Our time of preparation will also help us notice the ways Jesus comes into our lives each day
As we enter the season of Advent, we are given the mission to become aware, awake, attentive and conscious of what is happening around us. Without that, we can do very little preparation. Much of our preparation will appear to be unconscious and habitual and will feel like a duty rather than a privilege. If Advent is about preparing for what is to come, we can’t do that without becoming conscious of what is happening right now.
We will be given, through the Scriptures, reminders of what has happened in the past. We will hear about events and choices that led to good things, as well as the directions that people took that were destructive and evil. By noticing the patterns of the past, we might, if we are conscious of the present moment, see some of those same patterns of good or evil unfolding right before our eyes. In fact, we might even see how we cultivate patterns in our own lives that lead to good or evil.
Some of the history we will hear about will remind us of what we already know. Like all humans, we sometimes choose to put other things or people before God. This is important to notice if we as individuals or our country and culture are repeating the same destructive patterns of the past.
What do we need to look at in our own lives? We may have been putting it off for a while because we think we might discover something difficult. Has it helped to ignore it or try to override it with some habit or addiction? What is the inclination within us that would lead us to do more good with our lives than we are right now? Notice why we’re settling for the status quo and not taking the risk to live a deeper, more authentic life.
We will hear, throughout the season of Advent, stories about people who were truly prepared for the coming of Jesus and those who fought it every inch of the way. Some people were threatened by the possibility of the Messiah being born, while others anxiously awaited that day with happiness and joy. Have we ever noticed the difference between those two groups of people? What is it that either opens them or closes them to the possibility that God could enter into their life in a very real and gifted way? Do we notice any of those same patterns in our own lives?
Advent is a great time, even while doing all the preparation and pre-celebration of Christmas, to practice habits of awareness and weakness. We might want to start with the people who are closest to us. Are we truly present to our family, or have we become so busy that we pass each other in the day and night? Do we value them. and are we willing to make some changes to become more conscious of and present to them? We all know the regret we feel when we pass up an opportunity for some act of love and then never get the chance to do it again. I know that all of us who live in such convenience and luxury think that we have days, weeks, months and years ahead that we are guaranteed. In the back of our minds, we know that’s not the truth. Might this Advent be a time when we truly live out the truth that the kingdom of God is at hand, and today is the day to become more conscious and loving?
Becoming more aware and awake does truly prepare us to celebrate Christmas. We certainly will hear the stories of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, thousands of years ago, but we will also be more conscious of how Jesus comes into our lives each day, inviting us to grow deeper in love with Him and each other.
Father Donald Wester is retired and serves as lecturer of homiletics at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary.
