Keeping Advent

 

After spending Thanksgiving weekend with the family up at the cabin, I find myself battling a cold that I must have picked up from my middle grandchild.  It’s a mystery to me how I caught it because ever since Covid hit in 2020, I’ve been very careful (some might say compulsive) about the basic preventions to illness, i.e., washing my hands frequently, social distancing when necessary, and watching out for others who may have something to spread.  It’s been relatively hard to keep my focus on these things, to be honest.  And, in turn, when I get a cold, it’s hard to reflect on Advent as much as I like.

For others, the temptations to “lose” Advent can come in a lot of different ways:  planning holiday parties, doing holiday shopping, and so forth. 

It may be hard to "keep" Advent, but if we make the effort, the Lord will bless us.  In the midst of what can be a hectic season, why not set aside a time of quiet just for Jesus and you?  It will take some effort but take whatever time you can manage - even 15 minutes - and it will help you to center your heart on the real "reason for the season."  That "reason," of course, is Jesus!

Spend some time with Him! Come to Him in a simple, childlike way, and He will reveal to you the mysteries of heaven.  As Jesus prays to His Father in Luke’s gospel, "Although you have hidden these things from the wise and learned you have revealed them to the childlike." (Luke 10:21-24)

Patient Endurance

 

As a rule, the patience of virtue is not one of the strong points of people in today’s world.  We want things to be done quickly and efficiently.  Promises and appointments should be kept as accurately as they were made; otherwise an outburst of impatience may follow.  We have all experienced the impatient and impulsive driver in front of or behind us who takes unreasonable chances and causes disaster quite often.  Patients in a hospital or nursing home obviously must practice the virtue of patience.  They have to wait for recovery patiently and when they’re old or sick for a long time they often have to wait for company or friends with even more patience.

A classic example of impatience is that of the Jews at Mount Sinai.  In waiting for Moses’ return from the mountain, they lost patience and constructed the golden calf.  They said to Aaron, “Come, make us a god who will be our leader” (Exodus 32:1).

Advent is a time of waiting for the coming of Christ.  Promises have been made to us about a way out of our distress.  Salvation will come, but when?  We pray, but does God listen?  Jeremiah (33:14-16), St. Paul in his first letter to the Thessalonians (3:12-4:2), and Jesus (Luke 21:25-38) deal with this problem.  Waiting for somebody to come, i.e., Jesus Christ, supposes patience.  We must accept the human condition of “not yet” with the patient hope for better things to come.