As this Advent Season unfolds and I journey in a new place I
am obviously encountering new highlights in the journey this season.
Advent has always had a special place in my heart. Right
from my childhood the waiting and the preparing has always spoken to my heart.
From Advent calendars, to house work, to community events, to finally
decorating; the waiting was active and the preparing was for than a day. As a
child I was being formed into appreciating a whole season both Advent &
Christmas. As I have grown up and moved out on my own I have worked at
continuing these gifts that were instilled in me. It has taken work and effort,
but anything good should do so. It has meant saying no to party invites, it has
meant spending some quiet nights at home, it has been listening to words of
scripture and music, and it has been keeping in touch with family and friends.
So this year in my Postulancy year I was curious to see how this would unfold.
Would I need it to be different? Would it be forced on me to be different?
Would it feel like Advent?
Well now that we are into week 2 of the season, I can say
the Advent journey has had similar experiences of my past, but it has also
called me to be more attentive to areas in my life. One of my favorite things
about Advent is the scriptures that is proclaimed each Sunday. There is such
rich images in these holy words. They call me to enter in to the journey more, to
seek how they are intertwined in my life and how they call me to give witness
to Emmanuel. A challenge I have placed upon myself this season is to spend at
least 3 sessions of 10 minutes a week reading the scripture for the upcoming
Sunday. This is not necessarily new to me, but it feels more intense this year.
I am reading the scripture differently, I am seeking more understanding, I am
embracing it as more of a guide for the journey, and I am letting the words
paint images that help lead me to Christ. 3x10 minutes is not a lot of time, but
it is minutes I look forward to each week. Another gift of the season that I have
loved since I have been a boy is a daily Advent reflection book. This year I am
being fed by words of wisdom that are deepening my encounter of Emmanuel, causing
me to ponder my journey and what I am offering.
I have also sought out experiences of the season that the
community offers. I have been to an Anglican Advent Prayer Evening, a Nativity Scene Exhibit (625+ crèches - let's just say I was close to being in heaven) and have
been to a Light Parade. I will also be taken in an Advent Carol Evening at the
Catholic Cathedral and I’m sure other events will pop up in the weeks ahead.
Being in this new place is obviously challenging me to remember that I can’t see and do everything, and that I need
time to be quiet and pray and listen to God speaking to me.
It was while watching the Light Parade that I was struck
with a profound thought. I was trying to figure out why on earth I had tears
welling up as I watched a parade and at the same time why on earth I was so
excited to see these lights. The profound thought that struck me was ‘Maybe I have
been Franciscan my whole life, maybe I was raised in a Franciscan home!?’ Well
maybe that is not a profound thought maybe it is more of a silly thought.
It
was that thought which had me thinking about past Advents; what kept
surfacing was the simplicity of the season and the events I have chosen to be
part of in the season. I thought back to my childhood and how it was simple
things (traditions, carols, nights at home, etc.) in the season that brought me joy, I think
to my young adult life and how it was the need to keep traditions of the season
prominent and I think to now and how the simplicity of reading God’s word and
going to a parade has made me appreciate the simplicity that St. Francis has
invited me to experience more deeply. So my thoughts about being Franciscan my
whole life and being raised in a Franciscan home are maybe not so far-fetched.
These simple gifts of waiting and preparing and how they were introduced to me
long ago have lead me to walking this Franciscan path.
Thank God for Christmas Lights to shine some light on my
path! Let them shine bright this season!!
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