Dear Friends,
Sssshhhh! Be quiet! Do you hear? Do you see? Can you sense it: the coming of the Son of Man? The Presence?
We begin the Advent Season. And often the readings for the first few Sundays of Adent seem ominous. Like today: Jesus talks about the mysterious “coming of the Son of Man” at a time when people do not expect. “Be prepared,” he exhorts, “for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
Sounds scary—which may be because many of us had been taught to fear Jesus’ second coming and to make sure we’re behaving so we can survive the awful judgment that will accompany his coming.
But, of course, that’s not Jesus’ message; that’s a misguided message handed down to us from others who had it handed down to them. Jesus, however, isn’t asking us to live in fear. After all, his first coming wasn’t to instill fear into us. It was to reveal to us in his flesh the very being of God who is Love. He came precisely to teach us we need not fear God because God is Abba who intimately all his children and loves them passionately. And that love is every near, in our midst.
So, Jesus’ message to us is to be aware and alert. To the Divine Love ever near, always in our midst. “Stay awake,” he says. Otherwise, we will miss the Presence of God who “shows up” all the time.
And Advent is a wonderful time to intensify our efforts and being awake and aware. Advent is all about living in joyful expectation for the “coming of the Son of Man,” the manifestation of Love who is ever in our midst. As Richard Rohr says, “We’re already in the presence of God. What’s absent is awareness.” Advent is an invitation to increase our awareness of God-Ever-Present.
How? Well, the first way is what I said above: Sssshhhh! Be quiet! Be still. In a world filled with so much noise (much of it meaningless, pure distraction), find a place and a time to be quiet and still. With our minds every busy, thinking and analyzing and worrying and imagining, find some space to go beyond the mind, to discover the presence and action of the Divine, of God, of Love within.
Second, why not ask God at the beginning of every day to help you to be aware of God’s presence throughout the day. As God to help you recognize the Divine Presence in every person you encounter throughout the day, and in every situation which arises. If you find yourself getting caught up in busy-ness, or Christmas rushing around, or all the endless worry during the day, take a moment to simply stop. Practice the pause. And repeat your prayer to God to help you recognize God’s presence right where you are at that moment. Then at the end of the day, as you’re settling in to sleep, take a moment to look back on the day and, once again, ask God to help you reflect on all the people and places in which God was present all throughout the day.
So, as we enter the Advent season, I once again invite everyone to take up the ADVENT CHALLENGE. It’s made up of the two things I just mentioned here:
FIRST: Dedicate the first 15-20 minutes of your day to silence and stillness. Just sssshhhh! Just be quiet and still. Forget the list of chores just for that time. If the mind wonders—and it will-just gently say “sssshhhh” and bring yourself back to a peaceful, restful quiet.
SECOND: Before you start your daily activities, offer a simple prayer asking God to help you to be aware of God’s presence throughout the day. “Lord, make me aware. Help me to see you this day.”
It’s simple habits like these that can help us to live out Jesus’ invitation to be awake and aware. And it’s habits like these that, little by little, enable us to “recognize the Son of Man” coming to us in so many ways all the days of our lives.
Happy Advent,
Father Liam