Upkeep seems endless sometimes with a home and a yard. Yet I’m grateful to be able to take care of them. This time of year, the rakes, blower, hedge-trimmer and pruning shears are active before the cold and snow really sets in.
It’s work, of course, yet it reminds me of Thanksgiving — things that I am truly thankful for. And it helps me prepare for the “new year” — the new liturgical year — as the first Sunday of Advent approaches. It takes an active prayer life to prune the excess and prepare for new growth in the life of faith.
With the Thanksgiving holiday upon us and Advent just 10 days after, I’m prompted to do more by the flow of the Dynamic Catholic prayer process telling me to step it up a notch. It stares at me daily on my ergonomic desktop, then methodically guides me through the areas of gratitude, awareness, significant moments, peace, freedom and willing the good of others, closing with the Lord’s Prayer. It is much like a daily examen (St. Ignatius would approve). But I can also look at the process in a broader and deeper way as Advent — the Catholic mini-Lent — approaches and proceeds, helping me work toward “the best version of myself” as the founder of nonprofit Dynamic Catholic, Matthew Kelly, might say).
Take gratitude for instance. As together we press on in November — adjusting to the robust, seasonal fluctuations — we celebrate the peace of Thanksgiving and offer our gratitude to God for all the things we are thankful for this past year. Thanksgiving — both the holiday and its action — offers an opportunity to calm the storms in some relationships and close the gap in trivial and large matters that can sometimes divide us as family, co-workers and, yes, even fellow parishioners. We start by simply being thankful and showing others how we have grown in faith and learned from them in our relationships — even in shaky times. Expressing those significant moments and how God helped our faith grow through various relationships and circumstances can remind us to work on that best version of ourselves going forward. This brings more peace in life because it involves God’s love, mercy and forgiveness.
Each year the Advent season warms my heart by helping me understand why God came to be with us as Jesus—as one of us in an act of true love—fully human yet fully divine. And with the peace of Jesus in my heart comes freedom to change for the better each year. Not because I’m free to do whatever I desire — which really isn’t freedom — but because I’m free to do what is right as our Lord teaches. As a Catholic Watchman, for example, I practice this through prayer, Scripture, the spiritual fatherhood of St. Joseph, regular Mass attendance, works of mercy, monthly confession and meeting often with men who share my faith and interests. A watchman loves God, family and neighbor in that order. The latter two are those for whom I want to pray more and care more about going forward in the new liturgical year, as Jesus taught us to pray and care for others in the Lord’s Prayer.
The reality of Jesus’ humanity and divinity is present in the Eucharist. Regular devotion to the Eucharist at Mass and adoration can strengthen us in holiness and help us prepare for another year with our Lord on this earth. Stay alert and well prepared for the polyvalent, timeless meaning of Advent — the coming of Christ in prayer, anticipation and joy celebrating his birth; in preparing for his glorious Second Coming; and in focusing on the importance of the here and now — how he lives actively in our hearts in the present moment and all the year through.
Deacon Bird ministers to St. Joseph in Rosemount and All Saints in Lakeville and assists with the archdiocesan Catholic Watchmen movement. See heroicmen.com for existing tools supported by the archdiocese to enrich parish apostolates for ministry to men. For Watchmen start-up materials or any other questions regarding ministry to men, contact him at gordonbird@rocketmail.com.
