Advent calls us to prayer, adoration, and hope during this season of anticipation for the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

At times, I feel the world nowadays has no speed limit for how fast decisions and actions should be done… all while chasing the next pinnacles of personal achievement. Many people, including myself, feel the pressures of anxiety that stem from deadlines, goals, and responsibilities in modern day‑to‑day life.

Slowing Down in Advent

Even though everything in me wants to move forward during Advent, the Lord invites me to slow down—to be still, to rest, to trust, and to hope in God’s timing.

God Knows My Heart

The Lord knows the desires of my heart, the prayers I have whispered, shouted, and cried for, the hopes I carry, and the answers I long for.

But while I wait, the Lord helps me not to grow weary or discouraged. He teaches me to hope and to wait with faith rather than frustration, with surrender rather than anxiety.

Purified by Waiting

In this season of Advent, the Lord purifies my desires, strengthens my patience, and deepens my trust in Him.

Let this time of hope and waiting shape and prepare me. May my heart be shaped by the Lord, ready in anticipation for His Eucharistic birth in the manger of my heart once more this Christmas.

Placing It All in His Hands

I place this Advent season, my plans, my desires, my hopeful longings, and any uncertainties into the Lord’s hands.

Author: Matt Gostkowski — Verso l’alto, Chicago Polish CLC Group