Sunday Meditation: What Will You do for Advent?

My parents' grave at the Naval Academy

As November comes to a close, I'm thinking about how I want to keep Advent. Every month the Catholic calendar invites us to reflect on something special in the Christian life. For November, it was remembering the dead and I decided to go to a cemetery every day and pray the chaplet of the Sacred Heart. "O sweetest Heart of Jesus I implore that I may ever love Thee more and more." I only missed a few days and visiting cemeteries made me acutely aware of the shortness of life and the reality of death.

The longest life I found was a gentleman in a cemetery near my house who lived to the age of 110, but most in the graveyard lived far fewer years. Many died years before my current age. There were graves of young people in the prime of life. I wondered how they died. There were graves for babies who lived only a few days, and I thought of the grief of their parents as they laid their little ones in the cold ground and I prayed for their comfort. It was a month of mourning with plenty of tears -- for the loss of my own family and friends and for all the strangers many with names well-known in our little town.

Sunday Meditation: First Sunday of Advent

Our Advent began with Mass and a big brunch celebrated with our youngest and her family and my oldest brother and his wife. But before brunch the three oldest children (eight, five, and three) helped me cut greens for the advent wreath off our pine trees and red berries off the nandina bushes.

What fun it was to have them poking the greens into the pine cone wreath (a gift from my sister Laura many moons ago!) and then adding the berries. Since I didn't have any new advent candles we scoured the candle drawer for three already used purples and one pink.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel...

The season of waiting begins and we remember the long years of hoping for the fulfillment of the promise. The Israelites were always waiting. Abraham waited for the promised son. Jacob waited and worked for Rebeccah. Joseph's brothers waited for the grain to save them from famine. Joseph and his brothers' descendents waited in Egypt for hundreds of years until Moses was called to lead them out of slavery. The Israelites waited and wandered in the desert for 40 years because of their grumbling against God and his punishment. The Israelites waited and waited and waited for the Messiah and many, when He came, refused Him.

We are these same waiting, grumbling, sinful people called continuously by God to repentance and new life in Him. Advent is a time to reflect and anticipate the coming of the Messiah. How will we use this blessed season?  Do you have a plan for Advent? If not, what a great day to make one on this first Sunday of the season. What can you do to make this a holy time of waiting and anticipation?

Live Advent well and Christmas will bring you special rejoicing! May you have a blessed Advent!