The prophet Isaiah assures us that when the Messiah comes, the desert will rejoice and bloom. Yes, we shall obtain the joy and gladness Isaiah speaks about and our sorrow and sadness shall flee away. But according to St James, we have to be patient until the coming of our Lord. He offers us some very wise words: "Be patient ¡K steady your hearts ¡K Do not grumble against one another ¡K" It is only when each one of us really surrenders to our Lord and invites Him to come and live in us and act in us everyday, that we can be channels of His life and love to one another.

Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of our Lord. And Jesus Himself asks us to prepare the way for Him just as John the Baptist did. John's whole life was one of patience and faithfulness. Let us then break down the walls of distrust, fear, hurt, anger, suspicion, selfishness and invite Jesus into our hearts. In this way, our Eucharist today will be really a celebration of hope!