Mary is a model for Advent anticipation

Friday, Dec. 12, 2014

As children we were taught that before crossing a street, we were to “stop, look and listen” for oncoming cars. It seems to me that this advice is a good approach to Advent, as well. Like children on the street corner we are looking, not for traffic but for the coming of Christ. This sort of waiting can be contrasted with the idling we do while stopped at a red light or standing in line at the grocery store: It is not passive or distracted, rather it is attentive but at the same time tranquil, as was our Blessed Mother as she awaited the birth of her son.

Mary, we are told in Scripture, “pondered” what her pregnancy meant. Throughout the experience, she also seemed at peace as she anticipated the birth of the Christ child and what his mission would be in our world.

This kind of watchful waiting may seem like a waste of time to those looking in, but it actually is quite productive. As each of us ponders Christ in our lives, we grow as persons and as disciples of the Lord. We are able to deepen our trust that God is at work in each of us, and that he will fulfill his promises. Growing in this way is hardly a waste of time!

St. John of the Cross captured this type of prayerful waiting in much of his spiritual poetry, such as this stanza from his Spiritual Canticle: “You (Jesus) looked with love upon me and deep within your eyes imprinted grace. This mercy set me free, held in your love’s embrace, to lift my eyes adoring to your face.”

Lifting our eyes adoringly to God allows him to prepare us for his presence within us. This is the essence of Advent preparation as well, so Advent is an excellent time to gaze on the face of Christ; to reflect, prayerfully ponder, and meditate. This quiet time enables Christ to ready a place within our souls for the Christ-child to dwell when he comes to us this Christmas. 

With Pope Francis, I pray that Mary will teach us “to give ourselves, to listen, to be silent, to not focus on ourselves, but to leave space for the beauty of God, the source of true joy.”

I worry that, with the hectic pace of our modern lives, we are losing the ability to simply sit in peace, in prayerful contemplation, allowing ourselves to absorb the presence of Christ, who is everywhere and whose spirit abides in all of us through baptism.

We can do many other things to prepare for Christmas: reach out to people in need, visit the sick, help an elderly neighbor, be more present to our families, go to a parish penance service, read the Scriptures (especially from the infancy narratives of Matthew and Luke) or perform works of service and penance that will prepare us to receive Christ this Christmas.

While all of these are important, I believe that the first step is to ponder how Christ is calling each of us to grow this Advent.  This type of meditation can only occur when we make space in our daily routine for some quiet contemplation, during which we can reflect on the ways Christ is inviting us to surrender our egos and need for control so that we might find a space for him to dwell in the manger of our hearts.

May the Christ child whom we anticipate this Christmas fill our hearts and our homes with deep blessings in anticipation of our celebration of the Nativity this year.