As an American many of you never experienced something like "queuing at the store." We have sometimes a line of 4 or 5 people, but it is not really queuing. Very often those who came from abroad experienced what real queuing is about. You wake up at 4:00am and go to stay in a line in front of the store until 10:00am hoping that when finally you will get to the countertop you will be able to buy what you need. Here is a very important word - "need." It is not about what you want, but what you need. If finally you got it, there is an amazing joy because the basic needs are satisfied.
I am talking about it today because Advent is a little bit like that. We are preparing ourselves to reach the presence of God, but it takes time and effort. Small steps of spiritual work bring us closer to the moment when we finally will be with God. If we skip those elements of preparation, our Christmas can still be full of fun, but it will miss the most important part - the presence of God.
I've noticed something very interesting. More and more younger people are actually looking for this spiritual accent. We do not see them very often because they are scattered among others, but they are there. A few years ago I asked some teens to do some charity work. They had to pick one of the best Christmas gifts they've gotten and give it to somebody in need. I was surprised how many of them actually did it.
It is not true that our teens are selfish - of course there are some, but most young people would like to share themselves with others, but very often they do not know how. Nobody shows them how to do it. I would like to ask for all of you to talk to at least one teenager and ask them to go to the store and buy something good from their savings and then give it to somebody in need. This will be a good lesson for them. Queuing in Advent only makes sense if we give ourselves to those who we should love.