This is a special time of year. It's about waiting and preparing. Advent demands patience. It is natural that we would wish the celebration of Christmas to come quickly but there is great wisdom in the idea of a period of repentance and readying.
There is a parallel here with the discernment of a vocation. I sometimes meet men who would like to enter religious life "in the morning". However, it can never be that simple. A process of slow and careful discernment is essential.
If you've ever considered religious life why not make it an Advent Resolution to begin discerning. Just get in touch with me at
prescall@eircom.net
"In this Advent Season we shall be granted once again to experience the closeness of the One who created the world, who guides history and who cared for us to the point of deigning to become a man.
This great and fascinating mystery of the God-with-us, indeed, of the God who becomes one of us, is what we shall celebrate in the coming weeks journeying towards holy Christmas."
Pope Benedict XVI, First Vespers of Advent 2010.
