Unprepared for Holidays

Many people say they aren't ready for Christmas, let alone Advent which is here today! Time seems to get away from us. We are all caught up in our own lives with so many concerns and obligations. Naturally when major holidays are upon us, we tend to feel like we just want time to stop so we can catch up and be "ready" for the days to come.

It can be hard to get excited when we feel we aren't ready for holidays, but one of the important messages of the Advent season is hope. The Lord will come and will not delay. Our whole attitude of waiting with expectation tells us that even though we aren't ready, we all still have that longing for Christ at Christmas. In fact, I think that feeling "ready" at all is simply a disposition to be open to whatever God has in store for us in the moment.

It is easy to say that we should be prepared for the holidays and ready when they arrive. It seems a hard task for most of us. Frustration and stress surround us in our daily lives, despite the joy and peace of the holidays. When that happens, we must remember that each day is a gift. There is the old adage "time stayeth not." So if we let these holidays continue to pass us by because we are not ready for them, we will be missing out on the special moments we are given. 

I love lighting each of the four Advent candles in the weeks before Christmas because it reminds us to be patient. We forget that we really have been waiting since March 25th, the feast of the Annunciation when Christ's Birth was first announced. Let us have the spirit of Our Lady this Advent and say as she said, "Be it done unto me according to Thy word."