Did you know that Advent is a time for personal reflection and not bargain hunting, party planning or happy hour prep for endless get togethers until New Year’s Eve? 

Hold on. I just have to finish these emails. OK, in a minute … just checking Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and my other 30 social media platforms. And I can’t forget the daily text avalanche from Mom, Dad and my third cousin looking for a recipe for Great Grandma’s strudel.

We tend to think we’re distracted because of the devices in our pockets and the thousands of other notifications beckoning for our attention. But according to the research of Harvard psychologists Matthew Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert, the real problem isn't our chaotic environment but our minds. 

Killingsworth and Gilbert theorized that the human mind may actually be wired for this state of continuous distraction, and they suggest some steps to increase concentration. Here they are, along with my own suggestions for how these steps can be applied to enhance your experience of Advent. 

1) Set a time schedule and keep to it. (Daily and/or Sunday Mass would be a good addition.)

2) Disconnect. (Don’t just turn your phone to silent. Turn it off.)

3) Prepare your mind. (Take time for personal prayer.)

4) Focus on one task. (Cultivate humility.)

5) Turn off your brain. (Take a break from your ego.)

Small steps are important for success. We all know that relationships, given time, always nourish and deepen the joy we have in our lives and the clarity of who and what is important. That’s one of the blessings of the relationships between Unbound sponsors and their sponsored friends. It’s the same way with Christ. As we grow deeper in faith, we love more and dislike less.

Our senses become keen. We see goodness better. We voice welcomes more sincerely. We hold each other more dearly. And when that happens, we will hear with our hearts the words of the prophet Isaiah, as proclaimed in Luke’s Gospel:

A voice of one crying out in the desert:

and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” (Luke 3:4-6) 

Dear and gracious Lord, help us quiet our minds and hearts from our internal distractions. Guide us to bring our anticipation and longing for our savior to the center of our daily lives. Help us make more room for hope, faith and charity. Amen.