{"id":4941,"date":"2014-11-30T09:36:43","date_gmt":"2014-11-30T14:36:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/notstrictlyspiritual.com\/?p=4941"},"modified":"2022-11-01T16:15:15","modified_gmt":"2022-11-01T20:15:15","slug":"advent-stop-clock-savor-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/notstrictlyspiritual.com\/advent\/advent-stop-clock-savor-season\/","title":{"rendered":"This Advent, stop the clock and savor the season"},"content":{"rendered":"

Don’t let the frenzy of the season rob you of the chance to wait in wonder this Advent. Here’s my OSV Newsweekly story from last Advent to get you in the spirit: <\/em><\/p>\n

By Mary DeTurris Poust<\/p>\n

By the time Advent officially begins, most of us have been bombarded by so much Christmas music and Christmas advertising and Christmas everything that we\u2019re already sick of the season. In a world where the Christmas countdown begins sometime before Halloween, it\u2019s easy to lose sight of the beauty of Advent, and to get so caught up in the material trappings that we can\u2019t see the spiritual forest for the tinsel-covered trees.<\/p>\n

We live in a goal-oriented society, and in this case, Christmas is the end zone that we\u2019re running toward at breakneck speed, hardly looking at what\u2019s going on along the sidelines. But our faith beckons us to stop the madness, to stop the running, to focus on the journey as much as the destination. And to do that the Church gives us the four-week season of Advent, with its beautiful interplay of darkness and light, with its scriptural focus not only on the coming of the Christ Child but on the second coming of Jesus Christ, and with its quiet but constant insistence that we prepare \u2014 not just for a day but for a lifetime, and for the next life.<\/p>\n

If we\u2019ve been paying attention these past few months, we\u2019ve been given some sound advice on how to do all this from Pope Francis, whose pastoral theme has been one focused on moving away from materialism and toward a deepening relationship with others and God.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrothers and sisters, let us call upon the name of Jesus,\u201d Pope Francis challenged during\u00a0his Nov. 3 Angelus address<\/a>. \u201c\u2026 And let us welcome him with joy: He can change us, can transform our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh, he can liberate us from selfishness and make our lives a gift of love.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLiberate us from selfishness.\u201d Sounds like an Advent plan. So we start and end with Jesus, but how do we manage the days in between that are filled with things of a much less transcendent but somewhat necessary nature? It requires Herculean effort to silence the drumbeat of the secular version of this holiday and holy day. But by creating rituals and practices that refocus our attention on Jesus, we can bring some sanity, serenity and balance to the most difficult aspects of the season: the waiting, the buying and the praying amid the noise.<\/p>\n

Waiting game<\/h3>\n

\u201cWaiting is never easy, especially when we\u2019re waiting for something as important and awesome as Christmas. Yet, the waiting itself is essential in properly preparing our hearts to welcome our Lord. If he just appeared suddenly \u2014 bing! Instant Savior! \u2014 then we wouldn\u2019t have time for the prayer, meditation and contemplation that is required to reach the level of reverence that our hearts need and that he deserves,\u201d said Marge Fenelon, author of\u00a0\u201cWaiting with Mary: Advent Reflections for Those Who Hate to Wait.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cDuring Advent, the Church asks us to relive those weeks \"822643p13629EDNMain13460advent_822\"<\/a>before Mary gave birth to Jesus. No mother (not even foster or adoptive) welcomes a child out of the blue. There always is a period of preparation and anticipation. Advent is a time for us to imitate Mary\u2019s pregnant motherhood \u2014 yes, even the guys \u2014 in that we await his birth in our hearts on Christmas morning. Savoring the waiting takes practice and determination,\u201d she said. \u201cTo pull it off fruitfully, we need to focus on the waiting itself and how we\u2019re approaching it spiritually. We need to plan spiritual exercises, customs, and quiet times that will lead us into, and hold us in, the attitude of holy expectation. If we don\u2019t plan for a waiting-ful Advent, it won\u2019t happen by itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fortunately, the Church gives us a ready-made set of customs and exercises from which to choose. The Advent wreath is the most popular and familiar custom most Catholics use to mark the days of the season with prayer. But there are other opportunities to bring ritual and prayer into the season in ways that makes sense for you and your family. (See sidebar for Advent ideas.) Regardless of the method, the bottom line is prayer.<\/p>\n

Everything is rooted in a prayerful watching and waiting. Fenelon, who says she wrote her book precisely because she lacks patience, told Our Sunday Visitor that prayer is essential if we\u2019re going to try to slow down this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWaiting is hard because we\u2019re trained not to wait. Everything is instantaneous now \u2014 information, mental stimulation, recreation and even relationships. Digital technology puts it all right at our fingertips at a second\u2019s notice \u2026 Prayer can\u2019t be measured in gigabytes; it is measured in heartbeats. It\u2019s also addictive. The more we pray, the more we feel the need to pray,\u201d she said. \u201cIt can be a real struggle to reach the point of deeply fulfilling prayer when we\u2019re feeling pressured by holiday preparations. We might not even feel like praying at all. That\u2019s when we have to start with baby steps.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those baby steps can be something as simple as lighting a candle before dinner each night and stopping for just a minute to refocus attention on the sacred rhythm of the season, or it might be a conscious decision to avoid playing Christmas music or putting Christmas decorations up too early in the season. It\u2019s not easy when \u201cJingle Bells\u201d is playing from every radio station and when Santa is waving from every shopping center. But making an intentional effort to go against the grain will slow things down and allow you to savor the true beauty of Advent.<\/p>\n

Consumerist culture<\/h3>\n

Perhaps nothing says Christmas like consumerism in mainstream America. We are living in a material world, and during the weeks and months leading up to Christmas, that fact is magnified to the point of the absurd. Gone are the days of handmade gifts and thoughtful trinkets. Now it\u2019s not unusual for people to ask for gift cards, which is really just a polite way of saying, as Sally does in \u201cA Charlie Brown Christmas,\u201d \u201cJust send money. How about tens and twenties?\u201d<\/p>\n

Quantity counts a little too much when it comes to Christmas these \"advent_conspiracy_8a8aj2\"<\/a>days, a point that is driven home by the folks at\u00a0Advent Conspiracy<\/a>, an organization that strives to make people aware of the over-the-top spending that goes on in the name of Jesus and offers ways to reverse that.<\/p>\n

In a video clip that went viral when it was first posted in 2006 \u2014 and which has done the same every year since \u2014 Advent Conspiracy points out that Americans spend $450 billion on Christmas every year, most of it on credit. That\u2019s a lot of stuff, most of it unnecessary.<\/p>\n

The video encourages people to give more of their time and their love and themselves, and less of their paycheck and watch the magic start to happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think people want a different way because they see all this stuff they\u2019re buying is not doing it \u2026 We give people permission to relax, to enjoy the season and to push back on the tendencies they have to buy,\u201d Tony Biaggne, creative director of Advent Conspiracy, told OSV.<\/p>\n

Biaggne said people innocently try to fill the empty spaces in their lives with material things because that\u2019s what the world tells us will make us happy. Advent Conspiracy started asking people to consider cutting back on even one gift and distributing that money to a good cause.<\/p>\n

What happened was staggering. The group has raised millions of dollars for Living Water International, which works to end the \u201cclean water crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Biaggne is quick to mention that Advent Conspiracy is an \u201cupside down charity.\u201d It didn\u2019t start out as an effort to raise money; it started as an effort to raise awareness of Jesus\u2019 importance in our lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe gave people a chance to focus on Jesus. The natural outflow is love, grace and mercy. It just happens,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople desperately are searching for a chance to truly connect with the God of the universe who truly does give them a sense of peace on earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

But that doesn\u2019t mean forgoing gifts and taking on a Scrooge persona. Instead, the idea is not to stop giving gifts, but to give more intentional gifts, not necessarily handmade gifts but gifts from the heart.<\/p>\n

Gifts from the heart<\/h3>\n

What does that look like in our modern world?<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

A bounty of thoughtful gifts I received from my husband one recent Christmas.<\/p><\/div>\n

Well, it could be as simple as giving a child a \u201cdate\u201d with mom or dad, a special day where they get to go somewhere or do something with a parent without interruptions or distractions like Facebook or work phone calls or TV.<\/p>\n

Even gift cards can become heartfelt gifts when done right, said Biaggne.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo if you give a gift card, you might say, \u2018I know you love to shop at this store. The only catch is, I want to be with you and have lunch with you and shop with you,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cIt becomes relational, and that redeems what seems like an empty gift.\u201d<\/p>\n

Biaggne is also quick to explain that Advent Conspiracy and other efforts to restore some sanity to the season cannot work without Jesus at the heart. He said that choosing not to include Jesus in a meaningful Christmas season is like choosing not to breathe oxygen when you take a breath. It can\u2019t be done.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou cannot enter into this without bringing your faith to the table and bringing Christ to the center of it and focusing on why the Christmas story matters,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s the most surreal, beautiful, most unexpected way that a Savior would enter into our world for all time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Change begins at home<\/h3>\n

So, for those of us just trying to balance the spiritual and the secular this season, how do we make it work?<\/p>\n

\u201cForget trying to change the world and simply try to change your family,\u201d said Al Kresta, president and CEO of Ave Maria Radio and author of\u00a0\u201cDangers to the Faith: Recognizing Catholicism\u2019s 21st Century Opponents\u201d\u00a0(OSV, $14.95). \u201cYou ask how Catholics can change. We won\u2019t if we don\u2019t recognize the seduction of consumerism. In spite of strong, even pointed, papal preaching, most Catholics still don\u2019t feel that consumerism is much of a problem. It is, according to John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. Consumerism is the life orientation that our identities are formed by purchasing and consuming goods and services.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kresta told OSV that rather than scold others or society for the sad state of the Advent and Christmas season, do small things at home to make a difference where it counts \u2014 in the heart of your family.<\/p>\n

That means, first and foremost, treating Advent as a season and an event separate from Christmas, rather than an extended shopping season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe sing Christmas carols all through Advent. We put Baby Jesus in our cr\u00e8che scenes before the Nativity. Stop it. Don\u2019t scold others about it. Stop it yourself and in your family. Try to enjoy the fact that our culture still has a way of recognizing the Incarnation, as inadequate a celebration as it is, and don\u2019t be a scold. But be merrily different and when questions arise, enjoy making the point about Advent as a season of anticipation and the octave of Christmas as a season of thanksgiving,\u201d he said. \u201cOne way to ensure that Advent will be a time of reflection rather than a time for commercial hype is to simply try and do as much Christmas shopping as possible the week before Advent begins. This requires more planning but I do know people who do and they exhort the rest of us to try. Advent, they say, has never been more meaningful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Biaggne from Advent Conspiracy also stressed the importance of doing small things that have the potential for big results. He suggested taking time to be silent now and then, saying that Psalm 46:10 \u2014 \u201cBe still and know that I am God\u201d \u2013 is his favorite go-to Scripture verse during the otherwise hectic season.<\/p>\n

\"51h+93ZPCeL._SL500_AA300_\"<\/a>

Advent at Ephesus by the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, a beautiful soundtrack for the Advent season.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI love that God is constantly trying to get us to shut up. Be quiet, not just physically, but turn off the buzzing in your head, turn off the quickening pace of your heart because of stress and know,\u201d Biaggne said, adding that when we do that others pick up on the shift in us.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey catch a whiff of grace. They notice we\u2019re living differently, more at peace. \u2018What\u2019s your trick?\u2019 they ask,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The answer is simple but not always welcome: Jesus, at the heart of Advent, at the heart of everyday life.<\/p>\n

How does that translate into Advent action in Biaggne\u2019s home?<\/p>\n

He recalled how last year his 9-year-old son gave him a \u201cdate day\u201d for Christmas. He made Biaggne his favorite pasta, served it up with sparkling grape juice, and asked his dad to talk about his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a dinner I\u2019ll never forget,\u201d Biaggne said, reminding parents that their kids are not likely to remember the action figure or game they got years ago but the time you spent with them and the special rituals you created.<\/p>\n

He recalled how his own father used to pick him up from his Catholic school to take him to a business club for Christmas lunch.\u201cIt wasn\u2019t about what he gave me,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was all about the time we spent together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Papal words, example<\/h3>\n

When we start to feel our spirits flagging as the push to conquer Christmas continues, we can look to Pope Francis for inspiration and guidance.<\/p>\n

Although the message isn\u2019t groundbreaking, he has put renewed emphasis on the dangers of materialism, a message that seems especially appropriate during this season of excess.<\/p>\n

\u201cPope Francis perfectly follows the emphases of John Paul II and Benedict XVI on this matter of consumerism. The advantage that Pope Francis has is that he is living as close as possible to the very people he wants to reach and can better depict the immediate love of Jesus for the lonely, the poor and disabled. Like Jesus, he is with the people and by living with us he affirms our dignity and value,\u201d said Kresta, who devotes a chapter to \u201cConsumerism: Branding the Heart\u201d in his book.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo redeem means to buy us back from the slave market of sin. Consumerism sees redemption as a matter of coupon clipping or payment plans. It buys back products; Christ redeems persons. One of the purposes of the Incarnation is to break the bonds of consumerism,\u201d Kresta explained. \u201cChrist\u2019s coming shatters its false scale of value so that we will no longer live enthralled by the impulses of the flesh, the seduction of the world or the manipulations of the devil. … We imitate the one who \u2018though he was rich, yet became poor for our sakes\u2019 (2 Cor 8:9). This strikes me as a particularly poignant theme for American Catholics to ponder during Advent.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Advent Practices<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
\n

The Advent wreath and the Advent calendar are classic traditions that keep Catholics focused on the \u201creason for the season,\u201d but here some everyday Catholics offer ways they try to keep the spirit of Advent alive:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

Have everyone in the family\u00a0go to confession<\/strong>\u00a0during the Advent season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Cut up small pieces of yellow yarn or small pieces of cotton and\u00a0each time someone does a good deed<\/strong>\u00a0or acts like Jesus to someone else, he or she can place a piece in the cr\u00e8che to prepare a soft place for the Baby Jesus.
\n
\n<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

Create an \u2018Advent chain\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0made of appropriate purple and pink paper strips to follow the liturgical colors of the season. Remove a link each day. Links can include a prayer, a Scripture quote or good deed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Celebrate St. Nicholas Day on Dec. 6 by leaving a token gift \u2014 an orange, a piece of chocolate \u2014 in each child\u2019s shoe.\u00a0Then talk about\u00a0the real St. Nick<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Participate in a giving tree<\/strong>\u00a0or some other opportunity to adopt a family or child who will otherwise not receive any gifts this Christmas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Serve lunch<\/strong>\u00a0at a local soup kitchen before you head to your family celebration.
\n
\n<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

Create your own Jesse tree<\/strong>\u00a0with a branch from your yard and some handmade ornaments. Talk about the meaning behind each symbol.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Turn your tree-trimming into a new tradition, either by chopping down your own tree or by\u00a0blessing the tree<\/strong>\u00a0as a family or by having a special dinner the night you decorate it. If possible, hold off on putting up the tree until the O Antiphons begin on Dec. 17, no easy feat in this rush-the-season world of ours.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Help your children\u00a0make gifts for their siblings<\/strong>, parents, grandparents and friends: pictures, stories, dates out, free baby-sitting. Let kids get creative.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Don’t let the frenzy of the season rob you of the chance to wait in wonder this Advent. 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