Where Christ is, there is healing. That’s how we know he’s present.

That was the answer Jesus gave to John the Baptist: the blind see again, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the dead walk, and the poor hear the good news (Mtt 11:5). These were signs of the advent of the Messiah and his kingdom; not war and destruction, but peace and healing. A kingdom unlike any other, that’s how we know it’s come. When these beautiful things are present.

Which, thus, is the simple measure of the Church, your parish too. And it’s also the simple way you can be part of the Church and your parish: by doing something that heals, by serving others in a way that cultivates healing. Serving the poor, caring for the sick, teaching, all these beautiful works of mercy: this is how we can be part of God’s kingdom, how we can prepare and share in the advent of Christ. By sharing in what Christ does, by loving and lowering ourselves in service.

And so, quite simply, seek to serve. As St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta put it, why not do “something beautiful for God”? Are you looking for a New Year’s resolution? Why don’t you pick a work of mercy? Why not offer your resolution to the Lord to build the kingdom? At Advent and at Christmas, we focus on the coming of Jesus, which is beautiful. But we shouldn’t forget that he has come and will come also in what we say and especially in what we do. When we help people heal. When we serve as Christ bids us.