For the first time ever, I'm actually entering the season of Advent with the correct frame of mind. Usually, I spend Advent buying presents, preparing food, buying presents, planning what clothes my kids will wear to various events, buying presents, setting up decorations and finally wrapping all the presents. It is an exhausting time of the year, almost soul sapping. Going from shop to shop, mall to mall, struggling to find a car park, then being blinded by fluorescent lights, overwhelmed by the ott Christmas displays, annoyed by the so called Christmas music and waiting in huge queues (with extremely impatient mini humans in the trolley) because, apparently, people need to receive the entire contents of a shop to be satisfied. As you can imagine, I was pretty excited to learn that, for all these years, I've being doing Advent wrong!
The Liturgical calendar divides the year into seasons and, surprise surprise, Advent is not the season to be shopping! Advent is a time to prepare and make room for the Lord. In a physical sense, Advent is the perfect time for 'Spring' cleaning... Decluttering in a physical sense can affect our spiritual side. My sisters won't like reading this, but Advent is a time to clean house- including dreaded jobs like windows, curtains, gutters, walls etc. Sorting through clothes and household goods to donate excess to charity is also a worthwhile Advent pursuit.
In a spiritual sense, Advent is a great time to identify and then try to rid oneself of sinful compulsions. How do you identify these? By self reflection, examination of conscience, prayer, talking with a spiritual director and reading holy books. How do you rid yourself of sinful compulsions? Through confession, prayer and fasting. So, in a round about way, I have come to the point I was trying to make in the beginning... Advent is a time to work on our interior life, to try to perfect ourselves so we are prepared for the coming of Our Lord.
God Bless :)
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