Father Ryan Elder shares a gentle warning for the final days of Advent: don’t rush past the waiting just because life feels heavy. The impulse is real. We all “need a little Christmas” sometimes, especially when the world feels like it’s draining the joy right out of us. But this Sunday’s readings show something deeper. Every person in Scripture is facing discouragement, uncertainty, or fear, and God doesn’t offer them a shortcut. He offers presence. He invites them to see their circumstances with new eyes, eyes shaped by hope rather than exhaustion. As Advent closes, hold onto the promise of Emmanuel. God with us in every difficulty. God guiding us through the things we don’t want to face. God teaching us a joy deeper than instant comfort. This is the hope we carry to Christmas.
