Advent Is a Time of Waiting But How Do We Wait?
Do we wait with joyful expectation or has life’s disappointments left us jaded and closed to any spiritual surprises?
Come to think of it, how many of us actually expect to receive any spiritual joy on Christmas morning? When we are secretly cynical, we will not receive a thing, not even a tiny flicker of Light because we have locked the door to our hearts. Then, our cynicism will be confirmed once again; we will cement our cynicism in place for another year.
As we wait, secretly longing for the dark, empty places within us to be flooded with His light, we should look to our children to teach us how to wait for the Christ Child to be born anew in our hearts. They trust and believe the words of both their earthly and heavenly Fathers. Think of a young child, eyes twinkling, barely able to sit still and contain his excitement because he knows that his dad will never give him a stone instead of a loaf of bread. No wonder Jesus tells us,
“I assure you,” He said, “unless you are converted and become like children, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven…” Matthew 18:4
I Can Be a Counterpoint of Light
I can choose to welcome light into my inner darkness. I turn my eyes to the child Jesus in silent expectation, waiting to be filled with hope because it is Advent, the brink of Christmas, a celebration of light, joy and peace on earth. If we are open and humble, the flames of the Advent candles will shine as beacons of hope in the darkness, symbols of the Light of the world who will come on Christmas morning.
Yes, Advent is a proverbial time for waiting with Mary in the darkness for the birth of the Christ Child. It is a time to silently listen in expectation. It is a time to sweep away the clutter in our hearts and souls by simplifying our lives to make room for a re-birth in our own hearts for this child called Jesus.
Pregnant During Advent
We had just moved to our new farm with a larger house since I was expecting our ninth child. My oldest had started high school while five others attended a small Catholic school with 10 grades from junior kindergarten to grade 8.
One day in December, the priest led an Advent reflection in the gym and asked the children, “Who is waiting for the birth of a new brother or sister this Advent?”
Five hands went up.
“Oh, my isn’t this wonderful”, the priest exclaimed, without really identifying each face, “So many of you are joining Mary, waiting for the birth of a baby!”
Then a voice yelled out, “No Father, those are all Juneau kids with their hands raised!”
Mary and Her Baby
Mary and the Infant Jesus Bonded
Imagine Mary gazing into the eyes of the Incarnation and soaking in His love. Why, there is something about an ordinary baby’s open, trusting gaze that literally draws love from us, never mind looking into the face of the Infant God. A newborn can see clearly for about 8″, just far enough to focus intently on an adult’s face. It is almost as if the initiative to bond comes from the baby first, especially when I consider their fierce hand grip they clutched fingers and clothing. To ensure mothers nurse, babies are born with a powerful rooting reflex and a cry which literally triggers the let-down reflex for milk, soaking clothes if mothers do not start nursing quickly enough.
Babies do not even have a sense of themselves apart from their mothers for the first year because their whole identities are intricately entwined with mum. I would think Jesus went through this same stage of development. No wonder Mary is the Mediatrix of All Graces; she soaked in the love of God and simply allows it to flow through her to us.
Advent Prayer
God of power and mercy, open our hearts in welcome. Remove the things that hinder us from receiving Christ with joy, so that we may share his wisdom and become one with him when he comes in glory, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2 thoughts on “An Advent Message: Secretly Cynical, Profoundly Blessed”
Thank you for the reflection of getting us to think about Mary and Jesus just after he was born. Both my children were born by C-section and so I got see them, but not hold them right away. However, I was there for the birth of my grandson and not only got to see my daughter and him bond, but also got to experience it myself when I held him.
We tend to not dwell too much on that part of the Christmas story, even many of us moms, and yet, meditating on how God came into our world as a newborn, was hugged, loved, nursed, changed, bathed, by His mom just like we did for our children is important! Too often we forget that Jesus was fully MAN as well as God. We forget that He loved His mom even more than we do our own. Sadly there are so many non Catholics who seem to think that Jesus didn’t love His mom at all.
To marvel that God came as a little, defenseless child and asks us to become the same way towards our Father is a much needed meditation, an antidote to the very prideful way we all too often think of our relationship with our Father in heaven.
Thank you for these insights- You are absolutely correct; we often loose site of the fact Jesus was fully Man AND fully God probably because we simply cannot wrap our brains around such a profound Mystery