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Advent with the Mother of God by Sarah Reinhard If you’re like me, you find yourself, so often, at the beginning of Advent with a glassy stare and a list that’s longer than Santa’s. You’ll have shopping to do, baking to finish, wrapping and cleaning and a host of other things, all demanding your attention.  And I haven’t even taken into account the day-to- day items that don’t pause in the face of all the extras. For a number of years, I felt like something was missing from my Advent. A few years ago, I started to realize what it was Though I refused to decorate before the week before Christmas, and though I paid great lip service to the loveliness of the Advent season, I wasn’t preparing myself to welcome my Saviour on Christmas. I didn’t mean to turn to Mary.   She was just there, in the Nativity. She looked so calm and serene. She was as different from me as it was possible to be. How do you think she spent her Advent that year, when Jesus was born? Jesus was the fulfilment of a time of waiting much longer than the four weeks we observe every year before Christmas. Maybe my Advent expectations aren’t what they should be. Maybe, instead of holding myself accountable for all the shopping, all the devotions, and all the possibilities for the season, I should pause for a moment. Maybe, in whatever I choose to do this Advent, I should make sure my gaze remains heavenward, my heart waiting in joyful anticipation. This year, I’m doing less during Advent. Through a series of planning strategies, I hope to have my Christmas shopping done 26 Ottubru-Diċembru 2023 hajja