Advent is an exciting but busy season. It would be nice to be able to slow down and devote more time to prayer and traditions. However, most of us are busy people – we have work, school, or children with their own busy schedules. It’s hard to find the time to enjoy and celebrate the coming of Jesus.
What is Advent really all about? It is very easy to feel out of sync with Advent. Slow down? Don't set up and light the tree? Don't sing Christmas carols until Christmas? How can one avoid all the shopping and gift-buying? It seems totally unrealistic, even Grinch-like.
But the Church is right - Advent is about slowing down. It's about a world in darkness yearning for light and warmth. It's about stepping back from the frantic pace of our lives - even if it is just for a few minutes - to think of how the world is and how we dream it could be as we prepare to celebrate Christ's birth, wait for his coming again in glory, and, in between, remember all the ways we encounter him everyday.
If we lived in a monastery, we might be able to devote every waking moment to prayer and ritual. But Advent is for busy people with work and school schedules, too. There are many small ways to enter into Advent and to let it grow in our hearts and enrich whatever else we do in this season.
Advent is for you!
FULL ARTICLE:
Advent: easy, fun, and spiritual ways to celebrate (Catholic Digest)