This week we entered the season of Advent. At last week’s assembly I asked the children: What does Advent mean? The responses were great and hit the mark. They spoke about Advent being a time when we wait for Jesus’ birthday - and that is Christmas. ‘Wait’ is the critical word. So much of  our lives no longer allows us the important  period of waiting. We can become so impatient and want the product or the service or the profit now!

This has led me to think about the times when we really have to wait. We wait nine months for a baby to be born into our families, we wait for a wedding as the couple enjoy a period of engagement, we wait between death and burial,  we wait until we graduate from school, university or TAFE, we wait and prepare to receive the sacraments, we wait until we hear if we are successful with a job application and the list goes on.

But all of these things are about life. They’re not about objects, how much we own, how much time we have. They don’t give us any guarantees either. Yet, from my observations, we seem to  look for these things instead of what truly will fulfil us in our lives.

St Benedict taught that life should be a continuous Advent.  In his Rule, he describes that we should be vigilant all the time and this can be seen in many ways including careful listening, attentiveness to prayer, prompt obedience, taking watchful care over words and actions, being the first to show respect to others, and readily seeing Christ in every person we meet.

COVID-19 has brought many positive changes to school life and one for me has been being able to greet the children as they come into the playground each day.  I wait  for the gate to open so that they can come into our school to greet their friends. Then I start to use the time to observe. I see such wonderful things happening each morning. Particularly, there are children who come to the Library steps and wait for their friends. They talk about their friends with such deep affection. Together we wait patiently and chat about the day ahead or the weekend we’ve just enjoyed, and then, they see their friend come down the path. Sometimes, I say excitedly ‘There he/she is!’ and they run towards each other greeting each other like long lost friends. These are truly beautiful moments of innocence and friendship - they are moments of life that are to be captured, savoured and treasured. 

The next time I’m in the line at Woolies, or  waiting  on the end of the phone with some service provider - and I’m becoming impatient  - I  am going to think about this story that Joan Chittister shares of a traveler who one day stopped at a monastery and asked an elder for a word of wisdom that would guide the rest of the journey….

The elder nodded affably, and though it was a day of silence took a sheet of paper and wrote on it a single word, “Awareness.”

“Awareness?” the traveler said, perplexed.

“That’s far too brief.

“Couldn’t you expand on that a bit?”

So, the elder took the paper back and wrote: “Awareness, awareness, awareness.”

“But what do these words mean?” the traveler insisted.

Finally, the elder reached for the paper and wrote, clearly and firmly,

“Awareness, awareness, awareness means… Awareness! (exclamation point).”

To live life as a continuous Advent means nurturing our awareness of Christ’s presence in his three comings – in history, in daily life and at the end of time.

A prayer for you to pray often:

I come to you today with all my heart - however you call. Amen

As we journey together, with Jesus, into Advent,

Toni Sillis

Principal