Beginning Of Advent Brings Opportunities For Prayer

By FATHER JOHN CATOIR, CNS

Published: November 27, 2003

The opening declaration of the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells the story of Advent and Christmas in these words, “In a plan of sheer goodness, God freely created us” to help us to share in his joy.

God sent his only begotten Son to teach us wisdom and to guide us through the darkness. He knows our pain and offers his peace and joy to comfort us. The secret of Christian spirituality is found in our ability to respond to this sacred offer.

Since the theological foundation of Christian joy is rooted in God’s love, it follows that the best spiritual gift you can give God this Advent is to accept his gift and claim the joy he is offering you day by day.

Once I was deeply hurt by someone. It made me angry and resentful. I couldn’t seem to shake the bad feelings that welled up within me. I prayed for help, and God sent me a wonderful grace. I understood in a new way that the Lord wanted me to return good for evil.

I realized that if I wanted to be a Christian I had to eliminate my negative thinking and show the Lord that I loved him enough to turn the other cheek. So I began praying for the person who hurt me. I acted as if nothing ever happened and smiled my way through the anger. For about three weeks these negative feelings gradually began diminishing until one day my joy returned.

The lesson for me was simple: Joy prevails over sorrow, but you have to work at it.

When the angel came to Mary his first words were, “Do not be afraid Mary, I have come to bring you tidings of great joy” (Lk 1:30). Jesus said the same thing later in his public ministry: “Fear is useless, what you need is trust” (Mk 5:36).

Fear is the enemy of joy. I had to shed the fear of being hurt again, and the fear of being thought of as a wimp if I forgave and forgot. “Do not be afraid” is a message that covers a multitude of feelings.

The season of Advent is a perfect time for preparing our minds and hearts for the joy of Christmas. Practically speaking, it means not letting the past drag you down. It means not being afraid of the future. It means letting go of grudges. All you have is the present moment if you are ever going to experience joy. “The secret of happiness and sanctity rests in our fidelity to the duty of living in the present moment” (Father John Pierre de Caussade, SJ).

Mary did this. In her beautiful prayer the Magnificat she said, “My spirit rejoices in God my savior.” Isn’t that an attitude worth imitating—and praying for?

A friend of mine always seems to project a joyful presence. He says it takes about as much energy to be joyful as it does to be sad, and he is absolutely right. We can change and be more joyful, but we have to will it. At the same time we have to pray for the grace to live the Gospel joyfully day by day.