Probably the question people have asked me the most about my trip to Australia (other than the general, “how was it?”) was: “How was the flight to Sydney?” My particular route was Flint to Chicago to Houston to Sydney (and that same route in reverse for the return trip), and the flight from Houston to Sydney alone was sixteen and a half hours on the way there, and sixteen hours on the way back. That’s a long time to be on a plane. And, I have to admit, on my return flight, almost as soon as I got on the plane, I wanted to be back in Flint, driving home from Bishop International Airport. But of course, I was far from that reality.
Perhaps we’re in the same boat as we enter Advent. Our four weeks (24 days this year) of Advent might seem like a sixteen and a half hour flight, and all we want to do is be at Christmas. Don’t get me wrong; the destination is the most important part. We cannot say, as so many often do, that the journey is the most important part, because, in the spiritual life, where we end up is what should take the most import in our lives. Still, the pilgrimage to Christmas, the pilgrimage to the cave where Christ was born, also is weighty and substantial. We cannot skip over Advent, especially if we hope to truly appreciate Christmas and its meaning in the salvation of the world, and the salvation of our hearts.
So what are you doing during Advent to get ready for the Nativity of the Lord at Christmas? What steps are you taking to make sure that you’ll be ready when you get there? I mean, imagine if I simply bought my ticket to Sydney, and got on the plane, without any planning, without any luggage, without any passport. I would not have made it that far. And even if I brought simply my passport, if I didn’t have clean clothes and toiletries, I don’t think I could have enjoyed the company of even my brother priests. Or if my clothes that I brought were only reflective of the 8 1/2 inches of snow that we got the first day I tried to leave, rather than the 70-80 degree sunny days that were happening in Sydney, I would not have enjoyed such an exotic vacation getaway.
What doesn’t count for preparing for Christmas is listening to Christmas music and attending Christmas parties. Those things aren’t necessarily bad (I’ll be honest, I’m listening to Christmas music in my car now that Thanksgiving has passed), but they don’t really prepare us to celebrate Christmas, even if it is Bing Crosby singing “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” or Nat King Cole singing “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” Our preparations have to involve our soul if we want to reap the benefits of the beautiful, and yet short, season of Advent.
So are you praying daily? The little blue books, or the Bishop Barron daily Advent reflections that are on our parish website can assist us in daily prayer. Maybe it’s just 5 minutes each day, or maybe adding on another 5 minutes if we already pray daily, but whatever it is, make sure you’re taking time to talk and listen to God. In particular, I would invite you pray for someone who is not practicing their faith. Pray for them daily, specifically, with the intention that, by God’s grace, they are brought back to the faith. And, if possible, invite them to join you for the fourth Sunday of Advent here at St. Pius X (hopefully you could also bring them with you to confession to prepare for the Mass).
If you are able, add adoration time to your schedule. We offer adoration here almost every Friday from 7-8 a.m., and on the third Friday from 8:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. It doesn’t have to be for the whole hour, or the whole day, but stop in and see Jesus, present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, and adore your God who took flesh to save you, even if all you can give God is fifteen minutes before you go to work or during your lunch break.
Read Scripture. This year we’re walking through the Gospel according to St. Matthew. There are 28 chapters in that Gospel, and 24 days of Advent, so you can almost make it through the entire Gospel simply by reading one chapter per day. St. John reminds us that, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Familiarize yourself with that Word, Jesus, the co-eternal Word of God who was incarnate of the Virgin Mary.
Give alms. Alms, of course, is money that we donate to the poor, or to the Church. Scripture tells us that almsgiving atones for sins that we committed. When we take from what is precious to us, our money, and give it to someone else who needs it, whether the poor who need it for their survival, or the church so that people can find eternal life, we show that same love that Jesus had for us when He, who was rich as God, became poor by taking on our humanity and becoming subject to all things like us, though without sin. It’s not so much about the amount (remember that the widow who gave two small coins was praised, not for the great amount, but because it was what she had, what she treasured).
I hope you noticed that none of those things is that complicated. You don’t need a degree in theology; you don’t have to traverse to the farthest corners of the world. You don’t have to take yourself to the brink of death. In those simple ways, you can make sure that you’re ready to celebrate the Nativity of Jesus Christ at Christmas. Don’t let this sacred time pass you by, which it so easily does when we’re not prepared. Don’t arrive at Christmas without the proper preparation. Christmas will be here before you know it!
