O come, o come, Emmanuel.

It is my belief and hope that each of us has our moment of truth when the whole God thing makes sense. For me it happened I while I was standing on a train platform overcome with uncontrollable grief. As I fought back tears, my sorrow reached the depths of my being. Suddenly in the midst of my pain, with no conscious prompting, I had the overwhelming sensation that I was standing on holy ground. I knew without a doubt that God was with me in my suffering. After years of Catholic education, numerous theology classes, countless homilies, hours of discussions and interviews with some of the world's great theologians, I finally caught a glimpse of who Emmanuel (God-with-us) really is.

Oddly enough, this profoundly spiritual experience happened during Advent, the time when we are to prepare for the One who is to come. It's not our sorrow--or our joy--that especially prepares us for the savior's arrival, although these extreme emotions often heighten our awareness. The real preparation lies in living life as it presents itself without futilely trying to control outcomes. This is the lesson of Advent, which, thank goodness, Christians review once a year.

In Advent we are reminded that we must wait for good things to come--but come they will. Justice, comfort, and love will come--albeit wrapped in swaddling clothes. Not perhaps what you had in mind, certainly not what you put down on your Christmas list, but in the end entirely more satisfying.

"Advent is a season of opening doors" and of being open to the unexpected that is sure to arrive on our doorsteps, says bestselling author Joyce Rupp in our cover story, "Open some doors this Advent" (pages 12-15). Advent prepares us to act in brave new ways: on a small, personal scale--such as forgiving a trespass--and on a grand, global scale--think of the Serbian coal miners and one steadfast law professor who became the unlikely heroes in the liberation of their country because of their willingness to conquer their fears and stride across some imposing thresholds.

Of course, opening doors and crossing thresholds is just the first step. As Joel Schorn reminds us in "Christmas is just the beginning" (pages 20-22), Advent leads into Christmas, and the Christmas season leads to Lent and Jesus' death and Resurrection. In effect, says Schorn, the crib lies "in the shadow of the cross." And believe it or not, this is what we call glad tidings and Good News. It's not surprising that it can take a lifetime for Emmanuel to make sense.

May you feel God's presence this Christmas.

TAKE NOTE: Congratulations to Tom McGrath, our executive editor, whose book Raising Faith-filled Kids: Ordinary Opportunities to Nurture Spirituality at Home was recently published by Loyola Press.