Saturday of the Second Week of Advent

✠ | TODAY'S READINGS

Time is an elusive commodity, and it seems especially so during Advent. Midway through this holy season I have already repeatedly declared: “I’m behind with my Christmas preparations!” “How will it all get done?” “Next year I’ll be better prepared.” Even with all the gadgets, devices and myriad of shortcuts to save myself precious time, I still have no time! I go to bed with unfinished tasks, I lie awake at 2 am fretting over everything I need to do and then wake up attacking the day, striving to cross items off my list. It never seems to end, adding to my anxiety and stress and leaving me craving for more time to appreciate the season and value of each day. Why am I unable to sit in the moment? Where are my priorities?

It appears that these past 20+ months of the pandemic have done little to teach me the importance of slowing down and living in the beauty of the listening and the waiting of life…of each liturgical season, especially Advent. But what exactly would I do if I had the time that I yearn for...that time I have been frantically banking for the future? I fantasize that when I retire, I’ll be able to immerse myself into a life filled with opportunities for prayer, spiritual reflection, gardening, and travel, enabling me to savor the moments of each day. But the reality is, if I am unable to enjoy the NOW right NOW, how will I delight in life in 20 years?

In the United States we tend to view busyness as a symbol of importance and a reflection of success. Feeding into this mindset is the idea that the busier we are, the more we will be able to accomplish. The more we accomplish lends itself to the belief that our achievements will be recognized and rewarded either through a promotion, and/or a higher salary, leading to influence in the workplace, and/or the ability to purchase bigger and better things and own more stuff. All of which we have become conditioned to believe reflect our power, our status and our worth.

Power, Status, Worth. Three words that were extolled in medieval Europe and are lionized in the 21st century. Three words that were transformative for St. Clare and St. Francis of Assisi and ignited the spark of the Franciscan movement. Clare and Francis learned that power, status and worth (which they both had and chose to abandon) yielded emptiness and created a greater chasm between the privileged few with social status, financial worth and who held relentless power over the poor; the marginalized and the outcasts of society, who were treated with disdain and indifference in feudal life. Francis and Clare simply embraced, preached and lived by the wisdom, words and actions of Jesus. They didn’t reinvent the theological wheel, but merely reminded, through quiet and gentle example what it means to be a follower of the vulnerable Baby Jesus who was born without power, status or worth.

Those three words lure me to impulsive desire, leading to momentary satisfaction and fleeting happiness, and leave me adrift with longing. In the wake, I find myself searching for that which will sustain me spiritually and emotionally, seeking to fill the void as I toil desperately to have a sense of gratification and be recognized as an accomplished person, forfeiting a true meaning of perfect joy and overlooking the simplicity of true fulfillment.

When I am busy, I feel important. I don’t have time to dwell on fear, insecurity, or despair…all of which manage to insert themselves into my life no matter how nimbly I attempt to avoid them. They form barriers or shields in the face of God’s promise of trust and love, preventing me from recalling that I am an intricate, unique, exquisite reflection of the Divine. What if, instead of making excuses, or finding distractions, I allowed myself the grace of time, the freedom to sit with the beautiful complexity of being human? Perhaps I might be able to move away from that which weighs heavily in my heart and cultivate the gifts of wisdom, serenity, and joy. Francis and Clare of Assisi embraced and reflected each of these gifts and shared them generously. They dwelt in the significance of living each day in gratitude for what God provides and did not worry about tomorrow because of their unconditional trust in God. They lived with a wonder and awe of all of creation. When mocked or scorned, Francis and Clare countered with compassion, hospitality, patience, and forgiveness, and offered exceptional charity and kindness towards those society cast aside, neglected, or ignored. Clare and Francis reimaged and reshaped those three words by exulting the power of love, the status of humility and the worth of prayer.

Sitting quietly each day in Advent is not time wasted. It is a nurturing and renewal of a relationship with God. Advent is an opportunity to wait in the silence, in anticipation of the Christ Child. It is a recalibrating of spirit, a simple invitation to BE and DO. It is an affirmation of Immanuel – “God is with us” revealing true power, status and worth. God is in the now, replenishing my soul, inviting me to see, experience and engage with the world today, December 11, 2021, and each day. I am being coaxed to respond and revel in the treasure of this moment in time.

During Advent we wait with joy and anticipation of Christmas, fully participating in the knowledge that every day of our lives the unconditional love of the Incarnation is present; beckoning us to love and be loved. All that is required is to reclaim the precious time that is readily available, and to recognize, receive and rejoice in the miracle of our faith, the miracle of the birth of Jesus, the miracle of Immanuel who, with generosity and abundance, invites us into true power, status, worth.

Peace and all good,

Alexandria M. Egler, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Mission, Ministry & Interfaith Dialogue