In these days of Advent, as the world in the southern hemisphere slows down after a long year for the summer holiday, we may not have the luxury of travelling to the wilderness of Judah nor the privilege of a week’s retreat in the Sinai desert. However, we can certainly carve out a little “desert wilderness” amid our activity.
The Baptist was crying out in the Judean desert, maybe the desert of our lives now, inviting us to find space to live Advent. He invites us, like his contemporaries, to make our way to him on the banks of the river Jordan – the place outside of where we are day to day, a different space, maybe a novel space.
In that different space, he would ask us to consider what prevents us from hearing God’s Word. Could we be too tired as the
year wraps up, distracted by the endless flood of information that descends upon us every day, or have lost a sense of God’s presence? Perhaps the obsession of having to do “Christmas shopping” – the busyness of the shops and the premature playing of Christmas carols – means we struggle to live Advent.
As you look back over the week, with the John the Baptist as your companion, consider how you live through this sacred season.
Have you been able to find a “desert wilderness” each day, maybe for just a few minutes, to prepare yourself for the coming of Christ? Can you switch off your mobile phone and sit, daily, for a short while, with the Lord? What, at this time, might be an obstacle to living Advent? Remember, even if it has been a struggle to live Advent, it is never too late to start. Begin today!
Reflections by Russell Pollitt SJ
