Shorter Advent means making every day Advent

As quickly as it arrived, Advent, the season of preparation – and vacillating emotions – is almost over. Amid diligent efforts to wait patiently, I have experienced exciting anticipation. While aiming to slow down and focus on true priorities, Christmas shopping, decorating, and baking projects often leave me with barely enough time to breathe. While making time for prayer and reflection, deadlines and Christmas playlists interfere and distract. The joy of family time lives in contrast with the grief and sadness of loved ones no longer with us.

Year after year, regardless of how perfectly things are planned in my mind, there are inevitable glitches: burnt cookies, sold-out wish-list items, icy roads, and arguments (over Christmas lights, over who took the tape, over who needs to vacuum, or over who is going to make us late). Without fail, at some point, the patience I set out striving for is thrown out the window and I need to make an extra trip to the confessional. Yes, Advent is definitely a time of preparation!

This year, while we still have four Sundays in Advent, we do not have four full weeks of spiritual preparation. Not only do we miss the opportunity to melt all four candles down on our Advent wreaths, we have less time to ponder each candle’s message of hope, peace, joy and love. We do, however, still have opportunities to reconcile those conflicting emotions and experiences mentioned above. We have time to consider the ways in which our hearts – more than anything else – need to prepare for Christmas.

As a teacher, a shortened Advent means that we are going to be in school right up until Christmas weekend. I may have less time to prepare my house and complete my personal to-do lists since I will be at school, but I truly believe that sharing more Advent days with my students will help me to deliberately focus on my personal Advent journey.

With the children, I will have time to read the stories of Jesus’ family tree as we hang daily ornaments on our classroom Jesse tree, without rushing through and completing several each day. We will have time to read Christmas books, make cards and snowflakes, do artwork, prepare special treats, sing songs, and enjoy each other’s time, after the rush of report card season. Since my own children are older now, the responsibility of leading students on their Advent journeys inspires my own, and I welcome this “bonus” time with them.

St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) is quoted as saying, “Before the birth of Jesus, his parents asked for a simple dwelling place, but there was none. If Mary and Joseph were looking for a home for Jesus, would they choose … your heart, and all it holds?” For many years, when I am stressed and flustered, I would have to answer this question in the negative. Deep down, my heart yearns for Jesus, but temptation and distraction have often clouded the true “me.”

Personally, 2023 has been a year of grief and loss, of changes at home and at work, of busyness, and of clutter in my heart, mind, and home. It has also been filled with love and support, exciting challenges, and an increased awareness of priorities. I pray that conflicting emotions will make me more deliberate in my efforts to prepare for Christmas, and ultimately for Jesus’ second coming.

The length of the Advent season is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, for every day should be a time of personal preparation. Whether we use our time well or waste it depends on us. We do not know the day or the hour (Mt. 25:13) of Jesus’ return, or of the end of our lives; therefore, we must remember Mother Teresa’s question, “Are we ready to receive him?”

Let us pray that we are ready and able to welcome Jesus not only at Christmas, but each and every day. May we listen to the stories which foretold his birth and those of his earthly life, and may we also recognize his continued presence in our own stories. May we bring his hope, peace, joy, and love to everyone we meet.

And, may the patience we exercise in our prayer lives glow as brightly as the four candles on our Advent wreaths, translating into our relationships and daily routines - especially when Christmas lights become tangled, or cookies burn.

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