{"id":3438,"date":"2011-12-23T09:21:20","date_gmt":"2011-12-23T15:21:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marccardaronella.com\/?p=3438"},"modified":"2012-05-11T13:35:18","modified_gmt":"2012-05-11T19:35:18","slug":"what-advent-teaches-you-about-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marccardaronella.com\/blog\/2011\/12\/23\/what-advent-teaches-you-about-life\/","title":{"rendered":"What Advent Teaches You About Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Is Advent the only time you prepare for the coming of Christ?<\/p>\n

Or, is it a time when you “step it up a bit” from your regular devotions?<\/p>\n

My blogging friend William O’Leary wrote a great Advent post<\/a>\u00a0with this in mind.
\n<\/p>\n

If only every day was Advent<\/h2>\n

In his post, William quotes Pope John Paul the Great speaking\u00a0about the liturgy of Advent and what it means for our lives:<\/p>\n

“It is necessary to understand that the whole of our life must be an \u2018advent,\u2019 a vigilant awaiting of the final coming of Christ. To predispose our mind to welcome the Lord…Therefore, Advent is, so to speak, an intense training that directs us decisively toward him who already came, who will come, and who comes continuously.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Life,\u00a0the macro season<\/h2>\n

I’ve often said that Lent is like the whole\u00a0Christian life in miniature, and the whole\u00a0Christian life is like a “macro-Lent.”<\/strong>\u00a0I\u00a0think the same\u00a0thing applies to the penitential season of Advent as well.<\/p>\n

Everything in the\u00a0Christian life is oriented toward one thing–union\u00a0with God. That union is helped and increased by sharing of God’s very life through grace.<\/p>\n

This union happens in a special way through the sacraments–most especially the Eucharist. But everything you do is an opportunity to increase that life of\u00a0God within you.<\/p>\n

Every prayer, every sacrifice, every thought\u00a0about\u00a0God, and every time you choose something for love of him, you increase that grace. You become closer to him\u00a0because your soul becomes more like him.<\/p>\n

Penitential seasons are times when you really turn it on. They are intense times of training where you renew your efforts and focus them.<\/p>\n

In Lent, it’s\u00a0about purification and enlightenment. You seek to purify your soul…clear it of sinful habits so the grace of the Risen Christ will give you new understanding and\u00a0new life.<\/p>\n

During Advent, you dispose yourself to recognize the Christ<\/strong> child as savior, to\u00a0accept him as Lord, and to give him the gift of yourself.<\/p>\n

Catechetical takeaway<\/h2>\n

The truth is, however, this is something you must do over and over again in your\u00a0life.<\/p>\n

You must learn to recognize him in daily events. You should strive\u00a0to accept his will. You should\u00a0turn your heart to him in love every day, not just\u00a0Christmas.<\/p>\n

Of course, that’s not easy. But that’s why you train!<\/p>\n

As you enter the final days of Advent, take stock of your disposition.<\/strong> Are you ready to renew your commitment to\u00a0Christ? Are you ready to follow his will for your life? Are you prepared to recognize him in the everyday happenings of your life?<\/p>\n

Even with only a few days left, you can check your attitude and commit to change this year.<\/p>\n

God bless and may\u00a0Christ fill your heart\u00a0with his love this\u00a0Christmas day!<\/p>\n

Image credit: Mario Sormann<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is Advent the only time you prepare for the coming of Christ? Or, is it a time when you “step it up a bit” from your regular devotions? My blogging friend William O’Leary wrote a great Advent post\u00a0with this in mind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","post-wrapper","thrv_wrapper"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Advent Teaches You About Life - Marc Cardaronella<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/marccardaronella.com\/blog\/2011\/12\/23\/what-advent-teaches-you-about-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Advent Teaches You About Life - Marc Cardaronella\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Is Advent the only time you prepare for the coming of Christ? 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