I came across an article once by Mike Laskey called: “A busy Catholic's guide to Advent: 10 tips for observing the season.” I found it very helpful, because often we need help to make this very busy season holy. So, as we begin this Season of Advent this weekend, I present it to you in an abbreviated way:
1. Read some sort of short, daily devotion: Just a few pages a day. The lesson: People are hungry for some sort of spiritual nourishment, especially around this time of year.
2. Get some quiet time: Advent the liturgical season is quiet and dark, as we await the in-breaking of Christ's light at Christmas. The shopping and party season is loud and glaringly bright. Seek out some quiet time separate from bedtime.
3. It's OK to say no: You don't have to go to every party you're invited to, or schlep to the mall the Saturday before Christmas, or watch the endless loop of wintry car commercials. As a mentor of mine likes to say, " 'No' is a complete sentence."
4. Don't forget the Advent music: I'm not here to play liturgical police and tell you to shelve the Christmas music until sunset on Dec. 24. However, there are plenty of great Advent hymns and songs to work into your rotation.
5. Decorate, even a little: We Catholics are sacramental people: Smells, bells, stained glass, beautiful music, bread and wine. God can visit through our sensory experiences. So put out a nativity set. And, at the very least …
6. Light an Advent wreath: The family and home are what the Vatican II document Lumen Gentium calls the "domestic church," and an Advent wreath tradition is a simple, lovely way to strengthen that smallest, essential community of faith.
7. Got a young kid or two? Add a Christmas book to bedtime reading list: If you have kids you read to at night, add a nativity book for children to your stack.
8. Support an organization that works for social justice: The Advent and Christmas seasons are inspirations for supporting charitable organizations. As the magi brought whatever they had to give the newborn king, our own gifts to organizations that further the building of the kingdom of God on Earth is one way to celebrate their legacy.
9. Go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation: A lot of parishes host Sacrament of Reconciliation services. If Advent is all about preparing, there's no better way to prepare your heart and spirit.
10. Reflect on the "three comings of the Lord: St. Bernard of Clairvaux described these three comings as the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the coming of Jesus into our lives in the present time, and Christ's final coming in glory on the last day. In Advent, we wait and prepare for all three.
In Christ & Mary Immaculate,
Fr. Tony