Advent: Time to Reconnect with God

 

When it comes to Advent it can become a strange season for some. All around us, we will see people wishing each other “Merry Christmas’ ‘ because it’s after Thanksgiving and therefore it’s the Christmas season. Having this type of thinking can lead to the season of Advent taking a back seat and people being completely over the Christmas Season on December 26th due to the celebration of Christmas beginning two months prior (in secular society).

Advent can be used as a time to get away from the distractions of life. If you notice that something in your life is taking you away from God, try removing it during the Advent season and make more time for prayer and intentional silence. You can also take on an extra penance for Advent as a way to more fully prepare for the coming of Christ at Christmas. One way to incorporate a form of penance into Advent this year is to take up some form of exercise if you don’t currently do so. Another way to incorporate penance is to take cold showers (although this can be difficult to do during the winter months depending on where you live).

Advent has been traditionally referred to as a “mini-lent” meaning that we should take on some form of a penitential practice during the Advent season as it will help us to realize just how much we need to rely upon God and His good graces in order to get through life. Sometimes we can fall under the impression that we can live life on our own and on our own terms. While this is certainly true for a short period of time, in the long run, we will often find ourselves coming up short. Our best option is to strive to do the will of God in whatever way God has called us to live life whether that be through the priesthood, consecrated religious life, or the single state.

Whatever our state of life happens to be, most of us can agree that there isn’t enough time spent in silence and prayer. In the world we live in there are so many things vying for our attention whether it be social media, advertising, etc, or the demands of our jobs, or worrying about the ones we hold near and dear to our hearts. Taking some time throughout the day to surrender those worries and turning our attention to God can be a great help in relieving the anxiety that we may feel. We are ultimately not the ones who are in control, God is the one who is in control and wants what’s best for us, for He is a loving Father.

What better time to practice surrendering to God than during the Advent Season? Advent is the perfect time to surrender to God because we are preparing for the coming of Christ. To prepare for the coming of Christ, we should be prepared to change our lives, turn away from sin, and turn back to God. Part of turning back to God is learning to surrender to God when things don’t seem to be going our way.

Another part of preparing for Christ is to learn to be within the peace of God. If we allow ourselves to be okay with being who we are and not trying to be someone that we’re not then everything would run a lot smoothly, there’s a complimentary between people of different persuasions. Allowing God to smooth out everything that we aren’t and to let our mask down and to authentically be who God has created us to be and to take up our cross daily can be a perfect opportunity to encounter Christ during Advent.

What will you do to prepare for Christ during Advent?

The article was written by: Br. Athanasius Mary of the Knights of the Holy Eucharist