Slowing Down this Advent
Christian Patience vs. Passive Resignation
Maybe God wants us to slow down this Advent. I notice that I am so impatient. I am trying to get a lot of things done at once. The other day, I was having dinner with a family, and I got nervous because dessert was taking too long. I get restless; I even notice my legs shaking from time to time. I notice that sometimes I am shaking, and it drives me crazy. I get self-conscious, imagining it might distract others as well. I need to calm down and slow down. What if my nerves didn’t always feel frayed? I think God wants me to slow down this Advent.
This doesn’t mean that we stop doing anything. There is a lot to do during Advent. But perhaps we can do these things more purposefully, with greater awareness of what is going on around us. Perhaps we can take a moment to shift our focus away from ourselves and think about the One who is coming. When we slow down, we can be more attentive to Christ’s presence.
When we do things fast, the results fade away quickly. You can think of a woodworker or a sculptor. They put a lot of work into something, and we see the results even centuries afterwards. We want to put time into our relationship with God because it lasts forever. When we go through Europe, we see cathedrals that bear witness to a time when things were done more slowly, but with purpose, and are made to stand the test of time. When you want to hang out with someone, you send a text. If you wish to invite someone to your wedding, you make a formal wedding invitation. Some things are more important than others.
Here, we see the patience of God. He waited through the fidelity and infidelity of Israel. Patriarchs came and went, prophets cried out, and still God waited. In the fullness of time, he sent his Son to come into the world and save us from our sins.
Are we waiting for a text from God when he has written a message in creation itself, in Sacred Scripture, as well as the development of the Church throughout the centuries? Will we be ready?
Be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come (Mt. 24:44).
How do we prepare for the coming of the Son of Man? How do we prepare for Jesus? The first thing is to live Advent as a preparation for celebrating Christmas. We need to put time into the preparation if we are going to enjoy the results. Quick results are never lasting.
It is easy to spend more time preparing our home decorations than we do preparing our hearts for Christmas. But which is more important? To prepare our hearts, one of the greatest means is prayer. Perhaps during Advent, we want to dedicate more time to prayer. Going to daily Mass can be a simple way to make sure we are dedicating time every day to prayer. We have about half an hour dedicated each day to the Lord. It is also helpful because by following the readings of the liturgy, we are also reading the texts that the Church feels are most helpful to get us in a state of mind ready for Christmas. You can find the texts in Magnificat or on the USCCB website.
If we cannot make it physically to Mass, maybe we at least read the liturgical readings of the day. We can think first of the readings from the Old Testament and the Gospel, but the prayers of the day that are unique to each day of Advent are also helpful. We can sense in them a desire, a longing, a waiting for the coming of Jesus.
Advent is a time for active waiting, not passive resignation. Sometimes, we can feel like there is nothing to do, and so we settle into a passive resignation. This is not what God wants for us. Sometimes, we can feel frustrated because it seems that God doesn’t answer our prayers or deep longings of the heart. St. Augustine understood the tension well.
If God seems slow in responding, it is because He is preparing a better gift. He will not deny us. God withholds what you are not yet ready for. He wants you to have a lively desire for His greatest gifts. All of which is to say, pray always and do not lose heart (St. Augustine).
Take time this Advent to grow in the habit of prayer. Don’t be discouraged if progress feels slow. God is not wasting your waiting; He is enlarging your heart to receive a greater gift. Advent is not about hurried results but about letting desire deepen. If it takes the whole season to form a habit of daily prayer, let. It. God works slowly but surely – and He never fails to arrive.