Recently I was told about two men who went to church. One a young twenty something, new to the community, the second a middle aged man, who is from foreign country but has been around for a while and is also a leader in the community. After Mass there was coffee served, the community members gathered, filled their cups, grabbed their favorite goodies and enclosed themselves in their circles to get caught up on the gossip they may have missed in last few hours. Both the young man and middle aged man joined the community for coffee, sadly both of these men ended up sitting by themselves as the ‘regulars’ continued on in their own little world. They were either too busy to notice, too caught up in another story that was being spun, too involved not to extend a hand or too afraid to be welcoming. Finally the coffee hosts made their way out of the kitchen and saw the situation and sat with the one man and invited the other to join them.
When I was told this story I was very upset. It bothers me that as a community of believers we are so caught up in our own worlds and the way our community has always been that we forget that we need to be the ones who welcome the new, the other, and the one who is not like us. I was also saddened, as I often hear ‘our young people don’t come to church’, and then when one does come to church, no one takes the time to say hello, or welcome them or introduce themselves or ask how they are. I was also saddened by the fact that the middle aged man from a foreign country was not made to feel welcomed (remember he has been part of this community for a while and is a leader), and that he did not feel comfortable to go and sit the groups that huddled around their tables. I was saddened that the community was blinded to these two situations, for both could be seen as signs of prejudice or worse yet racism. Thank goodness for the kindness of the coffee hosts to not let this opportunity of kindness pass by, but what about everyone else? This upsetting feeling and sadness has been playing through me over the past week, has been in the forefront of my thoughts and has caused me to ponder my own actions, the actions of my community and this season we now begin.
Advent, a time of preparation, a time for welcoming others, a time to assess our actions, a time to be reminded we are called to welcome Christ. The stories of Advent are about preparing and waiting. The stories of Advent call us beyond ourselves. The stories of Advent lead us to be ready to open our lives, our doors and our hearts to the Light of the World. As I ponder my Advent journey I can’t stop thinking about the two men who were not welcomed at church, and all I hear when I think of the story is… “and there was no room for them at the inn.” If we are not willing to welcome those who are new in our communities, in our churches, if we are not able to stop our busyness for a hello, a smile, a cup of coffee (outside of our circle of friends), how on earth are we ever going to be ready for Christ and make room for him?
Advent is at our doorstep. Advent invites us to open up our door and our hearts. Advent calls us to be signs of welcome and to take this hospitality beyond the next 26 days into the journey of the year ahead and the whole of our lives. Advent is challenging, not because we try to do more in less time, but because we forget why we are on the Advent journey. This journey should lead us not to debt, exhaustion and misery but to Christ.
Advent at our doorstep means we will assess our actions... will we say hello to people? I’m trying to be mindful of this as I go for a walk, as interact with people, as I see a fellow classmate sitting alone… a simple hello could lead to there being room in the inn of my heart and hopefully they will then make room in the inn of their heart. Advent at our doorstep means we must prepare more than our homes, we must prepare ourselves by making time for prayer so we can be present for the Christ we discover in others (like 2 or 5 minutes more or maybe even 10 minutes in our day… I know I sure am looking at where I can adjust this in my life… I believe mine will come with a commitment to quiet prayer after supper before continuing on with studies and activities).
Advent at our doorstep calls us to be mindful of others on the journey. Whether it is the new person at Mass, or a familiar face we see but don’t know, whether it is a neighbour we have not been on good terms with, or the brother that drives you crazy (just saying it happens), whether it is the new refugees arriving, or the unemployed, or the grieving parent, or the distraught First Nations mother who is searching for her missing daughter, whether it is the teenager who feels alone, or the child who has no one to read to them or the man who feels lost in life, Advent calls us to be mindful of others. There is no need for anyone to hear the words “there is no room at the inn.” It may mean forgiveness, it may mean stepping out of our comfort zones, it may mean not doing something in this season, but it will mean our lives have changed and our hearts have grasped the meaning of
“Prepare Ye The Way” more fully.
There is a great Advent Carol called People Look East and one of the verses says:
Make your house fair as you are able,
Trim the hearth and set the table,
People look East, and sing today:
Love the Guest is on the way.
As we prepare our homes, trim the hearth, and gather at table,
May we always be ready to open the door for the Guest of Love
And all those He sends in love as guests to our door (that may be the pew behind us at church).
Lord, let your mercy flow in our lives
during this Advent journey…
for You are knocking at our door,
and asking us if there is any room.
