Blinders + Joy

I loved Edith and Julian's early Advent reflections--and I have my own to offer, because the First Sunday of Advent is really one of my favorite days of the year. the Msgr. preached, as many do, about the over-commercialization of the Christmas season. "Decorations" he said "are on the shelves right after Halloween. Everyone has blinders on--forgetting the real meaning of the season."

That word--BLINDERS--really struck me, because I put blinders on myself, to block out all the premature Christmas celebrations. I ignore the red cups at Starbucks (they are ugly this year, so it wasn't hard), I intentionally don't listen to the radio, lest "Dominik the Christmas Donkey" come on. I ignore the lights, garlands, and garish ornaments in the shops. I am blind.

But then, magically, the new liturgical year begins, and the world is lit with joy and anticipation. Because, while Advent is a penitential season, it is also one of joy--because Christ has come!

I was glad then to hear from a friend who was in Rome for the Holy Father's Advent Vespers service last Saturday, that he said in his sermon:
"Advent is the time of the presence and waiting for eternity. For just this reason it is, in a special way, the time of joy, of interiorized joy, that no suffering can take away."