in the Advent mist

I lifted this entire meditation from today's entry in Magnificat because it seemed so perfect to me, even though much longer than my usual -


"In accordance with our nature, nations and families have their times and seasons for days of special celebration. This specialness is sacramentalized in the Church's year. She too has red-letter days, seasons marked out in a special way to commemorate God's saving, life-giving love.

Are we right in claiming that God offers himself more fully at these times? That the living water of grace is flowing even more abundantly? The wise answer is, I think, that as human beings we need to think so, and therefore it is so. The Church, in this manner, educates us in a more concentrated way, provides a more intense stimulation to faith so that, if we respond, we are better prepared for the Lord to give himself more fully to us.

Advent is one of those special times as a season of preparation for the feast of Christmas...

But faith in his coming does not grow out of itself. We have to nourish our faith, exercise it. We don't sit idly at home waiting for his arrival - we must run out to make him welcome. We must question him: Are you he? We must ponder the sacred texts, try to discover their meaning, receive their message.

There has to be effort in our daily living. We must climb the mountain heights where the God of Jacob makes his home, for we want him to teach us how to love him; we want to follow where he leads.

We must move into the shadowy mists of detachment. Far on the horizon, see - God appears, and his coming spreads a mist over all the earth. We should want this silencing, shadowing mist, that cuts us off from unnecessary things - things that are not him for us. We cannot truly see them until he comes, so it is better to live in the mist - detachment, silence of desire - accepting the mystery. We must shroud our souls in Advent mist.

It may be, and in my experience often happens, that instead of the inner silence we so desire, our emotions are upset and our thoughts tend to run off. We can feel very discouraged about this lack of inner peace, but there is no need to be. This is merely temptation, the cross. In no way do these feelings come between God and us provided we quietly resist, and bear with ourselves sweetly and patiently. It may be, in fact, a far deeper Advent in that we realize our immense need of a Savior - and what a blessing that is!"

                                -  Sister Ruth Burroughs, a Carmelite nun at Quidenham, in Norfolk, England