I used to have an unconscious belief that Christmas was supposed to be about the miracles that I would see on television. It was as if everyone’s problems would find their solutions at the last minute on Christmas Eve or Christmas day. Homes would have just the right decorations, food looked as if a gourmet chef prepared it, gifts would instantly make everyone happy and peace and happiness would prevail in each home.
Let’s pair that fantasy with a home where a family member struggles with active addiction. Family members will often bend themselves completely out of shape trying to conjure up some sort of normal…whatever that is. It never works. Everyone is miserable.
How in the world do you have a merry Christmas if a loved one is battling a life-threatening disease? How do you go through the motions of being happy?
What if I told you that the season of Advent, asks us to do the very same things that our program of recovery teaches us to do? What if you understood that this time can help us find serenity no matter what our loved ones are doing? And what if you realized that this time of watching doesn’t require perfection or self-imposed Christmas rules regarding decorations, food or gifts? How would that make you feel?
Before you say, ‘but my family expects this or that tradition…’ Let me ask you this question. How would your family feel if the pressure to be a certain way was off? How would they feel if you just relaxed and found God in the midst of each of those 28 days of advent? I wonder what that would look like? I hope you will ponder this with me.
Let’s start with a big picture idea that helps me understand my recovery. I see that my twelve-step program and Ignatian Spirituality are both about relationships. Each program follows the same order: relationship to God, relationship to self and relationship with others.
We show up in twelve-step rooms because we are miserable. There is dis-ease and dis-order in our homes. Our lives are unmanageable on our own. We feel as if we are in the dark and don’t know where to go or what to do. When we run out of solutions, it is actually a gift. It is in this place where we realize that we are not God. We are powerless. That is step one.
As soon as we recognize and accept that we are powerless or not the god of our understanding, we are given the hope that there is a power greater than ourselves who can restore us to happiness (God). This is step two.
Step two begins with the words, ‘came to believe.’ This suggests that it is a process. It takes time. It takes staying awake or paying attention so that you can get to know God. The more you know God, the more you trust him. This prepares you to make the decision to turn your will and your life over to the care of God. This is step three.
This week we will focus on the work of the first three steps. We will focus on our relationship to God. Advent readings help us to come to know him. If we take our focus off of our loved ones and place them on the one who can restore order in our lives, peace will replace anxiety. Hope will replace despair.
Ignatian Spirituality also helps us do the work of restoring order in our relationship to God. St. Ignatius had a tool called the Principle and Foundation that you can read about here, that basically says that we are made for God and his plan for us. It is important that we don’t lose our place. We are not God. We must stay humble and see ourselves as we are—human.
The most practical tool of Ignatian Spirituality is the idea that you go out and look for God in all things. You can read about that tool in more detail here. This is where the readings really help us during Advent. Each reading tells us a little more about Jesus and what he’s like. Imagine that you have been given a description of someone that you need to pick up at the airport. You will need to familiarize yourself with their description so that when you arrive you can pick him out of the crowd. Keep this in mind as you read each day. How will you know God when you see him today?
It is a lot easier to trust when you know someone. This Advent let’s come to know Jesus deeper than we have before. Let’s look for him during each hour that we are awake and take note of where we’ve found him. On Christmas day, I expect that the gift of Christ will mean more than any other token than you’ve ever received.
Let’s begin this week by considering your Christmas traditions. Think about your expectations of the Christmas holiday. What traditions do you want to keep? And, what is weighing you down? Can you let go of it?
Next, find a quiet spot where you will do you readings each day. Maybe put a picture of your favorite saint on the table by your chair. Or put a candle that you can light each day, signifying that God is with you. Then ask God to help you see what you need to see.
Then keep a running list of ways that the scriptures will help you to recognize Jesus.
I will pray for you to stay vigilant as you stay awake and watch…
Sunday, November 29, 2020
Isaiah 63:16-17,19; 64:2-7
Mark 13:33-37
What if you are given help or an answer to a question you’ve had and you miss it?
Monday, November 30, 2020
Romans 10:9-18
Matthew 4:18-22
Tuesday, December 1, 2020
Isaiah 11: 1-10
Luke 10:21-24
Wednesday, December 2, 2020
Isaiah 25: 6-10
Matthew 15:29-37
Thursday, December 3, 2020
Isaiah 26: 4-5
Luke 10:22-24
Friday, December 4, 2020
Isaiah 29: 18
Matthew 9: 28-30
Saturday, December 5, 2020
Isaiah 30:19-26
Matthew 9:35