeness because of a living and loving relationship. So it is for us when we wait for the Lord. In the words of Psalm 130: “Wait for the Lord, my soul waits and I hope for his word. My soul looks for the Lord more than watchman for daybreak.”
John the Baptist was the famous “preparer” of the way for the Messiah’s coming. What about you? What can you do to prepare for this great event – the coming of the Lord into your life? I’m not referring to Christmas prep, but rather, to Incarnation prep. Literally, the word means to “become flesh.” St. Teresa of Avila famously said: “Christ has no body now, but yours. No hands, no feet on earth, but yours…” If Christ is to be incarnated in this world of ours, it will be to the degree that believers become that incarnation, by giving their own witness to Christ present and alive through their own loving kindness and generous compassion. There is no better preparation for the Incarnation (capital “I”), than our becoming an incarnation (small “i”) of the Good News and the loving kindness of our God.
When the child was born in Bethlehem, the angels famously rejoiced as heavenly choirs sung hymns of boundless joy. For us, we need not wait until Christmas night to rejoice. We have the privilege of Revelation and two thousand years of faithful witnesses. We have the example of countless who have gone before us, who even in the midst of trial and persecution, have not abandoned the hope and consolation offered by a loving God who sent his only Son that we might be saved. Yes, we rejoice. St. Paul, in his Letter to the Philippians (4:4) says: Rejoice always in the Lord, again I say, rejoice! People of the Incarnation maintain a joyful attitude centered on the Lord, regardless of their circumstances. The repetition of “rejoice” emphasizes the importance of this command and is often interpreted as a way to find strength and peace whatever may come our way. If Christ is born in our lives every day, how could we not rejoice always!
Finally, we are invited to behold! We know He was born into our world, but do we really see Him? Do we see Him in our neighbor, our friend, the poor, the immigrant, the aged or sick? Do we see Him in the mirror? In all these, do we see the face of God? Israel did not expect the Messiah to come as a baby, and many missed Him. Will we miss Him, too? Or will we allow ourselves to be struck with awe by our “awesome” God? We can think of this command as a combination of two: BE-HOLD. We are to “be” the Lord’s people; to allow our being to be defined by the fact that we are loved by God so much. And, at the same time, as Mary held so many things in her heart, we “hold” in our hearts the conviction that because God loved us first, our best response is love in return – for God, and for each other. So, we don’t just see, we allow ourselves to be moved by what we “behold.”
May these four guideposts lead you though a wonderful Advent, and when Christmas Day comes, may it be the first of many “incarnational” days in the year to come! God bless you, and Merry Christmas!
On behalf of all my Marianist Brothers,
Bro. Michael McAward, SM
