Maybe you don’t remember where you put the Advent wreath—or if you even own one.
Maybe your candles are lost or stubs or melted from being in the attic.
Maybe you missed Mass because the kids have the 17th cold they’ve caught this fall.
Maybe you didn’t even realize Advent had started. You feel like you’ve fallen behind. Advent will rush by, and Christmas will come, and you’ll never catch up.
Don’t worry. You’re doing just fine.
There might be years when you’ll be ready with the wreath and the special prayer book and the liturgically coordinated candles. But there will be Advents that creep up on you, nipping on the heels of Thanksgiving. This year might be one of those. You might feel like you’ve fallen behind on this liturgical season before it’s even begun.
If that’s where you are, give yourself some grace—and embrace the journey.
Because you don’t need to arrive to Advent ready. You don’t have to begin this season with a plan. That’s one of the joys of Advent. It doesn’t require that we come with anything more than ourselves.
In fact, in the past I’ve found that when I have anything resembling a plan, it all falls apart. People get sick. There are unexpected projects that pop up at work and school. We find ourselves caught up in chaos that interferes with any of the extra opportunities for prayer or service that I had in mind.
But those Advent journeys are often the most fruitful.
Because Advent comes, unfolding as it does, meeting me right where I am, inviting me to enter into the story of hope and wonder and joy that this season offers. And I hope that is how it arrives for you, too.
After all, Mary and Joseph weren’t ready for Advent either. They weren’t prepared to take a long trip in the final weeks of the Blessed Mother’s pregnancy. They didn’t expect to have to bed down in a stable among animals. But they trusted God. They lived lives of faith and love. They knew they were preparing to meet the Infant Jesus. They focused on what mattered most, and the rest fell into place.
The shepherds in the fields knew even less about what the future held, and they responded to the song of the angels and encountered the Son of God with open hearts.
So, let’s be open to what the Advent journey holds for us, trusting that God is accompanying us on our way to the manger.
Photo by Treasa Matysek
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