When my wife and I were expecting our first child, we made many preparations as we awaited her birth. Setting up a crib, securing anything that might fall from a wall, and learning about infant development were the mainstays of those 40 weeks. Doing all this not only prepared the way for our daughter, but also refashioned our lives.

As we took on the practices of parenting, our marriage was reoriented toward the establishment of our household as a “domestic church.” Our excitement and preparations were the realization of those promises we made as we entered into holy matrimony — to receive the gift of children and raise them in the practice of our Christian faith. Those months were a time for us, husband and wife, to prepare ourselves to take on a new role, a new relationship — to become truly father and mother.

Each year the church gives us the gift of the Advent season to prepare our hearts and homes to receive anew the gift of God. Advent invites each of us, like expectant parents, to prepare the way of the Lord. Like a family preparing to welcome a child, the preparations we make during this Advent season are about the profound transformation of ourselves, which we welcome through our acceptance of the great self-gift of God to us.

During Advent, the church offers us many ways to prepare the way of the Lord, and to prepare ourselves to take on the new role of missionary disciples. Our encounter with the Lord — made possible by Jesus’ first coming to us, celebrated in the Nativity of the Lord at Christmastide, and awaited in the fullness of time at the end of the age — is something worth preparing for! Here are a few ways to do that:

Make an Advent wreath with your family and light it nightly. You may use the blessing on the next page each evening when your family gathers around the dinner table, the center of the domestic church. Let the light of Christ dispel any darkness that can crowd out our patient waiting for the Lord.

Share your expectant joy with others. As you welcome family and friends to your home, invite those who have not yet experienced the joy of encountering Christ to share their hopes during this simple prayer by lighting the candles as we pray for the coming of our Savior. Perhaps invite those who do not have a church to join you at Mass during Advent to prepare for Christmas.

Switch off the radio and switch on prayer. When adding prayer into your busy routine gets tough, recall the quote attributed to St. Francis de Sales: “Half an hour’s prayer each day is essential, except when you are busy. Then a full hour is needed.” I try to use my morning and evening commutes to pray the Liturgy of the Hours using my smartphone. Advent music can help create a prayerful atmosphere. A few albums I would suggest adding to your queue include Advent at Ephesus by the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, The Cherry Tree by Anonymous 4 and Mysteries by Danielle Rose, especially the joyful mysteries.

Practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. When we are expecting the birth of our children we make changes to how we spend our time, what we eat and drink, and the rhythms of our sleep so that our children can share in these good habits to facilitate their thriving. As we begin the Jubilee Year of Mercy and Archbishop Sartain guides us into the works of mercy (see page 4), practice and celebrate these habits that allow Christ’s advent to thrive in our hearts and homes. You might invite members of your family to add a figure to your crèche or a piece of straw to the manger when they’ve undertaken such practices and share the story of their work of mercy.

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Northwest Catholic - December 2015