Advent Reflection

As Catholics, I’m sure we’ve all heard that the Advent season is a time of waiting for Jesus’ birth at Christmas, but what exactly does this look like in our day-to-day lives? It’s easy to say that we’re anticipative, while we sip our hot chocolate, listen to festive music, and wrap our gifts. Although, the waiting that we talk about in Advent is supposed to be a time of preparation; preparation for the coming of Our Lord. Christmas represents the arrival of Jesus Christ when He was born into our human existence, but we all know that Our Messiah will return in glory and might and “you will know neither the day nor the hour.” (Matthew 25:13) Therefore, our mindset needs to be real and present towards the second coming of Christ.

We should prepare our souls by remaining in a state of grace and attending confession when we fall into sin. Advent is a beautiful reminder that Jesus will come again, but it can also be a wake-up call for us to avoid becoming complacent in our prayer life. This season can be thought of as a miniature Lent where we get our hearts ready to meet the Lord as if He was actually going to emerge on horse and chariot this December 25th. I believe that if we think about our Advent season with this kind of intensity, then it can allow us to have a fruitful experience this Christmas.