We all have hills and valleys that we can fill in with God’s grace to prepare for His coming
The Scripture readings in Advent are filled with exhortations to prepare the way. Both the Old and New Testament readings for the Second Sunday of Advent remind us that we are not alone in those preparations. God intends to complete the good work that He has begun in each of us, and it is our job to cooperate with Him.
A landscape that is filled with valleys and hills, rough roads and crooked ones offers us an image to compare with our lives. No matter who we are, where we live, our race, gender or creed, we each have had ups and downs and crooked ways that have marked our lives. We sometimes veer away from what God would like us to do. That is a fact, and none of us should be ashamed to admit that. What we don’t want to do is make that crooked way of living our new normal. We never want to give up hope that we can be more open to the shaping of God’s grace in our lives.
Some of our traditional Advent practices may help in the reshaping and preparation of our lives. Maybe it will help to have an Advent wreath with one more candle lit each week. Maybe we need a physical reminder that we are called to be in connection with God every day. Maybe that wreath, in the middle of our dinner tables, might jump start us into prayer. Don’t be overwhelmed about trying to form the best Advent prayer or the perfect way to address God; just start praying. Dedicate each week to a certain way of more clearly preparing your life for an openness to the grace of God.
I know that most parishes have some special practices that happen during Advent, often beginning around Thanksgiving. Maybe you’re called to go through your closet and find winter coats that you don’t use anymore or to buy a new coat to give to someone who would otherwise be cold this winter. Maybe you’re being called to buy an extra turkey or other food and give it to your St. Vincent de Paul Society so that somebody who is hungry might not be hungry anymore. Maybe your church has an Advent giving tree with ornaments on it: Take one or two of those and make somebody’s Christmas more special through your generosity. Maybe you could go to daily Mass or attend a Bible study or join with men’s or women’s groups as they seek the will of God in their lives. Maybe read the Scriptures ahead of time before you go to Mass so you are better prepared to hear God’s word not just once but again. What does it mean for you to make straight a highway for your God?
Make sure that this time of preparation is not just preparing wrapped gifts and decorations but also a time in which your heart and mind are prepared more deeply for an encounter with Jesus, who is with you every moment of your life. Notice how the grace of God is present to you through the people you might regularly take for granted. Notice the abundance with which you’re surrounded. Is that a source of your acknowledgment of the grace of God, or do you feel like you’re simply entitled to it?
There are bell ringers outside of stores; there are programs of prayer and reflection; there are special readings from the Scripture all trying to get us to wake up and prepare. Will we be lost in our excess busyness, or will we be awake to the present moment of God’s grace in our lives?
Father Donald Wester is retired and serves as lecturer of homiletics at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary.
