As some of you know, I recently went on retreat for 6 days. Every priest is required to go away each year for at least 5 days, not only for his well-being but also for the good of his people. The wisdom of the Church has found that in the course of a year, we priests can pick up some bad habits and cut some corners in our prayer life. These get passed along to our parishioners if we aren’t careful. My six days of silence and solitude were wonderful. Retreat has a way of slowing things down and making me appreciate little moments of God’s presence I often overlook. A few examples I experienced were: Eating a meal without rushing or worrying about the next appointment on the calendar. Going for a walk and not worrying how long I would be out. Driving back to the parish in absolutely no hurry in the right lane, unconcerned if I had to slow down below the speed limit to let in merging traffic!! Every year on retreat, I am amazed at how peaceful it is to step back and slow down. And I am always humbled by how easy it is to allow the hectic pace to re-enter my life and soul.
Hopefully each of us has been able to experience this sort of peace for ourselves. Certainly a Christmas or summer break does this for our students, vacation provides a breather for families, and possibly the weekend can offer some relief from the daily grind. However, as a society, we Americans are pretty lousy at slowing down and relaxing. We rank among the highest in the world in average hours worked each week. People seem to take a twisted pleasure in sharing how full their schedules are and comparing how they are much busier than everyone else, as if running around like a lunatic was some sort of status symbol. Certainly, for most of us, life moves fast, the day, the week, flies by, and we end up saying things like: “I can’t believe it is Thanksgiving already” or “How can December be just around the corner?!” The sobering truth is that it is not difficult to fly through a year, a decade or even a significant portion of our life at warp speed, without much reflection or appreciation for the subtle blessings and beauty of God.
Wisely and mercifully, our Church hits the brakes each year and invites us to “slow our roll” for the season of advent. Part of this is to prepare us to celebrate once again that momentous occasion when God became one of us with his birth at Bethlehem. Just as important, this season has the potential to knock us out of our routine and the trance with which a busy life places upon us. Advent is an invitation to take a breath, narrow our scope a little, and remember that waiting and anticipating are healthy and normal parts of our lives. It makes us realize that there is a part of us that cannot be fulfilled by the things of this world. The key element of being spiritually filled and fulfilled can only be Christ. We are continually refilled if we let ourselves be. Strange to say, waiting for fulfillment is also itself a fulfillment. It lets us be what we are—not God but human.
Advent is all about the joyful anticipation for our savior and being mindful that he completes us in a way no one or nothing else can. Advent doesn’t try to rush things or take a shortcut. It doesn’t attempt to cover up the spiritual hunger that is present in every human heart. Instead, it tells us to relish in that hunger and build up anticipation for what Christ’s birth will mean for us and our lives.
So how can this wonderful season, which begins today, make a practical difference over the next 4 weeks? Clearly, there are many things we cannot step back from or “slow down”. Students cannot say, “sorry professor, I can’t study for the test or write the paper because it is advent”. Parents can’t tell their children they will pick them up from school when they get around to it or cook dinner sometime. A large portion of our lives will continue moving at the hectic rate we are used to because of our obligations. However, if we are honest with God and ourselves, there is a whole dimension of our lives and schedule that is busy and unreflective because we have chosen it. Have we recently paused to consider how often we turn on the tv for background noise or distraction even though whatever is on doesn’t really interest us or we have seen that show or movie before? Do we realize how often we pick up our phone to check Facebook, Insta, Twitter, text messages or news? A while back, I limited myself to checking the phone once an hour and I was horrified by how many times I picked it up compulsively.
There is room in each and every one of our lives to slow down and relish this advent season of anticipation. More than likely, it will be by changing something small, subtle, seemingly insignificant. But who knows what that little slowing down or shift will teach you. The salvation of the world started very small; a little baby born in a little town called Bethlehem….
Make the deliberate choice to slow down somewhere in life this Advent season. Let’s not be so arrogant to think that we cannot afford to change something during these 4 weeks of waiting and preparation for Christ’s birth. Choose something small but concrete. For example, take 10 minutes of your lunch break to walk with God or talk to him in a quiet place without your phone or tv competing with Him. Quit saying you’ll get to confession; put it on the calendar and go! Pray with your family before bedtime, get to church 5 minutes early for Mass or stay a few minutes after to thank God for your blessings. These, of course, are just a few of the practical possibilities out there. No one is too busy or important to slow down. May we enter fully into this Advent season and benefit from the transformation it offers us.
