Advent

The coldest night and morning so far this Autumn; the First Sunday of Advent arrives with St. Paul's admonition: "it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep." (Rm 13: 11). What do we expect from this season? What will be our priorities in a world (and our own personal world) of darkness, disbelief, ignorance, indifference and sin? Will a cold morning keep us in bed, or will we rise to embrace the season of Advent and address each of these challenges with vigor?
The famous WW II pilot, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, tells the story of a life-changing experience when he and his crew were flying a special mission, crashed into the Pacific and were lost as sea for 21 days, almost the same length of time as Advent. He wrote, "In the beginning many of the men were atheists or agnostics, but at the end of the terrible ordeal each, in his own way, had discovered God, prayer and a community of feeling developed which created a liveliness of human fellowship and worship, and a sense of gentle peace." Wouldn't it be worth the effort we've made in prioritizing our spiritual needs, our hopes, and our plan of action for Advent, if we could arrive with the same results as these men? Do we need to be shot down and float in a raft for these four weeks, or can we discipline ourselves out of love of God and a desire to draw closer to him, to arrive at these ends?
Bro. Rene