I have heard two sentiments most commonly spoken of about the season of Advent. First, that people love this season. Second, that Advent feels too short or rushed.
The second sentiment can be caused by all that comes in the season: finishing school papers or exams, planning end of year parties, buying gifts, baking cookies, caroling, traveling, and attending concerts and sporting events. There are many other things too! Many of these are good, but perhaps it is also a season where we see consumerism on full display.
Countless things will occupy our time and our heart this Advent Season. Yet, we are invited to prepare for Jesus Christ, for the Nativity, for the second coming, and for the daily, spiritual arrival of Christ in our lives. It is by focusing on what and who we are preparing for that reorients this season. As much as there is a part of me that would like to clear my calendar for this month, I recognize that this schedule can actually be what prepares me. Whatever our style of preparation, we can intentionally open ourselves to Jesus Christ, so that by the time Christmas arrives, we are ready.
We can and should set aside that time for dwelling upon the mysteries of Christ’s first coming, second coming, and that daily arrival of Christ — and we can also do this in a semi-spontaneous way. There will be moments to pause, to linger, and to contemplate in this season. Perhaps we will find ourselves in a deep, late night conversation with a friend or family member. Perhaps we will wake earlier than we wanted and have quiet hours before the storm of the day. Perhaps we find ourselves caught in the beauty of a snowfall. Perhaps we find ourselves moved by the readings or music in a Mass or another liturgy and take a moment to offer up a prayer of thanks or journal about the occasion. By our life, by the presence of God’s grace, the moments for waiting and preparing well will come in the context of our lives as Catholics and Christians.
We will not suddenly wake up and find 30 hour days where we have time for everything. Yet, honest recollection and appreciation help us to wait and prepare well. A few words of encouragement to us all in this season. Rest. Recreate. Behold. Hope.
Rest – It is always better to rest before a guest arrives, then while they are visiting. If resting was good enough for God, then it is good enough for us.
Recreate – A child who does not play has forgotten one of the primary importances of childhood. We are all children. Whether our recreation is baking, art, music, sports, or games, we are invited to relax and play. Recreation can be something that fosters joy. The joy of the season of Christmas is most easily celebrated if we cultivate it regularly.
Behold – John the Baptist sees Christ and says, “Behold the Lamb of God.” In the moments where we see Christ this month, in whatever form that comes, let us take time to behold that moment of encounter.
Hope – Even as Pilgrims of Hope in this Jubilee year, we can often grow weary or discouraged. But the reality of the season of Advent is there is a reason why we wait and why we hope, and our reason is the person of Jesus Christ, Word become flesh, who tabernacled among us. Hope reorients how we wait and prepare, because it places our life in the context of the story of Our Triune God’s.
It is that same God who remains present to us during this season of Advent as we are invited into this time of waiting and preparation.
Fr. Noah Junge, C.S.C.
Provided by the Vocations Office, December 4, 2025
