As I anticipate Advent’s approach, I wonder, how will this year be different? Every year I make the “Lent” and “Advent” comparison, asking myself whether or not I should really be giving anything up for Advent, like I do for Lent. After all, I think of Advent as a time of rejoicing and celebration, not of austerity and fasting.
But then again, Jesus’ birth was one of both austerity and joy—for His birth was a result of sin and came during difficult circumstances for His parents, but it also was a time of fulfillment and hope. It seems like something to prepare for in a more conscientious, spiritual way than we often do as our December calendars fill up. When I think about it, when I am not intentionally living out the liturgical season of Advent, I find I take the day of Jesus’ birth for granted.
But what if I didn’t? What if I lived Advent out more radically? Celebrating the coming of Jesus’ birth, but also creating more space to welcome Him within my own heart. What if I left a space for Him to fill, rather than attempt to fill it with my own human distractions.
Small Moments
I was recently reflecting on the different seasons of prayer I have found myself in over the past ten years. As a single woman, I made holy hours, daily Mass, lectio divina, and spiritual reading a high priority. As a married woman, I still make them a priority, but my prayer life has changed. My holy hours are not as frequent, and more of my personal prayer time has shifted to prayer with my husband. A good change, but a change nonetheless.
Now, as mother of three small children, my prayer time is more or less consistent, but often chaotic. My husband and I, with our children beside us, spend a few minutes in family prayer time, reading Scripture, voicing our intentions, and consecrating our day to Mary. In addition to that, I try to get five minutes of personal prayer time, just me and Jesus. Sometimes that’s while I’m driving, sometimes that’s with my kids playing quietly beside me, and sometimes it’s when all three are sleeping (which is ideal).
That being said, there are so many small chunks of time throughout my day! Just the right amount of time to grab my phone to check emails, read articles, and scroll. I don’t often consider using that time to pray, and I justify my phone time by deciding that one, two, or three minutes would be too short to enter into prayer because I’d just be interrupted anyway.
But what if I used these small moments for worship instead of web browsing?
It’s true that I may not enter into an extended time of using my imagination to dive into Iganatian prayer, nor will I have the hands and minutes to open my Bible with my journal for a strong lectio divina session.
Though what I can do is orient my mind to the present. I can consecrate those small moments to Jesus with a short prayer, and make a spiritual offering to the Lord simply through living out my vocation. As it reads in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, I can seek “the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and directing them according to God’s will” (CCC § 898). Further, my “daily work, relaxation of mind and body, if they are accomplished in the Spirit—indeed even the hardships of life if patiently born—all these become spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (CCC § 901).
Using these small moments of time to pray, instead of scrolling through posts, will lead me to the still waters I thirst for.
Still Waters
Do we find purpose in our busyness? I know I certainly do, and Advent is a very busy time. This is why the words of Psalm 23 are at the core of this year’s Blessed Is She Advent Devotional:
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want; He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. (Psalm 23:1-2)
One of the Advent devotional writers, Rachel Balducci, writes during week one, about how the Lord whispers to us of our worth, and it is simply because we are His, not because of what we can do:
We hear this truth best in our rest, when we slow down—are forced to slow down—and have nowhere to turn but the deep silence within. [ . . . ] If he is offering you rest, accept it! Even if rest is not being forced upon you, invite small moments of retreat. We find our peace in the silence. (Found, p. 13)
Later on in the week, we are encouraged in the devotional to,
Leave your phone at home or in the car to allow yourself to be totally present to the presence of God. Soak in the silence and listen for the voice of the Shepherd in the quiet of your soul [ . . . ] Simply spend time with Jesus in the beauty of creation. (Found, p. 18)
These words convict me. While I may not always have silence throughout my day, I can still savor the beauty of the creation around me, and I don’t have to look very far. There is immense beauty in the creation and gifts of my spouse, my children, our home, and the beauty of the world outside our walls.
In those moments I am tempted to scroll, these words help call back to mind that I can always choose to be in the present moment, and acknowledge the reality of always being in God’s presence.
This Advent, while I don’t plan to fast as strictly as I do during Lent, I do plan to leave those small spaces of time throughout my day, as an opportunity to reflect on Psalm 23 and the words that “goodness and mercy shall follow me” (Psalm 23:6), I just have to be present to see it.
How do you see God’s goodness pursuing you?
HIS WORD CHANGES LIVES
God is speaking to you through His Word. In this personal study, you will learn to hear God's voice by reading slowly and praying deeply.
Susanna Parent is a regular contributor to the BIS blog, speaker and a freelance writer. While a Wisconsin native, she now begins her mornings brewing French press coffee in the home she shares with her husband and children in the Twin Cities. When the sun sets, you’ll find her with friends enjoying a glass of red wine, preferably outside underneath twinkly lights. When not exploring all that the Twin Cities has to offer, she is indulging her wanderlust spirit by brainstorming their family's next new adventure. You can find out more about her here. Read all of Susanna's posts here.
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