I sat in the car with my son as we waited to pick up my daughter from school. Running through all the tasks I had yet to complete, I pulled out my phone to see if I could check something off my to-do list. I only had a few minutes, but I didn’t want to sit idle.
From the backseat, my son said something.
“What?” I asked as I glanced at my phone.
My little guy spoke again, but I was too distracted to respond.
Presents to purchase, articles to read, friends to contact. Even though everything on the list was positive, I felt stressed by the amount of to-dos to tackle and the lack of time in which to complete them. Feeling more anxious than I had before, and frustrated with myself for not being content in the moment, I put my phone away and attempted to reconnect with my son in the backseat.
Too often, the world distracts us with this urge to busy ourselves with self-put-on pressures, as if the more we accomplish in a shorter period of time, the better off we are.
This restlessness even pervades our prayer life. Occasionally, I catch myself in a cycle of believing I have to constantly be performing an activity related to my faith: listening to Christian music, reading a Bible passage and daily devotional, or watching a virtual homily. While these pursuits are pure, they should not distract me from the life in front of me.
The same concept holds true during Advent. We have four weeks to prepare for Christ’s birth, to consider the true reason for this holy season. Yet, the culture around us has already begun celebrating a commercialized Christmas, and we can easily become immersed in these festivities. After all, Christmas happens just once per year.
Yet, if we focus too much on the extras, we may miss out on what should be our main focus. I recently watched a homily posted by Father Mike Schmitz during Advent 2022, and he encouraged listeners to attend Eucharistic Adoration daily during Advent to see how it changed their hearts.
Although this message intimidated me, I decided to try it. After all, I easily get caught up in the hype of seasonal preparations unrelated to Jesus’ birth, and I often neglect to prepare my heart for His coming.
The reality is that God wants us to slow down so we can be in companionship with Him. If we are spending all of our time on our personal pursuits, then we aren’t able to work on our relationship with Him.
Slowing our pace to savor stillness, quiet and calm can be the balm our souls need.
In the Bible, we witness many examples of Jesus secluding himself from others to pray alone, including during His public ministry. He also encouraged His disciples to seek solitude: “‘Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while’” (Mark 6:31).
This example from our savior shows us the need to get away from the busy distractions of life and focus on what is truly important: our relationship with Him. Whether it is Advent or ordinary time, removing our focus from our worldly wants and seeking His will for us will truly change our hearts.
A few days after that incident in the school pickup line, I went to the Eucharistic Adoration chapel on my way to pick up my children. When I entered His sacred presence, I found myself immersed in silence. And in that silence, I felt communion with God more clearly than I ever would have just by following my routine list of faith-filled activities.
Jesus came to us in a stable, a deserted place away from the hustle and bustle of typical life. And He asks us to join Him in the quiet of our hearts where He resides with us. When we seek Him, we will find Him.