Living out the Season of Advent

Advent. Catholic.org tells us, “The word Advent derives from the Latin word meaning coming. The Lord is coming” and that “[Advent] is meant to be a period of self-preparation.” Advent and Lent are actually quite similar in that both are times of self-preparation for the Lord. According to Isaiah, we are called to “Make straight the way of the Lord” (Isaiah 40:3, John 1:23). Advent and Isaiah have a lot to say. What I hear them saying is: be faithful.

When people ask me about my “story”, it doesn’t change much. I was a cradle Catholic, but didn’t have an intimate relationship with Jesus until my first semester of college. It was then, that Jesus stuffed a life-changing event into the tiniest little unassuming box ever, and left me to contemplate its purpose. So I did, and that's the day I chose Him.

Of course there are a bunch of details and personal anecdotes that fill out the rest, but those are the essentials. So, now what?

St. Josemaría Escrivá (who’s a BOSS) had a lot to say about the every day struggles that normal people like you and I face every day. He said, “The struggle is the sign of holiness. A saint is a sinner that keeps trying.” Trying at what, you might ask? Well, for me, the list is long. Trying to get out of bed in the morning and offer my day to God. Trying to set aside prayer every day. Trying to be patient with my family members when they are getting at my last nerve. Trying to give of myself as a gift to everyone in my life. Trying not to waste my time. Trying to engage in things that are good for my body, mind, and soul… And that’s only a handful!

We are called to constant conversion; every day, every minute, every second, kind of conversion.

“Make straight the way of the Lord”… If you’re like me, then you’re probably still trying to figure out what the heck “the way of the Lord” actually looks like. I’ve got so many questions; I swear they’re coming out of my ears. Am I supposed to live here? Or am I supposed to be somewhere else? Do I have the right job? Should I go back to school? Am I ever going to find my spouse? Have I already met him? Is my spouse Jesus...? It’s pretty darn overwhelming… If we let it be.

Jesus tells us that, “The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones…” (Luke 16:10) So, why are we so obsessed with those bigger things? He calls us to be faithful in little things. Those are the “small matters”. If we are listening to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit during those seemingly insignificant moments of our everyday life, you can bet your bottom dollar that He’s going to nudge you in the right direction when it comes to the bigger stuff. But first, it takes a commitment. Commitment to God. Commitment to prayer. Commitment to love. Commitment to daily conversion.

So, in the little bit of Ordinary Time we have left, make it extraordinary. Invite God into the small (cobweb-filled) corners of your day. Listen, when He invites you to smile at the person you pass on the sidewalk (instead of keeping your head down and trying to avoid any sort of personal contact whatsoever). See Him, when He brings beauty into your life: through nature, silence, or the company of another person. Feel the Joy that He brought to the world at Christmas every day.

You know that really fluttery feeling of excitement in your stomach? The one you get when something really fun or awesome you've been planning is going to happen soon? The same feeling you get before you see someone you haven't seen in FOREVER whom you love SO MUCH? That's Advent. That's what our lives on earth are. Don't stifle the excitement for Heaven-for an intimate relationship with God- that dwells within you. Don't stifle the excitement. Foster it. Live out the Advent.