My ABC for Advent

It's the third Sunday of Advent already, so in this post I will try to summarise my Advent reflections in the order of the alphabet.

•  A: Annunciation. Our Lady's period of Advent is actually longer than ours, since she knew that Jesus was coming since the Annunciation.
• B: But. "Everything before the 'but' does not count." It happens to me all the time. (ノ_＜)  I want to pray more, but I don't have time." "I want to participate in the morning Mass, but it's too early." Maybe it could be a New Year's Resolution, to stop all the buts?
• C: Child. Many times we should be like children, waiting for the Child Jesus with our hearts full of purity.

• ​D: Delight. What great news that He is coming!
• E: Easy. After a busy year, take it easy and enjoy how easy God made it for us to approach Him through His Son Jesus.
• F: Failure. Life is not about success but a continuous learning process. We learn from failures, and every failure is an opportunity to get closer to God so He can transform our weakness into a strength.
• G: Give. By the time we are preparing gifts, and fancy dinners or parties, have we stopped to glance at the people around us? Do they spend their Christmas alone? Do they have enough of what they need? We can start giving, instead of receiving.

• ​H: Holy. It is not enough for us just to be Good, we should be Holy!
• I: I am not worthy. I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof, but only say the word, my soul shall be healed.
• J: Joseph. How nervous I would have been if I had been St Joseph. But if we trust God, He can do everything through us :)
• K: Key. Your heart is a door, but Jesus does not have the key, He can enter only if you open your door to Him.
• L: Light. He brings light, and His yoke is light.

• M: Majesty. He abandoned His Majesty for us and was born into humility.
• ​N: Never. Even if a mother forgets her kid's name, I will not forget yours.
• O: Obedient. Many times we do not receive what we asked for, but He knows better, so it is better to be obedient than to force ourselves to accomplish our plans.
• P: Plea. God knows what we need, as a mother knows what her child lacks. However, He always wants us to ask Him, so we shall receive with confidence what He plans for us.

• ​Q: Quality/Quantity. The quality of our prayer life is always more important than the quantity.
• R: Renounce. Our life is too full of distractions and material goods. Sometimes it is difficult for us to renounce our possesses, so we should learn how to renounce and give them to the Lord.
• S: Stable. The Holy family is looking for a place to rest in Bethlehem, but they only find a stable. We are also stables, not a perfect place but enough to give them shelter. Are we willing to receive them?
• T: Treasure. We have had lots of treasure hunts during weekends at Stella Maris. Finding the way towards the Kingdom of God is another treasure to be hunted ;)

• ​U: Universal. I thank God for keeping me in Finland and that even if I don't speak Finnish, I can attend Mass and the activities in the Church. This is the Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church!
• V: Vocations in vacation. We had a wonderful trip to Medjugorje, and thanks be to God that many people found their vocation!
• W: Wake up. Many of our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world are persecuted. Please remember to pray for them and wake up to appreciate our faith.
• X: Xylitol. It prevents tooth decay, and may our prayers lead us to less sweet teeth.
• Y: Yes. Ready to say yes to new challenges?
• Z: Zip. It is not possible to zip up your coat if you do not adjust the starting joints. May we also have a blessed and suitable starting of the New Year!

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About the Author

Yiran, or Maria Micaela. Born in China as a Protestant Christian but baptised in Spain (2015), being the only Catholic in the family. I came to Turku as an Erasmus exchange student and I stayed for my MSc studies. I'm also a participant of the Youth Weekends at Stella Maris. 
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Cooking, running and photography are my hobbies.