What’s your plan? It’s the beginning of a new liturgical year and my favorite “season.” It’s the perfect time for reflection. How has the past year gone in terms of my spiritual life? Did I remain focused on what I set out to do and accomplish or was I often distracted? What part of my plan of life worked and what needs readjusting? Did I trust and surrender enough or did I rely on my own capacity for success?
Hunkering down
During the season of Advent I find myself more open to the working of the Holy Spirit in my life in preparation for Jesus’s coming at Christmas. It really is a perfect time, sort of like a prequel if you will, to the new calendar year.
I don’t know about you, but Advent allows me to hunker down and really focus – maybe it has to do with the cozy winter season. I find myself looking forward to rising early to pray the liturgy of the hours, to pray with scripture in conjunction with my Jesse tree and to journal with whatever book I’ve chosen to read for the season. My hope then is to continue into the new year, after the Advent season, with continued focus and prayer always with the view to develop a deeper, more intimate relationship with the Trinity.
Plan for success
For me, planning is key. While most of the world is putting up Christmas decorations after Halloween, I’m ordering reading material and figuring out which storage bin in the garage houses my advent calendar, wreath and Jesse tree.
This year I’m journaling with Encountering Emmanuel by Heather Khym. The content and format seem interesting and informative. I’m also reading Redeemer in the Womb: Jesus living in Mary by John Saward. Great so far!
If you haven’t developed a plan yet, I would recommend starting with the Jesse tree. Not only is it a beautiful tradition but it’s something you can start right away. It simply requires reading Scripture. What better way is there to deepen your relationship with the Trinity and prepare your heart for the coming of Jesus at Christmas than reading his word. In fact, St. Jerome says: ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. If you’re not familiar with the tradition of the Jesse tree this post has a brief description. To go deeper you can check here.
Another tradition I’d recommend which you can start immediately and which can carry over beyond the Advent season is the Liturgy of the Hours also known as Divine Office. While the prayer books are available for purchase, there are apps available for download and the prayers are also available online. If you’re not familiar with this tradition here is a description. It’s so beautiful to think other members of the church are praying the same prayers along with me. Please don’t feel overwhelmed after reading the description. Start off slow. Be realistic about what you can do and recognize you’re not a consecrated religious obliged to pray all the hours.
I hope this post has inspired you to try something new and I pray this Advent season be grace filled and fruitful. May God continue to bless you!
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