What do you desire? What do you long for?
A few moments of reflection could very well leave us with desires and longings that seem endless and insatiable. One way we might look at Advent is to deepen and purify our desires and longings.
It is so easy to get caught in cycles of desiring parts of life that cannot fulfill us; some of these are good in themselves and some are not. Desiring to spend time with friends or family is certainly good and offers a taste of true fulfillment; getting caught in a YouTube or video binge — while engaging in the moment — leaves us exhausted with unrefreshed souls. Some of us can simply run from one thing to another without thinking, leaving us disillusioned and even at times wondering what we desire or long for.
Wait! St. John the Baptist says to us. Literally, take a moment. He cries out in the desert. People are longing for something more and they go out to listen in the desert. The time with friends and family can be an experience of communion that beckons us to long for the communion that does not come to an end; to make that connection we need moments of waiting on the Lord in silent prayer.
We are made for more, an eternal more, and anything less than that will leave us unfulfilled. If we are stuck in patterns that leave us disillusioned, we need the desert even more. It is a place of repentance, and to repent frees us of sin and purifies our desires.
It is striking that John proclaimed repentance in the desert and “(p)eople of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him …” (Mk 1:5). Something in their experience of life had them longing for more. So much so that they made great effort to make it out to the desert. They took time off work, temporarily uprooted their families, and sought an encounter with the Lord through the word of his servant in the desert. Having few distractions, they could listen there in a way they could not in the normal course of their lives. The silence of the desert enabled them to hear the message of repentance and turn toward what — or better, who — could ultimately fulfill their longings and desires.
Herein is the invitation of this second Sunday of Advent. Ask yourself: What steps do I need to take to improve the moments of silent prayer in my life? If there are none, what steps do I need to take to have at least 10 minutes of reflective silence a day?
For one beginning his or her way to the silence of a daily desert, perhaps it is in the car before running into a store to pick up a few things or perhaps, if nowhere else, it could even be in the shower.
Wherever this time takes place, take slow deep breaths in the Lord, pondering that he is closer to you than the air you breathe. Slowly breathe him in and let go of your tensions as you slowly exhale without thinking about what those stressors are.
When we come to realize that the Lord’s love language is silence, we will long for more of it to encounter him who alone can fulfill. A repentant heart surrendered to the Lord Jesus in silent waiting for his return (i.e., his advent) will enable you to cry out with joy, “Here is your God!” (Is 40:9).
Father Carl is vice rector and associate professor of sacred Scripture at The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul. He can be reached at smcarl@stthomas.edu.
Sunday, Dec. 10
Second Sunday of Advent
