On the 2nd Day of Advent – Being Present (12/01/2025)

It’s officially December. It’s officially Advent. And ever since I was a child, each makes me think presents and together…well let’s just say there will be bows. But before we get too caught up with “presents,” let’s focus on “being present.”

Yesterday, we started with prayer because we know that anything worth doing is worth beginning with prayer. And hopefully, daily, we will begin with prayer as we make the Advent journey. Today, let’s focus on preparing and anticipating by “being present.” As we make our way to Christmas day, we recall how the Son of God came to dwell among us – to be present. And as we read the scriptures, we notice that Jesus speaks often of “remaining” with us and of He asks us to “remain in Him.” Are we recognizing Christ in our moments? Are we seeing Christ in others? Or are we too distracted?

I know I get distracted. I know that I have to say, “What?” too frequently because I wasn’t really present, I wasn’t really listening to the person with me.

This past week, I went to a local café to meet a friend for breakfast. My friend was delayed, so I was just sitting and watching others. I noticed a family at a table right next to mine: a father, mother, and daughter in her teens. All three were on their phones. They never spoke to one another until it was time to leave.

Today, we face a real problem in not being present in the moment, in not being present to those who are with us, around us. I have an activity I do in classes to prove my point. After 15 minutes of class, I ask everyone to close their eyes – no peeking. Then I ask them questions about who is around them, what are they wearing, what are they doing as I teach? Few can answer because they themselves are not “present” – they are thinking of another time, another activity, or even worse, looking at their phone under the table.

As we prepare for Christ in anticipation, we can’t ignore the fact that Jesus saw people, He saw their pain, He saw their need. We can’t ignore that Jesus listened. He heard the cry of the leper; He heard the plea of the Canaanite woman whose daughter was tormented by a demon. In anticipation of Christ, we are called to be like Him, to see the other, to hear the other especially those who feel unseen and those who feel unheard.

On this the second day of our Advent journey of anticipation, let us commit to being present in the moment, being present to those around us.

Why? Because during Advent, we prepare for Christ’s coming. It’s not so much about putting the infant in the manager figurine in the nativity set as much as it’s about opening ourselves, our minds, our hearts, ourselves to Him so that we might better see Him and hear Him in our lives. And it begins with being present.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.