Giving Birth

“Be watchful! Be alert!”
—Mark 13:33

“One of the elders said: Pray attentively and you will soon straighten out your thoughts.”
—Wisdom of the Desert

Advent is the most intentionally contemplative time of the Christian calendar. The institutional church actually acknowledges that the Incarnation is not just an historical event of ancient times, but a living reality of the present moment. The irony, of course, is that outwardly this is the most stressful, fast-paced and consumer-oriented time of the year.

Spiritually, there is but one thing for us to do: sit and silently wait. To be attentive is to receive the present moment with love. To receive unconditionally is to love as God loves, which is to give birth to the Christ. We are in labor this very moment, if we but sit still and wait.