Advent is
intended to be a meditative season. However, many of us end up rushing through
the weeks before Christmas to accomplish all the items on our to-do list and
end up feeling more frazzled than centered.
Instead of
feeling guilty about not creating more time for prayer during Advent, we can
instead take the approach of doing our tasks in a contemplative spirit. For
example, I have learned from experience that when I attempt to multitask while
baking cookies, something will get burned or I’ll forget whether I added salt
or baking soda to the dough. On Saturday, I decided to follow the advice of Sr.
Imogene Baker: “Be where you are and do what you are doing.” Baking ended up
being a surprisingly meditative and calming experience as I focused on each
step in turn. As a bonus, the cookies turned out great.
We can put
ourselves in a contemplative state of mind by focusing on our breath as we
inhale and exhale, playing some meditative music, or silently reciting a
repetitive prayer as we work. Mainly, however, we can remember that how we live
out Advent is our choice: in a frenzy of activity or with a prayerful, calm
spirit.
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