Today was a busy day. No, today was a very busy, crazy, exhausting, and chaotic sort of day. I felt like I spent the whole day running around campus from library to library, classroom to classroom in a frantic rush to accomplish the tasks demanded of me. I am sure many of you are far too familiar with these kinds of days (perhaps today is one of those days for you). I am sure we all feel the hectic rush that surrounds and overwhelms our lives, especially during this season decked with final exams, papers, and projects.

However, there was a moment of my day not spent running around; a moment spent in silence, in complete rest with Jesus during adoration.

 These special moments of prayer sustain and give me the strength I need to carry on through the busy days that seem to surround my life. In the gospel, Jesus invites us; “come to me all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Often, we use our busyness as an excuse for not spending time in prayer. We have all fallen victim to the idea that we have too many other things to do and prayer gets pushed to the bottom of our list.  But in the most burdened and labored moments of our lives, Jesus specifically calls out to us. Advent is as much a season of preparing as it is a time for us to rest in the loving presence of Christ. This Advent season, may we all take a moment out of our very busy, crazy, exhausting, and chaotic sort of days to spend with Jesus.

As we prepare for the celebration of Christ’s birth through prayer and reflection. May these daily Advent reflections from the STM community help us see the holiness of the season in our everyday lives.