The Joyful Season of Advent is here – a time of joyful anticipation and waiting for Jesus who comes to us as a baby at Christmas.
How do we wait? The Gospel today speaks of being alert and watchful.
How can we be alert and watchful as we wait?
I’ll share a story about waiting. I lived in a city of hundreds of thousands of people. In fact, Lagos (former capital of Nigeria) had a population of about 20 million people. It is crazy to wait for a bus in Nigeria during rush hour. At a single bus station, you could have hundreds of people waiting for one bus. You have to be very watchful and alert to see when the bus is arriving. But more importantly you have to be ready to jump in immediately when the bus arrives. You have to listen to make sure it is the right bus for you.
Christmas is coming. It is not a bus that we await for, but a baby. Are we going to be ready? The advent season helps us to be watchful and ready for His coming at Christmas, His coming today and His coming at the end of our lives.
A few suggestions:
- Saying no more, in order to say yes to what is most important. This is a time of party. We receive so many invitations for Christmas parties. Maybe you can choose a few to go to and use the other time to prepare your heart. If not, you might get overwhelmed.
- Parish Reconciliation Service. This is a Sacrament that restores us to our baptismal innocence that we may have a pure heart for Jesus this Christmas. Purity of heart brings us true peace and joy. Avail yourself of the opportunity on December 19 at 5:15pm in St. Ann’s.
- Advent Wreath/Candle – turn off every light and light a candle before meal or before bed and say a prayer for someone every day until Christmas. It is such a peaceful experience looking at a lit candle while in the dark.
- Listen to CDs in your car. Keep a Rosary with you and pray it as you wait in a restaurant (weird right?), at the hospital, or as you wait somewhere.
- Shopping – as you wait to pay, say a prayer for the person behind and before you. Smile to them and wish them “Merry Christmas” not “happy holiday.”
~ Fr. Obi