In his letter to the Romans, which we read on the First Sunday of Advent, St. Paul invites us to “behave decently as people do in the daytime”. What might this mean as we wait attentively,
anticipating the nativity at Christmas?
St. Paul lists a few behaviours he considers “in the dark”. For example, he says there should not be drunken orgies, promiscuity or licentiousness and that there should be no wrangling or
jealousy. He concludes the selection we read by telling us that our armour should be the Lord Jesus.
If our armour is the Lord of light, what might St. Paul suggest we do in this Advent time? I was reflecting upon this and
wondered if, as we wait to celebrate the Lord’s coming, we take time to notice where we need to mend a quarrel, build peace, or seek out a forgotten friend. Maybe the Lord could invite us to replace mistrust with trust or write a letter to someone we know needs support and affirmation.
There are other things we can do too. Perhaps we could share some treasure – materially or psychologically, offer a kind word or encourage someone to believe in themselves. Maybe this Advent time could invite us to find the time, make a time, for someone we know we should. We might be invited to let go of a grudge, apologise if we were wrong or be kind even if we weren’t wrong! Perhaps we are being asked to try to
understand another person we find challenging and appreciate what we have. Advent might invite us to be kind, gentle and take up arms against malice.
As we live through this beautiful season, God seeks to mould and fashion
us so that we become more and more like the Christ-child we wait to celebrate. Our expectant waiting is twofold: waiting for the Christ but waiting too actively, knowing that the Lord can and will transform us if we open ourselves to the invitation of Advent: to be children of the light.
Take time today to reflect on what you might need to do in this Advent season. Does anything in this reflection strike you as important for you? You may notice something else you are being invited to do. Talk to the Lord about that today.
