Last Days of Advent at Work
(A re-post to help us work our way through Advent.)
During these last days of Advent, it's a little bit of this, a little
bit of that. At home, we're putting final touches on our decorations,
making sure all gifts are in order, checking the cupboard to be sure
we've bought all the vittles for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. At
work, there's a loose string or two to be tied into a neat bow before we
take some time off between Christmas Day and New Year's. Has every
detail been attended to, every problem addressed? Any correspondence
need an answer before we turn our hearts and minds away from the job and
let our spirit bathe in the wonder of the Baby in the Manger?
As we work through our checklists, it gets harder each day to focus our full attention on the mundane details. But we can't afford to slack off now. Beside the practical consequences of failing to be diligent in our appointed service at work, never mind those duties of our state of life that vary according to whether we're single, married, with or without children, etc., we know that our concrete efforts in the material world bear great spiritual weight.
The best way to understand just how much weight would be to think back 2,000 years or so. Specifically, let's remember that journey to Bethlehem Mary and Joseph made in response to the Roman Empire's call for a census. The timing couldn't have been worse for the holy couple, with Mary in the final days of her pregnancy, and the journey quite arduous, lacking the amenities of modern travel. The distance from Nazareth to Bethlehem is 80 miles. If Joseph and Mary traveled with a caravan - a common way to travel in those days, it would take about four days (20 miles a day), plus the time spent in Bethlehem registering for the census and - as we all know - tending to the Birth of Our Lord.
So do you think St. Joseph felt pressure or anxiety as he prepared to travel to Bethlehem? He had a business, and I suspect there were some customer demands he had to attend to before leaving for the journey. As opposed my own business, he couldn't just pick up his carpenter shop and carry it with him the way we might bring a laptop and cell phone and stay on top of things or respond to problems if need be. Right now, as we all feel a bit pressed to take care of business in these days before Christmas, we might remember St Joseph, waking up to load the donkey and gently helping Our Blessed Mother up onto it so she could ride while he walked the next days journey towards their destination. Such an image brings back memories of leading my wife to the car when she was due to give birth. That was a 10 minute drive to the hospital. It puts things in perspective, doesn't it?
And so we return to all those last-minute tasks with a renewed spirit, united to Our Blessed Mother and St. Joseph, seeking their intercession for the grace to offer our efforts to Our Lord as we eagerly await the great celebration of His Birth just a few days away. With God's grace, we can never be waylaid in our intention to honor Him in our work, nor can we be distracted by worldly cares from the preparation of our hearts to welcome Him on Christmas Day.
As we work through our checklists, it gets harder each day to focus our full attention on the mundane details. But we can't afford to slack off now. Beside the practical consequences of failing to be diligent in our appointed service at work, never mind those duties of our state of life that vary according to whether we're single, married, with or without children, etc., we know that our concrete efforts in the material world bear great spiritual weight.
The best way to understand just how much weight would be to think back 2,000 years or so. Specifically, let's remember that journey to Bethlehem Mary and Joseph made in response to the Roman Empire's call for a census. The timing couldn't have been worse for the holy couple, with Mary in the final days of her pregnancy, and the journey quite arduous, lacking the amenities of modern travel. The distance from Nazareth to Bethlehem is 80 miles. If Joseph and Mary traveled with a caravan - a common way to travel in those days, it would take about four days (20 miles a day), plus the time spent in Bethlehem registering for the census and - as we all know - tending to the Birth of Our Lord.
So do you think St. Joseph felt pressure or anxiety as he prepared to travel to Bethlehem? He had a business, and I suspect there were some customer demands he had to attend to before leaving for the journey. As opposed my own business, he couldn't just pick up his carpenter shop and carry it with him the way we might bring a laptop and cell phone and stay on top of things or respond to problems if need be. Right now, as we all feel a bit pressed to take care of business in these days before Christmas, we might remember St Joseph, waking up to load the donkey and gently helping Our Blessed Mother up onto it so she could ride while he walked the next days journey towards their destination. Such an image brings back memories of leading my wife to the car when she was due to give birth. That was a 10 minute drive to the hospital. It puts things in perspective, doesn't it?
And so we return to all those last-minute tasks with a renewed spirit, united to Our Blessed Mother and St. Joseph, seeking their intercession for the grace to offer our efforts to Our Lord as we eagerly await the great celebration of His Birth just a few days away. With God's grace, we can never be waylaid in our intention to honor Him in our work, nor can we be distracted by worldly cares from the preparation of our hearts to welcome Him on Christmas Day.
Divine Infant of Bethlehem, come and take birth in our hearts!
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