Inspired by Scholastica

Advent Pauses

Before Advent gets swallowed up in the mad rush of Christmas shopping and decorating, I invite you to take a few moments each day to reflect on what Advent means for you personally. We know it is a season of waiting for Christ’s coming, but how does he come to us now is this world?

Christ comes to us mainly in the poor who are hungry and abandoned. How can we see Christ in the starving child, the lonely elderly, the lost teenager, the drug-addicted man or woman?  How can we respond to their needs?  In a recent retreat, I heard the invitation: “Behold and Be Held.” When we really behold the smells, the tears, the wounds of those around us, we are Be Held by God.

We can also pray to the holy ones to accompany us on our Advent journey, those who had the courage to live out the invitation to love the suffering no matter what the cost. I think of Oscar Romero who spoke out about injustice and was shot while saying Mass. I think of Martin Luther King who stood up for the rights of the Blacks, and Alexander Navalny, the Russian opposition leader. I remember Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who fought bravely for women’s rights.

It only takes a few minutes to pray for those who have no one to pray for them, especially those with life-threatening illnesses and those who live with daily pain. We also need to pray for our country, that it will continue to be a refuge of peace and justice for all.

During these Advent days, the Church reminds us to “Keep awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” When we are young, we tell ourselves we have plenty of time to do the things that will benefit us for eternal life. When we grow old, we know we will soon see Christ face to face. What will we have to show for our years on earth? 

Advent is the time to “Seek the Lord, while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near.” (Isaiah 55: 6)

 

Barbara Mayer, OSB

                                   

 

 

 

 

 

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