Advent Awareness

“For a lack of attention
a thousand forms of loveliness
elude us everyday.”
Evelyn Underhill
Mysticism

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.”
Philippians 4 (a reading for Advent 3)

“To become a full human being we need to become contemplative,
alert, and aware of inner and outer reality as it becomes
known to us moment by moment.”
Suzanne Zuercher
Enneagram Spirituality

Advent may be the hardest time of the year to stay in the moment and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why:  Christmas is coming!  Christmas is coming and we are looking toward that event and preparing for it on a daily basis.  Perhaps that’s why the days of December seem to fly by so quickly.

Staying in the moment is particularly difficult for me.

It always has been.  I’ve always either been fixated on the past or looking ahead to the future.  The present gets little attention.  But, it’s not my fault.  Really.  It’s the way I’m built – at least that’s what I’m going to tell people.

In spiritual direction class we have been studying the Enneagram, an ancient model of personality used primarily in spirituality and business management.  The Enneagram itself is a geometric figure with nine distinct points, each representing a different numbered personality type.  I am a 9, known as the “peacemaker” or “mediator.”  One problem for 9’s (along with anger and sloth, sigh) is the inability to stay in the moment.  Suzanne Zuercher, in her book Enneagram Spirituality, describes it this way:

“For 8/9/1 persons, the present is blurred and unclear. It is a succession of disconnected moments in time. It has neither form nor shape; it is not part of any significant whole.”

Perhaps that’s why my wife is always encouraging me to “Look around!”

Too often the present just contains too many stimuli for me to process. I need time to absorb and reflect on what I’m experiencing.  Sometimes that takes years. Seriously.  The best way I can describe it is that I stumble through life half-awake surrounded by a protective shell of white noise.  The trouble with living like this is that I miss out on so much.

That’s why Advent is a good discipline for me.  Yes, it’s a time of waiting, but not passive waiting.  It’s important to stay engaged with what’s happening day to day, week to week.  Each Sunday in Advent brings something new.  For instance, this coming Sunday is known as Gaudete (Joy) Sunday, in part for the celebratory readings.  If your sole focus is December 25^th, or if you’re mired in the past or planning for the future, you may miss an important learning. 

The message of this coming Sunday is that being joyful is not the same thing as being happy.  Henri Nouwen was quoted in the National Catholic Reporter that being happy depends on external conditions, but joy is something far deeper:  it is “the experience of knowing that you are unconditionally loved and that nothing – sickness, failure, emotional distress, oppression, war, or even death – can take that love away.”

Happiness can be fleeting, but joy is everlasting because God’s love is everlasting. Joy is the attitude that should ground our entire lives.  And joy is discovered through contemplative living.  I love this quote from Richard Rohr:

“Contemplation is the practice of being fully present—in heart, mind, and body—to what is, in a way that allows you to creatively respond and work toward what could be.”

How do we practice being fully present?  By paying attention, by being awake to and aware of what is happening in the moment.  In short, by “looking around!”, not backward or forward.  The past is gone and the future is yet to be.  Deep, silent prayer and journaling are the things that work best to keep me grounded in the moment.  What might work best for you?

All we truly have is the present moment.  Celebrate it!  Rejoice in it!  Doing so will make Christmas that much more special.

Blessings on your Advent waiting.