Advent is difficult.

It gets overlooked because of Christmas- the whole mess of it. The shopping, the lights, decorations, songs, and Hallmark movies.

If you’re Catholic and feel like a phony during Advent, join the club. The puny Advent wreath on the table pales in comparison with the five-setting electric tree in the corner. Did I mention the plug-in train underneath the tree?

For years, my family would roll out the standard Advent wreath, bought from the store. The candles would lean and pop out of their spots. Sad when I think of it compared to the time and money we invested in the tree and its trimmings.

Compare Advent to the liturgical season of Lent and once again, it gets second fiddle. Lent, after all, invites us to fast and sacrifice. That feels tangible, solid and somehow more “real” than Advent. There’s a challenge to it.

Finally, Advent is a problem because it entails the glorification of waiting. I don’t know about you but my desire to wait is near close to the bottom of the list of favorite things.

So what are we to make of Advent?

Simply asking the question is a good start. You’ll likely not find a definitive answer and perhaps that’s the point. Advent, while surely a prelude to the birth of Christ, is also a powerful time to sanctify our waiting. Waiting for the WiFi signal to improve. Waiting for your next pay check. Waiting for the cup of coffee to brew. Waiting for God to say something to you in your morning time of prayer. Waiting…

Advent is a problem for sure but it may be exactly what we need in a culture of immediacy.

This week has been chock-full of feast days, from the Sacred Heart to Saints Peter and Paul. Much of the time, these feasts come and go without much reflection on our part. Save for a decent homily (which is hardly a guarantee), it can be easy to lose sight of each feast.

My recommendation is to utilize the following three (and boy, are these simple!) steps when the Church provides a feast day:

Do some online research. Whether it’s over at SpiritualDirection.com or a basic Google search, there is plenty of material to bring you up to speed on a particular feast. Don’t overdo it but give yourself five minutes to brush up on your saint or feast.
Utilize art. On the Feast of the Sacred Heart, I was able to find some beautiful modern images that really spoke to me. If you are a visual learner, this step will be particularly helpful. You might download the image to your phone wallpaper or share it with others on Facebook.
Ask the particular saint to pray for you. This isn’t saint-worship. Rather, it’s similar to asking a holy aunt or uncle to pray for you. Their holiness can move mountains. Why wouldn’t we ask a saint to do the same?

There is so much richness to the Church’s liturgical calendar. With just a bit of intentionality, your faith can be augmented by the calendar.

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