Chotard Doll

Dear People of God:

The exclamation of John the Baptist has always made me smile: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come!”

Sometimes you have to be a prophet in order to have the right to tell it like it is. But before I badmouth the Pharisees and the Sadducees I have to listen to what John tells me: “Now is the time to bear fruit worthy of repentance.”

The Advent season always invites me to take stock:  How have I changed from last year at this time? How will I receive the Christ in my heart this year? What changes have I made in my life that result from repentance, and a desire to grow in the faith?

But when I look back on the year past, and prepare for the coming of the Lord, I don’t dwell on my failures. Rather, I look forward in hope to the days to come when I can…as the Psalmist urges us…offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving which honors him, because the God who “knows every bird in the sky” knows me better than I know myself, and he will help me to bear the good fruit he created me to produce.

Our God is a God of hope, and I welcome the chance to receive him again this year, and the opportunity to change and grow under his guidance.

Yours in Christ,

—Chotard