The readings for Advent are filled with good news. Here are a few samples:
“Justice shall flourish in his time and fullness of peace forever” … (Ps. 72:7)
“In days to come… they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks” … (Is. 2:4)
“The calf and young lion shall browse together, with a little child to lead them… (Is. 11:6)
“The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all the faces… (Is. 25:8)
“The Lord is my light and salvation; whom shall I fear?”… (Ps. 27:1 (KJV)
“Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.” (Ps. 126:5)
“The Lord will give you the bread you need and the water for which you thirst.” … (Is. 30:20)
Jesus said to the Twelve: “As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'” … (Mt. 10:7)
“Shout for joy… the Lord is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear.” (Zeph. 3:17)
Little wonder many of us are drawn to this season, for we live in a world where we could use all the good news we can get!
But Advent is not merely a time to luxuriate in all this good news. It’s not a time to say, “How nice! Look at all the marvelous things God did in the past.” No, the good news of the Advent season comes with a promise and a challenge too. The promise is this: God continues to do marvelous things in the here and now of today! And the challenge is: We must actively partner with God to do our small part in bringing about the good news we dream about and long for. How do we do this? By being Jesus in our time and place. By using the talents we have been entrusted with. And we do this among the people God puts into our daily life. It’s as simple–and as daunting–as that!
This Advent we might begin by taking stock of some of our talents, gifts, abilities, knacks, skills. Maybe we’re a good cook, have a knack for fixing things, are good with children, have a great sense of humor, are essentially kind, write well, sing well, relate well to teenagers or the elderly, have organizational skills, possess artistic talents, know how to work hard, are a fine coach, are a good listener. (I read once that listening is so close to loving that they’re often the same thing.) We thank God for our gifts and then ask: How might I put one or more of these talents at the service of another or others?
We might also want to reflect on what sometimes gets in the way of using our gifts for others? Maybe we’re afraid, always in a rush, have made no time for prayer, lack patience, possess little energy, are wrapped up in our own little world, or are feeling pretty hopeless right now. We can make our “lacks” part of our prayer, asking God this Advent to give us courage, patience, humility, kindness, energy, hope, or whatever else we feel we lack.
The refrain or mantra for the Advent season is, “O come, O come Emmanuel.” I always remember what my scripture professor at Duquesne, Fr. Demetrius Dumm, OSB, said about that word Emmanuel. It means more than God is with us. It means things like this: God is for us… God is on our side… God is in our corner. In other words, Emmanuel means God stands ready to help us in our endeavors to be Jesus and to help bring forth that better world promised to us in our Advent readings.
Let us pray:
Loving God, Giver of all Gifts, help us to identify the talents and skills you have entrusted to us. May we find creative ways to use our gifts for the good of others. Emmanuel, you are with us… for us… on our side… in our corner. This Advent, helps us to be Jesus in our particular place and circumstances. We ask these things relying on your promises and your unending love. Amen.
For reflection:
Does Advent hold any special meaning or feelings for you personally?
Are there some people in your life who are using their talents or gifts at the service of others? How are they doing this?
What special grace are you asking for this Advent? Why?
PS: I led the Advent retreat in Erie, PA on Saturday morning via Zoom. A blizzard moved into the Great Lakes area Friday blocking my I-90 route and dumping about 20 inches of snow in Erie! But I thank the SSJ Sisters who gathered in their living center and the other folks who made the retreat from their homes. A special thanks to my contact person, Nancy, and to Sr. Rosemary who ran the technical aspects with such skill! And thank you too for your prayers!
I am offering three versions of the Advent hymn, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” The first is by the group Mannheim Steamroller. It’s one of my favorites. This version is in Latin and uses stark bells as an accompaniment. The second is a more traditional version in English and song by the Sunday 7 p.m. Choir. The third one is by Tommee Profitt, American songwriter and record producer. His version, very contemporary, is sung by a young peoples’ choir. Take your pick–or (in the course of the week) listen to all three of them!
Manheim Steamroller:
7 p.m. Sunday Choir:
Tommee Profitt’s version:
I encourage you to write a simple comment below about this reflection or about Advent in general. We love hearing from one another!
24 Responses
Happy Advent, Sr. Melannie…
Happy Advent, all…
I am listening to the Manheim Steamroller version of O Come O Come Emmanuel and I feel a sad joy in my heart. I’m not sure why. But I do. O why o why can’t our world beat our swords into ploughshares? I will try my best to be the answer to that question. Meanwhile, I will listen to the wise elders in my life and buy socks, mittens, and woolen caps for those shepherds watching their flocks. God bless!!
Hopefully everyone in our lives is doing everything they can to help anyone they can this Advent season. We’d like to thank all of our friends, family and teachers for being so graciously kind this season (and always) and we pray everyone else will be too.
Hello,
When you wrote “I read once that listening is so close to loving that they’re often the same thing” I thought that it is very sweet. To think when you listen to someones problems that you are giving time and love to them is very nice. I think that means that therapists are the most loving people in the world then.
I love this Sister. thank you for writing this. I know that this would speak to a lot of people.
Absolutely beautiful. I enjoyed reading and totally agree!!
Hey Sr. Melannie, advent is such a special and beautiful thing. We use this time to prepare for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. I agree with everything said!!!
This passage has left me with the lingering thought of how I can better myself in this world filled with such despair, especially at a time like this. With the arrival of Advent, I will be taking this into consideration and bettering myself this season. Thank you, Sister Melannie.
Happy Advent, Sister Melannie.
What a lovely blog. I absolutely enjoyed reading this. As I reflected upon the question, “Are there some people in your life who are using their talents or gifts at the service of others? How are they doing this?” I thought to myself and acknowledged the wonderful people in my life who are caring souls and put their talents and gifts into everything they do. They have the gifts of making people feel heard, cared for, and loved. I see this in every action they take and every word that comes out of their mouths. It makes me appreciate how blessed I am to have these people in my life and how good it feels to be surrounded by these kinds of people as they encourage me to keep being the good person I am, regardless of everything.
Happy Advent, Sr. Melannie! Thank you for your wise words, the world truly needs them today. It is so important to use our gifts for the betterment of the world, and what better time then Advent, the season of preparation for the coming of God’s greatest gift. The first week of Advent is the week of hope, and I feel that this fits into the theme of gifts quite nicely because hope is also a gift. It is a gift to be able to hope and to have reason to hope. Our reason to hope is Jesus, the ultimate gift. Have a blessed week and Advent season!
Happy Advent, Sister Melannie! Thank you for your beautiful Advent reflection and music selections. Each Advent, I feel blessed and grateful for another season to celebrate our Lord’s coming and to pray for our world.
May I also add my other favorite singer of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”, by Enya.
God bless you!
Hello Sr. Melanie!
While reading the reflection on the Advent season, it took me back to the mass I attended yesterday. The priest spoke about how December 1st is the new year for the church. We think of the season of Advent as a fresh start in preparation for Jesus’ birth and resurrection. The first candle, HOPE, was lit yesterday at the beginning of mass. The altar was decorated in beautiful purple drapes and cloths. The HOPE candle helps us to remember that staying hopeful is very important. 5 other H words that I keep in mind while thinking of the candle of HOPE are hospitable, humble, honest , honor, and happiness.
– Maliyah s
I love Advent! Can’t get enough of it!😉. This Advent I’ve a legitimate reason to spend extra time contemplating all the season offers. Thank you for your great thoughts and ideas 👏👍🙏🏼
Happy Advent Sister Melannie! I am surrounded by a blizzard not far from Erie, PA. It was comforting to hear the Tom Profitt version of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”. Everything is cancelled but the wifi is still working.
God bless.
Thank you for sharing the music!!
Dear Sister Melanie,
I am enjoying all three versions, especially the children. I am very sick with Covid for the third time in two years even after receiving the latest booster shot in October. I needed to be reminded that others are suffering much more than I am and need to be remembered at this season and beyond. I am thinking about all of the things that need doing as I isolate from my husband who has heart issues. Your sweet blog gave me a chance to rechannel my thoughts to our Emanuel, the babe in the manger, our Savior, our Lord…Thank you Melanie for always giving hope and meaning to our days. Mayyou be blessed as you bless so many others.
I too love the season of Advent and look forward to all the scripture readings each year. All of them filled with reminders of God’s promises being fulfilled. Good reminders too of hope, joy and wonder. Thank you Melannie for your inspiring thoughts and reflections. The song interpretation by Mannheim Steamroller is my favorite and I anticipate playing it each week of Advent. So glad your retreat was successful thru Zoom though you couldn’t make it in person. You bless us all with your gifts.
Sister,
Many thanks for your beautiful and uplifting words. Truly, writing is your gift and you use it well. A reminder about the gifts we may have to share with others and make this a better world is timely and so needed. Often, we get caught up in our deficiencies, failings and many errors, and forget about the gifts we were endowed with. Music- another way to communicate and express our feelings- adds but another dimension to your message. I enjoyed all three renditions of Emmanuel. May your holiday season be filled with many blessings!
Dear Sister Melannie,
I find your words to be so powerful! They speak to my heart of God’s love while reminding me that our gifts are not our own to squander, but to be shared and freely given away as God has freely given to us.
Thank you.
I have so many memories of the Advent daily devotions at my small Catholic school in North Dakota. We gathered in the hall where the wreath hung above and sang O Come, O Come Emmanuel…for 12 years. I always liked that devotion each morning. Thanks for the reminder in song.
Beautiful reflection. And thank you for the versions of my favorite Advent song. I hardly hear it any more in our parish. Listened to all 3. Will plan to listen often this Advent.
Thanks Melannie! You hit the nail on the head as you always so beautifully do! But maybe this time my head was what you hit!!!! Take care and thanks for all! Glad you made it home in all the snow!
Sister, I so wish I could attend every retreat you give! I think your blog is a reflection of what a retreat with you would be like. Once again, you have touched me and make me think of my words and actions – are they Jesus or not? I so want to be more like Jesus and in failing along the way in words and actions, I become defeated sometimes – and then I read your blog(s) and am lifted up. Thank you.
Reading this a bit later than most folks. I loved the 3 different versions of O Come Emmanuel. I have a music list in You Tube Music specifically for Advent. In it I have about 20 different versions of this song. I listen to a different version each day of Advent. I added the ones above to my Advent list. Wishing everyone here a joyous Advent season.
What a wonderful and inspirational message. I attended and taught at Duquesne for 26 years and never knew Fr Demetrius Dumm taught there. I only knew of him at St Vincent. Small world the Sisters of St Joseph taught me at my nursing school back in the 60s. Advent Blessings to you and thanks for the always inspirational messages!