St. Paul extols us to “wake up now” on the first Sunday of Advent. He invites us to be prepared, be ready, for the Lord who, he says, is “near”.
St. Paul, like St Ignatius Loyola later on, was utterly convinced that the best spirituality we could have is one that keeps us awake. St. Paul is not talking about being physically awake alone. He is referring to our ability to
be spiritually awake. How do we do this?
St Ignatius invites us to reflect daily on our experiences and to notice, in our reflection, where God was working in our lives. He says that if we look
carefully, we will see that God is always inviting us, drawing us closer. Sometimes this happens at unexpected moments in the day when we might think we are at our furthest from God - or when God seems absent.
In this season of Advent, we are not only trying to notice God’s daily presence but also trying to become more aware of how God is waiting for us. Sometimes we think that we must go looking for God… but God is often waiting for us… we only must take time to notice.
How might you be better prepared each day to notice God at work during this Advent season? Do you need to have some structure, put time aside – just a few minutes, to pause and look for God’s presence? Can you spend a few moments each day allowing God to find you where you
are?
