Preparing for Advent

Just as we are never conscious of air, because God’s presence is always around us, we never notice it. The journey of faith is a gift of a loving God who takes the first step and waits patiently, silently, almost shyly for the human response. Life is a vocation, a call to seek this shy God. 

Advent is a time to remind ourselves of the many contradictions at the heart of our faith. This most powerful presence chose to be manifest in powerlessness. 

As we prepare to celebrate the moment the Word became flesh our faith needs deepening. Ours is a faith that sincerely accepts the darkness surrounding the search for more light. Consequently, Advent is a time of loving adoration, a true act of supernatural hope and of loving surrender to this shy God. 

This shy God reminds us this Advent that life is about relationships, not about things. The greatest joy comes from good relationships –the greatest sorrow and suffering come not from loss of job or property but from broken and betrayed relationships. All relationships of love are rooted in the love this shy God has for all of us.

Excerpted from Let Advent be Advent by Vincent Sherlock