"I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.” // Luke 10:21
It was all hands on deck when I first moved back home to take care of my mom. My brother and his amazing wife were living with Mom temporarily. I was more than happy and honored to be extra hands and act as Mom’s cheerleader, cook, beautician, housekeeper, driver, gardener. Mom was dealing with grief over my father’s sudden death and recovering from two surgeries and a long stay at the hospital.
The days were intensely packed. And because Mom needed so much care, I hardly noticed that I did not have a rhythm. I prayed at irregular hours, and we went to Mass at different times according to appointments and other needs. Although I welcomed the change of pace as a learning experience, I eventually somehow realized that waking up a few hours before Mom so I could pray set the whole day on a solidly even pace.
I grew to cherish these still hours in the morning before the sun came up. The silence was free from pings of texts, whirring cars, and there was almost no threat of a phone call.
Advent is the Lord’s gift to us. This holy season we have just begun is like the early hours of a great day. As we look ahead to celebrating the birth of Christ, Our Love and Lord, we can imagine the tiny light peeking over the horizon and gently starting to pervade the sky.
Sister, the King of Mercy is coming. He is coming for your heart. He is coming to bless you in new and abundant ways. He wants your blessings to overflow to your family and community. The key is to become little. In this holy season, we contemplate how God Himself chose to become a little Baby, and Jesus prays in the Gospel today, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike” (Luke 10:21).
May Our Blessed Lady help us to enter Advent with setting our fears and pride aside to step anew into littleness—life in Christ.