One of the things I love about the season of Advent is the rich imagery and beautiful language found in the propers for Mass. For instance, in the Collect for the First Sunday of Advent, which opens the entire liturgical season, we ask for “the resolve to run forth to meet…Christ with righteous deeds at his coming.” It’s a bold request that makes me think of a world-class marathoner sprinting victoriously to the finish line.
But what if my own journey through Advent more closely resembles my painfully slow crawl through miles 11 and 12 of my first half marathon earlier this year? What if, at some point along this course leading to Christmas, I end up “hitting the wall” and experiencing the spiritual equivalent of “the bonk”? Is a truly meaningful observance of Advent tied to performing fantastic feats of penance and prayer? Does it demand the religious athleticism of a desert-dwelling monk? I don’t think so.
Instead, I believe that the key to preparing for the coming of Christ at Christmas is in becoming what He became for us in the Incarnation—a small, humble child. We become childlike when we acknowledge our own beauty and frailty, and offer everything to God, knowing that any authentic gift of ourselves will never fail to delight God. When we humbly recognize the aching emptiness present in our lives and refuse to clutter the void with disordered attachments, our hearts become a welcoming home for the Christ Child, who found no room in the inns of Bethlehem two thousand years ago.
As I meditate once more upon the prayer that began our liturgical journey to Christmas, I find my image of a world-class marathoner gliding to victory replaced with the image of a small child racing to meet a loved one—joyfully, enthusiastically and yes, quite clumsily. I see myself in that child this Advent, so often tripping over her own feet. But no matter how gracefully or unsteadily we run to kneel at the manger this Christmas, we will surely find a humble Child welcoming us, and asking us to welcome Him to our hearts in return.
No comments:
Post a Comment