Straighten Paths. Cry Out.

2nd Sunday of Advent 2023

Welcome to my first Advent devotional, I’m so happy you are here! It’s a shorter Advent this year with Christmas Eve and the 4th Sunday of Advent happening on the same day. Each Sunday of Advent I will be sending out a short reflection, what our family is doing this week to recognize the season and a brief prayer to help us focus for the week ahead. On December 17th I’ll be sharing about a special tradition that starts that day - the O Antiphons. I hope these emails serve as a chance to reflect, prepare, and rest.

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Readings for December 10th:

IS 40:1-5, 9-11

PS 85:9-10-11-12, 13-14 (responsorial psalms)

2 PT 3:8-14

LK 3:4, 6 (the Alleluia)

MK 1:1-8

“The Annunciation” Leonardo Da Vinci

“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who shall prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” Mk 1:1-3

It’s fitting that the readings of the first Sunday of Advent (Mk 13:33-34) shook us awake, in an almost uncomfortable manner haunting us with words of “Be watchful. You know not the hour.” On the Second Sunday, we are now going a step further with our watchfulness. It is now time to bring others along, to prepare the way, and to be that voice crying out, something that is repeated later in Acts 5:20 “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” With “this life” meaning The Way, a nod back to the words of Jesus in Jn 14:6 “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”

That is all well and good but when the rubber hits the road, what does this actually look like? I’ve found in different seasons it means different things. As a new mother with a newborn, it was allowing others to minister to me, bringing meals, sharing wisdom, encouraging and walking with me in the trenches of exhaustion, and overstimulation. These women who pulled up beside me made paths straight, they prepared the way, in my soul they tilled soil making it soft and receptive to the Word when my body was stretched to its breaking.

As we have slipped into parenting in the middle years, suddenly the intense needs of my children have slipped away (somewhat) and I find myself on the other end - ministering. Making paths straight, preparing, encouraging, and walking in the trenches of motherhood not as one always in need but one who can tend, soothe and lighten loads as well.

It may feel awkward to accept or offer help. We have been fed this lie for so long that we must do it all alone or we are seen as failures. Yet our Lord had help. He had a messenger to prepare the way, to make paths straight, and John was there to answer the summons boldly, crying out into the wilderness to all who would hear. In this same way we have been made as communal creatures, in need of one another, and there to help one another.

In a world increasingly focused on the individual, individual merits, individual abilities, individual desires, the Gospel gently reminds us that we are not on this journey of faith alone, that others have gone before us, straightening paths, crying out into the wilderness, and we too must do so, being ever watchful and diligent so that the next generation may hear that same voice sharing the coming of our Lord.

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Prayer:

Lord, thank you for your light, your Love, your Joy. Thank you for bringing us the light of the saints who help remind us of your faithfulness, who show us the way forward in both Love and Truth. Please grant us your Grace and Wisdom as we prepare our hearts, minds, and souls for your Son’s birth. Help us to not only remain watchful but to be bold and fearlessly live out the call to “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”

Help us bring your light into dark places.

Amen

Family Activities this Week:

As Liturgical Living has become more and more popular these last few years, beckoning even the most stubborn hearts to pause and ponder on its merits, more and more ideas have flooded Catholics and non-Catholics alike. So as I share what our family does, please take what serves you and leave what does not. A philosophy I teach my grammar students aptly applies here - EZ+1. Start with what is easy and add one new thing to it. This is sustainable and helps us not only have joy, but helps us avoid the very real threat of burnout.

Everyday:

Just about every evening, unless we have a Christmas party or other activity our family sits down for dinner. Before we dig in, my husband Joe will say a prayer relating to Advent and then one of the children lights that week’s candle, plus the previous candle.

An example Advent Wreath Prayer:

Week 2 - Leader: O Lord, stir up our hearts that we may prepare for your only-begotten Son, that through His coming we may be made worthy to serve You with pure minds. Through Christ our Lord¹.

All: Amen

Jesse Tree:

In the last couple years our family has done the Jesse Tree, which I talk about in more detail here. We put up our Christmas tree without ornaments and each night we read scripture while a child gets to hang up an ornament with the corresponding symbol. It’s a fun way for the kids to connect the dots of God’s story of salvation from the Old Testament to the New.

December 13 - St. Lucy:

Last year we took that EZ+1 principle to heart and decided it was time to add another tradition to our family’s Advent. The idea isn’t to keep adding until it’s “right” but to pick what helps bring you and your family into further reflection, what brings you closer to God. Last year we heard the story of St. Lucy through the podcast Saints Alive and my children were enamored. So we decided, together, to celebrate this day. Lucy, or Lucia, means “Light” and as we hit Mid-December it is the perfect time to be reminded of the light of Christ. The connection is not lost either with how one story tells that St. Lucy was tortured and martyred, her eyes being poked out and handed back to her after being outed as a Christian and defying both her governor and the emperor Diocletian. After her execution, when she was presented for burial it was discovered her eyes were miraculously restored.

How we celebrate: Early in the morning, or the night before the oldest daughter (with mom’s help) makes Lussebullar (Lucy Buns) made in an S shape, with raisins in the center of each end of the S, so they look like eyeballs². Yes, the Catholic faith never quiet shies away from the reality of our mortality. We follow suit with other homeschool moms who have decided to use canned Cinnamon Rolls, reshaped in an S form, putting raisins at the center. They are super delicious and much less work!

Then the daughter puts on a white gown, representing the clothing of the martyrs, with a red sash, and wearing a crown with candles to bring these sweet treats to the family. The crown of candles, or in our case a paper crown with paper candles, represents the Light of Christ.

Last year we did this in the evening, and I would wager any time of day is fine, though traditionally it is done at dawn.

1. Kendra Tierney, The Catholic All Year Prayer Companion: The Liturgical Year in Practice (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2021) pg. 45

2. Kendra Tierney, The Catholic All Year Compendium: Liturgical Living for Real Life (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2018) pg. 67