Hey, It’s Not Christmas Yet!

I promise I’m not trying to be the Grinch or Scrooge here, but I just want to hit a pause on the whole ‘Yay it’s December so let’s decorate our houses, start playing Christmas carols and spread the Christmas cheer!’ I’m all about Christmas cheer… but IT’S NOT CHRISTMAS YET!

So what, you say? I know it’s tempting, guys. Christmas can be magical, and who wants to miss out on some Christmas magic? This is what it comes down to – God wants to give you much, much more than mere Christmas cheer. And that’s why we have Advent.

I remember often thinking when I was younger, “Why do they keep saying we are preparing for the coming of Baby Jesus during Advent? Didn’t he already come as a baby a long time ago?” I was reminded by a friend a few days ago that the liturgical readings of the first three weeks of Advent focus on the Second Coming of Christ, and it’s only in the last week that we are commemorating the FIRST Coming when Jesus came as a baby.

When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Saviour's first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming. CCC 524 

Advent is all about expectancy, waiting, and ardent desire.

We’re all waiting for something. For so many single people, it is a waiting for the right person to come along. For many young couples, it is a longing for a child. For some, it is a hunger for peace and reconciliation within their families, or a longing for freedom from anxiety, depression or addiction for themselves or for someone dear to them.

But deeper within those desires, there is a longing, a desire for fulfilment, a deep ache for something more. Advent is a chance to recognize that desire is really for Jesus, that our hearts are hungry for Him. But the beautiful, exciting thing is that HE IS COMING. Just as the world waited in darkness for the coming of the dawn for centuries before Jesus arrived as a baby in an unknown corner of the world, He has PROMISED He will return, and that He will bring salvation to all those who desire it. He will wipe away every tear, He will right every wrong, He will satisfy every desire of your heart. 

Take heart, my friends! Lift your eyes and see – HE IS COMING! The Second Coming is the end of the world, and we do need to be ready. But for many of us, it may be our own deaths that may come first, and that we need to prepare our hearts for. But there is another coming – the daily coming of Christ. Heaven starts here on earth, if only we desire it enough. ‘God is always trying to give us good things, but our hands are too full to receive them' said Saint Augustine. Which is why we have Advent. We need to stretch our hearts to make room for heaven. We need to empty our hands and open them before God. In a world of instant gratification, we need to consciously choose to embrace the waiting, even when it is tinged with pain.

How can we embrace Advent? I know it’s not much time left, but here’s your chance to redeem the next week

1. Set aside time every day to visit an Adoration chapel. Bring the deepest longings and desires of your heart to Jesus, and just sit with Him in the waiting.

2. Put away your Christmas music and fill your home with Advent music. What’s Advent music? Any music that focuses on waiting, on expectation, on the coming of Christ.

• Waiting Here for You – Jesus Culture 
• Take Courage – Kristene DiMarco 
• Waiting for the Dawn – Salt of the Sound (album) 
• O Come, O Come Emmanuel - The Piano Guys (haunting version) 
• O Come, O Come Emmanuel - Bethel Kids (catchy version) 
• Glory Cry The Angel Choirs - Ed Conlin (Only for Christmas Eve, can someone PLEASE sing this at a Midnight Mass choir and invite me?) 
• I Wonder As I Wander - Audrey Assad 
• Behold - Hillsong 
• Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence - Aly Aleigha 
• O Come to the Altar - Elevation Worship 
• I Will Trust In You - Lauren Daigle 
• Song of Solomon - Martin Smith 
• Even So Come - Passion 
• Our Hearts Will Rise - Ed Conlin 

3. Make an Advent wreath, light a candle every night, and read the liturgical readings. Or pray the Divine Office. The riches and wisdom of the Church shine through the Divine Office.

4. Listen to an Abiding Together podcast every day. I suggest these ones:

• Waiting 
• Advent and the Fellowship of the Feminine Genius – Part 1 
• Advent and the Fellowship of the Feminine Genius Part 2 – Interview with Ali Hoffman 
• The Principles of Abiding 
• Belonging – Advent Part 1 
• Beloved – Advent Part 2 
• Be Still – Advent Part 3 
• Believe – Advent Part 4 
• Hope in Seasons of Darkness 
• Striving Vs. Abiding 

5. Pick one personal act of love to do every day until Christmas:

• Write a letter to a friend 
• Pack a few groceries and find someone to give it to 
• Send an affirming or encouraging text to someone who needs it 
• Hug your family members and tell them you love them 
• Forgive someone who has hurt you 
• Drop in and visit an old relative 

I pray all you have an Advent that allows you to receive more fully the JOY of Christmas. I will be working on some of these things too. Let me know how it goes!

Related Reading and More Advent Song Lists 

Favorite Catholic Advent Songs

10 Advent Songs To Cure the Christmas Craziness 

Eight Tips to Surviving Christmas

Sue Recommends: Charming Roald Dahl Movie, and Other Delights

As many of you know, I can be one of the most critical critics ever, black spot on white page, etc. It can be a good thing sometimes. Sometimes. One of the good things about critics is that when they DO recommend something, it means a lot more. Or so I like to believe. So I thought I'd start a new feature on the blog- Sue Recommends. Books, movies, articles, recipes, and everything and anything else that happens to strike my fancy. You're very welcome. Who DOESN'T want more of my opinions on everything?

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The BFG

It's hard to find a movie that I genuinely delight in. Either they are badly directed/have poor acting (it's sometimes hard to tell the difference), enjoyable but morally iffy which spoils it for me (Italian Job), poorly disguising crudity as humour (most rom-coms or comedies), make my thumb ache from all the fast-forwarding because of the endless action scenes (James Bond) or gratuitous violence (Gladiator), or just have lame plots (Final Destination). Sometimes it feels like only kids' movies are left. But they're too kiddy. Yes, I AM hard to please.

But then I watched this kids' movie based on a Roald Dahl I read as a child. I didn't have high expectations because well, it was a kids' movie. Or at least based on a kids'book. But it was delightful! It was about a Big Friendly Giant, and oh, what a joy was every word that came out of his mouth! I enjoyed both the Giant and the little girl who played Sophie, and wholeheartedly enjoyed the inclusion of the Queen in the plot. If I ever think I would like to re-watch a movie, it seems like that's a good movie to own.

"Take a bite and I am positive you will be shouting out oh how scrumdiddlyumptious this wonderveg is!" 

"People would be rushing and bushing after me with goodness knows what and they would be catching me and locking me into a cage to be stared at. They would be putting me into the zoo or the bunkumhouse with all those squiggling hippodumplings and crocadowndillies."

Pros: Charming, family-friendly, BFG's accent and mumbly-jumbly language
Cons: Will completely confuse children who are trying to learn English

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Eshakti Dresses

I heard Simcha Fisher mention them a couple of times, so I finally looked up the website... and found that they recently came to India. Well, came HOME to India. But for every girl who loves dresses, and has a hard time finding any with sleeves, or knee length or below, or just with any kind of class, these are GORGEOUS. Well, most of them, I haven't bought any yet, they are a little expensive - Rs 2000 and above. But there are group presents for birthdays! And Christmas! And finally a quick answer when people ask what I want!

Pros: So many gorgeous options! POCKETS! You can customize them when you order- your neckline, skirt length, etc. Who does that?? Gift voucher to eshakti is a great gift for self, mothers (the type who wear dresses), sisters, and most female friends.

Cons: It would take forever to choose because there are so many GREAT options. (Even my cons are pros.) Well, I guess they ARE a little expensive. Sigh. And so tempting to just waste time on the website fantasizing about owning them all.

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Fr. Mike Schmitz' Videos

Fr. Mike reminds me of some of my American Catholic friends- informal, a little tongue-in-cheek, constantly referencing pop culture, and so full of asides, I sometimes wonder if he's as ADD as the rest of us. But that's why he's so relatable.

I always say that the Catholic Church has the best content and the worst marketing. Fr. Mike does a great job with these short videos talking about everything from death to coffee to sleep habits to purgatory, and does it all in a likable and non-aggressive manner. If you're looking for byte-sized ways to grow in your faith, and knowledge of your faith, or even just start thinking about aspects of your faith you hadn't before, watch one of these every day.

Pros: Very short videos, easy to share, very logical and relatable, new and unexpected topics (in other words not just the same ones every Catholic blogger seems to write about), and often new takes on the same topics. Great for young people (yes, I'm getting old, I just referred to 'young people', and I didn't mentally include myself in that category). Could be great for youth group discussion starters.

Cons: Sometimes Fr. Mike is so good looking and charming, I wonder if I'm being manipulated. But then I remember that I have my charming moments too, and have tried my hardest to be authentic even while being charming, which is something I see in Fr. Mike too. Also, because the video are short, they don't cover it all. Obviously. I suppose sometimes you have to trade depth for brevity, or try to find a healthy balance of the two. I feel like there are sometimes important points missing, but there is always something to take away from the videos. Also, these videos are largely aimed at American Catholic teenagers, so it won't perfectly work for people who don't fit into that category. Still, I think most people would get something.

Okay, that's it for tonight, folks. Look out for more of Sue Recommends every week. Just kidding. Whenever I feel like it, and get down to it, and have time. We'll see.