Saving the rest of Advent

We are in the last weeks of Advent and once again I feel as if I have been blown about in preparation – shopping, cleaning, baking, singing, arts and crafting, performing, driving. And yet the deep, spiritual, quiet of the Advent season is eluding me. I tend to have an “all or nothing” tendency. So if I blow my diet on Monday night, I’m done for the rest of the week! or if I skip a day or two in my “Read the bible in a year” efforts,I’m likely not to pick it up again until New Year’s Day!

 But a couple of years ago I realized that even if I don’t eat perfectly today, there’s always tomorrow, and if I’m using my one year bible, the year can start anytime I want it to!! I found that kind of attitude to be so much more liberating and enjoyable, and it increased my chances of being successful because I was more apt to keep trying!

 I think it’s the same way with Advent. If stringing lights, buying presents and wrapping them, or baking has kept you from being as spiritually in the season as you want to be, here are some ways I think might help you salvage it!

 1. Go to daily mass. Maybe not daily, but even if you get one extra mass in a week it will make you feel like you have taken a step in the right direction!

 2. Get to confession. Nothing says “clean slate” better than… well a clean slate! So get to confession and make a fresh start from there!

 3. Pick an online Advent Calendar, breeze through the days you missed and start off with renewed committment tomorrow! There are some nice ones on my Advent Page. 

4. Today is the feast of St. John of the Cross, and make it a special devotional day for you to start preparing for the spirituality of Christmas. His Dark Night of the Soul – is here.

5. Analyze your Christmas preparations. Maybe you’ve done enough already. Remember the first Christmas was in a barren, cold cave. Maybe you have enough decorations, maybe you’ve bought enough gifts. Remember, the gifts that matter the most are ones that come from the heart, not the pocketbook!